The Insight of 'I am I'

When Prahlada's father, Hiranyakasipu drew him near and fondly asked the boy to repeat what he had learnt from his teacher, Prahlada replied, "I learned the secret essence of all learning." The father was glad and asked him, "Tell me the essential thing that you have mastered." Prahlada said, "Father! He who illumines everything, He who finally absorbs everything with Himself, is the One, Lord Narayana. Having Him always in mind and experiencing the bliss thereof awards fulfillment to all." He further said, "Father! You conquered the entire world, but you failed to conquer your senses. How then can you receive grace from Narayana? These material skills and worldly achievements are hollow possessions. The knowledge and experience of the One Divine (Brahma-vidya), that alone is worthy to be pursued," said the child prodigy. 

Baba (thought for the day)

Prahlada’s father, Hiranyakasipu, was a scholar and a big and powerful demon, he was that powerful that God in the form of a lion had to come down and destroy him. His wife when pregnant lived with a sage in an ashram and the son was therefore a devotee and when he went to school the father expected a different knowledge and not what Prahlada is answering here. If we would listen how the story is going on Baba would tell us that the father got very enraged listening to that and he wanted to get rid of the son in many different attempts to kill him afterwards. He began to fight God in the boy and finally God came down and killed him.

Prahlada replied, "I learned the secret essence of all learning." The father was glad and asked him, "Tell me the essential thing that you have mastered." Prahlada said, "Father! He who illumines everything, He who finally absorbs everything with Himself, is the One, Lord Narayana. Having Him always in mind and experiencing the bliss thereof awards fulfillment to all."

This is the same message we find in Baba’s words.
Prahlada tells the father that it is about the essence and that he learned about the secret essence and the father was still glad and asked him to specify. And Prahlada answered, the one who illumines everything, he who absorbs everything within himself, the one only, being aware of that one always in our mind and experiencing the bliss thereof awards the fulfillment to all.

He further said, "Father! You conquered the entire world, but you failed to conquer your senses. How then can you receive grace from Narayana? These material skills and worldly achievements are hollow possessions. The knowledge and experience of the One Divine (Brahma-vidya), that alone is worthy to be pursued," said the child prodigy.

Remember Who you Are

Chant the name of God day in and day out. That alone will protect you at all times. Just as air is all pervasive, God is present in you, with you, around you, below you, above you. Hence, be in constant communion with Divinity. When you develop faith in Divinity, you will naturally have unity. Consequently, there will be no scope for enmity. You need not perform any rituals in order to win the grace of God. It is enough if you do namasmarana (chant the Divine Name) from the depth of your heart. Hari Bhajana bina sukha shanti nahi… (You cannot attain peace and happiness without singing the glory of God). If you incessantly chant the divine name 'Rama', no harm can ever befall you. Do not fritter away this opportunity but put it to the best use. Remember that God is always with you wherever you are.

Baba (thought for the day)

How do we feel about that first sentence, but here at work and also at home there is no way I can chant the name of God day in and out. So for me it is the question how to understand it. Even if I would try, it would not work out.

Listening to Baba's words what comes in my mind are some old saints walking around chanting and singing and praising the name of the Lord all day and it was kind of like that with the Hare Krishnas, they were singing Kirtans and dancing in the streets and for it was a challenge to be part of it and to stand on the street and sing and dance and I was not very happy about it. I didn't like to be the object of curiosity for all passing by people and to stand up to it in that obvious way. In Paris it was easier, because nobody knew me probably and it was Paris and not my hometown and Paris is beautiful and we got like that another sight of the city than if we are just a tourist.  

It was hard and I had the feeling I would like more discretion and less openly demonstrating what had to do with believe and internal affairs and I was not used to that at all and I didn't get the taste for it. Our discussion when I had been younger turned around another theme, it was the question if God exists at all and not if we want to sing and show our ecstasy openly in the streets. And it was not the question if I wanted to do it, but they told us to do it and that felt even more awkward because we were expected to obey and to jump if they said jump and to stay if they said stay.

