Someone asks Maharaj to explain how to meditate. He gives a very helpful answer:

                First you have to focus the mind to keep it from running around. Therefore first you need something outward to focus on. Gradually enlightenment then develops from within.

                What object to focus on? Mira concentrated on a statue of Lord Krishna. Then she began to speak to the statue. As enlightened vision manifested inside her, she saw That everywhere. She was the king’s wife, but she saw no boundaries. She saw Sham [Lord Krishna] everywhere. People even gave her poison, but she kept saying, “I have no fear. It is all You. They may call me a fool, but You know what I am. My only desire is that I should merge with You.” And so it happened. She was no more. She had focused on the statue: She felt that God had taken form and was speaking in that form.

                Young Bhagat Nam Dev also spoke with a statue. Its name was Gobind [a name of God]. He asked the statue to please take the food he was offering. After first focusing on the statue of God, he saw Gobind everywhere.

                Bhagat Dhanna made simple-minded requests to God for everything he needed, and the Formless One [Nirankar] appeared in form to him and did his work.

                Without faith and focus, you will not attain enlightenment. Once you do, you can say what God is: Both Creator and Destroyer, the One who creates reality.

                Guru Gobind Singh said that he had done so much tapasya (strong meditation) that from the state of duality, he became one with God. God then sent him to explain dharma to the people.

                This is God’s method: If you love Him, He will speak to you even from stone.

                We speak of the Guru, but what is the Guru? Light, enlightened wisdom. The subtle Power takes manifest form. The enlightened wisdom [gian] that comes is called “Guru.” The body carries the name of the Guru, but Nazar (the Guru’s Gaze) has no name.

                So focus to concentrate your scattered mind.

                The person asks again, “What to focus on?” Maharaj answers,

                In our country there have been so many great personalities. Concentrate on the one you most love, and he will start to talk to you from inside and everywhere. The mind becomes so clear and attached to him. He is already inside you. He helps to open the Tenth Door [the crown chakra] and then you will see that Light everywhere.  

                I don’t speak much about this subject. It is a matter of love and enlightenment.

                Ramakrishna really experienced Kali Mata in manifest form, whereas the pujaris [priests] were just doing puja. He told his great disciple Vivekananda that Ma was ready to grant his desires, so Vivekananda asked Her to give him vivek buddhi [discriminating intelligence, divine knowledge].  Then Vivekananda wrote that you won’t get gian without the grace of the Guru. He was doubting, but his Master knew that it was he who was to carry his message. When he went to Chicago to the First Parliament of the World’s Religions, he was in a state of longing only for God. His Master would come inside and say to him, “Do not fear.” So Vivekananda started his famous speech to the Parliament by saying, “In our country, we may seem poor to you, but we have the wealth of gian.”

                Once a student asked his professor, “What is samadhi?” The teacher said,”Ask the dervish sitting under a tree. It is not my subject.”