TO FORGIVE IS DIVINE

30th April 2006                               


To forgive is divine
All karmas (actions) spring forth in the divine consciousness called Brahman. The illusion that
they are being performed by different people is called Maya. Knowledge is that, which
realises the doer of all actions to be One. The first step towards this knowledge is to realise that
we are just a witness in this creation. To realise that ‘‘I am a witness’’ is Atmagyan or selfknowledge.
To realise ‘‘I am the Doer of all actions’’ is Brahmagyan or cosmic knowledge.
Wisdom is knowing that everybody is an instrument in the hands of the divine. When we are
just an instrument, then the question of a good or bad action or the question of praise or
criticism does not arise. The wise do not criticise the one who does a bad action, nor is he
overwhelmed by praise.
Forgiveness is a balm to soothe the mind which is full of hatred and aversion. Normally when
somebody has done a bad action its doer ship brings guilt. Asking for forgiveness frees one of
this guilt.
Similarly forgiving others frees one from anger and hatred. The person with little knowledge
forgives others to save himself while an egotist expects others to ask for forgiveness to satisfy his
ego.
Those who give or seek forgiveness are not established in knowledge. The wise does not
forgive! For he knows that the culprit indeed is not the doer. He realises that he is beyond the
purview of causality. What is the need to forgive when there is no other?
When someone’s ego is hurt, he becomes destructive and hurts others, justifying his own pain
as the cause for his actions and reinforcing his ego.
There are three levels of knowledge. At the first level, the person thinks ‘‘some one else can
hurt me’’. At the second level, a person thinks ‘‘I am hurt’’. A person suffering from pain wants
to get rid of it and resorts to prayer. At the third level, the wise knows that he is beyond hurt,
stays untainted at all times and recognises the play of karma and stays surrendered at all
times.
If you are not surrendered, then you get into the cause and effect of actions and the cycle of
karma continues. The wise will always find good in other people, because he sees them all as
instruments of the divine. He sees divinity even in a thief. An average person will sometimes see
divinity, sometimes negativity in others and hence stays in conflict. But one who is emotionally
disturbed will find fault even in a saint.
In Christianity the emphasis is on forgiveness and not on the cause-and-effect theory. The main
objective here is to save the mind and have compassion. In Jainism, the emphasis is on non violence.
While in Jainism, you ask for forgiveness from people, in Christianity you only ask for
forgiveness from God. There is a festival in Jainism called Kshamavani (which is held in end
August-early September) where one asks for forgiveness for mistakes committed consciously or
unconsciously.
Thus Christianity uses forgiveness to calm violence and anger in oneself, while Jainism uses
forgiveness to reduce violence and anger in others.
However Ashtavakra (the great sage who is the author of the famous treatise Ashtavakra Gita)

uses forgiveness as a tool to free one from bondage. Guilt and anger also cause bondage,
and hence forgiveness is used to free oneself from these emotions. Ashtavakra advises
forgiveness only for the seeker, not for the enlightened, when he says that ‘‘the seeker should
be forgiving, focussed and compassionate’’.
Ashtavakra uses forgiveness in the beginning of his treatise, while Jesus uses forgiveness in the
end, when he says, ‘‘Forgive them for they know not what they do.’’ Ashtavakra begins where
Jesus ends.


Jai Gurudev

Flight Of A Simple Mind

30th January 2005


Flight of a simple mind

When you are listening to somebody speaking, the speaker’s very first sentence triggers off

some conversation within you. You are constantly agreeing or disagreeing with the speaker.

Have you ever wondered whether you can listen without any thoughts or pre-conceived

notions in your mind?

Students listening to an hour-long lecture in a class are able to grasp only a part of it.

Increasingly, even that grasp is diluting — attention deficiency syndrome. Only if there is

alertness and presence of mind in the entire society will business prosper.

Perception, observation and expression are three important aspects of life. Those who

perceive things better have balanced observations and expression. Recollect how much

enthusiasm and joy you had when you went to the primary school as a child. Wherever there is

life, there is enthusiasm. Someone without enthusiasm is like a corpse. But as you mature, the

enthusiasm curve declines. And as enthusiasm declines, we stop communicating; leave alone

formal lectures, even one to one informed talks hold no interest.

