satsang readings

Satsang Index

Who Are You?

Who are you? Where do you come from? Many times you came and many times you returned. You have never attempted to ask yourself who you are. If you had done so, you would never have returned to this miserable samsara. When you have known, this karma ceases to function, samsara ceases to exist. You return to your original fundamental nature - to Being, to Existence, to Bliss. That is what you are. That is what you have been. That is what you are going to be.

So here is how to do it - it is very easy. Let me introduce you to what is going on here. To begin with, find out who is the one who sees. Ask yourself the question: "Who is the seer?" Find out what is seen. That which is seen is the object and the seer is the subject. The seer - subject - must be separate from the object, different from the object. It is that which is seeing the object. The object is that which is seen. The seer is looking at the object - you are not the object. You may see anything: a horse, a cow, a car, a building, or anything. You are not that. You are the seer.

When you experience your own body you may think that you are the body, but you are not the body. You experience, "I see the body." so you are the seer of the body. It is here that you make the mistake: You become the body and you forget that you are the seer. You have become an object when you say, "I am doing. I am seeing. I am tasting. I am touching. I am smelling. I am hearing." You have lost your bearings and become the body - the seer is no longer separated from the body. Whatever is seen is an object, so when the body is objectified who is the seer? When you see the body it becomes an object. Whatever you see is an object. If you see your eyes they are objects; if you see your hands they are objects.

What about the mind? You know very well that if your mind is suffering it is not at peace. You know the activities of the mind also. You know, "Now my mind is thinking or not thinking." This means that you are also aware of the activities of the mind. You are something other than the mind. You are not the mind. You are neither the mind nor the body.

The same is true of the working of the senses. When you are working, walking, or talking, you know very well, "I am at work, my hands are working." You know very well that you are not the hand; something else is commanding the hands to work. You are something other than the movement of physical activities. You are not even that.

Now consider the intellect. You decide, "I have to do this. I have to go to Lucknow." You decided and you are here. You guided the intellect to make the decision, "Let's go to Lucknow." then you followed the intellect. So you are guiding even the intellect and you know very well that the intellect is something other than you.

Find out who you are - here and now. You are not the mind. You are not even the prana - the breathing. You know very well that breathing is in and out, inhaling and exhaling. You can feel, "I am inhaling, I am exhaling." You know this activity also. Who is watching the inhaling and exhaling? This is all that the body is.

So who are you? You are not all these functions. You will have to ask the question, "Who am I?" This is what we have come here to understand, and we have not done this at any time before. This question must be solved but we have postponed it. Everyone has postponed it for millions of years. We will not postpone this here. There is no method to practice. Simply find out, "Who am I?" This is not a method or practice or sadhana.

This can be done here and now - in this instant - because the Self is here. Enlightenment means to know thy Self - to know, "Who am I." This is Enlightenment. This is Wisdom. This is Bliss. This is Existence. This is Being. This is Truth. This truth is not located at a distance - it is your own Self through which you are searching for truth and freedom. It is not any distance from here. It is within you, nearer than your own breath. It is behind the retina of your eyes, which you cannot see. You need not look outside. It is behind the retina; it is that through which the retina sees. You need no effort to see it.

When you still all activities, without doing anything, without thinking any thought - when you do not stir any thought from the mind ground, without moving, without moving the mind, without starting a single thought - in an instant of time you are free. When you give rise to any sadhana or practice, when you go to any center or ashram, when you go to any teacher or pilgrimage or church, when you make any prayer, you have postponed it. This you have done.

Be free of all these things right now. Because free you have been, free you are. You cannot achieve anything other than what you are. Anything gained afresh or achieved for the first time - anything which is new to you - you will certainly lose because it was not there at all. All that is natural to you is already there. Do not try to achieve anything or gain anything or attain anything which is not already there. This is not a fresh gain. People think, "At the end of this sadhana I am going to be free." But it is not like that. You have been looking for something else, not freedom. Freedom is already here.

This is how freedom is already attained: You are already free. If you can hear this once from a teacher you are free. If you cannot hear this, then practice. If you can listen to a teacher who is not a liar, who is speaking the truth, and if you are honestly longing for freedom then listen once and you are free.

If you are not honest and if the teacher is not authentic it will not work. You will have to take up a practice if something is false somewhere. What is that practice? At all times, walking, sleeping, dreaming, on waking, while standing, sitting, lying, go on chanting the mantra. I can recommend mantras also, as a second best. If you can repeat this mantra from now till your last breath I guarantee you will notappear again in a next birth; you will not fall into any womb. What is the mantra? "I AM FREE!" Take up this practice if you do not believe me.

If you can listen, if you long for freedom, and you feel that I am honest when I tell you that you are free, then accept it! Hear this only once and you are free.
If you do not accept what I am saying then I will give you a practice as a second best. You will have to continue practicing on every breath - every breath of the waking state, of the dream state, of the sleeping state up to the last breath. Then I guarantee that you will not appear again in this miserable samsara.

To hear this once is enough. It is no problem to be free in this life. You have lived 8.4 million times as different kinds of species. This cycle has taken about 35 million years, and each of us has gone though many such cycles. So let us now decide not to return again.

Those who are here represent 6 billion people in the world today, without counting all the animals, birds, worms and germs. Out of 6 billion human beings there are very few of us here. Throughout the world they do not allow you to even utter the words, "I want to be free." If you say, "I am free." or "I am God." you are put on a cross or stoned to death. Those few who have said, "I am Free." have been stoned to death or crucified. I am happy that you have freedom of expression; you are lucky. You are born of a lucky family, of a lucky land that has allowed you to come to some other country and search for freedom. You are twice lucky. And I trust that all those who are here will not return home as they came. I am having good results. This is the first time in history. I see people every day come in front and say, "I am free. I am free." They come from every country and see me saying, "I am in peace. I have seen peace. I am very happy!" They express it in many ways.

This has never happened before. In distant centuries people were performing tapas continuously for thousands of years, but we have very few examples of enlightenment - only a finger count. We have to go back thousands of years to find some sage or saint we can quote about freedom, like Jagnavalka, Vaishista or Buddha. But here I am very happy to see many buddhas appearing. Without sitting under any bodhi tree they are becoming buddhas. This is happening in this century because now we have no time to go to the mountains. The mountains are all polluted now. In Kashmir at 22,000 feet, armies are standing abreast with their weapons with intention of killing each other. How can you meditate between two armies?

It is best that wherever you find time, even in your own apartment - close your eyes and meditate. Search within yourself. There is no need to go anywhere because there is no peace anywhere. Everything is polluted - we cannot even have fresh air. The ocean is polluted, the rivers are polluted, mountains are polluted, the land is polluted, food is polluted. What is there to do about it? You cannot even do yoga. For yoga you need very sattvic food, which is not available. The human lifespan is becoming shorter so it is better to hurry up! No one has seen tomorrow.

Today is the best day. You can win freedom right now. I do not advise any practice. I do not tell you to practice even for one minute. Just now, this instant, one second, half a second, half of half a second is enough. Anytime today, but today - but now - you are free.

Simply listen to me. Simply have trust in what I say when I tell you that you are free. Do not doubt. If you need to doubt then you will need practice. It is your choice.

6 November, 1991

What Is Freedom?

We are looking for freedom. What is freedom?

It is not in anything objective. It is neither the creation, nor the creator of this universe, nor the God who is looking after preservation, nor destruction. It is none of that. It is neither the sun, nor the moon, nor the stars, nor the wind. Those are not freedom. No object is freedom. Go on rejecting everything objective from the mind. Freedom is nothing that the mind can conceive or perceive or understand. Finally you will arrive at that which cannot be rejected. Go on rejecting everything that can be rejected, all objects. Get rid of all objectification.

Finally, when you see nothing more to be rejected, the mind will be quiet. Mind will be no-mind: That cannot be described. All description belongs to the objective world only and consciousness cannot be objectified. In the beginning when there was nothing there was consciousness - total consciousness - where no objects and no subjects existed. You are this consciousness.

Starting from the beginning, before the beginning, you are this consciousness. And this consciousness became all that you see. You are this consciousness itself. There are millions of kinds of manifestation existing in consciousness and you have become all this. You are the fountainof all this creation.

For this you do not have to exert or make effort, or search for any way or method or practice. Somehow you have to arrive here. How can you do it? Through adoration of the wisdom of the Self. That is consciousness. Adore your own consciousness with wisdom and you have achieved what you are aspiring for here and now.

5-6 December, 1991

Existence Take Care

I will tell you the secret of sitting meditation, standing meditation, walking meditation, sleeping meditation, dreaming meditation, and active meditation in the battle field as a soldier. Let me speak from my own experience, as I never speak from what I have heard or read. It is better first to experience and then to speak.

In 1953 I was loading a ship in Mangalore at a time when I was dealing in manganese ore. I stayed there the whole day for the loading, and once the hatches were closed I got a bank draft from the captain to certify that the ship had been loaded with 10,000 tons of manganese ore for Rotterdam. I wanted to cash the draft immediately at the bank in Bangalore, which was about 500 miles away. It was already about 9 p.m., and I had to reach the bank by morning. I was exhausted as I had been working offshore for the whole day from early in the morning until latein the night. I was not near the wharf where I could easily get out of the ship and it was very hot. I decided that I should rest before beginning my journey and then start early in the morning. But then I realized that the banks would be closed, and it would be better to crossthe mountain pass and have a coffee and a nap on the other side, and then go to Bangalore. The road over the hill climbed from the town at sea level up to five thousand feet making eleven hairpin bends.

I don't know what happened. I could not stop on the mountain road because there were wild elephants which had lifted cars up in the air and thrown them in the valley, one mile below. It was better to keep going and then to rest.

When I arrived on the other side of the hill my head was resting on the steering wheel. I woke up from a deep sleep feeling very fresh, no longer even needing a cup of coffee. I continued the journey to Bangalore having had a complete sound, deep sleep. My head was resting on thesteering wheel. I was feeling so fresh that I no longer needed a rest or a coffee, as though I had slept for eight hours. Who drove the car? This is a problem I have never been able to solve. Even in the waking state drivers have accidents but I was fast asleep. The road was narrow, no more than fifteen feet. On one side was a high mountain, on the other side was a very steep valley, and I cut eleven hairpin bends.Who drove the car? I have never been able to find the answer to this.

The other incident I want to describe to you happened in Lucknow. I was walking to the GPO from Kaiserbagh, in front of what is now Janpath market. I always kept a very safe distance, walking on the left side of the road, because sometimes I could never get out of meditation at all! I was neither troubling anyone else nor was I troubled by anyone. An old model Ford car came down the street, a 1934 or ‘36 model with footrests hanging on the side. These days cars no longer have footrests. The car hit me so hard that the footrest fell off onto the ground. People gathered around me saying they had noted down the number. The car had sped away leaving only the footrest. They wanted to know if I was hurt and to go to the police. My pants were torn and when I pulled them up, the car had struck me from behind. There was a little bloodstain on the back of the knee but nothing more. I told them I was perfectly alright.

When you are in meditation you do not need to look after yourself. A power will rise which is moving the earth, which is causing the sun to shine, which is giving the moon its brilliance, and which is allowing all these jivas to function as they want to. If you are attuned to thatpower you will have nothing to do, everything will be beautiful. That power will look after you in a way which you cannot manage. A man operating from his senses gets into many accidents. But I did not fall into the valley, I slept. Who took care of me? This is the greatest mistake, to fall asleep at the steering wheel. One is advised to be well rested before driving. Who cared for me?

That power is there but you are not looking at it. It is so compassionate that it will look after you. You have been denying it and depending on your own ego. Even this ego is getting its power from somewhere else, to become ego, to become mind, to think, to become the senses and to allow you to function. When you turn your face towards it, it will arise to help you; otherwise you cannot save yourself. How long can you be aware and careful?

Meditation means, no meditator and no object of meditation. Then you can do whatever you like. When the meditator is there it is ego. This is not something to be decided intellectually; it has to be directly experienced. There is no end to argument and logic. That has nothing to do with it. This is your own mother, your own supreme power, which is here and now.

If you close your eyes you will see who is responsible. You do not have to travel even a yard out of your own self - you do not have to take one step. You do not need to think or even to meditate. You do not have to do anything, just keep quiet as you are and you have got it. If you try to search you have lost it. There is nothing to search for - it is that through which the search is taking place. It is that which is found after searching has ceased.

If you know this it is enough. If you don't you will never find rest in millions of years. You have already passed through 8.4 million species. If you are fatigued then you will see this. If you want to hitchhike some more the goal will not be attained; you can continue as you like and it will never end. If you want to end everything is ended now. If you want to continue it will continue. As you think so you become - this is a formula. You think, "I am in trouble" and you are in trouble. You think, "I am free," and you are free. If you are attached to any object you are in trouble, you are in suffering, there is manifestation. If you want to end this it is seized immediately in the recognition, "I am free." That is all there is to it. What time do you need?

5-6 December, 1991

When Fear Comes, Kiss Its Face!

Q: When I'm quiet - just feeling this love - it is so beautiful. Then this feeling of fear comes; as if the love will go away. I don't want that fear to come. I just want to stay in the beauty of the feeling of love.

I can only suggest to you that when the fear comes that is what is happening, so let it come. Hug this fear, don't reject it. Hug it and kiss it. If fear comes when you are happy it is a past habit that has been showing up, a dormant tendency of the mind. All that is dormant will have to rise up now; otherwise these tendencies would have given you much trouble again and again. You would have had to live out those things which were buried deep in the subconscious mind. Now because the sense of an individual doer is no longer there these tendencies are no longer rising in the present and you don't need to do anything any more. When the concept of the future is discarded and in the present you have no desire; past tendencies are free to rise up. So don't try to bury them now. Before they could wait for another incarnation if they were not fulfilled now, but now they can no longer wait - this is the time for them to leave. So keep quiet and simply watch. They will not trouble you. Do not stop them. Do not say, "I do not want them." Invite them. Tell them, "Come! Please come now; this is the time." Do not resist any more. Allow whatever may arise to arise on its own. Be prepared. Do not stop them, do not run away, let them arise. Previously you were always busy with day to day desires, with future hopes and expectations. You were so engaged so these dormant tendencies were waiting, saying to themselves, "We will be fulfilled next time." Now the time is here because there is no more expectation, no more hope, no more desire. This is the time for the dormant tendencies buried in the unconscious mind to appear and to leave this place. So do not resist. Let them arise, okay? Good.

6 December, 1991

I Trust You Are All Lions

All ignorance has been started by shepherds. Shepherds are for sheep. I trust that you are lions. Lions are not to be herded; wherever they go they are on their own track. There are no lion herds; there are only sheep herds. You are all lions - so go your own way. Do not walk the beaten path like sheep, one after another. Do not follow any path. Lions do not follow each other like sheep.

Most people are sheep, following shepherds all over the world. Religions are started by shepherds and people become followers like sheep. But wherever you go you are lions, and there are no paths for lions. Wherever a lion walks, that is the path. For a lion no path is the only path. So don't count yourself among sheep needing a shepherd. Your way is no way - it is to know who you are. This is not following like a sheep. This is a novel approach, so far unknown. Once known it is known for good. He who knows this has fulfilled the purpose of the striving of human life. He is happy and peaceful. He enjoys both here and hereafter.

Please don't become sheep. Don't follow anyone. Don't look here and there. Don't look anywhere. Stop looking. Stop all your imagining of the future and conceptualizing of the past. Keep yourself in this moment, which is no moment. Find out where this moment is rising from, where time is rising from, where this thought is rising from, and you will see you have always been at Home. You don't need anything more!

Just to Pluck a Rose Petal

Freedom, Love and Peace will be attained instantly as soon as you abandon vasanas - the impressions of the past that you have stored in your memory. If you abandon vasanas right now you can be free and happy, you can be in peace and love.

You can live well without vasanas, without desires, just as when you take off your hat or your coat you can live well and nothing is lost. Likewise, if you renounce vasanas - if you renounce the tendencies of the past - you will be well and happy. No time is needed, it is as easy as plucking a petal from a rose flower. It doesn't take time. You can attain freedom, light and wisdom now - instantly you can be free. You do not need to toil endlessly. Penance, austerities, even meditations - just abandon them. This notion that, “I am bound.” has to be dropped and instantly you will be free and happy.

I am very happy to see so many seekers of truth here in one place with the desire for freedom. It has never happened at any time before. In the past we can only find isolated cases of those who found freedom. Two thousand years ago Siddhartha became the Buddha. He had to travel from teacher to teacher; he had to go through all kinds of austerities before he could finally just sit under the bodhi tree in Bodhgaya and find silence. We do not have time to do all that. This teaching is so simple that it is not a teaching at all. So simple just to pluck a rose petal, just to give up the notion that you are bound, that you have to search for freedom in caves or mountains or monasteries. Freedom is revealed within yourself.

A crow sat on a coconut tree and the coconut fell. This does not create a relationship between the coconut and the crow. You may attribute freedom to meditation, sadhanas and effort; but when the coconut fell it fell on its own accord, not because the crow sat on the tree. When you get it you may attribute it to some sadhana, to staying with the teacher, to going to the Himalayas for years of contemplation or to long austerities and meditations, but it has nothing to do with these things. It is simply a question of keeping quiet. Keep quiet just for a moment, for this instant of time, and allow it to happen. Don't interfere. Just keep quiet and watch what happens.

This is a very simple way to freedom. You are free. The notion that you are bound has been dumped on your head by your parents, by your priest, by your society. If you get rid of all these instantly you will find that you are what you have always been. If you give up all that you have read, heard, seen, touched or tasted, freeing yourself from all past notions - what will be left? You alone will remain - that which you have always been, what you will always be, and what you are now. The exercise or sadhana or way is not something to be borrowed from the outside. Just keep quiet, keep silent, and you will know freedom from sorrow and suffering. I wish everyone would try this and see.

Be So Beautiful That It Finds You

When you are out walking and you become tired you stop, you sit down, you relax. So when you get tired of trying to find solutions to your problems, when you find no solution, sit down. By sit down I mean, don’t try to solve the problem at all - the problem is in the past, it is not now. Don't think about past problems, just leave them alone and sit down. This is the moment of relaxation. You only have to allow this, listen to it, do not do anything. Just listen: Don't go to the past. The past is a problem, the past is mind. When you go to the past all will be problems so don't go to the past. The mind is the past and the past is a graveyard. Don't go to the graveyard. All problems are dead, so return to this moment without trying to solve the problem. Trying has put you in trouble, so don't touch this trying any more.

Simply sit down, keep quiet. Keep quiet for one moment. This is the moment you need, this is the moment of rest. Keep quiet for a moment without going to the past and you will find relaxation. There is no other way - simply do not think of the past. First help yourself - which means to not think - and then if you still need to you can ask me for help.

Just for this moment do not think, but direct your mind to its Source. Bring the mind which is thinking - which is going to the past - to face this present moment, and this will give you eternal rest. Help yourself not to look to past moments and do you find any problems? In this moment, without going to the past, where is the problem? Has it gone away? Then you have helped yourself. This is truly Self help.

You cannot buy this in the market, you cannot acquire it, you cannot purchase it. It is not something to be had. It is something that is already here. Do not try to get things, to achieve things, to attain things which are not already here, because whatever is absent - once you get it - will also be lost. Instead of reaching out after anything which is absent discover that which is already here, which you do not need to try and attain. This will be something fresh, something which is here, which is now. Give up your desire to get something tomorrow, do not allow this desire to stir, to rise up form the ground of mind. Abandon all your desires to get something which you do not already have. No desire is needed for that which you already have here.

Instead of trying to get it offer yourself up so it can get you. Be so beautiful that this will be attracted by your beauty. It will come and get you instead of you getting it. Who are you to get it, anyway? Allow yourself to be taken by it - that's the only way. You must be immaculate, which means to be without desire. Your own nature is immaculate so sooner or later you will know this. When there is no desire there is Beauty, there is Love. You cannot disturb this beauty even by giving rise to a thought to get it. This thought will only be an impurity. Make sure that no desire arises and you will be so immaculately beautiful - so perfectly pure and spotless - that everything will be instantaneously unfolded before you. Then this beauty will hug Beauty itself.

Simply keep quiet. Do not do anything and it will happen. Abandon even the intention to get something in the next moment. Do not even make the distinction between "this moment" and "the next moment". Then something will happen instantaneously.

10 December, 1991

Look through the Eyes of Love

Q: If someone insults me I feel angry and want to hurt them back.

If you return a slap with love, with a kiss, he will forget his behavior; he will not sting anybody else. You have to live wisely, if you want to enjoy this life, this is a beautiful world that is here for you to enjoy. There are so many beautiful things: there are mountains, there are rivers, there are birds, there are animals. What more do you want? There are clouds, sun, moon and stars. Why don't you open your eyes and enjoy this manifestation, which your own creation? Everybody is related to you.

So how can anger arise? Sometimes it happens while eating, especially if the food is very tasty, that the teeth hurt the tongue. You do not go to the dentist to pull your teeth out because they hurt your tongue; there is nothing wrong with them. The tongue knows, "We are friends, I am enjoying taste and they are munching. If they hurt me I shall not pull them out." Like this, coordinate life with everyone, then you will really know how to live in love.

Once many years ago a planter invited me to visit his coffee plantation. He took me there on a Sunday; it was my day off from work. He said, "We'll go on Saturday night in the jeep. My cook does not sleep in the bungalow which is at the top of the hill. The coffee is grown on the slopes and the area for drying it is at the bottom. When I go there I stay in the bungalow, which is well equipped, and the cook stays down the hill with his family, in the area for drying the coffee. So as soon as I wake up I will go down the hill to get him."

In the morning he drove off before I was up. I awoke to a very beautiful sight. The plantation was all around me, covered in orange trees. The trees were there just for their shade, to protect the coffee plants from the direct sun. He was not interested in selling the oranges so all the fruits that dropped in the fields were ploughed back in as manure. I came out of the bungalow and saw bushes and bushes full of oranges, very big loose jacket mandarin fruits. I felt so happy to see them, so many bushes laden down with oranges touching the ground, so many orange fruits. I saw all these oranges in the morning sun, and I felt such joy.

As this feeling arose, standing in front of a beautiful bush I addressed it and spoke to the bush out loud: "Good morning, Mother, how do you do? You are very lucky, you have so many children." It did not occur to me to hurt her, not even to pluck one of her fruits for myself. It was enough just to see the beauty of the oranges and this woman so proud of her children. I liked her, I loved her, and I kissed that tree itself. I was so very happy! The thought of picking the oranges did not even come into my mind. In that same moment she also spoke to me: "I am very happy with you so I offer you these fruits," and instantly twelve big oranges fell from the tree.

I am not making this up. This really happened as I am describing it. I have seen many things happen like this. We are all one - there is no separation between us, only we do not realize it. The same is true with rocks, with trees, with birds, with rivers: you can speak with all of them, and you will see how you can get love from everything. So I spoke with this tree, and she responded. She said, "I am also happy. I want to give you my oranges, please take them." I took one and again I kissed her. I could understand how she was feeling; I could understand her language.

What was the trick? It was only love. See everything with eyes full of love. If you look at anybody with that love I do not think that they can be angry with you. Sometimes anger may visit you. When the hotel is full, no rooms, no accommodation available, no one will go there. In the same way, if your house is full of love all these other tourists as anger, lust and greed will see that the house is already full and they will not come inside; they will go away and look for some other lodging house. If the doors are open to greed, lust and anger they will enter immediately; they will not wait for the check-in time.

If you love people who will not return love to you?

13 December, 1991

Identify Yourself with That

Identify yourself with cosmic consciousness during meditation. You are That. There is no difference. A notion arose that you are a separate individual with some higher supreme consciousness to arrive at, which is not true.

A wave rises from the ocean and feels she is separate from her source and is therefore not the ocean. But let the wave inquire, "Who I am?" Let her discover the place from where she arose. She will arrive at her source, at the ocean itself. Her notion of being a separate wave instantaneously vanishes. A river discharges into the ocean and becomes one with it.

This understanding arises through inquiry. What is the relationship between a ring and the gold from which it is made? Can you separate the gold from the ring or the ring from the gold? It is impossible. Without the ring you can't see the gold, and without the gold and you can't see the ring. Abandon the name - ring, and the form - round. The ring is name and form only, the substance is gold. When you remove name and form what is left to be separate?

If you feel a separation between the meditator and the one who is meditated upon, discover your true identity and you will see that you were never separate. You have always been consciousness itself. Through consciousness you are meditating, through the consciousness you are establishing your separation, and through consciousness you will establish your unification. These are notions. Remove the notion that you are bound. If this separation - this idea - is removed, you will find that you have always been that which you are now. These notions, ideas and intentions have to be instantaneously withdrawn, and you are here.

This is why we are here under one roof. This is a great occasion that so many blessed people are collected together under one roof seeking enlightenment. You have already spent millions of years - some say 35 million years - waiting to be here today. Before, it was never possible for so many to come together under the one roof, to help each other, to remove our separation and bondage, to declare our freedom.

We are not to return to this samsara - this never ending cycle of birth and death - again. Even samsara is only a concept; not actually true. We speak of it only for convenience, to make you aware of how important it is to win freedom, to be wise, to be enlightened right now. For this reason it is suggested that it has taken a long time. Otherwise in this moment you will see that time and past and future do not exist. You are what you are even now. What problem can remain in this?

13 January, 1992

King or Beggar?

You do not need to desire anything; everything belongs to you. Everything you see you can have. It is all yours - everything is yours. Tell me now that which is not yours. The mind is your servant, the ego is your maid servant, the body is your foot mat - what else do you need? You can give commands: "Come on… come on mind, do this". Call to the ego; she is your maid servant, she will do everything that you need. You have to give commands, you have to be king. Don't enslave yourself to the mind, to the ego, to the senses. You have to command them and everything will be done. Otherwise you become a slave.

To be a slave means that, with any desire that you have you become a slave to it. You enslave yourself to anything that you need or desire, to petty things, you become a beggar. You choose: If you are a king, you must behave like king. If you are beggar take a begging bowl and beg. Any desire that arises in your mind makes you a beggar. So who are you now, king or beggar? Sit on your throne.

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Enlightenment is to relieve you from the concept of bondage. You say you are bound, then you ask for something that is the opposite of bondage. If you are in prison you need to be free. That means to get out of jail. Everybody is bound, everybody is in the prison of desires, the prison of, "I want this and I want that." They are never fulfilled. Any prisoner that desires something in the jail is not fulfilled. He is bound; he wants to be released. The whole samsara is a prison, the whole universe is a prison because your desires are not fulfilled. One is fulfilled and gives you sorrow. When you ask for another desire it ends in sorrow; and then the third one ends in sorrow. This is the life and this is samsara: No one is happy.

Here or there a rare one demands, "I want to be free of samsara." This is called enlightenment. To be free of sorrows, to be free of death and tensions and unhappiness is called enlightenment. This is a very welcome desire, which arises here and there. A very few - perhaps a finger count in a century - will ask for enlightenment. The world has not much capacity to produce many enlightened people in a century. We have to dig into the past to find some example of an enlightened person. We have to go and hunt it down from centuries ago to find an enlightened man, so it is a very welcome desire: to be enlightened.

To be feeling total in this moment is neither bondage nor enlightenment. This moment has got nothing to do with concept of bondage or even enlightenment. This moment has no name. It is the most precious moment. This moment is out of time, out of mind, out of concept, out of any ideation. This is free. This is your home and you are always in this moment. You went to the past to suffer. Out of suffering you wanted to be free. The thought, "I want to be enlightened." arose from the past. In this moment you have no desire, not even for enlightenment.

