The reason that we don’t use
outer aids such as beads, stones, incense, candles or things like that
in our spiritual practice is to avoid more attraction to the outward
appearance of things in this world. Because everything in this world,
although beautiful, attracts our attention, and so we try to minimize
that.
We can enjoy the world; we can
enjoy all the beauties that God has created for us, but we should know
how to say “When.” At least during meditation, we should forsake
all these things so that we’re able to concentrate better inside;
because only inward concentration will bring us liberation, happiness
and peace.
Of course, after a while, if
you reach a higher level of consciousness, even while you’re working
or doing anything like looking at a flower with concentration, you can
still enter samadhi; you can still see the inner world of reality. That’s
another thing. Some people do get that while other people take a longer
time; so be patient.
The reason we have to cut down
on all kinds of outer attractions, outer performances and outer use
of artifacts in order to remember God is that we’re already too attached
to the outside world and too outwardly dispatched with our attention.
So we have to always try, anytime we can, to draw it inward. That's
why in the old times, many people tried to go to the mountains or into
solitude to concentrate and forget more and more the attractions of
this world. If we have to, it will help.
You know very well, for example,
how even sometimes a beautiful song or a nice performance of poetry
will keep ringing in your ears all the time once you hear it and like
it. It's OK, if the poetry or song is elevating in nature and makes
you feel more spiritually inclined, or helps you in any way. But suppose
that the song or poetry is very sad and melancholy: if you try to get
rid of it, you just keep going crazy. Because the one you don't like
the most keeps coming back into your mind all the time, especially if
the singer or reciter has a beautiful voice. It really becomes imprinted
in your mind and then it's very difficult to get rid of. And you forget
the Holy Names or the “Five Hundred Names”: You don't remember any!
Then at some point you suddenly remember and say, "Oh, my God!
What am I doing?” Then you try to shake it out of your head and you
recite the Holy Names. That's also good.
That's why even outside music,
theater or movies, everything disturbs us. Everything tries to pull
us back into this lower world of existence. So if we don’t exert our
utmost effort to control the tendencies of the wandering mind, we’ll
have a hard time entering the highest Kingdom of God.