Have you any enthusiasm left? See, we look at everything but we do not look at our own

faculties. Life has many faculties — body, breath, etc. Are you aware of your body? You

become aware of your body only when it aches. Just as a child throws tantrums when it is not

given attention, your body throws tantrums when you don’t attend to it. If you attend to your

body constantly, it won’t throw tantrums. And attending to the body is not just about food and

exercise; it is taking your attention to each part of your body and loving it consciously. Your

body is the closest thing to you, it is the first layer of existence.

The second faculty is breath. What makes the skin different from leather? It is the breath. Even

shoes have some value. But your body, when it is not breathing, has no value. Our first act,

when we came to the world, was to breathe in and the last act will be to breathe out. But we

ignore this primordial function of our life. Know that your breath holds many secrets; every

emotion has a corresponding rhythm of breath. Attending to the breath helps regulate

emotional disturbances.

The third faculty that we possess is our mind. This is the faculty through which we perceive and

yet this is the faculty that we know the least about.

The fourth faculty, which is our memory, functions in a very funny manner; if you receive ten

compliments from someone and one criticism, it is that one criticism that will cling to your

memory. Basically, memory feeds on interest. It retains only those situations and subjects in

which it feels interest; if you enjoy astronomy, your memory will also treasure it.

The next faculty is intellect. Even as you are reading now, your intellect is saying something. It is

passing some sort of judgment, it is accepting or rejecting what is written, questioning my

words. All this comes with intellect.

Then there is ego. When you are happy, something in you expands. That something is ego. Ego

brings happiness, it brings creativity, shyness, grief. If you are shy and timid, it is because of your

ego; joy and pride are also due to ego; behind every fear, there is ego. We know very little

about the function of ego. Knowledge of your ego can strengthen you, it will eliminate your

vulnerability.
The next faculty is something that does not have tangible boundaries. Sometimes when you


are relaxed or you are in love, you feel a sense of wonder, that there is something more

mysterious in life than we are aware; it may happen when you are watching a sunset, when

you are reading the Gita, when a baby is born, when you are taking a cold shower or when

you are sick with fever. That something is the self, the consciousness, the atma. You may hardly

notice it, but those few seconds give you so much peace and tranquillity. Preserving those

moments will enrich your life.

Looking within

Meditation is a conscious experience of that aspect within you that enriches all other six layers.

Nowhere, neither at home nor at school, are we taught to deal with our minds and emotions.

Has anybody ever taught you how to cope with depression, anger, jealousy, tension? Nobody

taught Thomas Edison how to make a bulb either. He did it on his own. When you learn

something yourself, it is great. You should always be open to learning; if you don’t learn from

your own intuition, take advantage of someone else’s intuition.

You may feel ‘‘It is my mind; why should anyone else teach me how to control it?’’. But while it

is your hands and feet that operate a car, while the steering and accelerator are fitted in the

car, you still have to learn to drive. Someone has to teach you. Of course, if you know or learn

on your own, then there is no problem!

Emotional problems do exist in schools and colleges but nobody is taught how to handle these

emotions. It is startling to read news reports of brilliant children, with bright futures, committing

suicide. There is a connection between your breath and emotion. When you are angry, your

breath moves in one rhythm; when you are upset, your breath moves in another rhythm; when

you are jealous or depressed, your breath moves in yet other rhythms. You need to be aware

of this and how through the rhythm of breath, you can handle your emotions and your mind. It

is very simple, just keep an open mind.

What is that you can do for eternity? Definitely not anything that is big or great because it

needs effort, and effort tires. So, it is a temporary state. If you can think of one thing that is

below your capacity to do and agree to do it, that becomes Pooja. The readiness to

consciously do trivial things for eternity unites you with eternity. This is an antidote to ego.

Ego is always ambitious and wants to do the toughest job like climbing Mount Everest, etc.