16-17 January, 1992

Shun the Company of the Past

The past is stronger than the present in the mind because you cannot see the present. Everybody speaks to you of the past. Do you find anyone among your friends and relations who is speaking of the present? Everyone speaks to you of the past; therefore it has become very strong. You will have to seek out the company of those who speak to you of the present moment, then this will also become much stronger and you will shun the company of the past. To get rid of the past keep company with those who are trying to live in, or who have tasted this moment of present, who are speaking about this present life. Satsang means association with those who live in Truth. Here everyone is speaking everyday of this present moment, of peace and love and happiness.

The enemy is very strong: Mind is your enemy. You have to be very strong and tight fisted with your decision not to be lead away by those friends who trouble you. Shun their company, even if they are related to you.

There was a young princess in India, still in her teens. She had great love of freedom but the royal family would not allow her to meditate. They said that it was not the right way to live in a royal palace; that you have to live as queens live. Her mind was very serene and peaceful, and she had no one to turn to for guidance. In the royal palace there was the king and all his relations, but no one who could be a guide for her or a friend.

She heard of someone whose advice she could seek. She wrote a letter and gave it to a runner to get advice. She wrote in the letter:

"My dear father, I do not know which behavior will be better for me. These people threaten me, saying that I have to live in such-and-such a mold to suit the palace. But this behavior doesn't suit me. I want to meditate. I have to win freedom in this life. But these people threaten me and give me trouble. Please advise me what to do."

The reply came back: "Shun everyone, whosoever they may be, maybe near and dear to you - husband, relations, parents, whosoever. Walk out.” That was all he wrote. Then he quoted different stories of a son disobeying their father, a wife disobeying her husband, to find freedom. He gave many examples. The queen walked away from the palace and is still remembered today.

You will have to decide for your own good. You can't please the world. Who has ever pleased the world? If you have won freedom perhaps everyone will be happy with you. We still remember people who lived a life of freedom, even thousands of years ago. We don't remember our relations. We forget even those who have been dead for ten or twenty years. A person who worked for himself and won enlightenment and gave advice to others is still alive.

You have to make up your mind. Nobody can trouble you if you decide for freedom. You have to make a firm decision then nothing can trouble you. If you are weak everybody will trouble you. If you simply keep quiet I don't think any thought can come. Simply decide to sit quiet. This will be a fire - nothing can touch you. Until now it is only that your decision has been weak.

18 January, 1992

Open Your Own Book

All you have to do is to still the mind. There are two ways to quiet the mind: One is through inquiry, which is suitable to a very few qualified people; and the other is through yoga, which includes concentration, meditation and other practices.

First you need the capacity to discern the real from the unreal, to embrace what is real and to adhere to it. Reject what is unreal and false. Fascination with study, karma , pilgrimages, or dips in the holy waters will not help you. Learning all the Vedas, all the sutras, like a parrot is not going to help you. No gift, austerity or charity is going to help you.

More important than anything is the burning desire for freedom. This alone is enough. If you have this burning desire you will be led to satsang. Satsang means to stay quiet, to still the mind, to bring it back to the center wherever it goes. If you can't do it by yourself then search for a perfected teacher, but do not make any mistake, you see.

When you go shopping you have free choice about what to buy and you have this same freedom in selecting a teacher. In the supermarket you choose, "I don't want this, I don't want that, this is not good, that is not good." You have freedom of choice, no bargain can be struck. Your human life and enlightenment is on one hand, and wasting your life with someone incompetent to liberate you is on the other.

Someone came to see me saying, "I have gone to many teachers without finding enlightenment, and finally I found that my current master himself is not enlightened. He has initiated me and now he is filling me with all kinds of fear. He says that if you leave the teacher you will have to go to hell. I met someone who told me to come here. I am here to be enlightened. My guru is very loving, he is not withholding anything from me; he teaches me with great love. He has taught me all the scriptures so that I know them by heart, but I am missing freedom. I have found that my mind is not free, it is not quiet. But now I know that I am on the right track and in some way I am here to help my teacher. After enlightenment I will go and enlighten my teacher." I have never heard a student resolving to enlighten his teacher before!

If you are bent upon freedom - determined to win freedom in this span of life, this year, this month, today, now - you will have to make a choice. Anything will surface from the mind to sabotage you. Find the best ways to quiet the mind. The instant that the mind is stilled there is meditation. Meditation has to be perennial, permanent, not just sitting for an hour a day. It does not mean chanting the thought, "I have to be free." It means being centered in the Self, which is alone true; all else is false. There must be a very strong understanding in your mind. It is not difficult once you discover the ability to discern what is real from what is unreal. Pleasures of the senses may try to distract you, religions may promise you pleasures in heaven after life, but you will have to abandon all these things. Abandon studying any book; it does not help you. Now you open your own book for the first time. Open your own book and keep quiet.

22 February, 1992

What is Enlightenment?

All you have to do is to still the mind, which can be done in one of two ways: Through inquiry, which is suitable to a very few qualified people; or through yoga, which includes concentration, meditation and other practices. But first you need the capacity to discern the real from the unreal, to embrace what is real and to adhere to it. Reject what is unreal and false. Fascination with study, karma, pilgrimages, or dips in the holy waters will not help you. Learning all the Vedas, all the sutras, like a parrot is not going to help you. No gift, austerity or charity is going to help you.

More important than anything is the burning desire for freedom. This alone is enough. If you have this burning desire you will be led to satsang, which means to stay quiet, to still the mind, to bring it back to the center wherever it goes. Either do it by yourself or search for a perfected teacher, but do not go astray from the longing to be free.

When you go shopping you have free choice about what to buy, and you have this same freedom in selecting a teacher. In the supermarket you choose, "I don't want this, I don't want that; this is not good, that is not good." You have freedom of choice. No bargain can be struck. Your human life and enlightenment is on one hand, and wasting your life with someone incompetent to liberate you is on the other.

Someone came to see me saying, "I have gone to many teachers without finding enlightenment, and finally I found that my current Master himself is not enlightened. He has initiated me and now he is filling me with all kinds of fear. He says that if you leave the teacher you will have to go to hell. I met someone who told me to come here. I am here to be enlightened. My guru is very loving. He is not withholding anything from me. He teaches me with great love. He has taught me all the scriptures so that I know them by heart, but I am missing freedom. I have found that my mind is not free, it is not quiet; but now I know that I am on the right track, and in some way I am here to help my teacher. After enlightenment I will go and enlighten my teacher." I have never heard a student resolving to enlighten his teacher before!

If you are bent upon freedom, determined to win freedom in this span of life, this year, this month, today, now, you will have to make a choice. Anything will surface from the mind to sabotage you. Find the best ways to quiet the mind. The instant that the mind is stilled there is meditation. This meditation has to be perennial, permanent - not just sitting for an hour a day. It does not mean chanting the thought, “I have to be free.” It means being centered in the Self which alone is true, all else is false. There must be a very strong understanding in your mind. It is not difficult once you discover the ability to discern what is real from what is unreal. Pleasures of the senses may try to distract you, religions may promise you pleasures in heaven after life; but you will have to abandon all these things. Abandon studying any book; it does not help you. Open your own book now for the first time. Open your own book and keep quiet.

22 February, 1992

What Is The Self?

This the proper time for all of us to introduce the mind to the Self. What is the Self? It is your own original nature: satyam, shivam, sundaram - which means truth, consciousness, bliss. This is the Self which was before the origin and which is going to be after the end. That is the place where you always are.

It is not that you have to become something or that you have to attain something, or that you have gain something afresh. You are going to lose anything which is gained or obtained because it is not your nature. Anything gained is not permanent because you did not possess it previously - you got it through effort. It was absent before you attained it so you cannot keep it forever.

Somehow this notion arises and this notion becomes mind. This notion is only mind, which is not distinct from ‘I’. ‘I’ arises - this is what is called mind. 'I' is not separate from ego. How did it all start? The ego is not separate from the body; the body is not separate from the senses nor their respective objects, nor the entire manifestation with the notion of time - beginning, middle, and end. It all started with 'I'. We got involved in it.

This is the appropriate time to return home. You have to do this here and now by withdrawing the outgoing tendencies of the mind. That is how we meditate: We sit quiet. During meditation the mind is running outwards following its own tendencies, its own desires for respective objects and enjoyments that are deep-rooted in the mind.

During meditation this has to be checked. This is the meaning of meditation: to bring back all the outgoing tendencies of the mind wherever they are going. Check them! Bring them back to 'I'. From here you have to be very vigilant, very attentive. Do not make any effort. Do not become involved in any thinking process. Simply keep quiet. Through incessant vigilance allow it to happen, allow this revelation to take place, without keeping any gain in your mind, without making any effort to become anything else. This is an unfoldment - this is called revelation.

At this point bring everything back, bring all these tendencies back to the 'I' thought. Be very vigilant and find out how this notion of 'I' arises. It is absolutely necessary to keep quiet, to remain without thinking, without making any effort.

I don't think anybody could describe what is going to happen beyond this. It has never been described. It is for you to dive into your own source, to arrive back home. You don't need anyone else to lead you, you don't need any companion. You have to do it alone - without the mind, without the intellect, without the ego, without the body, without the senses, without their objects. Only vigilance is needed, natural vigilance with no effort, without even a thought. That can be had here and now… or never. This is up to you.

8 April, 1992

Keep quiet!

When I speak about quietness - when I tell you to keep quiet - it is not easy for everyone to follow. Most people here are from different backgrounds, practices, sadhanas; and therefore feel they need to do something, to put something into practice. When I say, "Keep quiet." it is not a practice. There is nothing to be done and nothing to be undone. This cannot be followed. There is nothing to think about, no need to make any kind of effort. This is an indication of the quietness I am speaking about. Truth always exists. Existence alone is. It is called satyam.

We speak about enlightenment, but first we have created bondage. Bondage does not exist. How can you remove that which does not exist? First, teachers impose a concept of bondage and then various practices are prescribed. There may be millions of books in the world, thousands more are published every day. Nowhere does it say, "Be quiet". When you simply say "Keep quiet," what is the rest of the book to be about?

There is no ignorance at all; there is only existence - there is only satyam. If you simply keep quiet you will know that only this exists. Before the sun rises early in the morning it does not first try to remove the darkness of the night. The sun does not say, "Let me brush away the darkness and only then, in the daytime, I will rise." For the sun there is no light, there is no darkness to be removed. The sun does not even know that such a thing as night exists. What practice is needed to remove darkness, where is this darkness? All practices imply the reality of darkness, of ignorance, when in fact they do not exist. The river in the sand is a mirage; it does not exist, it never existed. If you go closer and closer the sand not even is wet; it is only a belief that makes us run after a mirage, nothing else. There is only satyam; there is only Truth. What need is there of practice? It is only practice which is concealing the truth.

You have been given a concept by most of the teachers that there is darkness, and that you have to spend your whole life clearing this darkness. No one speaks about light; everyone is trying to remove darkness and ignorance when it does not really exist.

First of all, look for yourself! Has anyone seen any ignorance? Sometimes when people who come to see me come closer to keeping quiet they say, "I do not understand." What is there to understand? Simply keep quiet - this is what you really are. How can there be any doubt? In keeping quiet you discover what you really are.

Through spiritual practices you overlook the one who is causing this to happen. Who is involving your limbs in the practice, your intellect in the practice? Who is causing your mind to be involved in trying to get understanding? If the one causing activity is not there you cannot conduct any practice. This is why I tell you to simply keep quiet. Then you will know what you truly are and what you have always been, and this is indestructible. All else will be destroyed, only Existence itself remains. The Truth will always remain - it Is - it is eternal. That which is not this truth does not exist at all.

You have two choices: Either you follow most teachers and spend your life trying to remove or clean out the mind. First you will have to find out if the mind exists. No one has seen the mind. Even if you found it, how do you propose to clean it? Everyone is practicing cleaning the mind but there is no one so far who has cleaned it. Where is this mind to be cleaned?

The second choice is to keep quiet and you will know who really you are. This is very simple. It is not going to take you time; in fact time does not appear. There is nothing outside that can help you, you have just to keep quiet - that's all - and you will know then you are eternal. You are Eternal Existence itself.

5 May, 1992

What is Meditation?

A long time ago, Siddhartha went from place to place going through different processes, meeting different teachers who were performing different penances. Some were meditating, some were performing rituals, some were even hanging from the trees, some were standing with their hands always up, never sitting at all.

When Siddhartha sat down under the bodhi tree he got up as Buddha. Ananda was the first man to ask the master what he had got there. The reply was, “Nothing.” We do not know how to describe what he found under the bodhi tree. He spent the rest of his life, from 30 to 80, trying to describe what he had got and still he could not. This is something that still remains un-described, un-conceived.

When you know that you are meditating it is not meditation. The thought that, "I am meditating and this is the process." is not meditation. Sitting in a particular posture is not meditation. Concentrating on different centers in the sushpana channel of the spine is not meditation. Chanting a formula is not meditation. Having a vision or picture of a particular deity is not meditation. So what is meditation?

The important question is if the meditation is immaculate, untouched, without cause and without effect? To know what meditation is, you have to find who the meditator is: "Who is the meditator?" When you ask this everything will drop. The process will to drop because you are inquiring into the nature of the meditator, the one who is busy with this process of sadhana, who is executing the practice of meditation - the same one who executes anything that is possible through the mind. If you ask who the meditator is I don't think you will easily get the answer because everything will drop right here. You have to find out who the meditator is, who is meditating, and what is the purpose of meditation.

You forgot the purpose of meditation. We wanted freedom from this world process of suffering and to end this we meditate with the help of the mind. The mind itself is suffering, is samsara; so if we take the help of mind we are not going to arrive anywhere. Ask who the meditator is and you will reply to yourself: "I meditate. I am the meditator."

What is this ‘I’ who becomes the meditator? How is it different from what it is searching for? You will have to discover what has been concealed when you give rise to this meditator - what is buried underneath. What is that foundation out of which this meditator rises and performs different sadhanas and practices? Return back home to find the source of the meditator - the source of ‘I’. There is no difference between the meditator, the ‘I’, the mind, and the ego. Whenever we meditate it is the ego that takes the role of the meditator, so meditation has not brought any result so far.

Someone arose from under the bodhi tree. That cannot be attributed to any practice of meditation. When he was asked what he had attained he was quite honest and said, "Nothing." He had not attained anything during the process of long sittings of meditation. Something had revealed itself to itself. That revelation, that happening, is not in your hands. If you carry a gun on your shoulder and you are looking for a target it will take you elsewhere. The gun is effort, the gun is ego. If you drop the gun and don't possess anything it is going to reveal itself, by itself, to itself within itself. That which has been concealed since millions of years will have to reveal itself.

We are waiting, thinking that we have to do something about it. It is this doer-ship which is concealing the truth, existence, consciousness, and bliss. Otherwise this has always been with you, is with you now, and will always be with you. You can never separate yourself from it at any time. You cannot breathe without it, you cannot live without it. It was only a concept that the wave was different from the ocean, that the ring was different from the gold, or that the vessel is different from the clay. Because we do not see the substratum we find a difference.

Here and now, if we do not make any effort, if we do not activate a single thought, if we do not even allow the thought ‘I’, if we do not hold to the concept of time, if we do not postpone anything to the next moment, to the next breath, this is going to reveal itself. Here and now means out of time all together. This has nothing to do with any meditation or any process. We have tried endlessly through numberless incarnations and we have not been able to complete it. This time let us decide to return home. We have been different waves, different name and form; but if name and form does not arise where is the wave? We are the ocean, existence, consciousness and bliss. We have come here to realize this without any effort. We have tried every kind of effort, we have been advised in our different backgrounds to “do this” or “do that.” Now, here, for the first time you do not have to do anything. Simply sit quiet for one moment in time. That is all that is required to realize existence, consciousness and bliss.

How could existence be absent? Is it possible for you ever to deny that you exist or even that you are conscious of your existence? You can only deny that you are happy because no one is happy, from the king down to the worker. We have been missing bliss because we have been searching for it in things which are not permanent, which are not eternal, which appear and disappear.

Only bliss is missing. Existence can be found in rocks, in animals, in trees. We are human beings, a super species among 8.4 million species. This is the supreme form, the most blessed form, in which it is possible to know that we are That. Do not postpone the right use of a human form until the next life or the next day. Tomorrow will never come. This is not difficult, not located miles away from you. It is here, now, nearer than your own breath. It is behind the retina. It is that which shines through the eyes. It is that which even sunshine cannot reach, nor the moon, nor the stars, nor fire. You are That.

Om Hare Om.

15 May, 1992

What Is Satsang?

Why do so many people come here for satsang from all over the world? Since time immemorial this area has been a source of knowledge. The East has been guiding the whole world in spirituality. For scientific knowledge you have to go to other countries - that is clear, but spiritual knowledge has always started from here. It is estimated from the position of the stars mentioned in the Vedas that this knowledge existed 25,000 years ago. There is no record of any other sect or religion existing before that time. It may be even longer than 25,000 years but that is the estimate in the Vedas - the book of knowledge. It is from that period that Vedic Dharma and all great religions have originated. Vedic religion has no founder. It did not begin at a specific time. It is the eternal religion. Religious leaders have been coming to this area since then to have some rest from the processes of the world and the psyche.

In the Vedas it is said that we pass though a cycle of 8.4 million species, taking about 35 million years, to have this human form. Today there are about 5.8 billion people on the face of the earth, which is nothing compared to all the other species, to all the fishes and the insects. Out of less that 6 billion people on the earth how many are there who need freedom? We are only a finger count. You represent your countries, gathered from all over the world for freedom. Out of your city or your state or even your country you will not find many who are here for satsang. And even out of these few who are here very few will be successful, because you come with a rope still tied to past attachments. With a rope still tied this is not satsang. When you draw water from a well, you throw the bucket into the well but you keep a rope in your hand to bring the bucket out. Even in satsang people keep ropes tied to concepts of the past. When we meditate together for 20 minutes judge for yourself how many minutes or even seconds are spent free from the past. It is for this reason that freedom is not available.

Freedom will happen when you outgrow all your desires and only then. You do not spend a second of your whole life on your own account, from your birth to your death. You were born for others, right from your birth. You belong to your parents; you are their child. Next you are baptized to this religion or that religion; you are possessed by a priest. You are told to go only in a certain direction; you are told to go to church. If you do you go to heaven, if you don't you go to hell. It is all based in fear. Where is religion without fear? If you take away fear and hell from any religion there is no religion left at all. They are founded in fear and hell. If you live in fear and hell, how can you be free?

You are never free of the past. Even here you are not willing to devote even one second to what this is about. Many people come to me in trouble. They say that they do not understand. They come from different backgrounds where they have been told to do this and that. Religions teach you to do this and that. Teachers preach to you to do this and that, but I do not call this a teacher; I call this a butcher. Anyone who tells you to do this or that is a butcher. He is destroying your life.

This is the time for you to be free. You have come here to remove your burden, but what is that burden? It is just the past. You have been carrying this past of 35 million years on your shoulders.

Freedom is Here and Now! It is to be found in the very second of your life span which you spend devoted to your own nature. You have not been told this before. Freedom is not the outcome of any exercise or of any sadhana that you have to perform. If it was it would be contained within that sadhana. How could that which is free be bound within your mind, within your sadhana?

I do not impose any such burdens on you. I only offer you this advice: When you come to satsang devote one second to find out who you are. You will have to steal this one second at some point from one birth or another. You have already spent 35 million years moving from species to species, and now you have arrived in the blessed temple. This is the temple of God.

Why not spend this one second in inquiry and see what happens? What is this one second that I speak about? It is satsang. What is satsang? Satsang is association with the Truth. And where is the truth to be found? To be truth it must be Eternal, it must be Omnipresent, it must be Omniscient. This is the very nature of truth. So where is the Truth to be found?

Let me offer you this hint. Wherever there is name and form; that is not the truth. Whatever has name and form begins and ends. And whatever begins and ends is not eternal, is not real, is not atman. You will have to search for the atman. To remain with the atman is satsang, to be in continuous association with the Atman as the atman itself. This will be accomplished by not doing anything; neither by thinking, nor by making any kind of effort at all, nor by postponing.

When I was a young man my friends used to say, "I will do this after my retirement." They used to tell me, "Poonjaji, you are still young. This is the time to earn money and save up for your rainy days. If you are spending all your money now like this, going to pilgrim places, going from saint to saint - if you don't even open a bank account, who will look after you in the evening of your life when you have retired?" But all those people who used to give me this advice are no longer alive!

Association with the saints has paid me very well and I am very happy. I want to share with you what I have received. You are all here. I welcome you, so let us share together. Knowledge is the only thing which you cannot keep. You can hide wealth. Rich people with many bank accounts are all suffering. They have no place to hide their money; they are afraid of income taxes raids. Everyone is in fear. You only need to eat. You can't eat more than a certain amount or you will end up in hospital, so what is the use of accumulating a lot of money? The peace you are longing for you will find in satsang. Money will only bring you trouble when you try to accumulate it.

You will have to be wise, you have to work. I am not telling you to run away - you have to be active. Soldiers have done it even on the battlefield. Arjuna was a soldier. There were nine military divisions on each side and the war was about to begin, and who was his charioteer, his guru, his teacher? It was the Lord of the Universe himself, driving him. Arjuna pulled him out of the battle. He was lost and he received knowledge from Krishna in the midst of the battle.

This was a great battle fought in this part of India 7034 years ago. As a soldier he received this knowledge and he also won the war! Knowledge and war are not incompatible. If you first know yourself - know who you are - you have won the whole world. If you have not conquered you own self you will end up empty-handed despite your riches. Alexander the Great wanted to conquer the whole world and his tutor, a student of Socrates, told him first to conquer his own mind. Alexander did not listen and had the man arrested and thrown in jail. He went to conquer India. He met a great yogi, and before he died he realized his foolishness.

In satsang you will have to devote time to not touching the past or the future. This instant can be called satsang, but really it has no name. If you enter into this you will discover the nature of peace, which is known as shanti. You will discover the nature of Light, of Wisdom. This will be the end of all suffering for the whole world, the end of the cycle, the end of hitchhiking from womb to womb. This is in your hands. You are here and it does not take any time - it takes just a moment. And this moment has to be exactly now.

Whether it is now or next year or next birth doesn't matter. You have to return home. Everyone has to return home, all of us. Whenever it happens it will always be just now. It will always be the same moment - no moment - which gives you satsang, which indicates freedom, which is Here, Now. Freedom is already here.

The concept, "I am bound." is only a notion. The concept, "I have to become enlightened after retirement." is also a notion. Get rid of all these notions and you will return to this. This is called satsang. This will lead you to Freedom, to Moksham, to Liberation, to Emancipation, to the end of the cycle of birth and death. Do this here and now. Why postpone? The mind needs to postpone. This postponement is called mind. The mind is nothing but the past. Discard all these concepts and you are Free.

7 May, 1992

Who am I?

Who are you? Where do you come from? And where are you going? Except by a very few, a finger count, these questions have never been confronted since time immemorial. You are here now, so let us try to solve them.

We discuss this everyday: You have forgotten who are you. You have forgotten that you are home, you have forgotten your destination, where you have to go. This is why we suffer again and again. Millions of years have passed and we have not yet solved these questions. It is so simple no time or practice is needed. We are simply otherwise engaged. We are busy with all our occupations, with wanting this and that, with holding to the idea that, “This is mine.” and “I belong to this.” Find out who you are and who are your relations.

Every night when you sleep you experience leaving everything behind - your relations and friends, your house, your country, the mountains, and rivers. You don't see anything when you are asleep and you have no trouble; you are happy. This is a very short experience which we have every night due to the compassion of your own Self; giving you a hint to discover Eternal Bliss. This is for a very short time. When you go to sleep you are at peace. The only troublesome states are waking and dreaming. Who wakes up and gets into trouble? Who dreams? The dreamer gets into trouble, but no one knows who they are and where they have to return to. This is so simple that every reasonable person can solve it, here and now.

We speak every day about this which has been lost. You turn outside to a guide who is deceiving you and you trust that guide. Who is that guide? It is your own mind. Although he has always deceived you, you return to the same guide because you are used to him. He has been your guide since the beginning, but he has always deceived you. Now ask yourself the question, “Who am I?” for the first time. This question has never been asked. You have simply trusted the mind to tell you what to do and you have obeyed. This is the time for all of us here to ask this question. Do away with this guide and you will return to your Eternal Home, to Existence, to Consciousness, to Bliss.

Is there any time when you are not in the mind, when you stop your race after pleasures of the senses, when you simply see? Keep still and this guide disappears, simply with the question, “Who are you?” Then you will know what the mind is, and it disappears. This question has never been asked. This guide has never been challenged before. Wherever you have gone until now you have allowed it to deceive you. It has told you this or that is good, and you accepted it - that this is a world of pleasure, and you accepted it - that these gods will give you pleasures in heavens, and you accepted it. When you challenge the mind it disappears instantly. This is why every day we emphasize the question, “Who are you?”

The qualification needed to ask this question is discrimination - the ability to know the real from the unreal, the eternal from the false, the pure from the impure. Discrimination must first be developed, and it will lead to the capacity to ask the question which dissolves all that is false. When you ask this question with discernment you will come to know what is real and what is unreal. Turn to any thing which has name and form and see where this name and form came from. Was it eternal or did it appear in the past a few years ago, and will it disappear after a few more years? Everything will disappear. In fact the whole world disappears when you sleep.

Whatever is eternal must remain constantly. It never disappears. That which appears and disappears is falsehood. All relationships up to this point have been with appearances and disappearances, and so there has been no relationship with that which is Eternal, which is your own Home, which is your own Self, your own Friend, your Atman, which is Existence itself.

Existence will remain always. It will never become non-existence. Consciousness will always remain consciousness. In the waking state you are conscious of doing this and that. In the dream state you are conscious of the dreamer doing something. In the sleep state you are conscious of not knowing anything, of enjoying the bliss of deep sleep, you are also very much conscious of this. Existence is there always, consciousness is there always, and bliss can also be there always. In the waking state, pleasure is mistaken for bliss. Pleasure is temporary. We may call it bliss, but bliss is eternal. It is your nature. It is your Atman, your own Self.

We may stumble on different experiences but we are still searching for the same thing. The one who is searching - the seeker itself - is what is needed. We are lost in a search without knowing who it is that is enjoying all this. We are attached, so we attribute the source of this joy to the object without knowing the enjoyer. It is the Self - the Atman - who is enjoying; not the object. No object has any capacity to give you happiness. It is ‘I’ who enjoys the object, whatever object it may be; anything, any relation, any idea, any concept, the source of their joy comes from ‘I’, not from the object or idea or notion.

When you rid yourself of all notions, all intentions and ideas, this will be revealed. Stop for a while. Give an instant to your own Self - just an instant that you have never found time for so far. You have spent 35 million years for others, seeking love, seeking beauty, seeking rest, and you have not got it. You have been hitchhiking millions of times and yet again you are here.

If this sounds good you can go through it and it is done, not by any kind of practice for you have done enough. What had to be done is done now. It is finished. What had to be attained is attained. You are here in satsang. In satsang no practice is needed, nothing is done. Only you are asked to keep quiet. Only you are asked to keep still. Only you are asked not to stir a single thought. And wait... Turn your back on whatever appears in front of you. Now is the time to turn your back on what you have done in the past. Turn your face to what has not been done before. Turn your face towards your own atman for the first time and turn your back on this name and form.

