Character is Power

As all objects and individuals, rites and activities are transitory, they suffer from decay and destruction. They can at best help the cleansing of the mind. Activity (karma) cannot liberate one from the basic ignorance or award the awareness of the reality as Brahman. Be conscious of this limitation in order to win the right of inquiry into the mystery of the Brahman, the source and core of the cosmos. The one who devotes life to earn the knowledge of the Atma must possess holy virtues and good character. Character is power. No knowledge is higher than a virtuous character. For the person who has dedicated one's years to the acquisition of higher learning, ever good character is an indispensable qualification. Every religion emphasizes the same need; virtuous character is the very foundation of spiritual life. Those who lead lives on these lines can never come to harm. They will be endowed with sacred merit.

Baba (thought for the day)

Whatever is transitory suffers from decay and destruction. What we can do with the transitory is cleansing the mind, what we know from TM, it was the same teaching. That is why we meditated to clean the mind. Focus on the mantra is called concentration, and meditation is the state beyond the mind in silence, between is a small line and that is the contemplation on 'insights' or the teaching.

So therefore, activity cannot liberate one from ignorance or get us into the awareness of the reality of Brahman or 'Atma Vidya'.

Be conscious of this limitation in order to win the right of inquiry into the mystery of the Brahman, the source and core of the cosmos.

He asks us to be conscious about that limitation to be able to get the right inquiry into the mystery of Brahman, the source and core of the cosmos.

What is the problem in that sentence? That we do not understand the limitation as we have in mind that God is everywhere and what we hear again and again devotees telling, but he is everywhere and that is all they got, further it doesn't go and why, because the intellect stops to work if there are not two sides and that is relative and absolute or conceptual and non-conceptual.

If we think he is everywhere there is only one and on that level we stop to think, but nothing is understood. He is everywhere, but whatever is transitory suffers from decay and destruction and he not, he is eternal, so there is a difference. The question is not about him and that he is everywhere, but the question is about everything transitory and being conscious of this limitation in order to win the right of inquiry into the mystery of Brahman.

The second question for us is – what is Brahman? If we get in our thoughts always to only one conclusion and that is – he is love and everywhere – we don't get closer to the understanding of what is meant with Brahman. So we do not understand what he is talking about. He is telling us that it is the source and core of the cosmos, but as we stopped thinking with the conclusion that he is everywhere, it is again the same, what is meant with source and core of the cosmos.

We don't know.

That is important and if we listen to him and think it over, we actually get aware that it is not the right conclusion that he is everywhere, he doesn't talk about that – we have to be conscious of the limitation in order to win the right of inquiry into the source of the cosmos and if we are not conscious about that limitation and we think – oh, it is easy, he is everywhere, we will not get the right of inquiry into the source of the cosmos. So reading and listening is not enough, we have to think it over and be aware of every word he tells us and not just making it easy for our mind getting to wrong conclusions.

The one who devotes life to earn the knowledge of the Atma must possess holy virtues and good character. Character is power.

That is a totally different level. He is not telling us just meditate and purify the mind, even though he just said that the limited is best used for mind purification only, he tells us if we devote our life to earn the knowledge of Atma, we must possess character and holy virtues and that character is power. Here not wealth is power, but character is power.

We probably all think we know what is meant with character and being good, but do we really understand it right?

No knowledge is higher than a virtuous character. For the person who has dedicated one's years to the acquisition of higher learning, ever good character is an indispensable qualification.

What Baba does here is not telling us how we get character and he doesn't tell knowledge is power, but he is telling us that we need together with the acquisition of higher learning a very good character, otherwise, it is a waste of time. That he doesn't tell here, but he said it in other discourses.

It means that character is more important than higher learning and we have to get to the right conclusion. If we do not have that qualification, we cannot get the right into inquiry of Brahman.

Every religion emphasizes the same need; virtuous character is the very foundation of spiritual life. Those who lead lives on these lines can never come to harm. They will be endowed with sacred merit.