Whereas in a simple act like watching a butterfly, watering the garden, watching the birds or

the sky, can bring deep relaxation, and relaxation connects you with your source. Not that you

do trivial things all your life, but consciously agreeing to do the trivial actions for eternity, opens

a new dimension and brings in immense peace and restfulness.

To find rest in activity, choose an activity that is far below your capacity and agree to do it

until eternity. Doing a job far below your capacity and being satisfied with it will make it

possible to do a job much beyond your capacity. And to get rid of stress, do something really

simple and silly, like taking a walk. Just come out of your little shells and feel free. Let anyone

think what they like; do not be a football of other people’s opinions. If there is love in you,

enthusiasm, sense of belongingness, that is real success.

Know that all actions are born out of infinity and that which is born out of infinity can take you

to infinity.
 
Jai Gurudev.

The Call Of Nurture

20th March 2005

                                                           
The call of nurture

According to the ancient scriptures, human beings have five sheaths: the environment, the
physical body, the mind or the mental sheath, the intuitive sheath and the fifth sheath is
purushartha, ie, the blissful state. Thus, environment is our first body.
Environment consciousness is inbuilt in the human system. Historically, nature (or prakriti) has
always been adored in India; mountains, rivers, the sun, the moon, the trees have always been
honoured. It’s only when we start moving away from nature that we start polluting nature. We
need to revive the ancient practice of honouring and conserving nature.
The popular belief is that damage to ecology is an inevitable by-product of technological
progress. But it is not necessarily so; in fact, a sustainable growth is assured only if the ecology is
protected. Science and technology should not be regarded as anti-environment; rather, we
need to find ways of maintaining harmony in environment while progressing in science and
technology. This is the biggest challenge of this century.
Just observe nature; the five elements of nature are opposed to each other. Water destroys
fire, fire destroys air... Then there are so many species in nature — the birds, reptiles, mammals;
all these different species are hostile towards each other and yet nature balances them out.
We need to learn from nature; how nature digests waste material and produces something
more beautiful. Similarly, it is not technology and science that pose a hazard, but the waste
material generated by technological and scientific processes. We need to find methods to
consume the waste. Eg, fly ash, an indestructible waste generated by thermal power stations,
is today used for making bricks for construction purposes.
We also need to develop non-polluting processes, such as harnessing of solar energy. Man’s
greed is the greatest pollutant. Man is so greedy, he wants to make quick profits and achieve
quick results. Greed stops man from sharing with others. Greed also obstructs preservation of
ecology. While being aware of methods to prevent pollution, he may not act upon them
because they cost in some way.
This greed not only pollutes the gross, physical environment but also contaminates the subtle
atmosphere, ie, it stimulates negative emotions in the subtle mind of man. These negative
emotions impact the minds of all the people around; if one person is angry and agitated, the
anger and agitation does not stay limited to that one person but rubs off onto all those who he
comes in contact with. These negative vibrations, once compounded, give rise to unrest in
society. Negative feelings of hatred, anger, jealousy are the root cause of all disasters and
misery in the world, whether they are economical, political or social in nature.
Most of the wars are triggered off by such feelings; and war is always accompanied by waste
and natural disasters which take ages to balance out. We need to attend to the human
psyche which causes pollution, whether physical or emotional. If compassion and care are
kindled within the self, they reflect in the environment; a sense of sacredness follows.
Sensitivity, synergy
People should be encouraged to treat the planet as sacred, to treat trees and rivers as
sacred, to treat people as sacred, and to see God in nature and in people. This will fostersensitivity; and a sensitive person can’t but care for nature. It is basically insensitivity that makes