18 May, 1992

You Need Reminding Only Once!

You only have to be reminded once of who you are. You do not have to do anything. You do not have to read any book or listen to any cassettes or tapes. Just a reminder or even overhearing is enough.

I will tell you a story about a baby child. There was a king who was fond of hunting game. One day the queen also insisted on accompanying the king for the hunt. She decided to take her baby boy along with her also, and they started out. In the evening they pitched a tent in the forest so they could go out in the night, riding on an elephant to find some game. Generally hunting is done at night because all the animals go out for food then. The young prince was kept under the care of nurses and sentries were posted outside the tent. So the king and queen and all their retinue went out the whole night hunting for game and returned to the tent at about ten next morning. The queen found that her son was missing.

In the night the nurses and the guards had fallen asleep. The boy had woken up, and not finding his mama lying next to him he had walked out of the tent and deeper and deeper into the forest in search of his mama, the queen.

The queen came back and felt very sad. Everyone was exhausted; they had not slept the whole night. But she said she would not even eat breakfast until she had seen her son again. Some said that he had been eaten by a wolf or a hyena, but the queen said that there would be marks of blood inside the tent or nearby. A search was mounted to find the bones. The queen said that if the bones were produced she could be sure that her son had been killed by a wild animal and she would accept the situation. They looked all around the tent for a mile in all directions but they did not find any trace of blood stains. They had to return to the capital, but the king decided to send search parties in all four directions throughout the country and instructed them not to return until they found the boy, or at least a clue as to his fate. The parties were dispatched to console the queen. Months and years passed.

The boy was only three or four years old when he wandered into the forest dressed only in his underwear. A potter who lived on the farther side of the forest was collecting clay to make his pots and found the boy crying. His family had no child so they were very happy to find this child, a gift from gods - very handsome boy. They brought him home, gave him a bath and food and new clothes. The boy grew up with his new family, helping his foster father by collecting clay and bringing it home to help the family make the pots.

Twelve years passed and the teams of police were still searching for the prince. One search party was very thirsty so they stopped at a well where this boy was collecting water to take home to his family. The policemen saw the boy with a bucket and asked him for a drink. He gave them a cup of water and they were thankful. "What is your name?" they asked the boy. "My name is Junglee." he replied. Junglee means forester in Hindi. The family gave him this name because they found him in the jungle.

The police were very shrewd. They asked him, "This is very rare name. We have never heard of anyone with the name Junglee before. Who are your parents?" "Our house is over there. We make pots. My parents are at home," replied the boy. That was all he could say - he had forgotten all about his past. They were very suspicious about this boy's name. They wanted to see his parents and find out why they named him Junglee. Seeing the police party the parents became very afraid.

They asked the father, "Who is this boy?" "He is our son," came the reply.

"Is he your son? When did you beget him?" they asked. So the potter told his story: "About 12 years ago I was walking to the forest to fetch some clay and this boy was crying. I brought him home and for the last 12 years he has been with us. He is not our son but we have brought him up with great love and care because we didn't have a child of our own." So the policemen explained what had happened and who this child was, and the boy could overhear the entire conversation. Finally the police told the boy to come with them and they would take him to the king. The foster father was only crying out in fear, "It is not our fault, it's not our fault. We have found the boy."

At that point a party of boys arrived to call Junglee for a game which they had all left unfinished from the night before. "Come, Junglee. Come to finish the game we did not finish last night." This boy had only overheard what the police had said to his father. "Do you know that he is the prince?" They had said, "He is the prince. Come with us and you will be rewarded. You have no reason to fear." The boy only overheard the conversation, that is all, but he turned to his friends who were calling him to play and told them, "Shut up! I'll have you arrested by my police! Keep quiet or I'll have you arrested!" He became the prince by simply overhearing what had been said. He did not mediate to become a prince nor did he read any sutra or any book. He simply overheard the truth of his situation from an authority and immediately he became the prince.

Once you hear from an authority that you are That, it is quite enough. You do not need anything more. Overhearing the words of an authorized source is enough to know the truth. But not all who hear the truth respond in the same way. Some are very sharp witted - they are like camphor touching a flame. All is over, nothing is left. They belong to a very superior quality of seeker - in going to the teacher, once they touch the word and the ego is destroyed like camphor.

Others are like firewood - they will also be gradually consumed. They belong to a second type of person, a middle quality. The third type also touches the fire and they take some time to burn and to become fire itself. Those are the ones who are postponing, taking their time. They will also become the flame itself but it will take some time because they are busy deciding. They are like children who make sand castles on the beach and get lost in their play till the high tide comes. Some wise children see that their mother is waiting and kick over what they have built with double pleasure and meet their mother before the high tide comes. Everything will be swept away by the high tide. Before it comes it is better to return home, your mother is calling. The third type is that category which does not move - they are like stone. If you put a stone in the fire nothing will happen. The stone will remain a stone - there will be no ignition.

There are these three categories, and all three categories are represented here in this satsang, and in the world: tamasic, rajasic, and sattvic. All need to be free. Some have a burning desire of freedom - they need to meet a teacher only once. A perfect teacher and a perfect longing for freedom is all that is needed. Some who come to see me here say, "I have it! I got it! But now I cannot decide whether to leave you or whether to stay longer to stabilize what I have got." There is no question of stabilization here. One glimpse of atman is enough to give you light. One glimpse is more than enough.

A small window is enough to allow the rays of the sun to come into the room. A small hole is enough to allow you to expose your face to the sun. That light is quite enough to bring you home. Some people wait here and say they might lose what they have gained. I tell them that you will surely lose what has been gained. But how can you lose anything which you have not gained? When you have nothing in your pocket how can you lose it? You do not have to gain anything. You have come to lose all the burdens that you have been carrying on your shoulders since 35 million years.

There were once two teachers in China with ashrams about 500 miles apart. People used to travel from one ashram to the other. One teacher was preaching that it was necessary first to purify the mind like a mirror - to wipe the dust from the mirror so that you could see your face clearly. He had a great following. His students all got involved in cleaning the mirror for their whole lifetime. The other teacher on the other side of the mountains had a very different teaching. He did not say anything about any mirror to be cleaned. The first teacher did not understand: If the mirror is not cleaned, if there is dust on the mirror, if there are weeds in the lake, how can you see your own reflection? So he sent one of his closest students who was supposed to have grasped the teaching, to go and find out what the other teacher was teaching. He had full confidence in this student. The man arrived in the other monastery.

The disciples of the second teacher came to the master. "Some people say this man is a very confident student, number one after the teacher. The teacher has sent him here to steal your teachings." The master came to know about it so he called the man. A master has to speak to everyone, whoever comes.

The master asked this man: "Are you a spy?" "Yes, Master, I came as a spy. I was sent by my master," replied the man. "But staying here with you I am no longer a spy of my master; I am your student, bless me. My master does not teach this teaching. He only says, 'Go on rubbing the mirror.’ Now you tell me there is no mirror and no dust to alight on it. How simple! When there is no mirror where is the dust going to alight? This is a very beautiful teaching. Master, I am going to stay with you - please accept me. But first please allow me one thing. My master is very beloved to me. I spent eighteen years with him. I am very grateful to him. I have some responsibility, some gratitude, some duty to pay off this debt. So let me go and give this teaching to my teacher." The master said "Okay, you can go, you can go." So the student returned to his old teacher.

"What is the teaching that he gives?" he was asked. "No teaching! No teaching! There are so many mirrors we have been trying to clean. They will never be clean. When there is a mirror there will always be dust to alight. This master asked me, 'When there is no mirror where is the dust going to alight?' Come with me, Master! He is a very beautiful teacher with no teaching at all!" The teacher and all his students came to see this master with no teaching.

We are here for Freedom. Our aim is freedom but we get lost in sadhanas, practices, yoga methods and reading books. Why did you come here? What was the purpose of wearing this human body which so precious among 8.4 million species, the highest temple? Once in 35 million years you wear this beautiful form - don't waste it. You only need to be reminded like this prince, and you are the prince. You have been saying, “I am the body, I am the mind, I am the ego, I am the senses, I have objects to enjoy.” With this burden how can you face your own nature, how can you get on the throne? How can sit on the throne of the emperor if you have forgotten who you are? You have to be reminded; you do not need to perform any practices.

We speak here of Existence, Consciousness, Bliss. When are you not that? When was the time when you were not that? When will the time come when you will not be that? How can you lose Existence itself? How can you lose Consciousness? How can you lose Bliss? You have been lost somewhere else so you do not know who you really are.

19 May, 1992

You Need Reminding Only Once!

Different practices have been described which are being followed in the world. One is gyanamarg - the path of knowledge; one is bhakti, or devotion;and one is karma. Rituals, yoga, rajyoga, kundalini yoga, pilgrimages to shrines, worship of the personal deities, recitation of the holy books, repetition of the sacred formulas, and many other types of exercises, or sadhanas are being practiced. The question is: What is the goal that you have selected to arrive at? What do you want? What is your aim? For different aims there are different roads, different practices.

Here we are mainly dealing with Brahman. I will use the word 'Brahman', rather than 'Self', because in all other languages 'self' can be also be used for the individual soul, for the individuality. Brahman is that which is without any attributes - knowledge itself which has no association, with no duality whatsoever. Brahman is the word that has been used in the book of knowledge. We are working here on how to arrive at that attribute-less Brahman which is beyond the reach of the mind and the intellect. It is said by those who have gone beyond and realized this goal, that this is where the intellect and its associates like mind, senses, and so on beat a retreat. They cannot go there because it reveals Itself by itself. You need no agent, no-one to take you there, neither the intellect, nor the mind, nor the senses, nor any kind of practice, because it is self-revealing.

You need a candle to find something in a dark room. You need the light of the sun in the day or of the moon in the night, and if they are not there you need a candle or a lamp in the house. But you don't need a candle to see a lamp - it is light itself. It is self-revealing. It is self-luminous. No association is possible; it is attribute-less. It is advised to realize the attribute-less Brahman, immaculate Brahman, eternal Brahman, or to adopt a practice which is very near to your goal. Everything else - like pilgrimages, purification, visiting churches - may do some benefit. Worship of the deities may also give you some temporary relief, chanting of holy books may focus your mind on one object. But with all these practices the mind is not yet obliterated.

The practice nearest to truth for those few who want to realize absolute Brahman is meditation only on attribute-less Brahman itself, without any object of concentration. When people start to mediate they do something, they hold some image in the mind or some word. That may be useful, but it is even better to think of attribute-less Brahman, to always keep aware of the attribute-less Brahman during meditation, knowing that, “I am Brahman.” without focusing on any object of the past, present, or future.

This is the nearest practice. If you want to do any practice, to meditate on attribute-less Brahman, immaculate Brahman, which is none other than your own Atman - your own fundamental nature. If you are not able to realize the truth instantly you can continue this practice for a while. Slowly you will see that the meditator and the meditated upon vanish. Neither attribute-less Brahman nor meditation upon attribute-less Brahman has anything to do with a meditator or something meditated upon.

So this constant exercise is advised, constant sadhana on attribute-less Brahman, thinking, “I am Brahman.” If you want to think something, why think, “I am the body?” The body does not last. Why think, “I am this.” or “I am that?” If you want to have a thought at all and you cannot live without thinking, then have this supreme thought: “I am Brahman.” This is the exercise which is nearest to your goal of Brahman itself. The meditator and the meditated upon will vanish. This is the goal that we started meditation for. No other sadhana or exercise is as near as this for one who wants to be free of this samsara, from this going again and again from death to birth and birth to death. This is how to break the cycle. There is only one way and this is this way. This can continue always wherever you are.

You do not need to go to any ashram, because nobody there knows how to sit quiet. In every ashram and center recently different therapies have been introduced. There should be at least one person who could teach you silence, peace, and tranquility, and direct you to that place. He should be in the know of things himself, but nobody is there like that. Therefore wherever you go, some kind of therapy has been introduced in every ashram. Because no one teaches, “Sit quiet and don't do anything.” If a center were to do that what would be the use of that center? A center is there for some commercial reason, for some material gain.

This is the only teaching that is not practiced anywhere in the world! What better teaching could there be, or what better teacher who tells you, “Keep quiet!” This was the teaching of my master. Nobody else has taught this recently, in this century. There were a few teachers also in the past but not in this century. In the twentieth century he alone was the teacher who could say, “Keep quiet!”

To keep quiet is the only goal that you have to practice to do away with this cycle. If you can't keep quiet, then the practice closest to this quietness is prescribed: To repeat, “I am Brahman.” There is no harm in this, because when you utter the word “Brahman” it has neither name nor form. This Brahman word is not a name, because name and form go together immediately. When you utter a name there is a form. There is no form to accompany this name, so the mind is again formless and nameless. This does not depict any object or any subject.

This practice is not even a practice. It can be continued at home with whatever you are doing in your routine of life. Just keep this thought here and do whatever you want. This is the way which is nearest to your own Atman. In this life a human body is very rare so we have to make the best of it. Once lost it cannot be regained. We would have to go around again.

You are here from many countries, so let us find some way to be happy in ourselves, to be peaceful ourselves, and take this message back to our country and spread it. Now is the time. We know what is happening in the universe. We can only keep quiet and wish that sanity descend on human beings. We send good vibrations of peace and love every morning. Let us behave at least as human beings, working for our own good and for that of the world.

Buddha has done it.

Janaka has done it.

Yagnavalka has done it.

Vasishtha has done it.

And Shikaraj has done it.

Vishvamitra and many others have done it.

So why can't you do it?

If you are bent upon doing it, it is here and now.

26 May, 1992

Why Are You Here for Satsang?

We are here in satsang to save ourselves from the suffering of repeated rebirths. We are here… we are completed at least one round of thirty five million years. It happened to 8.4 million different kinds of species that we all know, and if we miss this chance again we have to go round. So let us make up some kalpa this time - no repeated birth - and pray the almighty divine comes from Mount Purity to lead us from ignorance to light - britumam amritam astumount satgarum. This should be the aim of our satsang and we are speaking here every day. And you are here from almost all countries of the world with desire to be free. And some of you have also been to several ashrams in our country and also in many centers in other countries too. Every country is now… is having yoga centers and different kind of therapies, and you have been traveling into those centers also and wherever you have gone you have been told, “Do this and do that.”

A one year old baby is provided with the baby walker by the parents. The child learns how to walk and throws away the baby walker and is very happy for the first time; and look at its majestic walk. But in those centers and those ashrams once this baby walker is given to you, you are so much attached with this you don't get rid of it, and you are not allowed to do it. You have to walk on the baby walker. This is the teaching in every ashram. And this is the discipline and this is the sadhana. And you are no more a baby, why get attached to the baby walker? And even if you can walk as a symbol you have to carry this on your shoulders. Because you often speak in such and such ashram, “We have been told to do this, we have been told to do that.”

There was one center in China. The teacher was preaching, “First of all you have to purify your mind like a mirror.” and he had a great following. “You have to clean, clean the mirror; wipe out the dust from the surface of the mirror so that you can see your face.” So this was the teaching of this teacher and he had following. There was another teacher about five hundred miles away on the other side of the mountains. The people used to visit both of these centers and speak about these teachers. So some teachers would come from this, this other center - go to this center holding mirrors in their hands and wiping out the dust. They speak, “That center, that teacher doesn't ask us to clean your mirror, to purify your minds. This teacher says “What kind of teaching could it be? If your mind is not pure how can you have reflection? It sounds quite reasonable.” So he sent one of his most trusted student. "Go visit, come back and tell me what is the teaching of this teacher."

"He doesn't teach anything; he sits quiet. And there are some students who sit too.” “You go and don't disclose that you are from such and such teacher.” And he's still sitting on the third day and this teacher asked, "You are… you belong to CIA not this teacher. You are intelligence reporter.” He said: "No sir. I came as the CIA of my teacher, no doubt. He told me to come here and see what's going on here. And I have come for that purpose to tell my teacher. But now I am no more a CIA agent. Now I am your disciple. I stayed with this teacher for forty two years cleaning the mirror, again dust will alight. Wherever there is mirror there dust has to arise, alight on it; but here when I find your teaching is, ‘There is no mirror at all; and where the dust is going to alight?’ That was all, my dear master. It opened up to me. I am free. No mirror do I need now to clean. There was no mirror at all. And now please allow me to see my teacher, let me go back. Because I promised to my teacher, and I will speak to him because, ‘This no teaching, no way, no sadhana is not known to him.’ So I will tell to my teacher and come back soon."

So he says, "Go, my son, go." He tells to the teacher, "This teacher was very good person. He also understood, he said. Because my teacher told him to go on wiping the mirror and my grand teacher also was doing the same thing, and we belong to that lineage of dust cleaners." So listening to this he also followed. And some of his students who are very arrogant - they didn't listen. The teacher followed the student and stayed here - welcomed.

So actually the Brahman, atman, is omnipotent, omniscient, self-effulgent. If there is a candle you don't need your torch in hand to find where the candle is in the room because it’s light itself. You don't need any… any extra light to see the light. Light is the same. Like this, your atman is self effulgent, eternal, beauty, love, and consciousness, bliss, existence. You don't need to do anything about it. Only you get rid of your arrogance, your separation that you are not this, and it will reveal itself to the self.

So for the last two days, repeatedly I have been asked to give you some practice. Never did I speak about any kind of practice in my life. For the last fifty years I never speak about practice. People are here who have spent minutes, hours. And here also you have seen a man from Washington DC stay two hours - immediately woke up and the satsang is still going on. I thought, “Perhaps he has to catch his flight.” I said. I have never asked him a name also, and his bag was also alongside him. And then he just prostrates and he goes up. And someone asked him, "Why you are in a hurry to go? Since you have come you can stay for at least one satsang." "It's no use to stay here," he says. "It's no use. I'm coming from Thailand, and twenty six years I have spent from center to center, and this couple of hours is quite enough. What more could any teaching be? It's enough."

Another man - he was Doctor James. In 1953 he went to attend international Buddhist conference in Bangkok. From there he comes and I was working in Bangalore for a shipping corporation and this man straight away walks to my office and he came, he came by a taxi and he was very dusty, you see. I said, "You go and have a hot shower, have a cup of coffee, and we speak." "No, no, no, I have to ask. And if your friends who are seated here, they excuse me, I'll ask you a question." And then I said, "Carry on. Ask me." He asked one question and I replied and the taxi was in front of the door itself. He said, "I am going now." I thought, “He is not satisfied.” He said, "No, I don't want to waste your time. Just five minutes it took me, because I spent many years. I have seen many teachers in China, Japan, Thailand and the rest of the centers in India, Nepal, Bhutan, and other countries also. This straight-away - no teaching - there's no teacher at all. So I will write to you before I go, even in Delhi if I have time between my flights. I will go back to London and I will write." And he did write.

This experience he wrote to me. So here this depends upon how serious you are. The people who want to hang on postpone their desire for freedom. There are thousands ashrams here. They can go there if they don't understand these things. They can go if they want to follow any practice. They can go there. There are many people there you see.

Even Lord Buddha himself. He was a prince - married to the beauty of the land, blessed with a son; and this desire for freedom arises in the midnight - wakes up, rides on the horse. (Contic was its name.) Even that horse which rode him out of the palace is now immortal horse. He went from ashram to ashram, many different kind of tapas, sadhanas were being practiced and always he said, “Not it. It's not it. This should not be like this thing.” People were hanging head down feet tied to the branch of a tree and doing penance, tapas for freedom. What relation has this kind of tapas with the freedom? Hanging like a monkey from a tree… branch of a tree… and wanting to be free, has got no relation. Yet this is being practiced even now. So different kind of… he went round different places. He rejected all ashrams and then finally he goes to Bodhgaya; sat down by himself under the bodhi tree and found it, you see.

This is the desire who is your teacher itself - this desire is your teacher itself, your guide itself. And this will bring you to your own Self. And it will not fail you if you have decided very well, “I want to be free.” But if you are egoistic, arrogant, having desire for the things which are not eternal, happiness that fade away every moment. Your relationship with those whose legs are in the mouth of the crocodile of Lord Yama, isn't it. If you want to love, if you want to be related, why not relate yourself with your own Self? And this relationship is the only relationship which is going to help you. It's not going to deceive you at all and you will not appear again into this land of suffering. It can be had instantly you see, the people have done it and every day I tell you the stories how… how people have won this freedom instantly.

Once there was king, king of the Vedas - very noble king. Desire arises in his mind to be free. He needs a teacher now. So he sent word all over the country to hold a conference so then he invited the enlightened people of this country to lead him to freedom. But his condition was he wants to be free in an instant. And what was that? Condition: as quick as to embark on a horse. So many people from the country - say about five thousand saints, sages, yogis - assembled in this camp belonging to different views, different shades, different sects. And the king stood there also, and there was a horse, and he said, "As a token of my dedication - guru dakshina - I will give eleven hundred cows, gold plated horns, garland of gold coins around their neck and a land at the bank of river Ganga. And I will build an ashram who gives me gyanam as quick as I ride this horse which stood just… just next to him.

And five thousand people assembled there. They are looking to each other, speaking to each other, “This king is not reasonable. Look I have been doing meditations in the Himalayas sixty years. I have grown gray beard and yet I do not know what is freedom.” So they are discussing, "This king is not reasonable." speaking between themselves. There comes one very dirty looking young boy. Nude he was, also deformed - in physically deformed. He didn't know what's going on here in this congregation. He looked inside. Many people were there - he also entered. And where the king stood on one foot, the left foot in his stirrup and the right was to go on the saddle. "How much time is needed to just embark on the saddle?" That was the condition of the king.

This man stood up nude, deformed, dirty, and people were laughing at him: "He doesn't know, he's insane, he's mad boy." He addressed them… addressed them first of all: "Why do you laugh… why do you laugh at me. Seeing my body you laugh. Seeing my deformity - seeing this physical form which is skin or leather - you are leather merchants. You are leather merchants; you have no business to come here in satsang." he said. "You go and do your trade in the leather market." That's all he said. That is all he said to five thousand people. "You are looking at my physical form and you are laughing, you are joking. You look after your business. You know this is satsang," he said. "No other talk is allowed here - not looking at the form. In satsang if you look at the form you are in your usual profession."

Now he addresses to the king: "Yes sir, now you come along to me. Come, I will give you freedom. But now I am your teacher and you are my student. And you have according to Indian custom you have to give me guru dakshina in advance, because after, you are free – after, you are enlightened - then me and you are equal. I can't ask anything from you because you are equal to me and you will not give anything to me. We both are equal. Therefore now you want something from me, therefore I am your teacher and you are my student. Give me guru dakshina. He says: "Here are the cows. Here are the cows, here is the land I promised." "But that land doesn't belong to you. You want knowledge of your Self, and this land before it belonged to you to whom did it belong? And these cows, too. This is public property. This land, this kingdom, was ruled by your father, isn't it? And before your father, who was the king here?" He said: "My grandfather." "And after you?" "My sons," he said.

"So you are just a manager looking after a property. Give me something that belongs to you." He says, "If you give me knowledge I will serve you all my life. All my life I will serve." He said, "How? How you are going to serve me? If you want to serve me physically, you are already… this body you have already pledged to your wives isn't it? You had an oath in front of the fire at the time of marriage, isn't it? And… and they say… all your queens, they call you ‘my king, my husband' isn't it? So your body belongs to your queens; and also the public when they say you are their king. Your body belongs to the public. It doesn't belong to you. Give me something that belongs to you itself. Body belongs to public; body belongs to your queens; body belongs to your children. It’s not your own. How can you give me something which you have already sold to others? The king was very wise; very noble king was he, very intelligent. He's now thinking that he has only one thing on which nobody… nobody can claim. “It belongs to me. I may be belonging physically but inside me there is something which I know is only me.” And then he said, "I have one thing, sir, that I have for you and this is my mind. I surrender my mind unto you."

He said, “Then let us have this ceremony. Let you bring Ganga water and repeat thrice so that this agreement of disciple and student is to be completed, so that you don't withdraw from this, and make sankalpa. Here do I surrender to you, Master. I have given you this token of my present, my guru dakshina, and you impart me knowledge. And then after this ceremony is over now; and this boy walks out of the tent and goes away - disappeared. Everybody… this congregation of five thousand people looking… do not understand. This boy is very funny. After this ceremony is over he disappeared.

King is also thinking now; king is also thinking now. One foot, left foot in the stirrup - right is to embark on the saddle of the horse. Look at his longing and look at his dedication also. Discipleship has been accepted, ceremony is over, and this man disappeared. So he is astonished. He can't help. And he's looking through the hole of the tent. This king is thinking something. Now he is outside and now king thinks… king is now is thinking himself, within himself that, "I have surrendered the mind and I am feeling in this agreement." He was very wise man. So he instantly thinks, "I have no business to mentate. I have no business to mentate, even to start a single thought - why this man has gone out of the tent." There he stopped thinking. The king stopped thinking, you see. No thought is there in the mind of the King. Here is the point which we speak every day about. There he comes and from the face you can very well know when you think, when you start a thought in the mind. And what is this thought and where are you?

This thought takes you straight away to the graveyard, mind you. This thought - any thought that rises in your mind - is it… isn't it a past; isn't it a past? Mind itself is past. Thought itself is past. Whatever you think is past. And what is past is graveyard. Therefore you are in the graveyard. You are not living being, you are speaking to the dead. What is dead? Memory. Memory is graveyard. It's not satsang. Here now satsang is going to take place; give me your attention. So that face is very different when you have no thought - that face you have been seeing. Yesterday also people were here. Instantly this same question was there about enlightenment. I do not know that man. Perhaps if this young man from Germany and the other one from Sweden, I will call them and see what's happening with them today.

And now this… this young person, he arrives in front of him - one foot in the stirrup, other was to go on the other side on the stirrup to embark on the saddle. That was the promise and this is the time. No thought in the mind of this king. When there's no thought and this previous thought, “I want freedom, first of all.” Everyone is bound because we separate ourselves from… from our own existence, consciousness and bliss - bliss. Somehow, we think and we call: “Now we are bound.” The wave rises from the ocean and separates and searches, “Where is the ocean?” Searches day and night - the wave is searching, “Where is the ocean?”

Like this all this manifestation we are all searching, “Where is… where is consciousness and where is existence and where is bliss?” This is what's going on here, so when I am bound? It’s very few people who have this concept who have superimposed bondage on them - superimposition that also - and then they will give rise to another superimposition of freedom. He who's bound, very few will aspire for light, wisdom.

So when your thought stops, mind stopped, bondage vanish, also the freedom vanished, isn't it? There is no mind. It was the mind that troubled you – “I am bound.” Can you sleep? Neither you are bound nor you are free because mind is not there. So when this king stood up thoughtless, his urge for freedom also disappeared, bondage disappeared, also the freedom disappeared. Now at that time, what else could be That is beyond description. He who has this experience will know how to describe it and this King has described very well, you see. He brought the other foot which was planted into this stirrup back on the deck itself, prostrated in front of him three times, went round three times, and he blessed him and he went away. He disappeared, you see. This is over.