Three Types of Karma

If the world is real, it must be cognized even during the stage of dreamless deep sleep, but we are not conscious of the world during sleep. Hence, the visible world is as unreal as the dream world. The Universe is a reflection of the Divine (Brahman). The sky might be reflected in a pot of toddy but that does not defile it. Similarly, in this vehicle called body, the Atma dwells pure and undefiled. The fruits of action, good or bad, adhere to the vehicle and not to the indweller. When such wisdom dawns, the dark shadows of the three types of Karma flee before it (The three being Sanchita - the entire accumulated Karma; Prarabdha - the Karma whose effects we undergo in the present and Aagami - the Karma we perform now whose results will be felt in the future). The suffering and travails of this world are illusory and transitory. Fix your mind firmly on this great fact and set out bravely on the path of spiritual practice, the practice of devotion.

Baba (thought for the day)

In the first sentence we have the message. Is there anybody in the West of all the scientist getting to that conclusion that the world is not real, because we cannot cognize it during the stage of dreamless deep sleep?
We are not conscious of the world during sleep. So why not everybody recognizes the message in Baba’s words and listens to it?

If the world is real, it must be cognized even during the stage of dreamless deep sleep, but we are not conscious of the world during sleep. Hence, the visible world is as unreal as the dream world.

Divine Grace can Nullify the Effects of Karma

Scholars say, it is impossible to escape karma. What they say is true to a certain extent. Now, you may wonder if there is a way to escape from the consequences of karma. Yes, it is possible for everyone, if they ‘earn’ the grace of God. Once you deserve and receive God’s grace, you will not be affected by karmaphala (consequences of Karma). Hence, strive to earn divine grace. When you earn Divine grace, even if you have to experience the consequences of karma, you will not feel the pain. Consider the example of a bottle with medicine. The medicine will have an expiry date. After the expiry date, the medicine will lose its potency. Likewise, God’s grace will make the karmaphala ‘expire’, and nullify the effects of karma. The most important aspect here is to ‘deserve’ His Grace. You must cultivate necessary strength and willpower to deserve divine grace, and be free from the shackles of karma.

Baba (thought for the day)

If we think over that thought for the day, what are the questions we have to ask?

Scholars say, it is impossible to escape karma. Who are the scholars? Does Baba agree with it or not?

What they say is true to a certain extent.

He is telling us that it is only true to a certain extent and why only to a certain extent?

Now, you may wonder if there is a way to escape from the consequences of karma.

It means Baba is making us wonder if the scholars are not right and what do we have to do that they are not right? Is there a way to escape from the consequences of Karma?

Yes, it is possible for everyone, if they ‘earn’ the grace of God. Once you deserve and receive God’s grace, you will not be affected by karmaphala (consequences of Karma).

And here he is giving us the answer. It is possible to escape from the consequences  of Karma if we earn the grace of God.
How do we deserve and receive God’s grace to not be affected by the (consequences of Karma)?

Hence, strive to earn divine grace.

Remember the Divine, Remember 'Who I am'

People yield to delusion and become one with the darkness caused by false values and attachment to the unreal, the ‘me’ and ‘mine’. But the scripture (Shastra) is like a mother; she does not give up. She persists and pursues; she reminds you of your goal so that you will be saved. The scriptures are to be considered as the cause of the awareness of the incomprehensible, immeasurable and inexpressible Brahman. The scriptures are numberless, and a lifetime is too short. Aspirants are plenty; doubts and hesitations are numerous; steadfastness is meager. As a result, no one can claim full mastery. But you need not drink the entire ocean to know its taste; one drop is enough. Similarly, it is impossible to understand all the contents of the scriptures. But it is enough to grasp the important lesson that it teaches and put it into practice. The lesson is: constant remembrance of the Divine.