a person act callously towards environment. If a person is sensitive, he will nurture environment,
thereby eradicating pollution.
In ancient times, if a person cut one tree, he planted five in return. The ancient people did not
wash clothes in holy rivers; any pooja offered to a holy river was performed with water from the
same river; only ashes of cremated bodies were to be submerged in the river so that
everything gets digested back to nature. It is unfortunate that we don’t understand the depth
of scriptures but just follow empty and meaningless practices blindly.
Today, we tie threads around the trees; pooja does not mean just lighting a lamp and
revolving around the tree; worshipping cows does not mean garlanding them and lighting
camphor (which anyway just annoys or scares the cow!). Real pooja is honouring the tree,
honouring the animal, feeling a sense of responsibility and belongingness towards nature and
creation. This, rather than performance of obsolete rituals, is truly honouring their sacredness;
these things should be reviewed.
Tradition, technology, trade and truth need to be revived time and again. Unless they are
revived, the whole meaning for which they were initiated will be lost; ancient and modern
methods should be synergised. Eg, despite chemical reforms, the ancient Vedic technology of
using cow urine and dung leaves continue to be one of the best ways to cultivate crops;
several experiments have shown that natural farming (without fertilizers and pesticides) lead to
enhanced yield.
Just because some product is new and the companies selling it are saying this is the latest
technology, don’t assume it’s economically the most viable or that it’s the most efficient
technology. We need to look into the merits; just because something is new, it need not be
good and just because some thing is old, it need not be discarded.
We need to balance our views with a free mind, devoid of any inhibitions and prejudices. We
need to work out ways and means of protecting our beautiful planet earth. For this to happen,
human consciousness must rise above greed and exploitation. Exploitation has two phases:
first, when you exploit others; second, when you exploit the earth. This exploitation needs to be
checked and for that, man must develop a broad vision, a broad understanding of life and of
himself in context with the cosmos.
Our life span is barely 80-90 years. Observe how much we exploit the earth during this time and
how much we do to preserve it. We need to ask ourselves whether we only want to exploit
and drain the planet or whether we want to contribute towards its preservation. Spirituality
elevates ones consciousness and checks that greed which leads to environmental
degradation. It promotes a sense of caring and commitment for the whole planet.
Processes and objects that are anti-nature and anti-environment are also anti-health. We
simply don’t know this; nobody would want to do something knowing that it will invite suffering.
We need to explore means of healthy lifestyles. Spirituality eliminates all the negative emotions;
if you are devoid of spirituality or ignore it, you cannot become environment conscious, it’s
almost impossible. Because somewhere deep within you, your cravings, your aversions and
your anger will all, directly or indirectly, start affecting your environment.
Spirituality is what cleanses greed, feverishness and small-mindedness in a person; it leads him
to honour nature, to honour his life and to introduce greater joy and celebration in his life and
surroundings.
 
Jai Gurudev.

LEARN WHAT???

3rd April 2005


Learn what?

Only an education that can nourish inbuilt virtues can impart true intelligence
Today, it is the concern of every parent that their children should grow up to be well-educated
human beings with certain values in their lives, and that they should be happy. But somewhere
along the line, the link to happiness appears to be getting severed. We are losing the goal of happiness.
Look at a child, a baby, what a beautiful smile it has. What joy and friendliness it exudes. But
see the face of the same child by the time he passes out of school and college. Does it still
retain that joy, that innocence, that beauty that it was endowed with as an infant?
This is what we need to take a really good look at, and think: is there any way that the
innocence of an individual can be retained despite growing older, despite maturing? If we
can achieve that, then we will have attained something really marvellous; because
innocence brings with itself a certain beauty.
Even an ignorant person can be innocent, but such innocence does not have much value.
And an intelligent person can be crooked, but such intelligence does not have much value.
What is worth having on this planet is an intelligence that is complementary with innocence,
that does not destroy innocence.
Can we not introduce such values in our education system that every child learns to be
friendly? In schools and colleges, if you ask the children how many friends they have, they’ll
count on their fingers — one, two, three, four, five... Not more than that. I have a question for
children: if you don’t know how to be friendly with the 40-50 children present in your classroom
over a period of a year, how will you ever become friendly with the 6 billion people on the
planet?
The basic tendency to make friends has been lost somewhere in the pursuit of selfish
education. As a part of their education, children should be encouraged to make one new
friend a day.
Like the protons and neutrons are in the centre of the atom while the negative charged
particles are only on the circumference, similarly in human consciousness, mind and life also,
all the negativities are in the periphery. At the core of every being, there is positivity and virtue.
And if we are successful in finding the means to nourish this virtue, we will see the youth come
up radiant and endowed with human values.
To me, the sign of true and lasting success is a smile (which nobody can take away from you)
together with friendliness, compassion and a willingness to serve each other. That’s why it’s
very painful to hear that there are shootouts in colleges today. I think it’s high time that we
came together to identify ways and means of restoring the respect, honour and dignity that
education has commanded historically.
The need of the day is a broad-minded education accompanied by a warm heart. It is of no
use if you acquire good education and then begin to look down upon everybody else. A welleducated
person is one who is friendly and compassionate, who can be a ‘‘nobody’’ with
everybody.
And whether terrorism has its roots in leftist doctrine or in religious doctrine, they are all

