– Transcript 178
R: All of your desires, all of your needs, all of your wants are already within you, waiting to be fulfilled and expressed. - Ponder this.
All of the Masters, the teachers, the Saints, the Sages that you have worshiped all of your life, whether it’s Buddha, Christ, Muhammad, Moses, whomever, have always been within you, waiting to be expressed. - Ponder this.
The only problem you have, that does not allow these Sages, your desires, your wants to be expressed through you, is your noisy mind. - Ponder this.
Whatever you see in your life right now, good or bad, is a result of your thoughts and your belief. It has no other reality. It is not permanent. - Ponder this.
There is absolutely nothing in this universe that can hurt you, or cause you physical harm, or cause you pain, except when your mind is trained to believe these things. -
Ponder this.
You have absolutely nothing to do with this world, this universe, or with others.
Yet, at the same time, you are this universe, you are places and things and others. - Ponder this.
No one is responsible for where you are right now, whether you like your position or you do not. This is where you are karmically. This is where you’re supposed to be, and all is well. - Ponder this.
You are not what you appear to be. The world is not what it appears to be. The universe is not what it appears to be. Your God is not what it appears to be. - Ponder this.
The substratum of all existence is absolute intelligence, choice-less pure awareness. Therefore how can there be evil, so called, on this earth? How can there be sickness, man’s inhumanity to man, lack and limitation on this earth, if the substratum is pure consciousness? - Ponder this.
Everything that you behold with your senses is an optical illusion. - Ponder this.
There is only one intelligence, one consciousness, one awareness, one ultimate reality, one life, and you are that. - Ponder this.
To free yourself from this optical illusion, this Maya, the mind has to be controlled, by finding its source. - Ponder this.
You find the source of the mind by following it to its original place of origin. From where did it arise? Who gave it birth? How did you come by a mind? By inquiring into the nature of the Self you attain unconditional freedom. - Ponder this.When one intelligently investigates the source of I, one then ultimately becomes free from the bondage of I, and becomes all pervading, omnipresent consciousness. - Ponder this.
Your past only exists because you think about it. Your fears, your frustrations, only exist because you think about them. Where would they come from if you didn’t think about them, if you didn’t bring them into play in the present? Where would they come from? How would they be there? You are the cause of all of your problems. - Ponder this.
The so-called good things of your life are equal to the bad things of your life. They are both karmic, and you have created these things at one time or another. You are now experiencing them. The only way to remove them from your life is through inquiry. “To whom do they come? What is their source?” - Ponder this.
Who is the one that is pondering all these things? That one must go! - Ponder this.
You have absolutely nothing to do with pondering anything, for the truth is already present, shining in all its glory and splendor, and you are that. - Ponder this.
There is really nothing you have to do to become self-realized, only to get yourself out of the way. - Ponder this.
Since there is no one to ponder, why are you pondering this? You are beyond pondering, beyond trying to change conditions, beyond trying to improve your humanhood, beyond trying to get along in this world. Since you are already the world, there is nothing else to do but to awaken to the truth. - Ponder this.
To be yourself means not to be the body, or the mind, or the conditions in your life.
- Ponder this.
To be always happy, to be always contented, always at peace, and not to think at all, are the marks of a realized being. - Ponder this.
What you see in this world is only yourself. You can never see anything else.
Wherever you look, you will see yourself. If you have troubles, you will see troubles everywhere. If you are at peace with yourself, you will see peace everywhere. You are the cause and creator of your particular world, and yet you have the power to change it, by turning within and not reacting to the things of this world whatsoever. - Ponder this.
You are born into a certain situation, with certain parents, a certain religion, a certain environment. This is all right, and this is all good, and this is how it should be. Use the opportunity to awaken. Instead of feeling sorry for yourself, and comparing yourself with others, use the opportunity to awaken, to become totally free, by negating all these things and understanding the truth about yourself. - Ponder this.
There are no situations or conditions that come into your life that you cannot handle. You have been given the power to handle everything that comes your way. The wise person does not feel sorry for themselves, but rather transcends and transmutes their environment, their conditions, by turning within, and realizing the truth, “I am Brahman. I am
absolutely pure awareness. I am consciousness. I am Sat-Chit-Ananda. I am that” - Ponder this.
It is a rare privilege to be born as a human being, even though it is an illusory birth. But to be born as a human being is the only way you can find yourself. An animal, a tree, a mineral cannot do this. You have been given the rare opportunity of birth so that you may find self-realization, and unfold into your true nature. Do not use your time for anything else. This is the purpose of being in this birth, to become absolutely free and liberated. - Ponder this.
You do not know how much time you have left in this body. You may be called home tomorrow. You may leave your body tonight, this very hour. What have you been doing with your life? For it is this which determines where you go from here. This life is a continuum. It doesn’t end. It merely continues from where you left off. This is why people who commit suicide make a grave mistake, for they think they are going to become totally free and liberated. On the contrary, you will take a short rest, on one of the astral planes, and then you will continue where you left off. Your job is to find total realization, to become absolutely free, and not come around the circle again and again. Rebirth, problems, trying to get off the wheel, this is for children. Become free by inquiring, “Who is it that’s bound?” - Ponder this.