Baba (thought for the day)

How do we become one with darkness? 

It is caused by false values, looking for happiness and the solution to problems on the wrong level, what is due to attachment to the unreal, what we think we are as Baba tells here the ‘me’ and ‘mine’.

What we think is all ‘mine’ or ‘my family’ is part of it. Why it is like that, because it is not permanent and just passing by in our next life it will look different. If today we are very rich on inner values with Baba and maybe on outer richness, next life we will have maybe nothing if the Karma is not good and we will not even remember, that is just passing by values, but the divine reality is real and will also be the same next life and it has been the same in our past life, therefore, we should focus on what is real only.

What is unreal is what is passing by. We were born somewhere and now we live somewhere else and next life we will live again in an all different environment and we will have no memory and we lived in a different way in our past life, it has no value, we cannot take it with us.

The only thing that has value and is good Karma is the divine and our work and sacrifice for the divine values and that means his message, not our message. Our message it is not eternal and based on truth is no message, as it is also passing by and temporary.

We will not remember it; we will just have good or bad Karma left.

People yield to delusion and become one with the darkness caused by false values and attachment to the unreal, the ‘me’ and ‘mine’.

The Macrocosm in the Microcosm

Many people slander image worship, but its basis is really one’s capacity to see the macrocosm in the microcosm. The value of image worship is testified by experience; it doesn’t depend on one’s imaginative faculty. What is found in the form of the Lord (Virat-swarupa) is also found, undiminished and unalloyed, in the image form (Swarupa). Images serve the same purpose as metaphors and similes in poetry. They illustrate, amplify, and clarify. Joy comes not through the shape of things but through the relationship established. Not any child but her child makes the mother happy. So it is with each one and all things! With each and every thing in the universe, if one establishes that kinship, that Godly love (Iswara prema), then truly an overpowering joy can be experienced! Only those who have felt it can understand.

If it is about our capacity to see the macrocosm in the microcosm, it is about intelligence and someone who goes to the Lord and is in his presence for that much time and has not the capacity to realize that he is with the macrocosm and he is going back to his place and there he is again in his small world of microcosm and he doesn’t realize the that it is not the same or that something is wrong, such a person, whatever it looks like at the outside level, he cannot be awake, he is dull and stupid and that were Baba’s words in the insight he said, ‘stupid’.

He uses always the best words to describe something.

Many people slander image worship, but its basis is really one’s capacity to see the macrocosm in the microcosm.

Also in the Bible is said that we should not make an image of God. To be able to see the macrocosm in the microcosm is based on intelligence, we can call it pure intelligence or creative intelligence, but it is intelligence. 

The value of image worship is testified by experience; it doesn’t depend on one’s imaginative faculty.

Intimate Friendship

God is omnipresent and is within you. The primary requisite to find Him within you is having pure and selfless love. Chant His Name with love. All living beings are bound by karma in this world. God loves the human form. Hence Avatars come in human form. You can experience His vision by following your duties (Karma marga), as declared in Bhagavad Gita. The Divine is being worshipped as a decorated idol or image, with an artificial form. You should experience the Lord in His natural form, in a natural manner. All the ornamentation a devotee resorts to does not please God. It may please the heart of other devotees, but God's heart is not moved thereby. Only through love can God's heart be moved and softened. Every devotee has that power. Instead of resorting to extravagant adulation of God or seeking petty favors from God, yearn for God alone and you will get everything. Endeavour to make God your intimate friend. 

Baba (thought for the day)

  

Baba said, first discrimination, second seeing it in our own life and third we have to go on no matter what obstacles are there.

How do we do that? This morning during meditation was a cross in the insight on a light blue background, it didn't feel okay, it was rather scary and it has to do with everything what is not permanent, just passing by and it was like the light blue background was what is permanent and non-changing. Years ago Baba had said in my insight that I could go on when it was light blue, it was the only indication I had and everything what happened before somehow seemed to not work out.