spawned in schools and colleges. That’s where the children and the youth start reflecting what
is what is right and what is wrong; which, in turn, leads to deliberation as to what they should
do to put the entire world right. A multicultural and multi-faith open-mindedness can come
from education alone. Even if a small part of the planet is left ignorant on this level, the world
will still not be a safe place.
So all the big thinkers and good minds in society today must ponder on a holistic, healthy
education that will help us retain the virtues and values which we are all naturally endowed
with. Together, we must help spread the significance of human values, broadmindedness and
warm hearts; that should be our goal while bringing up our children.

Jai Gurudev.

Thus Spake The Buddha

29th May 2005


Thus spake the Buddha
When Buddha got enlightened on that full moon day in the month of May, it is said that he
maintained silence for the whole week. He did not say a word. Mythology says that all the
angels in the heaven were frightened. They knew that it was only once in a millennium that
someone blossoms like Buddha. Now he was silent! The angels then requested him to say
something. He said, “Those who know, they know even without my saying and those who do
not know, will not know even if I say something. Any description of light to a blind man is of no
use. There is no point in talking to those who have not tasted the ambrosia of life, and
therefore I am silent. How can you convey something so intimate and personal? Words
cannot. And as many scriptures in the past have declared words end where truth begins.”
The angels said, “What you say is right. But consider those who are on the borderline, who are
neither fully enlightened nor totally ignorant. For them, a few words will give a push, for their
sake you speak and every word of yours will create that silence.”
The purpose of words is to create silence. If words create more noise, then they have not
reached their goal. Buddha's words would definitely create silence, because Buddha is the
manifestation of silence. Silence is the source of life and is the cure for diseases. When people
are angry, they maintain silence. First they shout and then comes the silence. When one is sad,
they ask to be left alone and retreat into silence. Similarly, silence is the recourse one takes to if
ashamed. If one is wise too, there’s silence.
When Jesus was asked, “Are you the son of God?” he kept silent; it was the wisest thing to do.
When you are telling someone you have a pain in the leg and they want you to prove it, how
is that possible? When you cannot prove something as deep as pain how can you prove
something like enlightenment or divinity? Joy and fulfillment bring silence while desire brings
noise.
Look at the noise in your mind. What is it about? More money? More fame? More recognition?
Fulfillment? Relationship? The noise is about something; silence is about nothing. Silence is the
basis; noise is the surface.
From the very beginning Buddha lived a very satisfied life. Any pleasure was at his feet the
moment he wanted it. One day he said, “I would like to go and see what the world is.”
He started thinking when he saw someone who was sick, someone who was old and someone
who was dying. These three instances were good enough to bring in him the knowledge that
there is misery. When he saw someone sick, he said, “enough! I have experienced it.” Just one
glimpse of an old man and a corpse was enough Buddha said, “there is no joy in life; I am
dead already! There is no meaning in life. Let me go back.”
Buddha set out in quest of truth, all by himself, leaving his palace, wife and son. Stronger the
silence, powerful will be the questions that arise from such a silence. Nothing could stop him.
He knew he wouldn’t be able to get away during day, so he quietly escaped at night and his
search continued for several years. He did all that people told him to do, he went from placeto place, fasted, and he walked many paths, before discovering four truths.
The first truth is, “There is misery (Dukha) in the world.” In life, there are only two possibilities: one
is to observe the world around us and know from others’ suffering and futile exercises, the
second is experience it and find that it is misery. There is no third possibility. If you are sensitive,you don’t need to go through all that yourself. You can look at those who are suffering and become wise.
The second truth is, “There is a cause for misery.” You can be happy without a reason. Joy
does not need a reason, laughter does not need a joke but misery has a cause. The third truth
is, “It is possible to eliminate misery.” The fourth truth is, “There is a path to be out of misery.”
Following the four truths, he gives the eight-fold path of right equanimity, right vision, right
silence, right meditation etc. Buddha also said that the three things to do are Sheela, which
means conduct, Samadhi, which means an equanimous meditative state, and Pragya, which
means awareness.
Buddha was born at a very interesting time in India’s history, at a time when India was
prosperous and had reached its height in philosophical thinking. In a highly intellectual society,
people think they know it all, but in fact, they have not known at all. This was the case in India.
So Buddha said, “Come, I have a simple technique for you. Keep your concepts to yourself,
but just come and sit.” Then Buddha gave them four steps.
They are:
Observe the body (Kayaanu Paschana)
Observe the sensations (Vedananu Paschana)
Observe the flow of mind (Chittanu Paschana)
Observe your true nature (Dhammanu Paschana)
So, Buddha spoke and taught for years. Thousands would sit still, observe and meditate and
become free. Buddha would not indulge in any philosophic discussion.
I think it is mandatory for every psychologist to study Buddha! . Buddha has propounded all
that there is to know about the mind and its functions in such a methodical manner. Mind is
noise; the source of the mind is silence. That’s why Buddha said, “no mind”. He was referring to
the chain of thoughts that simply wander in the mind all the time.
At a time when there was so much prosperity, Buddha gave a begging bowl to his main
disciples and asked them to go and beg! He made kings take off their royal robes and take a
bowl in their hand! Not that they were in need of food but he wanted to teach them the
lesson of becoming ‘nobody’ from being ‘somebody’. You are nobody; you are insignificant in
this Universe. When kings and geniuses of that time were asked to beg, they became
embodiments of compassion.
Observe your true nature. What is your true nature? It is peace, compassion, love, friendliness
and joy and it is silence that gives birth to all this. Silence swallows the sadness, guilt, and misery
and gives birth to joy, compassion and love. Buddha came to take away the misery, the guilt,
the fear, the arrogance, the ignorance, and bring back wisdom, strength, beauty, knowledgeand peace.Everyone can enjoy and cross the ocean of misery.
 