So I started this, this morning satsang, this practice, because many people want. So I… so I have to agree to them because they want some direct practice. So have I told them yesterday, day before yesterday, till… till you can't walk on your own legs you can practice on existence - on Existence. “I am existence. I am consciousness. I am bliss.” To have your relation with what really you are. This also is creating knower, knowing and known. So finally they have to merge into that where there is no duality at all. How long you can live in dualities - knower, knowing, known. If you want some support there's no problem, you see. You can have instead of doing any other exercise. This is acceptable in the shutees, and the sages allow it - to do it, therefore I can agree. “I am existence.” Who can deny, “I don't exist.” first of all? Do you ever go and ask someone, "Do I exist or not?" Do you… do you ask, "Am I conscious or not?" You don't ask this question. If you ask you'll be sent to Nuermunser here. You do not know what's Nuermunser. Someone who belongs to this talk, they will know it.

First of all, those people who are there who can't deny, “I am that.”? In the ancient times also, the student who has a burning longing for freedom; he goes to the teacher in the forest and just asks this question. "Ho ham?" This question he doesn't know, "Master, save me! I am afflicted with this serpent of samsara. Now I am fed up again, again, and again appearing, disappearing. In society I have been troubled. Oh masters, save me. Ho ham. Who am I?" "My dear son, why not?" He gives indication, "Thou art That, that's all. Thou art That." He follows That. Instantly he says… instantly he finds it is That - finger pointing to the moon. He will see the moon that takes you to your own Self, and he agrees. Then he says: "I am, I am, I am, I am."

This moment will never come again, mind you. This moment which is passing in front of you is gone, as father who is dead will never come back again. This moment just in front… just in front… in front of you is possible, is not going to make the best of it. And best of it, best use of it is only… only to get into it. Get drowned into this moment… This Moment - not the previous, not the next.

This is what happened to the King of the Dehas, this what is happened. He didn't sit… he didn't sit for meditation. Neither has the teacher told him to meditate now. The real teacher has no teaching. There may be preachers who tell you do this and do that. Perhaps in my own words I call them murderers, butchers. They butcher you, they murder you who tell you do this and do that, you see. Teacher has no teaching. He doesn't give you teaching because you are that already. What the teacher is going to tell you, “You are already that.” What can she tell you distracts you and every exercise, every sadhana, every practice is distraction from your own Self, because you get otherwise engaged and you are already afflicted by thirty five million years.

Are you not afflicted like to add something more on it? Why not to throw away this burden once for all; and here goes. A very sharp one has to have this knowledge now itself - in this moment - and you have been seeing the result. The dull ones have no place in this satsang. First of all the dull ones have no place in this satsang. The sharp witted person, intelligent person like Ashoka, [chuckle] yeah, Shankara, one word, even Vivekenanda recently, Ram Tirtha recently, you see. So this satsang I don't think is for the dull people. I tell every day and so many people are here there must be something wrong going on here under this roof. Never it has happened in the past, so many people coming for satsang. Only one teacher, one student. Even Shankara had only four students, you see. So sometimes I think, “Why these people are here? Sometimes five hundred, four hundred people here. Some falsehood is being practiced here. I should take care of it.” Wherever there is someone dancing there will be crowd of it. Where truth is being spoken who could be there, you see. Now it's some dance is there on the road, you can see everyone will disappear. Who will be with me, you see? Some dancing you see on the road, you will just give a test yourself. It’s not satsang, you see.

So those few people, I don't some get into trouble and then they… they need this because this is a fire. This is a fire which will burn everything. They can't stay in satsang, therefore you see some people… some get up and during the satsang disappear. The next day they don't come. You are seeing every day; you are seeing every day. Some are here since a year, two years. Some read the papers, some magazines, and come from far off countries you see. Some come here, and you will see new faces who are to come for the first day and I guarantee tomorrow they are not coming here. You have been telling every day, isn't it? Because this is a jump into their arrogance. Because their arrogance is… is struck at the root. Who wants to separate from his arrogance, “I am so and so. I am this much, I am that much from the bank. This my land, this is my apartment, this is my ninety-three model Benz.” That's all what everybody wants.

I think one satsang is quite enough. If you decide on going for satsang don't tie your rope. Some have tied even today. They have fixed up their appointment with their wives, with their offices, “I'll be back at eleven thirty.” isn't it? Tied a rope as… as you slide a bucket into the water and the bucket things are very happy in this shower-bath; the bucket is very happy into the wells of the water. Outside is 44 degrees (celcius) and this bucket is very hot. And this kind man has put me down to well. Now I am very happy but she doesn't know. She is tying me with the rope. She is just taken in. Like this everybody is sitting for that bucket. They tie the rope around their waist with something or the other… appointment. “After this satsang I will meet you,” isn't it? If you cut your rope once only – once - that is quite enough.

You need not come again and again - only one time. Once just for five minutes because your atman is not away from you, only you are driven by the rope. Everybody is thinking… everybody is thinking, “It’s getting late. Papaji is getting too much time. Isn't it? Tying a rope and coming to satsang, many people say. One man came who is here who lives in Indira Nagar, in this 'A' Block itself. He just came and he requested that, "I want to see Papaji before satsang." I said, “He may have a question.” When he came in I asked, “Let him come before satsang and I want to know if he has a special… he wants special time. I will give him.” He asked me, he will get summer vacation in October. Will I be here in October? "Where do you live?" He said, "I live here itself. I live here, I live here." I said, “Attend this satsang. You come here.” "No, no, no, no. I've not come for satsang, I just came to make inquiry." I said, "Are you? Have you a guarantee that you will live in October, or will I have a guarantee will I live in October?" You see, I cannot know what's going to happen next moment, you see.

5 June, 1992

Make the Decision to Be Free!

You have to decide right now to be free once and for all. Everyone who has found freedom in this lifetime has had to make this decision. I don't find see problem for anyone here to be free in this lifetime.

Again and again, I tell stories about people who have found freedom. They have to be repeated because the mind is not ready to listen or accept. Some people only need to be told once by the teacher. A few don't even need to be told: Freedom rises up by itself.

Some people write to me saying that they started the search for freedom at a very young age- seven or eight years old, even two or three! This is the push of karmas of previous lives. Some make the decision later; some never make the decision at all. You can tell them again and again but they don't listen. There are also teachers and beautiful sutras available but they don't make use of them.

We are a very small community here and it's good that there are only a few of us. Some people who come here complain of arrogance, relationship troubles, egotism and greed, asking how to get rid of these things. They will all slowly disappear in satsang. This atmosphere will not allow the mind to live. This is where the death of the mind takes place. The mind cannot survive in satsang, just as a deer cannot face a tiger. These few here must make the decision to be free.

I was only a child when it happened to me. I was still at school and I didn't know anything about freedom. I don't know how or why it happened - I just fell in love with the greatest teacher in the world. My parents and teachers read the same books, my teachers were teaching the same things year after year and weren't personally benefiting at all. I can't explain why. On seeing a picture of Buddha sitting in meditation I fell in love with him, and without knowing anything about him I promised myself to do just as he did. I started sitting whenever I had free time. I didn't even know what I was doing or what it was about. I felt so much love in meditation that I could not escape. In fact it was meditation that fell in love with me, took hold of me at that young age, not me with it. I didn't really know what was going on. I used to get up in the middle of the night and meditate! At the age of 12 or 13 I used to go out begging in the streets, even though I came from a middle class family. People used to come and listen to me speaking, although I didn't know what I was saying. My parents used to worry about me when I got up in the middle of the night and sat on the cold winter ground. This is called satsang - love - this is something that drives you.

You can sit down and close your eyes, but if the mind is running around all over the place it is not meditation. I didn't know what meditation was. I didn't have any intentions. I didn't make a decision to go and sit in a certain position and meditate. Meditation just whispered in my ears, "Get up boy. It is midnight. Get out of bed. Sit down on the ground and meditate". I would like this to happen to everybody. It troubled Buddha. It troubled me and a few others too. Why don't we all get into this trouble?

I don't have any reason to believe a man who complains of ego and other troubles. What does it mean when a man says, "I am troubled by my ego. I have been here for 15 or 20 days and my ego is not disappearing?" Surely it means that he wants something that is not good for him. You have to decide. Discriminate with a cool head. Sit down and decide what is good for you and follow that. Don't listen to anyone else - the whole world is deceiving you. The whole world may be against you so you have to make your own decisions. Don't listen to your parents, your society or your preachers.

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

There were two teachers of different sects who heard of a sage living in the forest. They both went to him and asked, "Sir, how can we have joy in our lives?" The saint replied "Just keep your bodies healthy. This is the source of joy". Hearing this they both went back to their tribes and started preaching. The first said to his people, "I have been to see a saint. He says you have to enjoy this world. You have to keep your body well: eat, drink and be merry. Enjoy everything to the maximum because this world will not be available to you again". This sect followed this; they ate, drank and were merry; they pampered the body. They are still doing this now - they are still preaching this today: 99% of people belong to this sect, looking after the body with food, sleep and sex.

The other leader also went back to his people and told them the same thing, but they questioned the teaching. However hard they tried to keep the body healthy, it still became sick, and even when the body was healthy, there was still something amiss: the mind was still troubled. So after six months, the leader of this sect went back to the saint to ask if there had been some kind of mistake. This time the saint welcomed him saying, "Very good, my dear boy, now go and look after your mind. Just make sure that the mind is comfortable, that's all".

The leader went back to his people and they tried. But they found that however hard they tried - however much they concentrated or meditated - the mind could not be brought under control. Another six months passed, and again he returned to the saint.

By this time the first leader had still not been back to the saint and has not been back to this very day, after millions of years. Those of his tribe say happily, "I am arrogant. I'm an egoist. I'm in grief, anger, jealousy. I'm a hypocrite..." And they're all very proud of it, even today, millions of years later.

So after six months the second leader returned to the saint and told him that he couldn't keep the mind under control. "Very good, well done," replied the sage. "The mind is very fickle. It is like air. You can't keep it under control. Now, above the mind there is a power called intellect, the power of discrimination. Every man has this power of judgment. Go back and find out what is real and what is not real, then come back and tell me".

Again he went away, he tried, and he came back. "I have been trying with the intellect. I started with the objects of the world which we perceive through the five senses. All these sense objects appear and disappear. Things I saw some time ago have already disappeared. So the intellect is not reliable because it attaches itself to things which vanish and disappear. It loves things which are not eternal, and this does not bring peace, happiness, bliss, or consciousness. I have discovered this about the intellect but still the attention goes out to objects." “Okay Very good," the teacher said again. A teacher will teach you only to the extent that you are ready to receive. Those who are ready see what happens.

The man went away, and started to witness the intellect, the mind, the senses and their objects from somewhere behind them. He said to himself, "Now I've done it. I am the witness of the intellect itself. I can see my decisions very clearly and I can judge whether they are good or bad. I will not cling to the impermanent, to that which is not eternal or to that which does not bring bliss."

Once again he returned to the teacher and asked, "Is there anything deeper than this, anything more precious?" He asked for guidance. Again the saint replied "Leave everything. Get rid of your intellect, mind, ego, body, senses and objects. Have the firm conviction that you are existence, consciousness and bliss itself. Do not use your intellect, your mind or your senses. Just merge into existence, as we are speaking now, and become one with existence. Have the firm conviction 'I am existence, I am consciousness and I am bliss'."

This is as far as a teacher can teach. There is another part to the teaching, however, another secret. This secret is so sacred - it is the secret of all secrets. Nobody knows who holds the key to this secret. I have never heard of anyone going beyond and then returning to the teacher and saying, "I have been beyond and that is the end of the matter." It is fathomless – fathomlessness. None can measure its depth. The oceans, the skies, the planets, the solar system and even the 22 other solar systems with their own suns, moons, planets and stars have all been measured, but this has never been measured. The more you go into it, the more you want to know it. But who goes there? People come here saying, "I am arrogant, I'm an egoist, I have a problem with relationships." Why do they come here? There are books, psychologists and doctors in New York, Washington and California. What brings them to Lucknow?

To know the truth and the truth alone, to know consciousness and consciousness alone: This is satsang.

12 June, 1992

All This is Mind

All this is mind. Whatever you see is mind.
A notion arises and that particular object manifests in front of you. This is true of any object: past, present, and future. The whole manifestation is just a notion - objectified mind - nothing else. Unless we are aware of this mind there can be no peace, so we often speak about this. Even your body is a notion of the mind and you call it real. Then you become this object and other relations also become real. No one is willing to take the return journey - back to the beginning, to where the notion arises, because our senses are outgoing.

When a notion arises an object which is manifested is the desire of your own mind and it becomes absolutely real. Even your body is a notion. Let us start with this. If you don't give rise to the notion, "I am the body," there is no body. This body is an object of the mind, a thought in the mind, including the senses and all their activities moving towards different objects of sight, sound, hearing, tasting, and touch. This whole manifestation in front of you is only your notion - actually it doesn't exist. Only when we successfully understand this will you have tremendous peace and eternal happiness. That has always been your fundamental nature.

How did this manifestation arise in the beginning? If you follow the track backwards and discover its source - the place where it is rising from - you might find out for yourself, by yourself, without any effort or thought. There must have been a time when there was no creation and no creator. Everything is rising from that place which you do not know. Everybody wants to be happy, wants to be blissful, wants to be eternal, wants to avoid death; because this is our nature. Death is not our nature. Our nature is eternity - to be free of death and rebirth, of sorrow and suffering. We avoid death, disease, and suffering because this is a natural instinct in everybody. Neither man, nor animals like to suffer. There was a time when there was only peace - this is called shanti. Nothing else was there. Even the creator was not created at that time, let alone the creation. Only by returning there will we find peace, not by sitting in meditations or doing anything else. Here and now we can again try to discover this source, this fountain from where this mind itself and all thought arises.

With this question you will have to go to the root of thought itself. Doing this exercise you do not stir a thought, or mentate, or activate the mind, or make any kind of effort. We speak again and again of this because except in this method you are wasting your time in postponements. It will take you this instant of time to know who you are. It takes this very instant of time.

In this same instant of time the creation began and lived and is destroyed. It is the same instant. And it is the same instant that kept you bound in a never-ending cycle of incarnations of birth and death. This is the same instant. And again it is going to take you the same instant to return home. It is all in this instant. This instant is beyond time. Time is also a notion of the mind. The mind is also a notion, like a wave rising from the ocean.

That ocean of eternal peace is you. What is the difficulty that we suffer from? It is that we seek peace elsewhere and do not experience that we are peace incarnate itself. We do not have to find peace, we do not have not to attain peace. We are peace itself, and perhaps even beyond it.

This does not take time. A few of us have done it here in ourselves. We are happy, and we will be happy if the whole world is happy. This is what we speak of again and again. I am not going to give you any method which will make you waste your time and postpone this project for the next life. Do it here and now. When I tell you that it is this instant why don't you make use of this instant? You will not through any method - not by doing anything nor by doing nothing. Just stay quiet and you will see what the secret has been that you have been missing. The treasure was within you and you were begging.

29 June, 1992

My Meeting with Ramana

Q: Today is Ramana's birthday. I'd like to ask you to say something about Ramana.

Papaji: This is a long story so I will tell you in a short version about my contact with him, and something of what came before also.

Ramana was the son of an advocate. He was studying in a mission school. In his boyhood, one day he was going to school on the day when the fees were due. He had taken money and was going to school to pay his fees. On the way he felt as though he were dying. He lay down on the road on the way to and began to inquire: '"Who is dead? Who is dead? The body is lying here, but I see I am not dead. This body is dead and I am conscious that I am not dead." This was his experience. He found the Eternal Consciousness which never dies. The body may die, like clothes. Worn out clothes are thrown away and you get new ones to be worn again.

It started like this, but then he wanted to find out what it was. There was nobody to speak to him. After this experience he wanted to see what this experience was. He disappeared from the town of his parents. He had heard people speaking of a pilgrimage place called Mount Arunachala. He wanted to go there and he had the fees in his pocket. So he went to the railway station and the money did not cover the whole journey. He told the booking clerk, "Give me a ticket as far as my money goes." He bought a ticket to a place called Tirkalur, 20 miles short of his destination. He was wearing gold earrings, so when he got down at the station he was able to sell them to someone and to complete his journey.

He started meditation to locate what the consciousness was. For years he was not heard of. Sometimes he was going to beg for bicksar. No one knew who this person is. After many years people started going to him. When the light shines everyone is attracted. People from all over the world went to him and stayed. There are still people there. It was a forest on the slopes of this hill, and now it has become an international centre.

Many people were seeing him, many people were going to him, kings and presidents of other countries were going to him. I never knew because he was in the South of India and I was in the North. I was searching for a guru but somehow I didn't like any of them because I found only commercialization.

I went to the Himalayas. I went around to all the well known gurus. I went to Rishikesh, to Uttarpashi, to Tapawanum, to Haridwar. I also went to traditional gurus. I wandered by the bank of Ganga, to Kashipuri. I went down to the desert, down to the South - I went everywhere. Everywhere I went they wanted to initiate me and asked me to do sadhana.

When I had gone and sat with them my question was only, "Can you show me God? Have you seen Him? If you have seen Him, can you show me? What fees do I have to pay you? If you have not seen and you cannot show me, tell me straight forward that you have not seen Him and you cannot show me." But this much nobody dared to tell. They would say, "You have to sit down and do sadhana."

I said, "Why sadhana? When I go to a shop I have money in my pocket, he has the commodity I want. He will not tell me. 'You first meditate in front of the shop then I will give it to you." Nobody will say this. If you have something give it to me and ask me any price, I will pay the price. I will serve you all my life."

But they would only say, "You have to go through a long sadhana." In Rishikesh a man had been doing sadhana for 50 years. He was pointing at me saying, "Look at this man!" Everyone was laughing. "This man is standing in an army dress. ‘Show me God,’ he says." They were mocking me. They were making a joke of me, standing asking them to show me God. "Is not something to be shown. He doesn't go through sadhana; he does not agree with sadhana."

There was one swami in Tapowan. He was very well known and very old, about 88 years old. But then I saw he was having a court case with one very poor sadhu just occupying a thatch hut. He said, "He is occupying my place. He doesn't vacate. I will get an advocate.” He had plenty of land and this was only one man not harming anyone, only mediating alone. He was living there in a place ten feet by ten feet in one corner of the land. The swami wanted to make a wall there. Somehow I didn't like, he wanted to throw this sadhu out. When he has about ten acres of land why doesn't he allow him a space ten feet by ten feet. After all, he is a sadhu. He was bringing an eviction order and all that. I didn't like. I saw so many people like this and I returned back home. Very much disappointed and dejected I returned home. And the money that I had saved I spent already.

One day I was going to take lunch and I saw a man standing outside. I asked him, "If you want to take, come in and take food with me. And if you want monetary help I will help you. If you want food come in." He came in. I asked my mother to bring another plate of food and gave it to him. And then I asked him, "Are you a sannyasin? You must traveling throughout the country. Have you come across any person who is God-realized, who is enlightened and free? Have you seen anyone? If you have, give me the address; I will go to see him." He gave me an address and I noted down for the first time the name of a town called Tiruvanamalai, and he told me how to get there. Then he went away.

I decided not to tell my wife or my parents what had happened. I went out to the town. I had no funds as I had spent everything in my search for a guru and my father would not give me any money. When I was walking in the town an old friend called out to me - we had done physical exercises together. "You have not been seen around here. I heard that you had joined the army and since then we have not seen you." I sat down with him and saw an old Punjab newspaper lying in his shop on the table, the Old Tribune was the name. Immediately my eye went to the wanted advertisements. It was written, they required one ex-army officer to work in our CBI stores to supply army supplies to some British shipment. They were contractors in Pishawar and one unit was going to Madras. I saw a man was advertising for an ex-army officer to serve in Madras. So I applied and they sent me money to cover my first class ticket, and gave me one month's time to report. I said to myself “I've got money now." With that money I went straight in search of Ramana Maharshi's ashram at Arunachala.

I got down at the railway station and booked a bullock cart, which was the local transportation. I went to the ashram, and left all my baggage outside. I was going to start my work in Madras so I had all my bedding with me. I left it outside and went into the hall where a man was sitting. As soon as I saw this man I recognized that it was the same man who had given me the address in Punjab. I became very angry with him. I didn't go to see him. I didn't even enter the hall. I just went to find another cart to go back to the railway station. There was a Parsi man there; his name was Thromji. Later on we became friends. He came to me and said, "You seem to be a North Indian." "Yes, I am," I replied. "Then how is it that you have just arrived and now you are going back?" I told him, "This man is a fraud! He met me just fifteen days ago in Punjab and he gave me his own address that he is a God-realized man." "No, no," he said. It's not possible. You are making a mistake." I said, "How can I make a mistake? I am not mad. He is the same man. I am quite fit, both in body and mind. I cannot make such a mistake. In only fifteen days I cannot forget. He is the same man."

He said, "No. This man has not moved from this place in 50 years. You can ask anyone. Either you have seen someone else and you are mistaking the identity, or this man must have appeared to you through his own power to help you. We have heard of some three or four instances. So come with me, I will introduce you to the manager of this ashram and you can stay in the guest house." So he took me and insisted that I went there, and they give me a place to stay.

Then I went inside. He was not speaking to anybody. Everybody was quiet, but something was going on in this silence. For the first time I saw this happening without talking. Something was there; some vibration was there which was entering into my heart. After about 10 minutes there was a bell for lunch. Maharishi got up, everybody got up - there were maybe 15 or 20 people there - and we all went in the hall to take lunch together. Then Maharshi went back to his hall alone; no one else followed him. After lunch Maharshi took rest, and then people came again in the hall at 2:30. I never knew this rule. So seeing him alone I went in straight away, but as I was going in the attendant stopped me. He said, "You come back at 2:30." Maharshi was looking and he signaled me to come in.

I went inside and asked him, "It was you wasn't it, who saw me and gave me your own address in Punjab?" He kept quiet. "If it was you why didn't you tell me? I wanted to see God. Why you didn't do it there, and why have you called me here? I have come here and you don't speak with me. I do not understand." Still he was silent. I said, "I do not understand your silence. Please speak to me." Still he was silent. Still he was silent, so I was not very happy.

I was in love with Lord Krishna since my boyhood. It was a constant force in my life. So I said, "Ok, this place is very nice, I like this place. This mountain is very beautiful, there are forests, there are monkeys, there are peacocks. I will live here. I will go to the forest and stay there." I went to the forest. I had a month before I had to join my duties and I had used up only five days. So I went to the other side of the hill for some time, knowing I could join my duties later on and knowing I was in a good place.

Then the time came for me to go, so I decided to go and prostrate before him and then to leave. I came to him. He was there again, and once again he was alone. Very few people went to see him, very few. He asked me, "Why didn't you come for so many days?" I was very proud. I said, "I have been playing with my God." "Very good, very well." He said. "You have been playing with God?" "Yes, I was. I have always been." "Do you see him now? Do you see him now?" "Not now," I said. "Not now. When I have vision I see him, sometimes in the night also. When I have vision I see him, not always. That's why I want to see him always."

Then he said, "God does not appear and disappear."

For the first time I heard this: "God is reality itself. God doesn't disappear. He is appearance itself. So what appears and disappears is only mental, is only imagination." I didn't like this philosophy that I was hearing. "The god appeared and disappeared. And the seer is still here, he who has seen god is still here. Find out who the seer is."

I had never been confronted at any time by anyone with this question before. Neither the living saints nor any of the past saints I had heard about could confront you like this, with this question: "Find out who the seer is. Find out who you are. That does not disappear. Always it is there, whether you are awake or dreaming or asleep. This seer is always there. Now you tell me who this seer is."

No answer came for this question but I had an experience to find out the source of ‘I’. It worked it my case. On my first trip to the guru I found it. Actually the seer was always there; the source of ‘I’ was always there. He simply asked me to, "Find out who the seer is." That's what he said. In his presence I experienced the seer, what it was. It was so quick. My body was vibrating and became One. I did not understand this tremendous bliss, this tremendous happiness, this beauty, in just an instant.

This teaching is the ultimate teaching, which I try to present to you every day. I don't think any other teaching is worth striving for except to discover your own Self. Later on, if you need anything else you may go in search of it. Here and now find out who you are. This is the ultimate Reality, this is the ultimate teaching. I don't think any other teaching can surpass this teaching. Know your Self and then know the rest, if it is needed. This false appearance will disappear in the recognition of your own Self. This false appearance will not show up again when the Real is revealed to you. That has no form and no name; That has no geographical location anywhere, neither inside nor outside. This is Eternal Rest. Each of you is already in this. The only impediment is your preoccupation with something else, with something unreal. That is the only hindrance. Otherwise this Freedom, this Wisdom, this Beauty, this Love is always inviting you. You only have to turn your attention within your own Self and you see that you have always been free. This is your own nature.

There is no need to seek, no need to hunt it down anywhere else. It is already here. You only have to abandon the notion that, "I am bound. I am suffering. I am born. I have to die." This is simply a notion that you have entertained somehow, due to your unmindfulness. This will disappear instantly when you want it to, when you need it to, when you desire it, instantly this is here. You do not need to go and search for it - it is not an object to search for. It is your very inner nature. It is very close, closer even than your breath. When something is closer and nearer than the breath what effort do you need to meet it? It is so near, so dear, so intimate to you, but you are lost in fulfilling your desires with those things or people which are not worth making friends with. They appear and disappear - they are not permanent, they are not real. So what is the use of that hunt which is not abiding, which is not living, which is not eternal, which is disturbing? It's not wise to purchase disturbance for nothing. If you are a good buyer you will make a bargain for those things which do not disappear. That will be the real diamond, and having that you will not see your poverty.

I went away to Madras and joined my duty. They gave me a very good bungalow and a car. Every Saturday we had half day of work, and Sunday was a full day off. So I started coming every weekend for a day and a half. Whenever I got holidays I went there for some months. Then the partitioning of India was going to take place and some friends living permanently in the ashram asked me which part of Punjab I belonged to, to the West or East? I said: "West, other side of the river." "Do you know that place is now Pakistan?" I was not reading any papers, nor interested in politics. I never knew anything. He asked me, "What about your family?" I said, "Everybody is in Punjab, in West Punjab. Nobody is in India except myself." He said, "Why don't you go and take care of them?" I said, "No, it's over now; my connection with my family is over. After seeing this man, I have no connection whatsoever with anybody."

He told Maharishi what I had said. So as I was going on my evening walk Maharishi was there with a few people. He asked Maharishi about my situation, that India was going to be partitioned and my family was in Pakistan. Maharishi asked me, "Why don't you go?" And I said, "It was a dream. It was a dream; I had a wife, I had children and I had parents, I have relations. It was a dream. My dream is over now." "Oh, very good if your dream is over. A dream is a dream, so why are you are afraid of a dream? If you know it is a dream go and see the dream then."

I saw he was winning a point and I wouldn't allow it. So I said, "No. Now I am physically attached to you, I have physical attachment. I cannot leave you. I want to stay with you. I'll let anything happen, whatever it is. I can't save anybody."

Then he looked at me and said, "I am with you wherever you are." These are the words in my mind. They helped me even when I left. There was no trouble for any of my family. I brought back them back to Lucknow in August of '47. There was no trouble. There was trouble all around but it was very safe for us. The guru, the master helps everywhere.

Driven by the Beast of Desire

Who feels that we are bound? Let us examine this important subject. When objectivity arises in consciousness it becomes conditioned, limited. This is bondage. When it is abandoned, when you become without objectivity, when there is no object in the mind, you can call this no-mind. No-mind is liberation, freedom, emancipation. There is no difference between No-mind and consciousness.