Not long ago there was also Baba and two devotees I know quite well and it turned into a catastrophe that was even less great to get aware of it. And I remembered that I had that catastrophe seen above the head of my father. Now what it turns out looking back in my life as he said we should and by doing that I get aware that it was not possible to talk to him.

We Know that we don't Know

For this universal ailment of the cycle of birth and death (bhava-roga), listening to spiritual discourses (sravana) and singing God's name (kirtana) is a mandatory prescription. God's Name, Vedas and Puranas must be recited and listened to. Performing all these, if you do not awaken your own inner consciousness (antah-karana), you will fall into perdition. Hence, to attain God's Grace, the feeling of 'I-ness' (ahamkara), which makes you say, "I am the doer", should be rooted out from your heart. Everyone learned or illiterate, should feel an overwhelming urge to know God. God has equal affection toward all His children, for to illumine is the nature of light. So too, uttering God's name, one can progress in the realisation of God, another may perhaps do wicked deeds! It depends on your usage of the light. Remember - the Lord's name is without blemish, always and forever. 

Baba (thought for the day)

To attain God’s grace the feeling of ‘I-ness’ (ahamkara), should be rooted out from the heart. There is no such thing as ‘I’ and whenever we think, ‘I know the answer’, we are in the ego. It is about intelligence, Maharishi called it ‘creative intelligence’, if we know that there is an universal ‘I’ and that is in everybody and we should realize our higher self, we have to first get aware that the ‘I-ness’ doesn’t exist in the body. I am the doer is that feeling of ‘I-ness’ and when Baba said in the interview room, how do you feel, he made me aware of it – that it is a feeling. Do you know how easily that feeling is there and we don’t get aware of it?

So first we have to get aware of it and then we are able to realize that he is the one. The man in the dream who is there to awake us, is not giving us the answer that we can tell, ‘I know the answer’, he is awakening us and that is not the same thing as giving the answer.
If the man in the dream is there, it is a reflection of truth and an ‘insight’, to understand that ‘insight’ we have to go the following step and that is also ‘he’, we have to listen to his words and these words we find the reflection of the insight. One reflection is an insight and the man in the dream, it is like looking in a mirror and in the mirror everything looks like words in mirror writing and when we listen to him we see in our inner view inside in the heart the reflection of it. It is like looking in a mirror and it is mirror writing and therefore, it doesn’t make sense and we look or listen to Baba’s words and by that we look in the mirror of our heart and we see the reflection, but this time we can read it, because it is no more mirror writing.

So the man in the dream who is there to awake us talks to us in mirror writing, these are insights, pictures reflected in the mirror and only when we see the same pictures in his words, when he is talking about it, we recognize ‘truth’ and are able to recognize, ‘I am that’.

Difference between Form and Formless

The Gopikas did not concern themselves with the question whether the Divine was attributeless or full of attributes. They preferred to worship the Divine in the form of Krishna and they wanted their forms to merge in the Divine. "Thereby we shall be formless," they declared. It is when we forget our form that we can merge in the Formless. The Divine cannot be experienced through Dhyana (meditation) or Japa (recitation); this is a delusion. These practices may give momentary peace of mind. To experience permanent joy, develop your Divine nature. For this, your environment must be congenial and have pure and Divine vibrations. It is not necessary to go to a forest to concentrate on the Divine Atma dwelling within your heart. The key to inner peace is within you and not outside. In the atmosphere of a sacred divine presence, you can promote your quest for peace more effectively.

Baba (thought for the day)

If the Gopikas did not concern themselves with the question whether the Divine was attributeless or full of attributes, they also didn't question if there was a difference between non-conceptual and conceptual really, but nevertheless, they had to use discrimination.