 
 
Jai Gurudev.

ARE YOU HAPPY???

3rd July 2005

                                                                
Are you happy?

What is your commitment in life? You may say you are committed to happiness. Every living
creature wants to be happy. Whether it is money, power or sex, you get into it for the sake of
happiness. Some people even enjoy misery because it gives them happiness !
To be happy, we seek something. But despite getting it, we are not happy. A school-going boy
may think that if he goes to college, he will be more independent, free and therefore happy. If
you ask a college-going boy whether he is happy, he feels that if he gets a job, he will be
happy. Talk to somebody who is settled in their job or business, you already know what he will
say! He is waiting to get a perfect soul mate, to be happy. He gets a soul mate, but he now
wants a kid to be happy. Ask those who have children if they are happy. How can they relax
until the children have grown up and have had a good education and are on their own. Ask
those who are retired, are they happy? They long for the days when they were younger.
All of one’s life is spent in preparing to be happy someday in the future. It’s like making a bed
all night, but having no time to sleep.
How may minutes, hours and days have we spent our life being happy from within ? Those are
the only moments you have really lived life. Those were perhaps the days when you were a
small kid, completely blissful and happy or a few moments when you were surfing, swimming or
sailing or on a mountain top, living in the present and enjoying it.
There are two ways of looking at life. One is thinking that, “I'll be happy after achieving a
certain objective.” The second is saying that “I am happy come what may!”
Which one do you want to live?
Seeking a guru
Before looking for a guru, it is important to know who is a true guru, and who will guide you to
the path of happiness.
One who says he is a guru is not a true guru. A guru is not one who claims authority on you. A
guru is not one who dictates terms to you. A guru simply means one who brings more joy,
alertness and awareness into your life. He is the one who helps you get in touch with yourself,
who reminds you to live in the present moment, who pulls you out of your guilt, agitation,
sorrow, anguish and allows you to be yourself. Also, a master lives the values he teaches.
Enlightenment does not come through authority. Somebody cannot command you to get
enlightened. Once life blossoms, and love and compassion become a reality, then silence
dawns and the transformation happens. That is enlightenment. It is a personal experience.
God is also a very personal experience. It is something akin to pain. If you have a pain in your
leg, can you prove it to anybody? Can you show your pain to anybody?
Much the same way, the opening of infinite consciousness is also a personal experience. The
basic substratum of creation — you may call it God or any other name — opens up to us more
and more as we get rid of the stresses and start living in the present moment. And then dawns
surrender.
Surrender is not an act. One cannot “try” to surrender. Most often, one keeps wondering as to

