Your meditation, your practice, is what will truly make Gurudev happy. Not money, not gifts—only your sincere spiritual practice.
We rarely think and act consciously. Animals have no choice and simply live by instinct. On the contrary, human beings should be conscious of whatever they are doing, because they do have a choice, discrimination, intelligence, and rationality. How to carry out all activities in consciousness? Spiritual life is a conscious lifestyle and it begins with conscious breathing. If you watch your breath and you are conscious of each inhalation and exhalation, you will be conscious of each thought and activity. Breath is constantly going in and out in the background of all your activities. If you are conscious of your breath, and if you constantly watch your breath, you will succeed in being conscious of all your thoughts and all your activities.
How do we preplan our bodies and our lives? Through our own karma. Every moment we do something, then the impression of that karma remains within us. The sum total of these karmic impressions directs us where to go and what to do. For example, going to a spiritual retreat was an aggregation of karma. First, the thought appeared; perhaps someone told you about it. Then the desire to go was manifest. Next you planned how to have a holiday from work, how to arrange money, how to travel, and what clothes you needed. You had to perform many karmas for just one desire, and the sum total of that karma and the aggregation of the planning is called prakalpita, pre-thought or previously planned.
If the teacher and student discuss spirituality on the eighth moon, it is bad for the teacher. If spiritual topics are discussed on the fourteenth moon, it is bad for the student. If it is discussed on the full moon or new moon, it is bad for both. If spiritual teachings are discussed on the first day after the full moon or new moon, that education is useless.
Spiritual experience is not a degree or a diploma. When words and the world disappear, you experience the play of Consciousness everywhere.
Disciples should be careful in their daily lives. If they perform wrong or bad actions, the effect might accrue to the guru. That is why proper precaution is taken by the guru–preceptor in choosing disciples. The scriptures say that spiritual wisdom should only be provided to very qualified seekers or disciples. Gurus do not bestow Self-knowledge and spiritual wisdom on everybody; they carefully select students.