As Baba is telling us that they preferred to worship the divine in the form of Krishna and they wanted to merge with the divine. And they said that they will be formless and the discrimination was about form and no form. How do we get to the formless if we just have a desire to merge? If we don't question that attributes, but it is still the difference between form and formless, there is actually a big difference and the question is how we get into a relationship with the formless.

Love is in our imagination usually directed towards a person or a form, we have to go over a form to get to the level when it is formless.

The Gopikas did not concern themselves with the question whether the Divine was attributeless or full of attributes. They preferred to worship the Divine in the form of Krishna and they wanted their forms to merge in the Divine. "Thereby we shall be formless," they declared. It is when we forget our form that we can merge in the Formless. The Divine cannot be experienced through Dhyana (meditation) or Japa (recitation); this is a delusion.

Love alone is the Fruit of Love

The Divine has comes as Avatar only to teach mankind the truth about love. Love alone is the fruit of love. True Love has no trace of self-interest and knows no fear. The world displays the diversity that has emanated from the One. The Divine demonstrates the unity that subsumes the diversity. Recognition of this 'Unity in Diversity' can be learnt only from the Divine. Wherever you go, whatever you do or see, cultivate the sacred feeling that you will do only those actions which pleases God. The Gita has declared: Bear no ill-will towards any living being (Adveshtaa Sarva Bhoothaanaam). Hatred towards anyone is hatred for God. The scriptures have also clearly declared: The salutation that you offer to anyone reaches the Divine. When you fill your hearts with love, you will have no hatred towards anyone. Cultivate the faith that the Divine is in everyone and surrender unto Him in a spirit of true dedication.

Here he is telling us that he comes only as Avatar to teach the truth about 'love', nothing else. He is teaching love. The Avatar didn't come to teach us to not talk or to keep silence, as he tells us here; he comes only to teach the truth about love.  

The Divine has comes as Avatar only to teach mankind the truth about love. Love alone is the fruit of love.

Love is the fruit of love; therefore, there is nothing but love. The universe is filled with love and why? If we don't have the experience, imagine it is a pure being state. We transcend the mind and our thoughts and experience pure being or pure consciousness, it is unlimited and non-conceptual, and it is unchangeable and everywhere present. It is the same with love; 'pure love' it cannot be transcended; only it needs more than just meditation to make the experience of pure love.

True Love has no trace of self-interest and knows no fear. The world displays the diversity that has emanated from the One. The Divine demonstrates the unity that subsumes the diversity.

His Words and the Divine Presence

There is no need for a new religion or a new culture or a new philosophy, what is needed is only a pure heart. You should not give room for impurity or pollution in the heart. You can make your life sacred by following the golden rule: ‘Help ever; hurt never.’ Speak softly, sweetly and truthfully. There are two eyes to see different things, two ears to hear good and bad, there are two hands to do good and bad, but there is only one tongue to speak only the Truth. Embodiments of Divine Atma! Spend your life in cherishing sacred thoughts, listening to good things, speaking good words, and doing good deeds. If all of you adopt this path, happiness and prosperity will reign in the world.

The relative world or multiplicity is a mixture of absolute and relative and to be able to see the difference, first we go from multiplicity to duality. In our TM-meditation it said it was about 200 percent living, hundred percent relative and hundred percent absolute. There had to be meditation to get to the awareness of the 200 percent, as long as we don’t meditate, it is just a mixture and multiplicity.

It doesn’t work if we do not meditate and that is what Baba calls here churning the milk to get to the butter. If we don’t churn, the milk and the butter will not be separate and he is not churning it for us. We have to do it.

Every struggle to realise the unity behind all the multiplicity is a step on the path of Divine Life. You have to churn the milk if you wish to separate and identify the butter that is immanent in it.