How is it possible to avoid this object? What is this object? This object arises in our consciousness. Just as a beast, an ox or bull is driven by a herdsman from behind; so craving is driving everybody. When you say, "I enjoy this, I enjoy that." it is not that you are enjoying, but you are driven like a beast by craving. You are driven by this craving from behind and you go to meet the object like a beast. You become a beast of this craving. You say, "I am enjoying, this is my desire." but this is not so. You have been driven and compelled by the object, by your craving. This craving is your herdsmen from behind. You are driven by any kind of desire. Almost all beings belong to this category: men, dogs, all are driven by cravings of this world and also of the next world. They are driven by this craving and therefore they suffer endlessly.

How is it possible to avoid this craving? You have been driven by this object, by this craving, by this desire since time immemorial; you do not remember. You have spent millions of years with this craving but each time you forget. You have spent millions of lifetimes. Where are the cravings, where are the objects, where are those relations of your incarnations prior to this one? You have been behaving in this way many times before. Now this will also disappear and you will begin another manifestation like this one. It is a never ending process.

This world cycle is a never ending. How is it possible to end it? Just by no longer giving rise to this craving. It is the easiest thing and the most difficult also. I say it is the most difficult because we see very few who have been able to do it, therefore there must be some difficulty. I say it is also the most easy, because if a man of reason chooses to be free he has to just get rid of this craving and it will end. So some say it is easy and some say it is difficult. It is difficult for those who are beasts of craving, for those who have attachments, for them it is difficult. But in their final incarnation or in the company of some good person, in contact with a sage, they will understand how to get rid of this craving. Staying near a sage they will come to know. This can be difficult; this can be very easy.

I remember a story. There was a king who learned from his guru how to be free, and he became free. As a king he was free. His wife, the queen, also used to go to the sage and she was also free. They had two sons. The elder also became free but the younger was too young. He had been hearing about the same subject but he could not do it. He was not very much attached. He had lost about fifty percent of his ego but yet he was somewhat attached. One brother was in difficulty, the other had done his work, and both parents had done it.

The king, the father of these two boys, died. The queen was very fond of her husband. She said, "Why should I live here now? We have lived together, why don't I go to this king? I'll give him company." She knew how to dispose of the elements. Our bodies are composed of five elements: earth, water, fire, air, and akash, or space. That is what our body is made of, and that is what is outside of us. Earth, water, fire, air and akash are all outside of us. Just as we borrow some money from our friends and return it, so we have borrowed these elements to fulfill our place. We borrow earth from earth, water from water, fire from fire. This Queen knew the art of disposing of her body and she turned back the loan. That which had been taken from the earth, the earth part of the body, is returned to the earth; the liquid of the body is returned to water, fire to fire, the air that we breath in and out is returned to air, and space to space. So she also disappeared.

This is an art. It belongs to yoga but everybody can practice it; it is not very difficult. Kabir did it recently in his lifetime, and many other people who prefer to disappear in this way have done it. At Kabir's death the Hindus claimed he was a Hindu and wanted to cremate him, and the Muslims said he was a Muslim and wanted to bury him. So they were having a dispute. His body was covered and they went near the body to drag it away and there were only two flowers! His samadhi is near here in UP near Gorakpur; he lived nearby in Magar. So one flower was cremated, the other flower was buried!

Like this the queen departed. The eldest son performed the ceremony which has to be performed for departed parents with great honor and respect. He did not feel any kind of sorrow. "My parents were enlightened. I am also enlightened by my enlightened parents. They are happy. They have gone to the region beyond this concept and I can see where they are." The younger brother was crying and sobbing. His brother was asking, "My dear brother, why are you sobbing? Why? What’s the matter with you?" But he didn't listen. He said, "Your parents were enlightened people. They are not to be born again. You should be happy." The younger brother didn't listen. He said, "You are crying for those who are very happy at this time. And you have had many parents like these your recent parents. You must cry for them also. You have been a tiger, what about your tiger parents? You have been a fish, what about your fish parents? You have been a mosquito, what about your mosquito parents? You have been a tree, what about your tree parents? You must cry for them also. Why don't you cry? I can show you all your millions of parents now, you can see them. I can also show you your recent parents now. I can see them and you don't because you are not an enlightened person. Therefore, you are crying, you are suffering. You will have to suffer."

This boy understood his brother. We can also end bondage if we give up craving for objects. How is it possible to stop this craving? How did this boy do it? How did his parents do it? When the craving arises in consciousness it has to arise from somewhere. "I want this. I want that." is all in-between. When you become an experiencer you want to enjoy objects of experience. To have enjoyment of any object you must first become the experiencer and create an object of experience. These two things must be there: The seer and the seen.

Between the experiencer and the experienced there is experiencing. You are that experiencing alone. You are neither the experiencer nor the object of experience. This is missed. "I am experiencing both the seer and the seen. I am seeing." This you forget. You think, "I am the seer and this is the object of sight." We miss what is in between. If you stay between them in experiencing - this is consciousness. Everyone is having this experience of consciousness always. You will have to question this experience, between experiencer and experienced. What is this which is experiencing which is neither subject nor object? You will have to inquire into this. Or directly ask yourself, "Who am I? Who am I? Who am I?"

Many people have difficulty in understanding this. Every day I receive letters from people who find it difficult to follow this. Not everyone is capable of arriving at this understanding or making this inquiry. It needs some discipline, some ground that has not been fulfilled. It is not possible to be engaged and busy with enjoyment of the senses and fulfilling your cravings on the one hand; and also wanting to be free, wanting to attend satsang, wanting to make this quest for self-knowledge on the other hand. This difficulty exists for those who are not free of running after desires and cravings. It is not possible to have both things at the same time. If you want to enjoy the world nobody is stopping you. The world is there to enjoy, so enjoy it! And if you are already satisfied then return now to your own Self for enjoyment, having enjoyed your own beauty, your own consciousness, your own bliss, you have enjoyed everything. Either this is the time of satisfaction or you run after things. Nobody has ever been satisfied running after these objects. As one object is fulfilled in the mind there are thousands waiting in queue. You have spent millions of years picking up one object after another.

Those people who have found that these cravings cannot be fulfilled are fit for the instruction of the teacher. They come, saying, "Now let me have knowledge." They have come for instruction and it will work. A dull mind which is engaged somewhere else is not listening to the instruction of the teacher and will not get the teaching although the teaching is the same. It is said that those who listen to the teaching, those who come to the teacher, those who have satsang are in their last incarnation. They have tried everything else without finding satisfaction. They could not find it last time so they have returned with only this desire for freedom. When there is only the desire for freedom they will attain freedom. Whatever age they may be they will set off one day to find the teacher, and sitting with the teacher this instruction will drive deep into their heart. They will see that here is wisdom and here is light.

Trouble comes for those who are engaged elsewhere and still say, "We want to be free". This is not going to pay them at all. If you have amritam and cyanide in the same cup it will not work. If you have to take cyanide, take it cleanly and see the result. That is the result that you have always been seeing. Now is the time to taste a drop of amritam, of nectar, of bliss. What is this nectar? It is bliss, it is consciousness, it is existence. Nectar is that which, having tasted it, you get complete satisfaction with no more searching, with no more coming and going. The only trouble is this: You cannot at the same time have enjoyment of the senses and freedom. You will have to decide. Or use up your life and have another life; there is no problem. Each one of us has already lived 8.4 million incarnations to be here today. If this is enough then let us now aspire for freedom and for freedom alone, and let us see what happens.

We are not speaking of any method anymore - you have had enough methods. Certainly no method is going to give you freedom because every method will need body, mind and senses. Whatever you do - whether you travel to holy shrines, to holy rivers, to temples, practice rituals or yoga - you need a body, you need a mind, you need senses. This mind is the root of the problem itself; this mind is samsara. It is a demon 35 million years old . You are walking hand in hand with this friend since time immemorial and you do not know who this fellow is. Still you do not know. Why don't you part company with him just for five minutes and see - see how free you are without mind! We have seen that when all objects are abandoned from consciousness you have no mind. When there is no objectification in consciousness you are immediately free.

For some this is very easy; listening to the instruction of the teacher alone is enough. For some dispassion and effort is advised, dispassion and sadhana is advised. This sadhana is: If you forget yourself, again and again return to This. Again return to This. You will get rid of this mind.

What is the mind? Just one thought is mind. This one thought is manifestation, is 35 million years. Abandonment of this one thought is freedom. So this is very easy or very difficult. When you utter the word ‘I’ it takes you back 35 million years: just the thought of ‘I’. As far back as you go you will find an endless past in this one ‘I’. You will find the future and the present also contained in this ‘I’ thought. This one ‘I’ thought has created millions of people. It has created heaven and hell.

This one thought is also the key to ending past, present and future. It can also liberate you. To abandon this one ‘I’ thought is liberation; to cling to it is bondage. One is easy, other one is difficult. This is your choice and you have to make your choice this instant. You are free from the beginning. Who told you that you are bound? You have chosen to be bound because of craving to enjoy, and you are not satisfied so far. Now let us sit together and help each other to get rid of just this one ‘I’ thought. How can this be called difficult, just to get rid of this ‘I’ thought? Where does it exist? When you search for it or try to see it or touch it or feel it or even conceptualize it, it does not appear. We never look for this ‘I’ thought; we like to be chased by it like a beast.

22 June, 1992

Doubt

Let us speak together about doubt. I tell you when attending satsang, not to bring doubt along with you. I receive many letters describing beautiful experiences, but they all end with: "Am I on the right path?" Also the people who leave here begin to experience doubts.

It is like someone going to dig rubies in the river in Bihar State, where rubies are found. A man finds a ruby on the sand at the riverside but he throws it away. He doubts his luck, "How can I find it so easily?" he says, so he throws it back in the river. "People around me are digging for 150 feet and they still have not found anything, so I will throw it away." He doubts, "Is it a ruby or a piece of glass?"

Doubt is the only thing that is troublesome. The books of knowledge give you the highest teaching directly, only doubt stands between you and that teaching. Since time immemorial they have been passing this ancient teaching from chest to chest that "You are That." The teaching was coming directly, only doubt exists between you and That. Secondly it is taught that "I am Brahman." and thirdly "All this what I see, feel, hear, touch and taste is all myself." But doubt is in the way so that we don't believe.

It is true of all the teachings: if we listen without doubt one word is quite enough. When you come to satsang do not entertain doubt by questioning, "Is it going to happen to me?" Do not use the intellect as a test stone, because it will not give you the correct indication of gold. Throw it away. But many are not ready to do that so they will not get the point. They will take this teaching and continue to suffer endlessly, for immeasurable time. Your suffering will not end unless you remove this doubt from within you.

Somehow, since my childhood I have not carried any doubt. I didn't have doubt, I had never heard of doubt, because my first teacher was my own mother. Whatever she told me instantly happened to me. I was a child and I never knew or heard about doubt. I got it instantly. She used to tell me stories and they manifested in front of me instantly because I had no doubt whether this reality or not. Usually when you hear a story you entertain doubts. I tell you stories here as the mothers tell stories to their children, but they are not really stories. This is truth in an essence, in simple words, spoken in story form.

I will tell you a story about doubt which I have heard from my mother when I was six or seven years old. In ancient times people used to go to satsang early in the morning, at four in the morning, before going to their business or office. In my own town in Pakistan there was a bank manager. He used to conduct satsang in his own house from four to five. About twenty people used to gather and he used to speak on a book called Vichar Sagar, I remember. It's a very ancient book of direct teachings from Vedanta, written by a Punjabi saddhu called Nichildas. I used to attend that morning meeting when I was very small, maybe seven or eight. This was happening every morning and evening. There used to be gatherings in my own town, vedanta teaching, devotional teaching, yoga teaching and kundalini yoga. All these different teachings were there. There were also discourses in the evening. This was only 70 or 80 years ago. People used to take their food and sit near their lane to attend the Satsang till 10:30 or 11:00 and then come back home. Morning and evening satsang were a must for everybody. He may be an office boy, he may be a business man, he may even be a worker. Even people who were driving hand carts used to attend.

About one bandit – robber - this was also a profession. Some go for satsang and some go for their game in the night, so he goes. So one day he was passing, he just heard someone speaking about… about a young boy having a diamond padded cap on his head and a garland of celestial gems around his neck and that's all he heard; and he stopped. He sat down near the gathering and listened. So at about 10:30 this satsang was over and the priest has collected whatsoever money was given to him after. After satsang some money's left for the priest and some gift also; so he collected and put them in a bag. And everyone is leaving for his house and he's leaving for his house - his family is waiting. This is his profession, to recite stories in the evenings.

And he's going his way and this man [the bandit] just went to him… asked him, “Give me the address of this boy you spoke about – having the diamond imbedded cap and the garland of gems around his neck… a garland. Give me this address.” Now this Brahmin priest, he's reading a story. This man tells him, "Give me the address of this boy." He says, "You know that path going to the river Yamuna, that side. At that time he goes for bath every morning at four o'clock. You go there and you will see him." "Okay, let's find. But I cannot… I cannot recognize him. I've not seen him. You come with me." So he said, “My family is waiting for me and later on your family, you know.” Then he put the pistol on the chest and he gave his introduction now: "I do not know him. You come with me and you simply tell me this man, that's all, and then you go. But two cannot hide behind one tree. You stay in that tree and I in this tree. You simply point out this is the boy and then that's all. Then I will come." And then he tied him with the rope so that he doesn't run away.

Time is now 11 p.m. He [robber] has tied him [priest]. He's hiding and now the time is passing - 11 to 4. This man spoke like this is a story, and this man says, “He didn't take it as story; he took it's a fact.” And this priest is counting every minute of his death, and this robber is counting every minute of his luck, “I will have this diamond. I'll be very rich, you see. I'll be very rich.” So he's totally concentrated. Nothing else… nothing else between him, and his mind is only concentrating on the diamond and this boy which he described - a young boy wearing a cap imbedded with diamonds, garland around his neck. Time is passing… time is passing now. This thought that this boy having diamonds around his neck. Now the time is now 4 o'clock.

And now this thought itself has manifested. You can also manifest what you think; you are not away from your thought. You are a thought itself - you become what you think. You become what you think instantly. You… you are thought. You have conviction, “I am the body.” so you are. You listen every day, “You are existence, consciousness, bliss.” This is also a thought, nothing else. Because conviction of the body is stronger than this conviction that, “I am consciousness. I am bliss.” So whatever is the stronger thought so you become. There's no doubt - you are thought itself.

So at 4 a.m. this manifested itself. The boy comes in front of him and gave him the garland and the cap he was wearing himself. “So it's very nice of you, but wait… don't go away… because I didn't have your address. There is another partner in this deed and you have something else that I did not hear. I only heard cap of the diamonds and the garland but you have something on your arm also. So this I will… this gift I will give to this priest. You come with me.” So he took this boy in front of that one. He's still tied with the rope. He thought, “He's now going to kill me. He's going to kill me.” Before reaching him he folded hands, “Sir, I told you a story from the book. Don't kill me. My wife, my children are waiting for me. Don't kill me now. I told a story - it was a story only.” Then he says, “No, no, no. You were right. I'm very thankful to you. Exactly at that time here is the boy; here is the boy and here are the diamonds. And I can only take garland and only the cap but here is something on his arm also, so I will give you this gift. Still he doesn't believe. He said, “Don't, don't, don't bluff me please. You have to kill now… kill me now, that's all. Kill me.” “You don't see?” “No, no, no, I don't see. I don't see.” Then he says, “You see this… you see this hand?” With the touch of his hand he saw who this boy was… who this boy was. And this Brahmin, this priest, now immediately saw, “I am confronting him.” He untied the priest and this priest prostrated in front of this bandit and never returned home. And this man - this is a true story - he is known as Bandit Saint. He is known as Bandit Saint still.

So I am just speaking about doubts you see. This doubt is the only thing that gives you trouble, so without doubt if you have straight away this teaching as the story has been told to you, you just listen. Anything if it is even falsely told to you it will materialize. You simply hear the word; it will manifest.

Let the teacher tell you, “You are consciousness.” and you simply hear without doubt – and what's going to happen? You listen from the teacher that you are existence, you are consciousness, you are eternal, you are deathless, you are not the body. What does he tell you that is wrong? But you don't listen to him. What wrong is there? But you have a conviction, “I am suffering, I am born, I have to die because I have listened from my parents, I have listened from my priest. So nothing is going to work.” So it's not good to have any doubt in your mind when you speak about it, you see. And it is so simple not to have doubt - it's so simple. So simple and there is no confusion if you don't entertain doubt that you are what you are. Only this veil is a doubt you see. So this veil, this doubt has become this manifestation and this is your own creation, this is your own creation, you see. And if you don't have this doubt of, “Where is the creation, and who is the creator?” then instantly you will know who you really were and are.

3 July, 1992

Turn the Mind to Face its Source

When your mind is not clinging to any object, to any person or idea, its face is turned towards its Source.

This is very simple. Millions of books about enlightenment and freedom have been written and are available in the world, and what is the result? People have been working for enlightenment, freedom, liberation, emancipation, moksham, since thousands of years. What is the result? Everything that you do, everything that you have been told to do, it is with the mind. When you read a book you are reading with the mind. When you are meditating you are meditating with the mind. When you are doing anything you are always doing it with the mind. This is why there is no result.

Distract the mind immediately from any object, person, or idea. It is that simple. Then the face of the mind is turned towards its source for the first time, and a reflection from somewhere un-told, un-described will fall on this mind which is not dwelling on the past. All objects, ideas, and people belong to the past. Now for the first time the mind has been directed towards its own native place, its own abode.

With the reflection of beyond it loses its entity as the mind. It becomes no-mind now. It is satyam - truth, shivam, and sundaram. Other than this I am not aware of any other process by which you could be free. If you have any ideas, any attachments to anything - including your own body, your mind, your intellect or anything else - how could you be free? Just by giving rise to one thought of the mind - the ‘I’ thought - and there is instantly past, present, future, manifestation, suffering and a cycle of incarnations, never ending reincarnations.

If you so choose, if you so desire, it can be put to an end right now. But you have not taken that decision so far. You have been postponing this decision and passing through millions of births, taking millions of years and this decision still is waiting. I do not know what you are looking for or why you are afraid to return to your own native place, to the abode of all auspiciousness, happiness, love, and beauty. Why are you shirking your responsibilities?

9 July, 1992

Consciousnes

You have heard the word Consciousness. When a finger is pointing to the moon, you see the moon. When you hear this word – consciousness - where is it pointing to? The finger pointing to the moon shows you the moon. Now the word ‘consciousness’ is used pointing to something. After having heard this word what do you see? What do you perceive? Who are you?

You are always consciousness: You have been, you are, and you always will be. Where is the difficulty in accepting the truth and what is real? Who told you that you are ignorant? Where did this ignorance arise from in the first place? Again and again you have affirmed, "I am ignorant, I am ignorant, I am ignorant." and then we suffer. With the repeated affirmation, "I am bound." and "I suffer." this universe is created with endless suffering, incarnation, reincarnation, and endless birth and death. Somehow this cycle has started. Who is responsible for it? It is only your affirmation that this is real, this ignorance is real, this snake is real. There arises the fear; this snake has concealed the reality of the rope.

How is it possible to remove the concept of the snake? Who will remove this doubt? Now you cannot see the rope because you are attached to the idea of the snake. But there was never any snake. In the same way, you cannot see consciousness because you are attached to the imposition of ignorance. There was never any ignorance; you are consciousness itself. The snake will be removed by reasoning, not by sitting near it and meditating. Meditation will not remove the snake. You will have to see through reason that the snake is not moving. You are in shock, you are suffering, you are trying to pick up a stone or stick to beat the snake with; that is how you are engaged here. You have not used reason, and this is called ignorance. Move towards it, look at it carefully, or listen to someone coming from the other side who tells you that this is not a snake; it is just a piece of string lying here. He had not seen the snake, so on hearing his words the snake vanished because it never existed. There was only a rope underneath; through ignorance you took it to be a snake.

In the same way, through lack of reasoning you have accepted your affirmations that "This samsara is real." and "I am bound." It may never have existed at all. Sit down quietly and reason it out. Through this reasoning you will find out who has concealed consciousness and created ignorance. Or listening to someone who knows it was a rope can remove your doubt. On hearing this once from a responsible person the snake will disappear and you will see that it was a rope, that "I am consciousness." Now as I say the word ‘consciousness,’ put it to the test stone and see if this word is correct. Go near and see if ignorance is real or not. Only then will you know that you are consciousness and Truth itself. You are satyam, shivam, sundaram.

You have been told from the very beginning that ignorance exists, and now this has become a reality. This ignorance does not exist at all. When you sit quietly where is the ignorance? Somehow we have accepted it, so the question now is how to remove this ignorance. When you add wood to a fire it becomes fire and burns completely, so that there is no more wood left. And when all the wood has become fire, when there is no more fuel, the fire also goes out. What is the fire that will remove ignorance and return you back to your own status, to your own abode, to atman, to Brahman?

There is really no name for your original nature but we have to converse. I say the word ‘consciousness.’ It is perhaps a finger pointing to the moon, but the finger is not the moon. It is only pointing to the moon because you can't see the moon. Someone who has seen it points his finger. If you cling to the finger you can't see the moon. Most people cling to what they have learnt, they cling to a teaching and start meditating. They become so interested in the means that they forget why the means was needed - the finger was needed only to see the moon. Meditation is a finger pointing to freedom. But everybody got attached, and now different societies are running meditation and nobody speaks about enlightenment.

The only fire which can burn everything is the fire of inquiry. Any practice which you perform is with the mind, and the result will be only mental. The trouble is with the mind, so we must find out how to get rid of the mind itself. The whole creation of past, present, future, hell, heaven, creator, preservation and destruction is just mind. The mind is simply a thought. There is no difference between a thought and the mind.

There is one prime thought that becomes the mind, that becomes the ego, body, senses, manifestation and time. All these millions of universes are hanging like dust particles in one thought. Give rise to the thought - 'I' - and everything arises. In this one thought exists the past, present, millions of universes, hells and heavens, and gods and creators, preservers and destroyers. How can this 'I' be arrested? If this 'I' ceases, everything ceases. When 'I' arises, everything arises in front of you. Now everything has arisen because you use the word 'I', but when there is no 'I' there is nothing.

When you enter into the deep sleep state without even any dreams you do not see any object, you do not see any subject, you do not see any manifestation - no creator nor creation. This is a dull state because there is no awareness at all so you may not recognize it. In deep sleep you forget yourself completely. There is no body, there are no senses, there are no objects. Nothing is there because there is no 'I' thought there. When you wake up in the morning the first thought to arise is the thought 'I'. You think, "I am so-and-so", and instantly the whole world arises before you. How is this thought to be checked?

There is a fire in this inquiry; if you simply inquire, "Who am I?” This is a fire which will burn everything: all the modifications of the mind, past, present and future. Just these three words: "Who....am....I.....?" are a fire which will burn everything, as the fire we talked of earlier. After having burnt past, present, and future, they will also burn the memory. And this inquiry will also be burnt as wood burns completely in a fire. The 'I' thought which went to inquire into its own nature is no longer to be found, and in this your true nature is revealed.

This inquiry can be conducted in this very instant. It is not a long procedure, it is not a practice. You do not have to do anything for this inquiry. You simply need to investigate, to inquire without thinking about anything and without performing any kind of practice. No effort or thought is involved. This is the inquiry that I speak about: to find out what this 'I' is which has created this manifestation. After having made this inquiry, keep quiet. If you do not think, and do not make any kind of effort that which you have never heard described, that which cannot be achieved or attained will reveal itself. It will reveal itself once you have conducted this inquiry and given up all kinds of thought and effort.

This auspiciousness is your own swarupam, your own Self, your own atman, your own Brahman. It is that which is everywhere. This is very simple for those who can hear innocently, without working the thinking process and the memory. You can postpone this, but sooner or later you will have to return home; and whenever this happens it will be this very second. You can postpone this second endlessly and endless universes will arise. It is up to you. Decide now. You can end it in this very second or you can create more universes. This very second is out of time because 'I' is time, mind is time. When you inquire into this 'I' it is gone. What happens is a revelation which does not take place in time at all. It transcends time, ego and everything.

Simply keep quiet and do not do anything at all.

17 July, 1992

The Conditions for Freedom

What are the conditions or requirements that are needed for freedom or enlightenment? Truly speaking, there are no hard and fast rules or conditions that you have to be fulfilled to be free. But I will cite one example of a king.

When the question of enlightenment comes I do not know why kings are always mentioned. We have heard that in ancient times enlightenment was won only by kings and not by workers. Vaishista was a king, Vishwamitra was a king, Yagnavalka was a king, Gyanasruti was a king, Buddha was a prince. There may be something in this because they have fulfilled their vasanas and desires. Perhaps those who have not done enough to fulfill their vasanas cannot renounce; they are addicted to vasanas. Therefore we always hear that kings have won freedom: Janaka was a king, Dasaratha was a king, Rama was a king, Krishna was a king. It can be won by everyone but the story goes in favor of the kings.

There was a king who spoke to his wife, "My hairs are getting gray now." In ancient times, when people were seeing gray hairs on their head they rejected everything and went to the forest or to some rishi's ashram to sit with him and to be free. This king was very much attached to his wife, she to him. But on this morning he said, "My dear queen, I will leave you now." "Why are you going to leave me?" She asked, "You told me that there is nothing else more beautiful than me. Didn't you say that?" "Yes I did," the king replied. "Then why should you leave me now?"

And he said, "My dear queen, my beloved one, my dear one, there is something else that I cannot attain here with you on the throne. So I leave you and I go." He did not listen to the queen's beseeching.

The queen said, "I can teach you knowledge. I know that which you want to learn and I can teach you. I did not speak on this matter until now because the time was not ripe. You were young, you had vasanas, and the time had not come; but now I can teach you."

Still the king did not listen. He said, "What you can teach? What is a woman going to teach me? I am going now. Here are the ministers who are very able. They will help you in government. Here are the treasures. I am giving you everything. I will go now."

This queen had been going to satsang since childhood in her parents’ house, and she was enlightened. But the king was not in a suitable condition to listen to her instruction. It is most important that you be in very good shape to be benefited by satsang. He didn't listen. He walked out and went away and disappeared into the forest. The queen had also learned yoga, so she sat in samadhi and her subtle body went all over the place to find out where the king was sitting in meditation looking for freedom. And she saw him living and meditating in a thatched hut. So the queen thought, "This is the right time for me to teach."

She disappeared in the night and went in the disguise of a young sadhu - dressed up as a sadhu, as a man. She declared that she belonged to Vaikunth Loka. "I have come because you have rejected everything," she said. "I have come because you are a very serious seeker of truth and I will teach you." He was very happy. He prostrated before the sadhu and welcomed him, saying that this was the time he needed a teacher. So every night she would disappear from the palace and go and teach. The sadhu told a whole story to him, how he was the king of a certain country, he had a queen and everything but he rejected everything.

The sadhu told the king, "Your renunciation is not yet complete because what has to be renounced is not yet renounced. You renounced your palace but instead here is a thatched hut. There's no difference between a palace and a thatched hut. You have the same attachment now with the thatched hut. Instead of your royal robes you are now wearing this soiled robe of a renunciate." The king left the hut and threw off his robe, so he was standing nude.