And here he relates it to every religion as the foundation of spiritual life and when we think of all those wars we had in the name of our church and religion, we actually get to the conclusion that this is not right understood. If we would know it and if every religion would know it, we would not have the problem that people in the name of religion destroy and hurt other people. If we would know it we would be aware of the difference between limitations and therefore, as he is telling us here that we suffer from decay and destruction.  If we would be aware of it in our religion, we would as he is telling us here use the limitations to clean the mind and for war and holy wars as it is sometimes called.

As all objects and individuals, rites and activities are transitory, they suffer from decay and destruction.

It is the question about peace and Baba said also if we want to make the experience of pure love, we have to first understand peace, for that we have to accept right action (what has to do with character) and if we accept the path of right action, we have to accept truth. Only if we have those three things, truth, right action and peace, we are able to get to the experience of pure love.

Be conscious of this limitation in order to win the right of inquiry into the mystery of the Brahman, the source and core of the cosmos.

Therefore, it is very important to be conscious of the limitation to win the right of inquiry into the mystery of Brahman.

The qualities that make up a flawless character are: love, patience, forbearance, steadfastness, and charity. These must be revered. Character is the fragrance of the flower of life; it gives value and worth to life.

We can put them together, as it is also about character and see if he tells something different as he spoke about the religion just before, now he talks about the holy men we know from religion. It has also to do with being conscious about the limitations and using it the best way possible  in cleaning the mind with it and understanding peace.

Buddha, Jesus Christ, Shankaracharya, Vivekananda, and many great saints and devotees of the Lord are treasured in the memory of people even to this day. What quality made them memorable for all times to come? It is their character. The qualities that make up a flawless character are: love, patience, forbearance, steadfastness, and charity. These must be revered. Character is the fragrance of the flower of life; it gives value and worth to life. The hundred little deeds that we indulge in every day harden into habits; these habits shape the intelligence and mold our outlook and life. All that we weave in our imagination, seek in our ideals, and yearn in our aspirations leave an indelible imprint on the mind. Poets, painters, artists, and scientists may be great, each in their own field, but without character, they can have no standing in society.

On the Ford journal is the Ford GT in blue and it is breathtaking cars.

It is just about some enthusiasm for it and the cars look great and Henry Ford, he was a great man, wasn't he?

And he also has such an indelible imprint on the mind of people. He is in his field known not only as a pioneer of the American industry but also for his good character. It fits perfectly in the thought for the day and Baba's words, doesn't it?

Tomorrow my daughter takes her flight to New York. After all she goes by herself to see her aunt and father went a week ago to India.

It feels good when Baba is confirming that it is a gift to be able to inquire into the mystery of Brahman or the core of the cosmos.

I had rather the feeling sometimes that it was a punishment.

Be conscious of this limitation in order to win the right of inquiry into the mystery of the Brahman, the source and core of the cosmos.

That is how he makes us feel good.

We have to be conscious of the limitations and if we are not, we can take it easy and tell ourselves, everything is Baba, he is everywhere, nothing to worry about.

Only that is not what he is telling us here and if we take that attitude, even if it is true, we do not listen, because he tells us that we need to be conscious of the limitations and only if we are conscious of the limitations, we are able to win the right of inquiry into the mystery of Brahman, the source and core of the cosmos.  

I always wonder how we can get answers in our study circle like that, but he is everything and everywhere and … by that we are actually taking limitations away.

It tells me that we can also avoid a challenge to listen to Baba, because it feels good to just think 'we know', even if we should face the truth that we do not know and only if we face the truth that we don't know, we are able to accept right action and listen to him and he knows. Only if we have those three things, truth, right action and peace, we are able to make the experience of pure love.

That is how we get an answer or better he is answering it if we if actually listen to him. As he said in the dream, 'he is the insight and the following step'. 

We have to listen and to think it over seeing it in our own life to be able to absorb the wisdom and to be able to understand some aspect of Atma Vidya.

That is what he said not long ago in a thought for the day.
We don't know and we have to accept that it is true, because he is beyond the mind and we are in the mind. We have to listen to him to be able to win the right to inquire into the mystery of Brahman, the source and core of the cosmos.