how to surrender. And this struggle blocks one from being “in” surrender. Surrendering is in your
nature. Just like it is a child’s nature to love toys, candies, and ice creams.
How can one find his true guru? Just be open and keep learning, and when your learning is
complete, it becomes obvious. When you’re on the path, don’t worry about the guru. First look
at your own life, your own self. Have trust in yourself. And as knowledge unfolds, you’ll find that
there is suddenly a lot of gratitude in you towards somebody and then you can accept him as
a master.
Live in the moment
Life is 80 per cent joy and 20 per cent misery. But we hold on to the 20 per cent and make it
200 per cent ! It is not a conscious act, it just happens. Living in the moment with joy, alertness,
awareness and compassion is enlightenment. Being like a child is enlightenment. It is being
free from within, feeling at home with everybody, without barriers.
Don’t judge and don’t worry about what others think of you. Whatever they think, it is not
permanent. Your own opinion about things and people keeps changing all the time. So why
worry about what others think about you. Worrying takes a lot of toll on the body, mind,
intellect and alertness. It is like an obstruction that takes us far away from ourselves. It brings us
fear. Fear is nothing but lack of love. It is an intense sense of isolation.
This can be handled by relaxing and doing some breathing exercises. Then you will realise that,
“I am loved, I am part of everybody and I am part of the whole Universe.” This will liberate you
and the mind will take a complete shift. You will then find so much harmony around.
To find harmony, it is not as if you have to physically seek it by sitting somewhere for years and
practise. Whenever you are in love and feel joyous, your mind is in the present . At some level,
to some degree, everybody is meditating without being aware of it. There are moments when
your body, mind and breath are all in harmony. That’s when you achieve yoga. The art of
living lies in the present moment.
 

Jai Gurudev.

A SPRITUAL REFUGE

19th December 2004


A spiritual refuge

In the spiritual path, there are three factors: the Buddha - the Master or the Enlightened, the

Sangha - the commune or the group, and the Dharma - your nature, your true nature. One of

the main things in the Buddhist practice is taking refuge in all these three. Buddham Sharanam

Gacchami means ‘I take refuge in Buddha’. Sangham Sharanam Gacchami means ‘I take

refuge in the assembly, the Sangha’. And Dhammam Sharanam Gacchami means ‘I take

refuge in the true nature of things as they are’.

Buddha or the Master is the Enlightened. The closer you go to Him the more charm you find.

You will never be tired of the Enlightened. The closer you go the more newness, the more

charm, the more love you feel. It’s like a depth without a bottom. Buddha’s company will

always be new and charming.

Master is a doorway. And the doorway needs to be more charming than the world so that you will come to the doorway. Someone is in the street and there is rain and thunder, or hot sun.

They need shelter. They look around, they find a doorway. They come to the doorway. The

doorway is more inviting, more charming, more celebrative, more joyful than anything else in

the world.

Nothing could give that much peace, joy, pleasure in the world. Once you come to the

doorway, you enter the door and see the world from there. See the world from the eyes of the

Master. This is a sign that you have come to the Master. Otherwise you may still be standing in

the street and looking at the door. But once you have entered the door, then you will see the

whole world from the eyes of the Master.