"Now is my renunciation complete?" "Not yet, not yet. Still you are attached to something, and with attachment, freedom is not possible." "Only the body is left," said the king. "Only my body is there, so I am going to throw my body into the fire." "Wait," said the sadhu. "Wait. What harm has this poor body done to you? You do not need to throw it away. Perhaps through this body you can attain freedom. This body is inert. Why do you want to throw it away? This is a beautiful chance for you to work through this body. Something else has to be renounced, not the body. Even in your sleep you have no body, still you are not enlightened and you are not free. During sleep you do not see anybody, yet you are not free. Even at death your body is cremated, yet you are not free. You have to renounce that which has to be renounced."

The king did not understand what has to be renounced. "You have to renounce that through which you are renouncing everything, and through which you think that you are going to have emancipation and wisdom. That has to be renounced. What is that? Mind. The mind has to be renounced. You did not do it when you were in the palace and also here you cannot do without it. You have not won freedom living in the palace and also here you are still bound. Until you renounce mind you cannot be free."

The king agreed to do this, but how to do it? How is it possible to renounce the mind? He did not know how to renounce the mind. So the sadhu taught him. Every night this young sadhu appeared before him, spent the whole night, and then flew back to the palace in the morning to attend to the affairs of the court and the king. She had a very active day and also a very active night. At night she was a guru; in the day she was a queen.

She told him what has to be done. She told him to sit quiet and she told him how to get rid of this mind. "The mind is a vasana - a desire. Whose desire? My desire. This mind is just a thought. The prime thought, the first thought, is only the ‘I’ thought. There is no difference between ‘I’ and mind. "I," ego, and mind are all the same thing. So how is it possible to get rid of this ‘I’? The king said, "How could I get rid of this ‘I’?”

In everything - in anything that you do - the ‘I’ is always maintained. Therefore there is no possibility of success. No one can win freedom, whether he be in an ashram or working by himself alone on the heights of the Himalayan mountains. The ‘I’ is still maintained. “I am meditating. I am performing pilgrimages. I am doing all these things. I am chanting such-and-such a formula.” The ‘I’ is still there. Unless this ‘I’ is killed there is no use of any sadana that you do."

This young sadhu now told this yogi, "I will tell you a way how to get rid of this mind in the shape of 'I.' Find out where this 'I' is rising from. Question yourself, 'Where is this 'I' rising from?'" "It is very difficult to find," said the king. "It is very difficult because I have never heard about this before. No one ever told me about it. No one ever asked me to question where this 'I' is rising from."

We are working with this question here every day. Some say that it is very difficult, that they don't get it, they don't understand. A few are able to do it for some time, and I am glad. But again, after a week or so they say that the old tendencies come back. The whole-hearted jignasa - the fire of desire for freedom that is needed - is not there. It's only for fun's sake, reading some books and hearing from so-called teachers, going to so-called centers in the world which teach freedom. People are attracted there and sit with a teacher who doesn't know himself - he is not free himself. He doesn't belong to the tradition of gurus; neither did he have a guru, so he has no right to speak on gyana - knowledge. You have to see the lineage of the guru, to which lineage does the teacher belong? Otherwise you are misled, misguided and lost forever.

Do not waste your life this time, this human incarnation. It is very difficult to maintain the desire for freedom in human life. Most human beings are just two-legged animals, two-legged beasts interested only in sex, food and sleep. This is what animals and man have in common: food, sex and sleep. The only difference between animals and man is that we have the option, we have discrimination, to utilize this blessed human temple of God for the sake of freedom. We have had better sex as a pig. We have had better food as a wolf. If you overeat you have to go to the doctor in the evening. We don't even have the stamina to eat that a wolf does. And animals sleep much better that we do. Man has to use sleeping pills and other drugs to be able to sleep.

Coming back to the story, the king was slowly learned from the young sadhu and he came to know the Truth. He said, "Respected guru, I prostrate before for you. I searched, I have found the place where this 'I' is rising from, and I don't see anything there."

This is the experience of everyone who comes and sits in front at satsang. Yesterday I received a letter from a girl was here and has now gone back to Holland. She wanted some clarification. "I learned, and I am practicing here also, but I don't find anything. I don't find anything. I don't see anything. I just see that I am very happy in this moment. Is this the right state or is there any mistake in this?"

Those who have this experience have to stay a little longer so that they do not forget it. Why not finish up the whole thing here and now? It doesn't take time. You have come for this purpose and I am very happy that we are here to share our experiences with each other. We have to make sure that we are all happy so that we can go back home and help our friends also. In this way this will spread through the whole world like a wild fire. This is the right time. I am seeing the result. One single person who goes from here is quite enough.

This king told the sadhu, "I am very happy about what has occurred, but what is freedom? What was this idea of freedom?" The sadhu replied, "You have entertained a concept that you were bound. You were bound so you wanted to be free. This is the direct path to freedom where this concept of bondage has now vanished. When the concept of bondage has vanished the concept of freedom also goes. While walking barefoot in the forest we may be pricked by a thorn in the foot. So we try to take another thorn to take the first thorn out, and then we throw both of them away. In the same way, bondage is only a concept. To remove this thorn we need another concept of freedom. When the time comes that both the thorns are thrown away we do not know anything, we do not know what happened. Now you will have to put all your strength to not be recalled by habits which are millions of years old. These old habits are also a concept. Where do the habits go when you sleep? Then there are no old habits and no new habits either. There is no bondage and also there is no freedom."

The king was staying in this state and the sadhu was still waiting with him. One week passed in this state and he was absolute blissful, in a stateless state. So the sadhu came and asked him, "What more do you want? What more do you need? This is freedom. Remain as this wherever you are, even sitting in the palace with your queen. Isn't this possible?"

"I was very attached to my queen, and these attachments could not have helped me," the king replied. "Therefore I had to reject them all. I do not know if she could have taught me. She was a stupid woman and said she could teach me knowledge. It's a good thing that it was my good karma to be blessed by you, my satguru." Then he prostrated again and again; he went around the sadhu many times. The queen said to herself, "He's all right now." and removed her disguise. She removed the appearance of sadhu and became his queen and prostrated before the king. "Let us return to our palace," she said. The king wondered to himself, "Why I didn't listen to you then?" He decided it didn't matter. The king and queen were both enlightened and in constant satsang.

Yesterday someone asked about harmonious life. A question arose in my house about the harmonious life between a wife and husband, and we had a discussion about this over lunch. Everyone is living in great fear. A harmonious life means living together in wisdom, understanding our relationship with our partners, with our friends, with our relations. This can be called a harmonious life. We are here from all over the world. Could there be any better bond of love between all of us? People are living here as more than brothers with brothers, and sister with sisters, and parents with parents. What better harmonious life could there be than satsang? A harmonious life is only when both of… when all of us have the same enterprise, the same thing, the same path, the same goal. When we are always speaking about that: This is going to be a harmonious life. There can be no other harmonious life in the world than sitting in satsang, in great love with each other.

To be prepared for satsang we have to be willing to reject all our past vasanas. We know that our vasanas are finished because this desire for freedom will come only once in a cycle. Not once in a life, once in a cycle; which means 35 million years. Only then will this desire for freedom arise; and whenever it comes make the best of it. Sit down wherever you are so that this moment is not gone. Immediately, this is the right time to win freedom. Do not postpone for the next moment or for the next day. This is the right time - when this desire arises - not that you read it in a book, not that you were told to come, not that someone said, "I will give you enlightenment." not that it was imposed on you. It has to come on its own. It has to come from within. The wave has to rise from the ocean, not from the desert. If it does come from the desert it is something else and not actually the wave. Whenever this desire for freedom comes, sit down where you are and keep quiet. This is the right time.

21 July, 1992

You Have Postponed Long Enough

The abode of Peace, Consciousness, and Bliss is here. You are only required to have a firm conviction. Just as you have a firm conviction that, "I am the body and this is mine." so half of that conviction given to knowing, "I am consciousness, I am peace." will do.

There are six ways, I think, through which you can attain freedom. What we speak of here is a very direct way: It is called Brahma vidya - direct awakening. There are also other ways, like pranayama, there is yoga; there is kundalini; and there is also bhakti yoga. All these methods are useful. Whatever is suitable to you - whatever you like - you can succeed with. What we mostly speak here is Brahma vidya, direct awakening through vichar - reason. We look objectively at how to arrive at purusha, the absolute truth which is one without a second, unchanging.

Whatever changes is not real. Starting with the body it changes, from childhood to youth to old age to death it changes. Even the whole world changes with earthquakes, with cyclones. The world which was here a hundred years ago or a thousand years ago is not now. Even money changes, and whatever changes is not the truth. The mind is also changing. Sometimes it is peaceful, sometimes it is restless. The states that you pass through every day also change. We have a firm belief that what we see in the waking state is real. This reality disappears in the dream state. Both waking and dreaming disappear in the sleep state, and sleep also disappears in the next waking state. What is alternating is not real. This is a fact.

Whenever there is a change there must be an underlying substratum which does not change, on which these changes are taking place. When you see a clay jar, instantly you have a consciousness of earth. When you see a ring, instantly you are conscious of gold. When you see a table, instantly you are aware that it is a wood. Like this there must be some substratum which has taken a different shape and a different name. Whatever changes has a substratum.

Whatever you can objectify and externalize, do it. Finally you will reach the body itself. Whatever you see must be external to you. If you see the body it is external, and something must be internal - something must be inner. That is why you can see things; because whatever you see must be external, must be an object. Even in a dream everything is external to you. There are mountains, there are rivers, men, trees; all are external to you. The sleeping man is not affected by the dream, he is only seeing.

So now we are advised to discover the changeless on which these changes are taking place. How is this to be done? By rejecting. Whatever changes, reject it. Sit down coolly for some time and see. Whatever you see, whatever you perceive or conceive or feel can be rejected. Something will be left which you cannot reject. That is the permanent abode of existence, consciousness, bliss and freedom. This can be done instantly or this may take ages.

Centuries ago people used to go and leave their homes. Kings would renounce their kingdoms and go to the forest for freedom, for penance. Many people left. Whenever the question of freedom arose instantly the thought came, "Let me go to forest, let me go to the mountains." That has nothing to do with it. That is only running away from your own Self. The things that trouble you will go along with you. Whatever is troublesome here will also trouble you in the mountains. How is that to be renounced? You will have to decide now to sit quiet, coolly, wherever you are - in the thick of a crowd, at work, at home - it doesn't matter.

You want to postpone this and you have done it before. We have become experts at postponement, which is why we are here after 35 million years once again. We have traveled already for 35 million years, and now we have enough experience. How are we going to put an end to this? Stay a while. Keep quiet and see what is rising within yourself. What is rising in your mind, and who is perceiving this rise? Find out what is arising and go to the source from where it is arising. That is all you have to do. Those who can understand this have done it very well. Every day you see it here. The old days are over where you were advised to go to the forest. And teachers were very hard; they would not tell you anything unless they tested you. Teachers were very hard then. They would not show you the diamond so easily.

Just a hundred years ago there was a king who heard of a saint living in his own kingdom. The king was very restless inside and wanted peace of mind, so he decided to go and see this saint. Because he was a king he had to go with lots of presents loaded on elephants. His queens also accompanied him, also his ministers and security forces. The King was going to see a saint. The saint was living in a very poor hermitage with thatched huts and a few disciples were living with him. The king arrived and asked one of the disciples of the saint to pass on a message. "Inform him that the king of this country has come to pay his respects. Can he come out of his hut?" The disciple went inside to ask. "The king is here and he is standing outside with his queens and ministers and presents."

The saint said to this, "Tell the king to unload everything under the tree and wait. I will tell him when I am free and I will see him." So everything was kept under the tree, and the saint told his disciples, "Give him two meals a day, just as they are cooked in this ashram. Give him lunch and dinner, that's all."

So the king and the queens and the minister waited till night. Still there was no order. So the king said, "We have to run the government." He sent the ministers and queens back. He said, "I will stay alone. I will have the darshan of the saint and only then will I return."

That night passed. Days passed. He stayed for fifteen days with only his food under the tree. Again he asked, "I've waited here for fifteen days. Go and ask the saint if I may see him now." The reply came, "You will have to wait for another three days." He waited for another three days. "Now again three days have passed," he said. "Now wait for another day," he was told. Another day passed. After that day he sent a man telling him, "Go and find out, when can I see him."

"Just one hour," came the reply. One hour passed. Then he said, "When should I see him?" "After five minutes," he was told. "After five minutes," cried the king. "After five minutes! Five minutes is too much to wait! I cannot wait! I cannot wait!" And he rushed in immediately without asking anyone's permission and he prostrated.

It was his arrogance; it was his ego that took time. The saint was sitting in a thatched hut with no door; he could go in at any time. Who stopped him? His arrogance saying, "I am a king," was all that was in the way. What stops you from returning to your consciousness? It is only your arrogance, your ego, the idea that, "I am the body." This is your kingdom. You are enthroned in this kingdom and all your vasanas are your queens, and "this" and "that" are your ministers.

So when you are ready, wherever you are, without asking anyone's permission; find out where this purusha is, where this abode is, where your own abode of rest is. Whenever you conceive of the body there must be some concealing substratum underneath, through which you are able to imagine that there is a body. Before the concept of the body there must be something changeless concealed underneath from where this wave is arising that, "I am the body." How do you miss it? Like the king you are spending millions of years and no one stops you. Just now - rush in.

In previous times you had to go to the Himalayas for forty, fifty or sixty years in your old age, and even then you might not find truth. After leaving the palace the Buddha also went to many places. He saw many very hard and difficult penances. In some ashrams he saw people tying their feet to the trees and hanging head down, performing penance. Buddha asked what was going on and they told him, "We want freedom!" They were hanging like monkeys! This kind of practice is being practiced even now wherever you go. In any ashram you go to the teacher will prescribe you to sit down in this particular posture with the spine in a straight line, and to think of this. If you are really serious abut this you do not have to wait. Your abode is within you - nearer than your own breath, nearer even than where the breath rises from, it is behind the retina. So very near, and still we have been postponing this for millions of years. Whose fault is this?

We are playing like children on the beach making sand houses, forgetting to return home. The high tide comes and sweeps everything away while you are sleeping. The high tide has to come. Before this high tide comes return home. Your mother is waiting for you, and you are busy with your sand houses.

18 August, 1992

No Effort

You must have come here for freedom, to get rid of sorrow, to get rid of suffering. Life is a repeating cycle of death, disease, and old age; but you can abandon this by simply listening. Listen to me, listen to what I am saying and all is over.

I don't give you any task or any work to do. This is not the Olympics; you don't have to run. This is satsang. No exertion is needed here. Without even needing to think a single thought you can be liberated this moment. If you are not ready in this life you might as well wait a thousand lives. You simply need to listen very carefully. It is very easy for those who are serious, sincere, and devoted to themselves. People who come for tamashia will not get the point.

You have to simply become aware of the movement of the mind, which begins this endless trouble. That something is actually arising out of consciousness is only a concept, and it is this which gives rise to the myth of an individual identity. How much time does it take for the mind to arise or for it to be stopped? One movement of thought causes this endless creation to appear, complete with its creators, preservers, and destroyers. If the mind is checked it is all over. But it is not going to end on its own. If it were real it could end, but because it is only a notion it will end only if you see the source of the notion as it is arising. The idea that, "I am so-and-so" and "You are so-and-so" is the movement of the mind. "I am" is the first movement of the mind; and from here arises the trouble.

When you get up in the morning you feel rested and happy. There is a movement in consciousness and you call this the waking state. The world appears to you with its mountains, rivers, forests, people, birds and animals, and you call it waking up. The same thing happens at night in dreams. There are no objects to experience, but even in sleep the mind is not quiet; it creates another world. Who is responsible for that creation? Who? You cannot say God, or the Creator, or any other person. It is you who are sleeping comfortably, but you cannot rest even in sleep and so you create another world within yourself. You see mountains, rivers, elephants, tigers, although they are not there in your apartment - you are alone. Neither are there objects nor is there any subject. Only the ego is projecting its own world.

Just like the chicks return in the evening under the wings of the mother hen the ego says, “Keep quiet.” Because of ego, darkness, next morning they will jump out of the wings of again the same thing, you see. The mind is exhausted from the transactions of subject-object relationship. Give it a little rest.

Transcending these three states you will find another state where you have peace. Few people know this peaceful state of consciousness, of happiness, of bliss, of existence. Even beyond this turiya there is yet another state which a few rare ones reach and return to speak about it. In this discovery everything ends - from here all also starts. This is the substratum which has always been concealed by thoughts, from where they arise. This supreme state of consciousness is concealed by conceptual understanding itself.

If I show you a handkerchief you will see its form, its length, width, thickness, its uses, and its name – “handkerchief.” You will not see the cotton from which it is made; you will not call it "cotton." If I show you this kerchief even - this is a kerchief - length, width, height, its uses, name is “kerchief”. Form is this you see, but you know the cotton you can't see. Cotton is not seen. No one can say it's cotton… kerchief! If you remove the name and form you will see the cotton.

If you remove the name and form, all that you see here and now - whatever you see - remove the name and form. You are in that state beyond the fourth which I described, you see. It will appear itself. It is here. That's not to be gained, it is already there. Because you are already otherwise engaged in your fantasies you have no time to look. What is concealed? You only give importance to what is seen. Importance to form and your notions, you see.

So, if you check your notion - one word - if you check your notion and intention simply for that reason. Don't allow any notion to arise or any intention in the mind, you see, for just this instant of time. What's going to happen? So this is one word. How to do it? Not to give rise. You must ask me question, why? How to do it? How not to give rise to this movement at all, you see.

So this can be done when you make inquiry… when you make inquiry into this process of movement. What is the movement going on? That's all you have got to do it. And this inquiry is enough instruction from someone, and this is enough to listen from someone. That's all you have to do as a student, and this is enough for the teacher to speak, and there's nothing beyond this to speak, and nothing beyond this to listen either. What else can you read in any book if you don't listen to this? That, I have to inquire into the movement of the mind itself - strike at the root of the mind. If you see a mango tree in the seed you don't see leaves nor the fruits but in the seed, in the small seed of a tree there are leaves, there are branches, there are flowers, there are fruits that you can't see, you see. So to see this you have to inquire. This is the minutest of the minute; may it take a millionth part of the tip of your hair. That's what is said. The millionth part of the tip so minute, so subtle it is. And only how will you reach it? You can't see with your eyes, you can't touch with your hands. Only by inquiry you are going to reach the most subtle place and it is reaching you there. Inquire.

This inquiry is not going to end. This inquiry is not going to end unless this subject who is inquiring is itself consumed into the inquiry. First let the inquirer consume itself into the inquiry itself, and then the inquiry will be consumed into that which has not yet been described - and you are that. Not that you are going to become something else at some other time. No, you are already that. You're not going to gain anything. Not going to gain anything, not to achieve anything, not to learn anything. If you get rid of all that you have learned till now, heard till now, read till now, seen till now, what's left? All what you've acquired is only hearsay. You have borrowed… you have borrowed from someone else. It's not your nature; it's not your true Self. You will return to your own Self and nobody knows what the Self is. You attribute Self to some particular form or name that can be seen, smelt, touched or heard about which cannot be seen or touched, that I am going to refer. So, how to do it? Simply inquire into the nature of what is seen, what this universe is, and what its origin.

Its origin is not other than your own notion because you have become first, "I am so and so," and then there is the world. There are relations and this is the world, and it's your notion. Now if you find out the substratum of the notion, the source of the notion, and how to do it? By simply inquiring, "What is the source of the notion?" Simply look down - there's no other way. You don't need do anything. Simply keep quiet and don't think. That's all. You have not to do anything.

You have not seen this moment of quietness for the last millions of years - you have never been quiet. And we are going to speak of this quietness which is your nature and which is the substratum of everything that is seen. Without this we cannot have rest. And this is what is called Freedom, Enlightenment, Wisdom, Existence-Consciousness-Bliss, satyam-shivam-sundaram, whatsoever you call it - and yet it has no name. Yet it has no name - not even consciousness. It is so empty of even emptiness how can you describe it?

When you see a star, you can see a star because of the skies. You can't see a star without the background of sky. When you see the universe there must be something – consciousness - which compels you to see the universe. When you see your own body there must be consciousness through which you have experience of your body. What is this consciousness? You have never before thought of it. What is the basis that you see? Even to start with your body, how this body is seen? There must be some basis through which you are aware. There must be some substratum, some source through which you are experiencing the body itself. What is that?

If you keep quiet, then only you will know it; not with the moving of the mind. If you move the mind there is body, and if you move the mind to know the cause, the source of the body, you multiply it. So, how to do it? By not doing anything; not thinking anything. Just imagine if you do not think - just to see the source of the body you have not to think. What is the source now? You are multiplying only. So if you understand this thing, even if you understand you miss it. You have not to understand it. If you understand you are thinking, still you are thinking. So free. You have to be so free not even to put activity to even your understanding - so free. No one has seen this freedom before.

You will really enjoy whatever you do in the world. I don't advise you to run away from your activity. May you be active, whatever you are doing already 200% better than other people are doing. Other people will be suffering.

You can't pay attention if relaxed like this. You have to pay absolute attention. Some say, "I'll just find out what has been spoken. I'll just go back to the hotel and find out." That will not do, you see. What's the use of the rain when the crop is dried up. It's no use. This moment is very important. You can after all… you need only one, this instant is needed; and if this instant you can't be quiet what's the use of coming here? Some, if not now, after all you have to get only one word today, now, today, tomorrow, day after. Everyday, same thing I am saying because you have to get at it some word, someday - now. You have to get one word. It will ignite like explosive. It will ignite. Because you are not listening, not paying attention therefore it's not working. It has to work, it has to work. How much time does it take to burn? Instantly, instantly it has to burn. Like that you have to ready, when the satsang is there you must be very ready.

Come, come - be ignited like camphor! This word, this instruction is fire - let it ignite your heart like camphor and destroy your darkness! If a room has been shut up for twenty or thirty years and you switch on the light the darkness in the room will not say, "I will depart slowly. I have been here for thirty years." When you switch the light on there is light immediately; the darkness will not linger simply because she has been there for thirty years. You may have lived in darkness for thirty five million years, but one click of the switch can switch on the light and instantly destroy the whole forest of ignorance. This is the power of the teacher: to remove ignorance instantly. If the fire does not burn the camphor something is wrong somewhere. Either the fire is not fire or the camphor is a stone. If it does not react instantly something is wrong somewhere. You will feel the presence of a true teacher - he will ignite your heart.

24 August, 1992

Keep quiet! Keep quiet! Keep quiet!

A man wrote to me from Germany, saying: "Although we have never met physically, I have heard your words on a video tape. The words were, 'Keep quiet, keep quiet, keep quiet.' I can't describe the effect these words have had, or what has happened to me since hearing them. I have never heard this quietness described before in any of the books I have read in my life. Other teachers don't speak in this way. Some force has had a tremendous effect on me, such that I was able to keep quiet."

We will examine this: the nature of this quietness: How to have it. How to practice it.

Seven thousand years ago, Arjuna asked Krishna how to quiet the mind. "It is just like the wind," he said. "You can't hold it in your fist. It is so turbulent, how can it be controlled?" Krishna's answer was simple: It can be done through detachment and practice. These two words are very significant. How can one easily discover viragya, detachment? Everyone wants to enjoy the objects of the senses - seeing, hearing, smelling, touching, tasting - that is all they are interested in.

So how can the mind be detached from its sense objects, and brought to quietness? It will happen only when you know that all these objects do not bring abiding peace and rest, that thinking again and again of your desires cannot bring satisfaction. Through repeatedly seeking pleasure and never finding peace you are creating some sort of displeasure with these things. Naturally you want to detach yourself from the things which have not brought you peace and rest.

There was a famous saint, a poor man, about five hundred years ago named Thyagaraya. People interested in music know his name. He is the king of artists, the king of singers and musicians. He says,

Santham laka soukhyam ladu.

When there is no quietness, even kingdoms will not bring you happiness.

When we know that sense objects cannot bring us permanent happiness, the mind will slowly withdraw from these objects.

In the Vedas it is declared, "Neti neti." [Not this, not that.]

Whenever the mind goes out to an object of the senses bring it back to peace, bring it back to quietness. Whenever it goes out, quiet it down. Be very careful to bring it back because you have seen that the objects of the senses have not given you peace. This is the rahasya, the secret which Krishna gave to Arjuna - detachment. Wherever the mind goes, detach it from its respective sense objects again and again.

Detachment must exist side by side with gyana, with knowledge of Brahman, with knowledge of freedom. The desire for freedom and detachment from the senses must run concurrently. Detach yourself from those things which are not permanent, and rest in that which is always permanent. Let your focus be always on this - on Brahman, on the desire for the attainment of enlightenment. Remain here in this desire for freedom. Reflect continuously from here on this. The desire to be free has already arisen in your mind. You have spent millions of years so this desire for freedom can arise. Now listen to it, reflect on it continuously, meditate in it. This process has to continue constantly.

Many people ask me what will happen when they return home. They say they are all right here because they are repeatedly hearing this truth every day, but reflection has to continue all the time. Wherever you are, when you sit, meditate on the Self, on Brahman, on Truth, on Peace, on Shanti. Contemplate this all the time, speak about this among yourselves. This is how your time in this universe is to be spent. Those who can instantly embrace this truth carry a mountain of merits as large as the Himalayas. They are led to satsang. Those who cannot recognize this will have to wait.

Some come to satsang and want to escape; they want to go somewhere else. Something incomplete is carried from previous lives and this karma is taking them to their next birth, hence they escape from satsang. I hear of people who want to return to their previous centers and ashrams. They had found much peace, happiness, and joy there from their friends. I advise them that this satsang is not for everyone. I don't find fault with them. This is the weight of karma. They have some more work to do, some more incarnations. It doesn't matter, you can work some more. Sooner or later you will have to arrive in satsang.

Those who come to satsang are not coming for the first time. They have merits. They have already completed millions of incarnations and it is that which is now compelling them to sit here in satsang. It may be very few but that doesn't matter. All others will have to wait; satsang will not work for them now. Every realized saint has declared that you need good karma - experience of satsang in previous incarnations that will bring you here for satsang, for quietness.

Buddha was born as a prince, Gautama Siddhartha. On his first visit outside of his father's palace he was confronted for the first time with disease, old age, and death. Instantly he decided to keep quiet. This is what I mean by detachment from the enjoyment of sense objects. As soon as he was faced with the reality of life outside he decided, "No, I don't want this kind of life." He returned home and a detachment arose towards his life.

Tukaram, a great saint, says that man becomes attached to his house, to his wife, to his son. This is what all the saints have said. Tukaram advised watching all these kinds of attachment. He says that for a man there is no greater attachment than to his wife; for a woman there is no greater attachment than to her husband. The same is true of prosperity, the desire for a house. And every man has a great desire for a son, to continue his lineage. These three words mentioned by Tukaram: spouse, house, and children comprise the whole arena of attachment. Buddha returned and woke up from all this. He saw the nature of life and he withdrew from the attachment to his wife, to his son Rahul, to his palace and luxuries. He kept quiet. Under the bodhi tree he kept quiet and he was free. This is what is meant by keeping quiet. Kabir says,

Chit thir man thir budhi thir.

Quiet down your mind, your speech, intellect,

and then... find out what happens.

5 September, 1992

The Desires Are Dancing

The desires are dancing. Let us see this dance. This universe is only the dance of desires.