Calmess and Courage

Three types can be recognized among those who seek to do good deeds and tread the path of self-realization - those who are too frightened by troubles, losses, and difficulties to even begin the endeavor; they are of the lowest type. The next are those who, after having undertaken the journey and gone some distance, are depressed and defeated by obstacles and disappointments and give up in the middle; they are of the middling type. Lastly, those who steadfastly adhere to the path with calmness and courage, whatever the nature of the travail or however hard the road; these are, of course, of the highest type. This steadfastness, faith and constancy, is the characteristic of the devotee. You may be deluded by attachment to this illusory world and attracted by temporal joy, but never barter away the means of achieving permanent and complete happiness. And carry on your spiritual duties with full devotion.

Baba discriminates between three types of people, those who are too frightened and don’t even begin with and he calls that the lowest type.  

Three types can be recognized among those who seek to do good deeds and tread the path of self-realization - those who are too frightened by troubles, losses, and difficulties to even begin the endeavor; they are of the lowest type.

For my experience after I began it was not possible to stop anymore, so I actually sometimes think when I am not feeling good and nothing seems to work out as it should that I should never have had the courage to begin with, but as we did it long ago there is no way to go back and to not do it.  

We began on the path of meditation and on the way there was no stop and the negative experiences felt like hell and it was not possible to stop and we had to get aware of it that it was not the right path and there was a reason for it and it took a long time to get aware of it. It was not exactly a joyful experience and we didn’t expect that we had to get aware that it was not right and what was not right and after thinking that we did the right thing and everything felt wonderful and perfect and it had a big value in our life and we get aware that something was missing and that it was not as we would have liked it to be and that on this level we would not get the right answer. We got it finally with Baba and he came from the inside and enlivened the ideal, the principle in it and by that we get aware of the real value in it, but there was no chance whatsoever to get to that insight on that path alone, it is only due to Baba that it is finally understood right.

But it was real hard and bad surprise when we had to get aware that it was not what we had hoped it would be or what we were told what it should be.

The next are those who, after having undertaken the journey and gone some distance, are depressed and defeated by obstacles and disappointments and give up in the middle; they are of the middling type.

The Atmic Principle and Peace

Every aspirant who seeks the Divine through the path of devotion should strive to keep away from the turmoil, cruelties, and falsehoods of this world and practice truth, righteousness, love, and peace. Those who seek union with God and the welfare of the world should discard as worthless both praise and blame, appreciation and derision, prosperity and adversity. They should courageously keep steady faith in their own innate reality and dedicate themselves to spiritual uplift. No one, including a Maha-purusha (Avatar), can ever escape criticism and blame. But such people do not bend, but hold on to truth. Those who indulge in criticism or blame later wade through unbearable trouble and then realize the real nature of great ones and start to praise them. Their weakness and ignorance is the root-cause for such criticism. So, keep away from doubters and ignorant people and desist from discussing your beliefs with them.

 In the last thoughts for the day Baba mentioned quite often that material attitude leads to downfall and how do we avoid it and put it into practice?

He tells us here that we should strive to keep away from the turmoil, cruelties and falsehood of this world and how can we do that?

We should only keep good company, but not even the people around him we can trust and what about the world around us if we don’t even find it in the ashram?

I had always that not very pleasant idea that we should stay like a recluse alone to not be subjected to the movement, but that’s not it.

We cannot practice truth, right action, peace and love in taking just a nice attitude.

As he told us, if we want to experience pure love, we have to understand peace and we have to accept right action 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 can make the experience of pure love.

He should tell us more often about those three steps.

He is always talking about human values, but when we see it in three steps we can better understand it. The fifth of the five human values is the result of the presence of the four others, ahimsa – non-violence.

What do we find in those words? It has something to do with time and action and reaction.

When we understand peace, what has to do with purification of the mind and pure consciousness, if we understand it right, we have to accept right action, it means there is no choice, we have to meditate or do Sadhana and that has always the purpose of purification of the mind, he also said not long ago that the material world is only good for purification.

Every aspirant who seeks the Divine through the path of devotion should strive to keep away from the turmoil, cruelties, and falsehoods of this world and practice truth, righteousness, love, and peace.