What does this mean? In every situation that you face, you will think, ‘‘If this situation comes in

front of the Master, how would he or she handle it?’’ or ‘‘If this complication comes in front of

the Master, how would he take it?’’ or ‘‘If someone blames the Master like this, how would he

handle it?’’. See the world from the eyes of the Master all the time.

The world looks much more beautiful; not a nasty place. But a place filled with love, filled with

joy, cooperation, compassion, and all virtues. The world is much more fun. Looking through the

doorway, there is no fear. You will look at the world without any fear. You will be in all

relationships with everybody without any fear. Because there is shelter.

From inside the home, you will look at the thunder, you will look at the storm, you will look at

the rain, you will look at the bright sun. Inside you have air conditioning. Very cool, pleasant.

Outside it’s hot. You don’t mind because there is nothing that can really distract you, disturb

you, or take the fullness away from you. Such a sense of security, such a sense of fullness and

joy comes. That is the purpose of having a Master.

All relationships in the world go topsy-turvy. You make relationships and you break

relationships. All relationships can get broken or made up and again broken. And there is

craving and aversion. This is the world. This is samsara. But the Master is not a relationship. The

Master is the Presence. What is necessary is to feel the Presence of the Master, not to make a

relationship. Don’t make the Master a part of your world. You feel the Presence of the Master,

that is eternal. That has been there with you before, now, and will be there in the future, too.

Master is the Presence. World is relativity. And relativity has limitations. Presence is unlimited.

Presence is vast, infinite, and all comprehensive, all inclusive. And the presence of the Masterin one’s life will bring fulfillment to all relations. Every relationship will become complete with

the presence of the Infinity if the Master is in your life.

Living with people

The second factor is Sangha, the group. The group is very charming from a distance but the

closer you get to it, it pushes all your buttons and brings about all the unwanted things from

within you. Any group is very good from a distance or with just a little acquaintance. If you

think some group is very good that means you are not yet completely with the group in

totality.When you are part of that group you will find some bickering will come up. That’s why

you find the other group better than your group. It’s really not the fact because you make the

group. If you are better your group will be better. If you are not better anywhere you go you

will make that group also like you.

Sangha has a reverse nature than Buddha - completely different. Once you are used to a

Sangha you lose the charm in the Sangha. That is essential because while Buddha makes your

mind one-pointed, Sangha, because it is of so many people, can scatter your mind. It will

fragment it. Sangha’s nature will be such though it is very supportive.If it is only repulsive all the

time then nobody will be in the Sangha because our nature is not to be in repulsion. Buddha

uplifts you. Just by Grace, by Love, by Knowledge He pulls you up. The Sangha pushes you up

from down below. Buddha from above pulls you up and the Sangha pushes you up. And the

Dhamma is to be in the middle. Your nature is not to go to extremes. Your nature is to be in

balance. Your nature is to smile from the depth of your heart. Your nature is to accept this

entire existence totally as it is. Do not crave or be averse. Often you crave for Buddha and you

are averse to the Sangha. And you try to change. By changing Sangha or Buddha you are not

going to change.

Moment’s worth

The main purpose is to come to the centre deep within you which means to find your Dharma.

This is the third factor. What is Dharma? Knowing this moment is what has been offered to me

and that is how I take it. A sense of deep acceptance for this moment, for every moment is

Dharma. When this has come up then there is no problem at all. All the problems generate

from our mind; all negativity comes in from our mind.

The world is not bad; the world is beautiful. It is our world that is bad because our world has ‘us’

in it. We make our world ugly or beautiful. So when you are in your Dharma, in your nature, you

won’t blame the world and you won’t blame the Divine.

The difficulty of the human mind is that it cannot be part of the world totally and it cannot be

part of the Divine. It feels a distance from the Divine. It’s its own creation and yet it feels like

blaming the world. It’s not comfortable with the world. Dharma is that which puts you in the

middle and which makes you comfortable with the world. It causes you to contribute to the

world, be at ease with the Divine, and feel that you are a part of the Divine. That is true

Dharma.

Jai Gurudev.