Whatever your desires are, they manifest as objects so you can enjoy this dance. Your own desires are dancing in this samsara, in whatever you see in this manifestation, in all these objects. The rise of this everlasting dance depends upon ignorance. Samsara is just ignorance. We observe this dance because of ignorance. How is it possible to get rid of this dance? Objects attract the mind and we run after these objects - we run after our projections. Then the mind joins company with these objects, with this dance, and forgets how to wake up. This drama and this dance can only end when the sun rises. When the sun rises this drama will be over. This sun is inquiry - vichar. When the sun of vichar rises in your mind this drama immediately ends there, and it can not end otherwise. We have come here for freedom only; to end this drama. Therefore again and again we are coming and going. We forget why we came and we get lost in the enjoyment of the senses.

I remember a story. There was a king who had no issue, no son. He was getting old so he decided to adopt a prince to succeed him as the king after his death. He fixed a date with his sentries that on a particular day the gates of the palace would be open from eight in the morning till eight at night. The king would be seated in the palace and he would conduct interviews to find the most suitable person to be chosen as his prince. So on this day the gates were opened and people went inside. Everybody was allowed to enter and see the king in person.

When the gates are opened to see the king you have to be looking your best. So a very good shower-bath was arranged for everyone who entered the palace and then there were all kinds of perfumes for them to use. Then there was a place with many different kinds of very expensive dresses. You should be well dressed to see the king, so you could choose your own clothes from a huge variety of different kinds of gold and silver gowns and dresses. Then some lunch was arranged, to be well fed before seeing the king. And then there was music and then dancing. After all this you are ready to see the king - you are fully satisfied.

Some people who were entering the palace were very fond of showers, so they spent their time in the sauna and taking different kinds of baths and showers. Some were fond of perfumes, so they were trying out all the different perfumes that were there. Some were busy with all the different kinds of dresses. Some were gluttons; they were very fond of eating and drinking, so they were trying all the different varieties of food and different dishes which were there. Here in India when food is served there are a hundred and one types of dishes in a good lunch, and everything was included here. After lunch there was music and then dancing. Everything was provided beautifully by the king.

The time was getting close to eight o'clock so a siren alerted everyone to get ready to leave. The people who were fond of perfumes had collected bottles and had filled their bags with those perfumes. Those who were fond of food had taken something for their wives and other relations and friends; they were packing food to take away. Those who were fond of dresses were carrying bundles of dresses on their shoulders. Some were listening to the music, some were dancing. The sentries of the palace told them, "Now your time is up. You have to leave. You're not allowed to take anything away with you. You were supposed to only eat and to use the perfumes here and enjoy the music." But people were so engaged, "Oh let me sit a little longer. It's such nice music." Those who were dancing said, "Please let us have some more time for dancing. We cannot leave this company." But nothing was allowed. They were all pushed out of the gate. The time was 8 p.m.

The king called his secretary and asked, "What happened? No came to me for an interview. What happened? Did you open the gates?" "Yes, yes, the gate was open for twelve hours," replied the secretary. "How is it that no one has come to see me?" asked the king. "They were engaged in their own luxuries and needs," came the reply. "We do not know if anyone went to see you or not."

Samsara is exactly like this. No one went to see the king. If someone had gone and had been accepted everything would have belonged to him. It is not allowed to take anything away from this. We came here to see the king but we got lost in luxuries, in fulfillment of desires. When the time comes for the gates to be closed we will not be able to carry anything with us. The king is waiting but no one goes. This dance drama is exactly like that. We came here to meet the king and sit on the throne, but we forgot why we came and we got lost in infinite distractions.

Palaces, you see, many palaces are here in India. You can go to Delhi, Jaipur and other places. You see how comfortably the kings wanted to live. And they are lying there… they are lying there dead. Nobody could recreate permanency, and they had diamonds. The kings had everything. No one could take anything, you see. Even the greatest conqueror of the world, Alexander, who had conquered three fourths of the world; only China was left, you see… China was left. But due to some sickness he had to go back to Greece. On the way he died. That's a long story, how he went back. It's a long story I have told you already. He met some yogi and told this yogi, "I am going. I am waiting for the monsoons. After the end of the monsoons I will cross the river Jilam (since Punjab had already been conquered by him) and then I will proceed to China." That was his intention.

And then there was one yogi who was sitting at the bank of river Jilam, meditating. Alexander had never seen anybody in this posture, sitting day and night. So some of his army men informed Alexander, "There is one man who is always sitting like this thing, not moving." Alexander said, "Okay, you bring him to me. I will ask him what is this, what is he doing." And they took one interpreter. They shook the yogi and asked him, "The king of this land, Alexander the Great, wants to see you. You please come." He says, "The tradition of this country, the tradition of India is, whosoever wants to see someone, it is he who should go to the other person. I don't need to see him. If he needs to see me let him come and see me."

That's what he said. So they said, “Okay, he has to be forcefully removed. So some five, six people tried to lift him by hands and feet, to take him to the camp where Alexander was staying. And then a man who was carrying him by the hand, the hand came out of the body; the feet, the leg came out of the body and the body rested on the ground and they were taking only legs; and they were afraid and they threw the body parts and ran away. This… this has happened.

Now Alexander himself opted to come and see this man, and again he was sitting like this thing. Because of Alexander's teacher, a disciple of Socrates, you see, who told him, "When you go to India you will see some yogi." He was not happy with his teacher. (Tutor he was, you see.) He was not happy because when he told his tutor, "I want to conquer the whole world," the tutor replied, "You conquer the mind. You conquer the mind and everything is conquered." Alexander said, "You are stupid," and he put him into prison.

"Okay. When you go to India please see some saint… some saint in India, and bring me Gita from this country - Gita, book of knowledge - and a part of Ganga water." That was what he wanted. "Okay, I will do that." So this was the first instant he saw this yogi, so he goes there. The yogi is sitting and Alexander is standing with his army generals, you see.

"Who are you?" "I am Alexander, from Greece." "What for you are here?"

"I have conquered all Europe; now I have to conquer India. Because of the monsoon this river is in spate, so I am waiting for the river to come down and then I will go to China." That's what he said.

"Listen, listen my dear boy. In twenty days you have to leave this world. That's how it will be." Alexander said, "Let him be arrested." because he was very young. At that time thirty-three years old. "Let him be arrested, but may be true anyway. My mother told me, 'When you're sick, you feel that your death is coming near, you come to your own country and die.'" you see.

So then he goes on very fast horses to reach Greece. On the way at Barbarun, I think that's where, he has a very simple diarrhea. He is dying, and the generals ask, "What is your will? What is your last will?" He says, "Keep my hands out of my… out of the coffin so that the people will know I am not carrying anything with me."

That's what his desire was. And this monarch, Alexander the Great, had to leave this drama empty-handed. So coming to the point, as long as your vasanas are dancing, samsara is going to stay forever. You can't have rest with this dance - you cannot have rest. Who is there in the world, from king to a worker, who says, "I am happy, I am in peace?" No one will tell you, you see. Even if you may be king, no one is happy, you see. Now also you go around and see different countries and the heads of the countries, how happy they are, you see. Tension. So only one thing will help you to be happy, that is to check this vasana, check this vasana, check this desire for enjoyment, and perhaps you will have the highest degree of enjoyment if you check your desire. If you don't give rise to desire you will have utmost peace, love and beauty you will see for the first time, and even with your desire something what happens? In desire also, it is the end of desire that gives us peace.

Supposing you need something. "I need a new model car. So I am not happy because I want to have one, so I go to look at it. I have no money so I borrow money from the bank, from friends. Now the car is in front of my house." You are happy. Has the iron given you this happiness? Or the rubber tires? Or the benzene? What has given you happiness? Because the desire to have the new model Toyota is now over. So then this desire is gone then you are happy. So for all - every desire, in every case, you see - it is not the object that you desire. Having that object will give you happiness only because your desire has ended. After the desire has ended and that emptiness is giving you happiness, you see.

If you know it was the emptiness, it is the desireless-ness, thoughtless-ness that gave me happiness, why not have this happiness here and now by not giving rise to a thought? Any thought, you see. First thought is, "I am the body, I am mind, I am intellect, I am senses." So even this: If you don't give rise to thought… and then you have to know how to do it also - inquire. There can be no any other method, maybe yoga, or anything else, even going to the pilgrimages, or chanting the formulas, meditating, practices - nothing is going to help you. Only you have to inquire at the root of the first thought. That is, we every day speak about I-thought, you see, so this ‘I’ and samsara. There is no difference, you see. To create samsara there must be rise of ‘I’. Then only you see samsara. And when you don't give rise to this I-thought… in the sleep there is no samsara, no objects, no birth, no death, nothing ever, you see. So this ‘I’ itself, just ‘I’ is samsara.

To get rid of all this sorrows and troubles and miseries and what is called cycle of birth and death, for kalpas it has to stay - it is going to stay, mind you, billions of years. This samsara is there billions of years. Eighty-five billion years is the age of this samsara, according to last results. Eighty-five billion years, but these billions of years are also a concept only, you see, is also a concept. Only with the rise of the ‘I’ you count billions of years. When you don't give rise to simply ‘I’ there are no billions and no millions, because this mind instantly will create past, present, future, and this bondage is mind only, you see. So anyone who desires, he can stop it here and now, and those who want to play, they are very, very welcome to play and dance a dance. If they're happy let them dance. But I don't think - no gods are even happy in this, no god even is happy.

You sit quiet, you make a try. If not for long, for few minutes you spend and see - just for a minute, you see. Sit quiet - don't give rise to thought and first of all you see what's going to happen. So listening is not going to help you. Immediately you have to get into it. You have to be… be it.

And this happiness is your nature. Consciousness is your nature. Existence is your nature. Love is your nature. Peace is your nature, you see. So you can do whatever you want. So the sages, they suggest to be happy. We have to get rid of vasanas, you see. Enough of the vasanas, you see. Millions of years we have spent with the vasanas and we have been troubled, and now we have a very beautiful human incarnation, very good intention – bromjignasa - very good intention. What more you need? "Now I want to be free." Very good, excellent vasana. So you are most lucky, merits are great, therefore you are here in satsang, and I don't think you will lose anything, and or gain anything.

You will return to your own kingdom which is your birthright - not to suffer suffering. We simply imagine that there is suffering because we want to play with the projections of our own mind. We want to have swim into the mirage, hallucination, illusion. So once we decide, "I want to be free." it's enough. “I want to be free.” This decision has to be very firm decision, as firm as this universe is real. Firm decision, firm conviction, “This is real,” you see. So we have this kind of firmness in our Now. Very new desire, "I want to be free." This desire we did not desire, you see, previously; and now we are here because we have decided to be free this time. Therefore, my dear friends, decide once and for all that we are here and freedom is our right.

And we have to win it - just doing nothing, just to get rid of this one vasana - one vasana - get rid of one vasana only: "I want this." That's all. “I want this.” And perhaps if you don't give rise to this vasana everything will be added onto you. Even if you don't want, it will be offered to you. The kingdom of three universes will be offered to you… so?

Om shanti.

18 September, 1992

Death

We are going to speak: What is death? Fear of death? There are beings, bodies everywhere - under the water, under the ground, over the earth, in the air. They cannot be counted - billions, trillions of bodies. All have to die. And this death is after each body. Even after death and this death is following this body; even after, death will bring another body and then again death. That's repeated for millions and millions of years unless you remove this fear of death.

Because what is body? Earth, water, fire, air - that's all. This is the body and these are the elements outside also. Somehow integration has taken place of earth, water, fire, air; and then you have to disintegrate at the time of death. So if we realize it, always understand it – “These are the elements, but I am not the elements. I am not this body. I am not perishable. I am imperishable – Brahman”. Then perhaps you have solved this problem once and for all and you will not wear this body once again.

And how to do it? First of all, when you have found conviction of ‘I’ don't talk of reality. When you speak: “I am this ‘I’.” When you use, “I am this ‘I’." and you have firm conviction of ‘I’ - and this ‘I’ is identified with the body - don't talk of enlightenment, freedom or reality or truth or bliss or ananda whatsoever. It's not possible. And this ‘I’ is universe, bondage. When ‘I’ arises the universe arises, the bondage arises. And when there is no ‘I’ - no concept of ‘I’ - that's called freedom.

So how to get rid of this concept of ‘I’? There are various ways described in the book of knowledge, Upanishads, sutras also. So everybody says, “I am ...” everybody says, “I am so and so, you are so and so, he is so and so, and this is the world.” No one ever questions, "What am I? Where do I come from? Where do I return to? What is the purpose of my coming here? What have I done?" So this question is never asked. "Who am I?" is never asked. So you have to question, "Who am I?" And then you have to search for its answer by yourself here and now. And this is going to free you.

And through yoga also you can do it. Just with the count of eight breaths - inhaling, exhaling - just for 8 times. How much time it takes? One minute you have 16 breaths, one minute - just half a minute and you are free. How? During these 8 inhalings or exhalings do not associate with any object and you are free. You can do it here and now. Just for 8 counts of your inhalings, no association with any object and you are free. Freedom is here and now, always, everywhere. You have been postponing for millions of years because of vasanas - "I want this, I want that. I am attached to this person, and that person is very much attached to me." This is all and this is called the cycle of birth and death, and this is universe, and this is bondage, suffering. And actually it doesn't exist - only vasana.

There is no difference between vasana and samsara. Vasana is, "I want this." That's all. When you don't give rise to simply, "I want this or that." Where is samsara; where has it gone to? So this vasana is samsara, and this vasana is time, this vasana is mind - which is past. Samsara is past. Mind is past. Vasana is past.

So we have never looked into this present moment, not ever. We have never tried it. We have never been told, no one ever taught us, what is Presence.

We speak always of past and future. Everywhere there is a talk of past and future. Who could speak of this presence? And this presence, this present instant is called freedom, enlightenment, wisdom, bliss. And you can do it without any effort, here and now. Without any effort and without starting any thought either. No thinking. So simple it is. And this simplicity has not been recognized therefore we have to suffer endlessly.

Even this suffering does not exist. As in the dream where we are attacked by robbers… attacked by robbers, and we are suffering. They are threatening us with revolvers in hand so we want some help… nobody helps. What can anybody do? So there comes a tiger - a roar of the tiger! The robbers run away, fearing their own death. And with the roar of the tiger this man who was attacked by the robbers wakes up… wakes up, you see. Now where are the robbers? Where is the fear? Where is the tiger? Where is the suffering? In the dream everything was there. There were robbers, fear, tiger. Everything was dream visions, illusions, hallucinations. But on waking up, nothing existed.

Likewise, the same is the case here. There is no difference at all. So you are all sleeping, and when we dream we must have previously slept. Before we must have been sleeping, then in the sleep we dream. In the dream we see objects - sleep, dream, objects, you see. So when we see objects we are dreaming. When we are dreaming we are sleeping. So here also, when we see objects we are dreaming and we are sleeping. Wake up! What is this wake-up now? Is the roar of the tiger that made you wake up from the dream, from the sleep, like this thing? When you want to be free, "I want to be free!" is the roar of the tiger.

First of all, no one wants to be free and this is a fact. No one wants to be free. Some fear is there. They need some help. Go and join meditation retreats. Go to some teachers for some help. Help to solve their problems, not for freedom. Who? Who comes for freedom, first of all?

We are 6 billion people tonight. How many are there? How many buddhas? How many enlightened people have we produced for quite billions of years now? Because we don't want freedom we want to enjoy, and this enjoyment, and this enjoyment. Each time is taking away from us; then again we make up our mind. The desires unfulfilled are waiting will give us next birth to enjoy the same; again not fulfilled. Whose desires are fulfilled? Not even the emperors have fulfilled their desires, not even the kings. Nobody has fulfilled their desires. So each man thinks, "I will fulfill my desires." and later on no one speaks of freedom at all. Some fear there, perhaps no one wants freedom.

And this is a fact, because he who wants freedom has to be free in the same moment when he wants to be free. Because the wave rises from the ocean, is the ocean, within the ocean - not separate. So when the desire for freedom arises it arises from Freedom itself, from Self itself, and is the Self itself, you see. If it is an ocean there has to be a wave not separate from the ocean itself. And in the desert if it arises it's a mirage. In the desert also there are waves. People run after it to have a soothing bath, swim in that. So that also is a river with waves but it is not real. It was not there in the morning neither in the evening, only for some time it is there. So this pleasure is for sometime. Just in the waking state or in the dream state that you can enjoy is not abiding, is not permanent, is not eternal peace. And after having enjoyed and found peace, you want to run for something else. So it's not peace at all.

Peace - once attained - you are peace itself. So when you run here, there, it is something else; it is sensual pleasure, not peace, not bliss - sensual pleasure because it is the nature of the mind. Having enjoyed one thing it wants something else and then something else, and this is called samsara.

So if you desire freedom make up your mind, if not today maybe at the end of this life if not next life. Don't postpone it. This postponement is called samsara. Samsara means postponement. And if you stand on your toes and decide, "I want to be free." who can stop it, first of all? Decide once and for all: “I have to be free.” Because freedom is within and when you say, "I want to be free." who speaks? Who is it that wants to be free? From where does it rise? Even this desire - I want to be free - where does it rise from? Where does it stand? Where does it subside to?

Just you have to understand this thing: You have not to go anywhere. Even you have not to desire anything. Only just understand that you are not bound. “I am suffering, I am bound,” you have heard from someone else. It's not real experience. You find out yourself. This suffering, this death, these tensions, you have heard from someone else; it's not your experience. Because when you sleep all what you have heard, of what you have read, is not there; and you are happy even in sleep, though this is ignorant state. You are happy because all that you have read or heard, experienced, and tasted and smelled and seen is no more there, and you are happy. So if you free yourself of what you have seen, smelled, heard, tasted or touched, just for one second - maybe half of the second, maybe half of the half will do. That's how, you see.

What is… I remember just now in this context, Ekentari. I will translate Hadigari:

Adi se puni aab. Sungabetide sadu ki, botukatain abrad.

So he says,

One instant or one second, half of the second, half of the half of the second.

If you associate with a saint, a perfect teacher; perhaps you are all the kalpas,

but all the bondages are completed, severed away and you are free.

That's what Goswamitutishida says. And Kabir also says the same thing, you see. He also says,

Chetiter, manter, boditer.

He was an illiterate man. Kabir was illiterate. He says that, I have never touched ink on the paper, nor have I held pen in my hand.” That's what he says - that was his education.

Chetiter, manter, buditer, isfalavsherid.

Batche, batche halfkerain, kahat Kabir Kabir.

So he says - I will translate:

Do not start a thought in your mind. Keep your intellect quiet.

Chetiter - mind - also quiet. Senses also quiet. And then enlightenment itself will be calling you from behind. Enlightenment itself will be inviting you from, “Dain ohkabir - Wait, I am following you.” That is how it happened.

So don't start a thought, one single thought. Don't discriminate between this and that, and no mentation, and one second, half second, half of the half. How could it be difficult now? It is difficult for those who are yet attached to something more precious than their own Self - more precious, more beautiful, more worth acquiring than your own wisdom, than Self, than eternity, than bliss. Therefore how can they ask for freedom? So he who wants - whatever he wants - he is drawn by that particular object, you see. So wherever your attachment is, wherever the object of your attachment is, there you are. Doesn't matter where you are; you may be in satsang.

29 September, 1992

Practice and Non-Practice

Both practice and non-practice are false ideas. Abandon all discussions, discriminations, concepts from the mind and you will possess all the dharmas; and such-ness, thus-ness will possess you. Everything that you do thereafter will be in accordance to dharma and your karmas have ceased to function.

Like the Buddha, he may have practiced when he left his palace. He has gone to different centers, ashrams, teachers. He found that is not the way to be free. One after the other he went on rejecting, and the last one was: they were doing very severe penance, very severe penance they were doing, but even that he rejected - that was not the way to be free, he decides himself. So he went to Bodgaya. And I don't think the people attribute that he practiced meditation. I don't think it was a meditation. I think he was very free at that time. And he rose up. And it was Ananda who asked him, "Master, what's your experience?" He kept quiet. And this quietness is not yet understood. Why did not reply? He gets up and then he went round the bodhi tree and prostrating in ecstasy, you see, because he found freedom.

So likewise, if we practice we have already divided between us and reality. We have created a wall between truth and ourselves, and we have preconceived the result. When we sit for meditation already we have preconceived the result, the goal, the ideal which we are going to attain after sometime. So what we think has to happen, so that pre-concept is now postponement, and we are satisfied. Surely that's not going to be freedom, maybe a concept of freedom. Freedom is absolutely immaculate, free of any ideas, any notions. That's called Freedom, you see. Therefore by practice, if you practice and we win freedom, freedom is not the result of any practice, you see; because it is here and now. So whatever we attain after practice so it will be… it will be, you can say within… within the practice that we have attained freedom. So freedom cannot be held within any practice, you see. Because practice will lead you to something that can be attained which was not attained before. Can we achieve it? After practice. But freedom is not a concept, not an idea. Is already there before even you think and start practice, freedom was already there. So you created division when you practiced, you see. So freedom cannot be practiced. So when we give up the concept of freedom - absolutely no idea, no concept of anything to attain or achieve - then we are empty-minded. Now in the emptiness - in this emptiness, within the emptiness – there’ll be wave which will rise from within the emptiness - it’s not from your side - that will be calling you. You can call it source… source. And if you direct your mind towards this within the emptiness that will pull you to freedom, you see. So it needs some absolute purity, absolute purity, absolute devotion, absolute surrender to source - to freedom itself, you see. Without it, it's not going to happen.

Everywhere people are practicing. Everywhere practice is going on, in India and abroad. So there was one man who practiced; for number of years he was practicing and in the end what happened? One thought comes in his mind and he rose up and returned back to his previous habits, you see. So, you can't suppress it also. When the mind is there, "I want to be free." and if you practice it will not work. You have to wait for millions of years to win freedom. You have to wait. Its better to wait and not impose on you, "I have to be free this time." I see many people, "I want to be free. In different centers we have been practicing freedom." I don't believe with this kind of behavior with this kind of character, with this kind of relationship, how dare they can say, "We have been practicing freedom and enlightenment."

It’s a very different story, you see - few here, there. How many buddhas we have produced? This universe… how many buddhas have been produced by this universe? At any center everybody says, “We went there.” Millions. One teacher has millions of followers, you see, and everybody says, "We went for freedom." And they have been coming here in large numbers and saying, "We came for freedom." Everybody said to us, "We come for freedom." And they came squeezed, absolutely squeezed of their bodies, squeezed of their minds, and squeezed of their intellects. You have to be very healthy in mind, very healthy in body also. Perhaps there will be very helpful for you to decide, "I want to be free." with the force of your previous karmas. And then you have to sit quiet. A monkey cannot sit quiet, surely not! His habits have to be abandoned. Mind is monkey, you see. How it can keep quiet, your see? So in satsang, this monkey can be trained - the monkeys can be trained. But it is the satsang, in the satsang, come to satsang and don't indulge for sometime. Keep quiet.

After all we are not doing any gymnastics here. And not therapies are working here, as most of you have been doing - coming for freedom, lost in the therapies. How you can claim that we are in this ashram to win freedom? Don't deceive your Self. You can deceive others, you can deceive yourself, but you cannot deceive you own Self within. So you have got to be honest. If there is time for you to be free, come to satsang. Otherwise enjoy the world, enjoy the garden. This world is enough for those who are thirsty of sensual pleasure. Enjoy as best as you can for millions of years, you see. So if you're fed up with this, come here - sit quiet - and it doesn't take time.

Freedom is already there, you see. You have only to know that you are free. You have never been bound. It was the desire, "I want this.” and “I want that." that you have to abandon. And see… after this see, if you abandon this desire and then if the result is not good return back to the world. It's always there. When you are not quiet there is world. When you are quiet, if you don't like return back - if you like, stay on.

If you stay on you will see and you will notice for the first time that it never existed - nothing ever existed - before, now and later. This is the ultimate truth that you have to be told. When you see any form there is falsehood. What you have to do? If you simply get rid of one thing - just form - for one instant of time you just abandon the concept of form from your mind - for one second - and see if you are not happy. And form is falsehood. Where there's a form there's falsehood, you see. And all forms are seen in ignorance; and in wisdom there's no form, in light there is no form. So there's no pressure on you. Do as you like.

Okay… Namaskar.

1 October, 1992

Worship

During the lifetime of some enlightened beings worship began. Even during the time of Lord Buddha people worshipped stupas, worshipped statues of the Buddha. Some people don't believe in worship through statues. Those who invaded India at the time when Buddhist dharma was strong, demolished most of the statues and Buddhist monasteries were burnt. But during the time of Buddha himself he accepted dharma and sangha. Monasteries were established during the time of Ashoka; statues and stupas were built. Even today in many countries statues of Buddha are being built. Recently a statue 60 feet high was built in Bodhgaya by the Japanese.

Worship has been advised from time immemorial. Here we generally speak about consciousness, which is omniscient, omnipresent, in everything, every atom. There is no place where there is no consciousness. So what does worship mean? Many people get confused. Those who have been enlightened, free, they have worshipped through stupas, through statues, and that is how dharma has been living till today and it will live. I do not know of any religion which has not included worship. Buddhism is already 2,600 years old. Vedic Dharma is 25,000 years old. In Peru they have found a Shiva lingam 25,000 years old.

We are dealing with consciousness only, but it's very important to consider this matter. Many people write to me from The States and Europe. They say they are all right here, but when they return they forget it they lose peace and consciousness. I advise them to playfully worship whatever comes into their day-to-day life. Whatever they see has to be worshipped as the same consciousness - it cannot be other than consciousness. Eating food, whatever you do. Listening to music, worship through the ears. Whatever you see, it has to be worshipped, adored, honored. Like this, you will not forget consciousness. When you see that consciousness is everywhere this Cosmic Being has to be adored and worshipped in every being, every non-being, in every situation; when you are happy, in happiness; when you are not happy, in unhappiness. In all situations engage yourself. People say, "Sometimes I am happy; sometimes I lose it." Beyond both is consciousness, their own Self. The Self reveals itself to itself. This Cosmic Being which resides in all beings, in human beings, and animals, and birds, in everything - is conscious within you. In the cave of your heart is the Conscious Being that directs you to see, smell, hear, activate your activities. This has to be worshipped, adored, honored wherever you go, whatever you do, whatever you hear, whatever you see. Then how can you forget? Wherever you are you are in consciousness and consciousness is within you. Worship this purusha - this cosmic being within you.

I do not know how this cosmic being has become an individual being. If it has become an individual being then the cosmic being is residing within it. This knowledge that, "I am individual being." must be in the cosmos. This cosmic being has entered the cavity of your heart. Somehow you feel separated. You feel that, "I am an individual being, a different personality." Where does this knowledge that, "I am an individual being." come from? This knowledge is quite enough to be worshipped. Worship this knowledge at least, that "I am this individual being." If you can't agree that, "I am cosmic."

Many times I've made attempt to express. I have failed. It is said the mind cannot reach, the senses cannot describe. Somehow I have to do it.

This longing will arise - it is not enough. You will have to go and see a teacher and listen to the teacher. First you choose, "I have to return to effortlessness, I want to be free." This longing is not enough. This longing rises from ignorance only; it's not wisdom. Any choice is from ignorance; any longing is from ignorance. Good longing also is ignorance, but it takes you to a teacher who tells you whatever he tells you, and that is also ignorance. It is ignorance because it cannot be conveyed through words. Your mind can listen. This experience cannot be had by the mind or senses. When the mind and senses admit their defeat, then you will have this experience.

Let the individual dissolve and adore the Supreme Being. Let it merge into the supreme being from where it arose. Individuality must come from somewhere; a wave arises from somewhere. The individuality rises when you say, "this individual." You have returned with this thought. Now, this moment, where did this thought rise from? Individuality. This moment go back and see. Don't make any effort - it will drop by itself. Don't make any effort, don't think; it will drop by itself. Your longing will cease. My instruction will cease.

17 November, 1992

Beyond Delight, Beyond Bliss

Action which originates from the mind without attachment we can call Non-action. In fact this activity arises without mind at all. We can call this No-mind. You may be doing many things in the world, but if there is no attachment to the outcome, to the objects of action, you remain free.

The delight which comes from sensory experience is always fleeting. When an experience is repeated an earlier desire which had been stored in memory is recalled to repeat the experience. The delight derived from that experience is already past - not fresh - because it has been recalled. First you need desire, then an object of desire, then experience through the senses. Only an unwise person seeks to repeat experience. A wise person knows that every experience, every delight, is fleeting and will not touch it. Everyone in the world is unhappy; not a single person finds happiness because they delight in old experience. No one asks for anything fresh, not only the common man but even kings, even diamond merchants. Kings want diamonds like the Kohinoor to be happy. No-one's desires are fulfilled.

There is something very precious which is not stored in the memory. Give it any name or no name, it will bring satisfaction and bliss. It will take you beyond bliss. This is our topic here: first delight, then bliss, and then beyond.

Nobody gets out of this trap of delight: Everybody is caught in it. You look for bliss but where is it to be found? Bliss means anything not recalled from memory. This will never be discovered on your own because it is found only through association with a sage, a perfect person, one who has known it and can enable you to have this experience; or from the recorded experiences of ancient sages in authorized sutras.

With the help of your own desire for abiding happiness, for abiding bliss, for freedom, you will discover something beyond that which can be called consciousness. There's nothing beyond consciousness. Once you attain consciousness there's nothing more to be attained. Anything that can be attained will be lost.

Consciousness is like the Kohinoor, the world's most precious diamond. No one has yet attained it yet it has to be aspired for, to reach for something fresh, something new. How can it be unattainable and yet be desired? Because in its attainment the knower, the known and the means of knowing all merge into That itself. So it is both attained and yet never attained. In the realization of consciousness you have attained everything that is worth attaining. It is complete and perfect. It is moksham - liberation. It is emancipation, it is perfection. You can call it bliss, you can call it beyond bliss. People call it emptiness, people call it fullness, yet it is beyond words. It has never been described so far. It is That which has to be aspired for - something which you have never heard described before. It cannot be held in memory, nor can it be seen, heard, touched or thought about.

When the mind blinks for a moment everything arises. This manifestation is the result of just one blink of the mind. If you don't wink for this single moment everything will cease. If you don't stir the mind just for this instant - this finger snap - that which I speak about is here and now. And, my dear friends, you are That… you are That… you are That.

If you have heard these words without them landing anywhere - without them touching your memory - you have gone beyond. If somehow this has penetrated into the memory, trespassed there, then you will have to fall in love with it, keep fully devoted to it. Walking, talking, sleeping, dreaming, on awakening each day - always keep in touch with it - think of it, speak to it, worship it even. This which is beyond everything is the only thing to be worshipped. Don't be afraid to worship this, because all things are within This which I speak about.

Everything is to be worshipped. Everything which you worship is That itself. What else could there be? If you have some gold you can make any shape out of it - any animal or bird - but its essential gold-ness will not be lost. Only the name and form can change, the gold-ness cannot be lost. If you understand this with your total consciousness you will see that everything which exists in consciousness must be consciousness itself. Everything in the river, every wave, every bubble, every tide must be made of the same substance which is liquid, which is water. Look at the river and not its expressions, like bubbles and waves. Knowing this you don't need anything else.

This single instruction is quite enough for those who have deserved it, earned it through eons of time. Some will still postpone for a year or till the end of this incarnation. But why you are here? You are alive just to know who you have been, who you would be, and who you are now. You have lost track of it so you need some guidance. Find a guide and listen to him once. Follow him and you are out of this trap. If you don't want to listen it doesn't matter; for after all, how long can this trap remain a trap? Somehow its trap-ness will have to be dissolved and solved once and for all.

One satsang is quite enough. Knowing this truth you are always in satsang. Satsang means to live as Truth itself - which means to live as the Self, to live as consciousness. Who can say, "I am not my Self?" He who knows, "I am the Self." is in satsang. And if someone says, "I am not the Self." it is still excellent - he is still in satsang. If the fish in the water can cry, "I am thirsty," it means she is alive in the water - she's not thirsty. In satsang you are not told to do anything - to practice anything - because there are no modifications; it is immaculate, it is pure, it is purity itself. You are pure. You may have been taught to believe that, "I am impure, I am bound" but it is only talk. How can "I am." be impure or bound? To say "I am." is enough. If you add something to it there will be trouble.

Make the best of this time - don't postpone. This postponement is called manifestation, is called bondage. If you don't postpone you are here and now - you are free. This postponement is called mind which says, "I will do it later; I will do tomorrow". Mind is past. Past is memory and memory is universe, manifestation, and repetition of births and deaths, suffering and tension. But just to know: "I am suffering," is enough to end suffering. You must simply know what that "I am" is.

It is not the body nor the mind nor the intellect. If you say, "I am," can you show this I am? It's not the body. You can just investigate: Just find out where this ‘I am’ is. You will not find it - you will not find ‘I am’ anywhere - only words. So after sometime I'm speaking about this happiness, and knowing this is called equanimity, peace, bliss. And before that was delight. Anything that is fleeting is called delight. Anything that is abiding is not delight; so here you are at peace. Equanimity is there and you are bliss. Here is the bliss.

So keeping up this for some time in this state and not looking for, not desiring for anything from the memory of the past staying for sometime here and you will be thrown or called from somewhere else by someone else into somewhere else which you have never heard before. Because what you hear is only about waking, dreaming, sleeping - that's all you have know so far. Anything that speaks to you in this physical form is waking state. Subtle form that you dream in the night is dreaming state. There also you have got relations and we see mountains and rivers and forests and animals... subtle form. And then also we have experience, and then in sleep also. That's all the three states we know. Therefore we have delight in one and we have bliss in the sleep state. Again we repeat the same circle endlessly.

So staying here in this state you will be called from somewhere else into somewhere else. That state is not a state. States are only three. Beyond that you can't call it a state. That is, you can call it a word. If you have to use word I believe the sanskrit word is pragya. Pragna is beyond that, beyond states you see. Beyond the beyond is called pragna. So that state is beyond the delight and beyond the happiness and beyond the bliss even. It is not even this; it is not even Self. It's not even It. What has been given in some sutras “It” word is used. That word is used, tat is used; not even that. That cannot be comprehended by mind nor expressed, nor described, nor experienced; because for any kind of delight, bliss, enjoyment, you need someone to experience. Mind doesn't go there; senses do not present themselves there. So when all these beat retreat - mind, intellect, senses - when they beat retreat, that beyond is called... tita is the word. Some say, "Beyond." Let beyond be beyond. I don't touch it.

Because I receive many letters; even today I will see. The letters always mention: “We lose what we get in the satsang when we return back home. We lose it after some time, and then we do not know what to do.” So it means anything that you hear in satsang you have stored in the mind; so that is what we are discussing about and this thing that you are storing in the mind. You want to call for and repeat it. When you're here do not store in the memory so that you lose it. Anything can be called back from memory. When it doesn't land in the memory you can't call back. So they're in trouble. They can't call back therefore they take to some other exercises.

So one of these letters I will read: “After the satsang in Lucknow I lost it in a month.” So I am just speaking about this thing. Do not try to grab it, grasp it and store it into the memory. Anything stored in the memory is not satsang. It's called learning - it's called knowledge - that you go to the universities and get a doctorate out of that which is stored in the memory. It's not that knowledge. It cannot be stored in the memory, you see. Never it has been done. So let the word pass through and through. Pierce through the mind and through the intellect and let it go from where it came. One word, any one time, whatever, whenever, wherever possible - it is that one word which will work. So I am again trying to clarify: Don't try to understand what is spoken here. Just keep quiet. Don't try to listen even. Just keep quiet and let it go. What is happening, you don't be concerned of it. That is some higher supreme power. You are in the lap of supreme power. Don't use your intellect here. It is She who will take care of you. It is He who will take care of you. It is It that will take care of itself. Who are you to understand it? So keep quiet for once. Don't blink and don't wink and keep quiet for one single second. Otherwise you will have notions and expectations and ideations. That's what you will make out of this satsang. Don't try to have any notion, any hope that here we have come with the hope that we will be free. Give up this hope either. No hopes and no notions and no tensions also. No ideas about what it is. Don't form any ideas about it, you see. This is called quietness, equanimity, silence and peace. Then the supreme itself will enter into your open heart and sit down there permanently, because it is already there and you are otherwise engaged. Therefore it is concealed by some other desire: "I want this, and I want that," you see.

So do what you have to do? Anything to which you have camouflaged or concealed the original ultimate nature of your own Self has to be discovered, uncovered, or to be revealed. It has to reveal itself by itself; not by any effort. Not by any effort. Not even to think about anything of the past, present and future. No thought and no effort. That is the requirement. How this precious gem where it is concealed by you - how it will reveal itself. The gem doesn't need your candle to be seen. It has its own luster, self-effulgent. Like, you will not see the sun through the light of your candle but through its own rays. Who needs a candle to see the sun? He doesn't need because the sun has the luster of light itself. So anything which is light you don't need any effort to see.

You don't need to do anything. Simply keep quiet - allow it to reveal itself. If you had kept quiet even for a single instant, for a finger snap, with a wink of you eye - once - during this travel that you have done for 35 million years, my dear friends who are here. This is all a blink of the mind, and now if we are quiet it has to reveal. It is self-effulgent. Never it has been concealed. But when the desire is there then it is concealed because we desire something else. And that something else we do not know - that something else is also the same thing. What else you can aspire? Where from do you get anything else which is not already there? Where from? Who are you? So this is so simple. The trouble is with its beauty and simplicity and self-effulgence.

You please merge into it - jump into it. That's all. Jumping into the lake of nectar, lake of amritam, who will die? And we are afraid. In ambrosia - drinking ambrosia - I will die... How ridiculous.

21 November, 1992

Notions Create the Mind

It is very important to examine the nature of notion, because whatever is created - whatever you see - is a notion. This may be surprising to you.

Take a tiny seed in the palm of your hand. In India the mustard seed has been given as an example because it is the smallest seed available… or a banyan seed. In the West take any seed you can find; it doesn't matter what kind. Now what do you see in this seed? Do you see a huge tree, a grand trunk, flowers, millions of fruits, with again billions and trillions of seeds inside? Do you see all this is a tiny seed? You do not find all this inside the seed, yet when the seed comes into contact with the soil it sprouts.

The same is true with notion. Notion is now sprouted as this universe, time and space that you see, as past, present and future. Men, animals, mountains, rivers, forests are all contained in this tiny seed-like notion. This notion will sprout when it touches consciousness, and from this arises mind. All this diversity is created out of the single notion, "I suffer. I am happy. I am bound. I want to be free." These are all notions. A sage is one who knows that these are all notions and is hence free from them. Those who are yet to be enlightened are not yet free from this notion and therefore think that they are bound, that they are suffering; they will have to become enlightened somehow later on.

We must find out how to get rid of this notion. A notion is just a thought - it is your own thought, which must be rising from somewhere. Just as a seed touches the soil, it sprouts and becomes a tree, so this notion touches consciousness; it sprouts and becomes mind. What existence could the mind have without consciousness as its substratum? Where could it stand without some foundation, some soil in which to sprout?

Those who know the substratum, who see how the mind rises, will never suffer. Those who ignore the substratum however, those who begin from the sprout, from the notion itself, those who look at the branches, fruits and flowers, at the sufferings, happiness and joys of life - they will suffer endlessly because they do not know the substratum of all this. Thought is the substratum, thought is the mind, mind is time and space, mind is past.

How does the mind arise? When it rises it seems to be created; although it is not really true to say that it is created or not, that it arises or not. Both are seen simultaneously. When you see a mirage in the desert you see a river running in the desert, in the sands. The river which is running can be said to exist, and it can also be said that is does not exist. Both are true. People will go running to have a swim in it because it looks like a real river. And at the same time it is true that it does not exist, there is only sand, there is no river at all. Both are simultaneously true.

So you can say that this is samsara, this is the world. Or you can say that this does not exist at all. Both are simultaneously real. If you accept this, then to say, “This is not real." is true; and to say, "This is real." is also true - just like the mirage. This is all real because it sprouted from consciousness, and it is not real because it is only a notion. From the notion arises the ego, the observer, the observation and the observed. It is from here that the trouble starts. For the sage this trouble is not there; his observer, observation and observed are all the same and therefore he is happy. He who is yet to be awakened thinks, "I am the observer. This object which I am observing gives me happiness. I experience that happiness." He is in trouble. He will have to get rid of his own notions somehow, either by sitting with a saint or through investigation with his own discrimination and discernment, or with the help of some wise people.

So in investigating how to get rid of this ego which brings diversity there are two perspectives. In one there is no diversity. In the other, diversity and unity are the same; like the river in the desert which is both real and not real. In this there may be many diversities, but if you know their basis - the substratum from which they arise - you know them all. The waves in the ocean are no different from their substance - water. Many waves can exist without the oneness of the water being lost. In this diverse world people may look different with different views, different shapes, different forms, but their essence is still one. That essence is the same in all beings and non-beings. If you are aware of this you are free, you are happy. You are eternally blissful because bliss comes if you are aware of consciousness. There is no difference between bliss and consciousness. If you know that the origin of all diversities and sufferings is consciousness, you will not have any problem.

You must arrive at this, you must understand this, you must reach this - that the underlying ground, the underlying essence is consciousness. When you look at people, when you look at mountains, when you look at a river, when you look at your body you must be conscious, you are conscious. You are conscious when you sleep, you are conscious when you are awake, you are conscious of objects, you are conscious of your activities. When you dream you are conscious of subtle activities, you are aware of relationships within the dream. You are conscious of subjects and objects, of experiences and objectivity, you are conscious of subjectivity. The basis of all activity is consciousness. Also in deep sleep you are conscious for you wake up knowing that you slept, that you had a peaceful sound sleep, you are conscious. All these three states are projections of consciousness. It is within consciousness that all these things are floating - they are all projected in front of it. That consciousness you are.

Transcending these three states there is a fourth state known as turiya. In this transcendental state you are also aware. Beyond the fourth state, beyond turiya, there is that which is not known to anyone. It is not known because that is the depth of consciousness. Even the word "consciousness" is no more found there. No words, no experiences, no "I, you, he, or she" ever existed in this. This is your true nature. This is the Truth. This is ultimate understanding. This is always eternally present. This is presence itself. It is never absent at any time. This is called Truth. This is called Freedom. This is called Wisdom.

Whatever Truth is must always be there, be here, be now, be everywhere. It must be Omniscient. It must be Omnipresent. That which you are is Omniscience and Omnipresence. You have to live playfully along with all these waves in different forms and enjoy this - your happiness.

23 November, 1992

The Work Is Completed

From Silence you came and to Silence you return. This is the ultimate Truth.

The concept that there was any work to complete has in itself been completed. This is all. What is there to complete? What was the work? To keep quiet. When you know this you have completed everything. Otherwise you will be hitchhiking for millions of years thinking that you have not completed your work. There is no work to be completed. The idea that you have to complete some work - that you are bound, that you have to be free - is all conceptual. You are fundamentally free all the time, and to know this is the completion of everything. The only hindrance was that you thought that you were bound. That was the obstacle. Removing this obstacle you can call, "completion of the work."

Please remove all doubt by leaving it nowhere to reside. You call it doubt but there is no doubt at all. What is meant by doubt? Will you have any doubt if someone says, "You are not called so-and-so?" You know what your name is. In the same way you are That itself. In a dream you forgot your real nature and doubt arose. You will have to either remove doubt by yourself, or go to one who knows how to remove it - to one who will help you remove your doubt. Nobody can change you; you will remain what you are. A doubt arose: "I am not what I am." The idea that "I am the body." was this doubt. You are the in-dweller of the body, not the body itself. This simple understanding comes easily in satsang, but it will not arise outside in the world - or it will take millions of years - simply because everybody is clinging to the concept that, "I am the body." In actually you are not the body; you are the one who is aware of the body. When you are aware of something it is an object in awareness. You are aware of everything including the body. What is this awareness? Who is aware?

Do not think. Do not even meditate. Meditation means postponing for old age or at least for next year that which is available now. Meditation means rejecting the rose flower and hunting for the thorn. Don't meditate here. Just now! Sit quietly! Don't think! Whenever you meditate you are postponing Now! Why postpone this until some other time, until some other moment? Have you ever seen the next moment? Why not now? Isn't it available now? What kind of meditation do you need? There are people here who have been meditating for many years with all the teachers of the world and still they are not free. Meditation is only postponement. You may have made a habit of sitting in meditation every morning from six to eight, but the mind is very happy to have cheated you. You can do everything - there are some very professional meditators here - but still there is nothing inside.

You can complete this instantly because the Self - the Atman - is ever present. For whom are you seeking through method, through meditation, through thought? For whom? It is here and now. Even before you sit for meditation it is already here. Even the instinct to meditate came from the same source, to find the same thing. You are running away from it, never turning back. Whatever thought comes, whatever it is, even the thought of meditation: Stop. Discover the source of these thoughts: "I have to meditate, I have to be free. I need freedom." Keep quiet and wait. Find out from where these thoughts are coming. Return back to the source of these same thoughts and tell me what you see. What do you call this? Where will it lead you? It will strike at your mind forever and you will become what you have always been. You will not find this through any method. Don't be deceived once again by your mind.

You are here to be free in this very instant without doing anything, without even stirring a single thought. That's why you are here. I don't tell you to go to the Himalayas or to the caves or to the forest. I have seen many people with head hanging down doing penance. I have seen many in the higher altitudes of the Himalayas. They did not discover freedom. It is here and now. What is there to think about this? Even without thinking you are That. The habit of thinking, of doing something, is your only impediment. Give at least one second to yourself without doing anything, without even thinking. Do not make any kind of effort, and see the result.

5 December, 1992

Rid the Mind of Diseases

We cannot meditate because of the diseases of the mind. These diseases are attraction and aversion, attachment and hate, anger and greed. For meditation you need a very healthy mind.

We have to get rid of these diseases of the mind. How can we meditate when our mind is diseased? While meditating you have to be very alert, vigilant and watchful so that for a little time during meditation these diseases don't show up. In the beginning they may trouble you, they may rise up, but gradually they will go on vanishing. When they have vanished you will enjoy meditation while sitting, while walking, while talking, and at work. Then meditation will become your nature - will be spontaneous without any effort of sitting meditations.

There you will see your own Self which doesn't need any meditation. You will be one with the Heart - the mind will merge into the heart and heart into the Self, and Self is always free. The Self is always wisdom, light and freedom itself. You have to be careful while meditating that these notions of attachment, hatred, greed and lust do not touch you.

You Have a Raft to Cross

All the beings are wandering in this ocean of samsara. No one is happy, due to psychological perversions, desires and hopes. No one can attain happiness until wisdom is attained - until Self-knowledge is attained. We have spent millions of years searching for peace, and we have not been successful so far because of hope, desire, diseases of the mind.

It is not possible to get rid of this disease without Self-knowledge, without wisdom. Everyone is spending years wandering endlessly. Fortunate is the one who knows that he has a raft to cross this ocean, although most people do not make use of it. This human body can be used as a raft to cross this miserable ocean where millions of jivas are wandering in a blind well, without any result. The vehicle that you possess now could not be built; this human body is not available to the eight million kinds of jivas out there in the world, which we have passed through one by one. We have had every kind of experience as we have passed through eight million species. The raft of this human body was never available before, and if we don't make use of it we may not find it again.

Make the best of what is available to you to find wisdom, happiness, well-being and beauty. It is easily available: The moment you give rise to the desire for freedom, from that moment you are on the raft. It is this desire which leads you in search of a teacher, to sit with the teacher and find the way to be happy.

You may know how many people in the world from where you come from, the country, can give rise to this desire, "Now I want to be free." So they go to search for a teacher and to sit with the teacher and to consult with him; sit with him and find out the way how to be happy. And you can do it wherever you are. If there are two good friends, by mere conversation you can do it yourself. Mere conversations will be alright because if someone has gone to a particular country and you have not gone, and he can explain to you by a map and you can get at the map you will not have difficulty. So this mapping of the association of some of your best friends with the conversation is called satsang. Conversation with your own friends, conversation with the teacher, will help you and this is called the raft to cross over this miserable samsara.

Without this desire I don't think that it is possible for any being to get out of this. All beings are caught up in different kinds of desires for sense pleasures which are impermanent. They are satisfied with that without knowing the consequences.

A man was walking in the forest and fell into a well which was covered by an overgrowth of leaves and scrubs. While falling he caught hold of the root of a tree which was growing into the well and so he felt safe. Looking down, he found that there was a crocodile in the well which was waiting for him with open jaws. He felt very afraid. Looking up he found a tiger looking over the side of the well. The tiger was hunting in the night for some food in the forest and saw this man, but almost immediately he fell into the well. Then he looked at the root he was hanging from and saw two rats gnawing at it. But there was a beehive on a tree above the well and drop by drop the honey was trickling down into his open mouth. He was very happy licking the honey.

This is our life. Day and night are the two rats cutting through the creeper of your life. Every day and night that passes cuts into the creeper on which this life is hanging. Below is death: the fear that "I am going to die.": the crocodile waiting tomorrow. Above is the tiger: the fear of what is going to happen today. But we are happy licking the honey: enjoying the pleasure of the senses. This is everyone's situation - ignoring the trouble that is all around, trapped in the blind well of the mind.

The raft to save you is this body, the decision: "I have to be free during this incarnation somehow." Make up your mind. You have done very well to be here. Out of six billion people, how many even aspire for freedom? You have to be free right now, because you will not find it elsewhere. You have not yet looked into your own treasure; you have looked elsewhere and suffered. The treasure is within you, the diamond is within you, so don't beg. Look within and instantly you are rich. No one knows this. With this treasure within us we have still suffered due to the bad habits of wants and hopes of the mind. This is the disease of the mind. Once you have found that you are atman, that you are the substratum, you are at peace within yourself. Then everything that arises from the Self will be fulfilled. It is not coming from the mind. That which arises from the mind and hope will never satisfy you. We need some reliable person to set us straight.

There was a man who used to go on a pilgrimage to a South Indian temple from the north. In India people go from the south to the north, from the east to the west for pilgrimages; from Kashi to Rameshram, from Pouli to Dwarka. People would make friends on such pilgrimages and every five or ten years they would make a trip together to see some holy places and saints.

This man became friends with someone in the south; he used to stay with him when he was on his pilgrimage. After an interval of ten years he went to the same family to visit. The man's wife was there but in a miserable condition. She was working at the grinding mill, washing the dishes of the neighbors. He inquired about his friend.

The wife told him, "He died some seven years ago and now we are in trouble. I bring some grains and make flour out of it. I bring some clothes to wash or go to work in nearby houses, because I have three children who have not completed their education. I have to earn money for their education. Now they are doing well at school, so I will be able to find jobs for them." This man inquired, "Didn't my friend speak to you about anything?" "No, no he didn't speak about anything," replied the widow. "Why, he simply died."

The man who died had told his friend that he had some gold which he had hidden so that his children would go to school and not think that their father had enough money to support them. He wanted them to work. In olden times parents would often hide their money so that the children would get a good education. And only after that would they will give it to them, after the children were well educated and capable to conduct a business or whatever they wanted to do. Then the father would hand over the money and walk away into the forest. This was the tradition that was kept up for many years.

This friend of the family then told the widow that just under the spot where she was grinding the flour in the mill there was hidden a pot full of gold. With this word alone she jumped, even though the pot of gold was not yet found. Just the word of an authoritative man, a friend of the family, brought great pleasure.

She called her sons. "Look, look, your uncle has come! He says that we are very rich. There is gold hidden here. Bring a spade!" So they dug a few inches below the ground where she had been toiling day and night and she found the pot of gold. Instantly she became very rich. She had been willing to live in poverty; grinding at the mill, suffering greatly to provide enough clothing for the children. At that same spot there was poverty a few inches above the ground, and riches concealed a few inches underneath.

In this same way an authoritative person will tell you that there is a diamond within you, that there is treasure within you. With this assurance alone a man can become very happy. Dig it up! Take your spade and dig. You will find the treasure and then celebrate. Here we celebrate every day, even though people do not understand why. This is cause to celebrate: "I have found the treasure." Otherwise you will be like someone who finds a diamond and doesn't know it is a diamond.

There was a very poor man who used to bring bricks from the kiln to the building site, just making a few cents a day. While digging in the sands of the river he found a diamond, but still he was very poor. He tied the beautiful stone around the neck of his donkey and continued his miserable life. A merchant was passing and saw the situation. "Look at that stupid man," he thought to himself. "He is doing menial work although he owns this diamond." He asked the laborer how much he wanted for his donkey.

"Five dollars," said the laborer. That was the price of donkeys at that time. The merchant paid the price and the laborer was very happy. Then he removed the string with the diamond from around the neck of the donkey and walked away. "What a foolish man," thought the laborer. "What about the donkey?" he asked. "I didn't pay for the donkey," said the merchant. "You can keep the donkey with you, but I will still pay you a few hundred dollars for your stupidity." Both were happy. Some who come to satsang say they feel very happy here but when they go back to their country they are the same as before. This is the same stupidity - not knowing that the treasure is within you.

Once you know from an authority that this is the treasure it will shine by itself. The diamond will shine from its own luster, without looking for any help from anyone. You will not need to ask any questions. You will fall in love with it and perhaps you will not turn your attention away from it again, because it is so beautiful. Then you will never make a mistake again.

Trouble arises for those who say, "Sometimes I am happy and sometimes I am not." When they are unhappy it is because unhappiness is arising from the mind, and when they are happy it is arising from the Self. The Self alone can give you happiness. All happiness is from the Self. All trouble, sorrow and suffering is from the mind. You have to be very careful to be vigilant to see what is coming from the mind, and to see the happiness that is coming from the Self.

Even in small things this is true. You might purchase a car or buy an apartment or meet a friend and you are happy. Why do these things bring you happiness? You are attracted to a particular person, or to a particular car, or to a particular apartment made of bricks and cement. It is not the steel, the rubber, or the benzene that brings happiness with the car. Nor is it the bones, flesh, blood, or marrow in a person. When you are happy you recognize the Self within the self, and you are free of desire. When you get a car your hope is gone, your desire for the car has left you. When you meet a friend your desire for the meeting is no longer there. When you buy an apartment your wanting to have an apartment is no longer there. This emptiness without desire or hope has given you happiness. If you know that it is this emptiness from the hope and desire that brings you happiness then you can always keep your mind empty. Then where is the problem to be happy wherever you are - walking, talking, sitting, standing, sleeping - you can be happy.

This moment you can try for one instant to not entertain any hope, any desire, and see what happens. The Self will reveal itself, the Truth will reveal itself to itself. This can be seen directly here and now. Don't postpone it when you can simply get be happy without doing anything. Why miss it? This is the raft I speak about: Simply keep quiet.

14 December, 1992