Do not believe that anything that has happened to you, to your body, to your affairs, has been erroneous. Everything that’s happened to you has been necessary. You are in your right place, going through the right conditions. You are with the right people. You are where you’re supposed to be. The wise person does not complain about their lot. They rise higher by self-inquiry, by explaining to themselves, inquiring within themselves, “How did I come here? What is my source? Who am I?” and becoming totally free and liberated. - Ponder this.
There never was a time when you were not, and there will never be a time when you disappear. There is no birth for you, there’s no prevailing of the body, there’s no disappearance. There’s only eternal life. - Ponder this.
The mind cannot destroy the mind. Pondering cannot destroy the mind. Thinking cannot destroy the mind. The only way to destroy the mind is to inquire, “To whom is there a mind?” - Ponder this.
You are already free and liberated, and there’s really nothing you have to do. Just be yourself. - Ponder this.
To be yourself means that you’re nothing else. To be yourself means that you’re not the body, nor the mind, nor the world, nor its things. To be the Self means that you are the imperishable Self, which is all pervading. Water cannot drown it, fire cannot burn it. You are that Self that has always existed. Some people call the Self “God,” some people call the Self “Brahman,” some people call the Self “choice-less, effortless, pure awareness.” It makes no difference what you call the Self. Just to know you are that, will free you immediately. -
Ponder that.There is really no one who can do anything for you. I cannot really do anything for you, because I am really in yourself. There’s no difference between myself and yourself.
There’s one Self. Therefore, when you look at me, you see your Self. What do you see? -
Ponder this.
Ponder the one who has been pondering all this time.
Ask yourself, “Who am I? Why is it so hard to become the pure unblemished Self?
For whom is it hard?” Ask yourself, “Why do I think I’m human, and have to go through experiences? Who is human? Who has to go through experiences?” Ask yourself. - Ponder this.
That’s enough pondering. Feel free to ask questions. You’ve pondered yourself out.
SL: Robert when you say, “Follow the I-thought to the source, is there a source?”
R: Apple sauce. (laughter) There is a source as long as you are human. When you are human you are a person, you’re a lady. Then when you’re working on yourself then you have to follow yourself to the source, the I-thought. But when you awaken there never was a source. That is why I always say, “Apple sauce.” Because the source only exists like the body exists. Like the world exists. Like the universe exists. For whom is there a source?
For the person who has to find it. Therefore as you find the source, as you go towards the source and you do it endlessly, the source and all its manifestations will disappear totally and completely. (SL: So there is a moment when a person is on the verge of enlightenment will say, “Oh there’s the source, ” and then the source disappears?) No. They will not say, “There’s the source.” For there will be nobody to say that, left. As long as you say, “There’s the source,” there is a semblance of the ego left, of the mind that says that. When you really awaken there will be nothing left to say or do or be.
Fred (SF): The source itself is a creation of the mind? (R: Yes.) (SL: What?) R: The source itself is a creation of the mind. But as long as you’re using your human faculties to find yourself, we have to talk about a source. (SL: It feels like you’re chasing a ghost through an empty house that doesn’t exist.) (laughter) That is what you’re doing. But who is doing the chasing? The one that is doing the chasing does not exist either. Yet you have to do all these things to awaken. Not really, you don’t have to do these things but you want to do these things. Otherwise you would just awaken and be free. Right now!
Think, “what’s holding me back from awakening right now?’
SV: (student laughs to himself) (R: Right Fred, that’s it.) Thinking.
Fred (SF): Thinking I am an individual.
R: Of course, thinking anything. Who gave you permission to think? (laughter) (S: You did.) (laughter) I’m trying to stop you from thinking. To pull your mind away and be free of it. Many of you think it’s so important to think. You believe if you didn’t think your world will fall apart. On the contrary, if you didn’t think you would become one peaceful happy person. You would have total peace and total happiness and you will always do the right things. But because you think you have to think, the problems arise, problems come
and go. You exchange one thought for another. And you keep playing these games with yourself. Until you get down to facts and you get down to the place where you want to stop thinking and be liberated, you put this first in your life. You have to be totally honest with yourself by asking yourself, “What is first in my life?” Do not fool yourself.
The first thing in your life is what you think about most of the time. If you believe there is something wrong someplace you are holding yourself back tremendously from being liberated. Just by that thought, that something is wrong, either with me or with the world or with somebody else. That thought alone keeps you back. Bounds you, keeps you bound. Break the bondage by removing the fear of stopping your thoughts. Feel deep in your heart that nothing in this universe can ever hurt you or wants to hurt you. Everything has been necessary in your life. It’s all good. As you see yourself this way your consciousness will expand and you will make tremendous progress on this path.
Jorge (SR): The main thing I’ve gotten out of tonight Robert, is a feeling of hopelessness. When I see what a gaol that I’ve created for myself with all these thoughts or perceptions or opinions. It seems like a vice the I gets used to this. It seems so strong. It seems like you can’t open the door, like a lock, and every new perception or every new thought is another lock on the door with a million locks on the door. Can you comment on that?
R: Of course. Inquire, “To whom does this come? Who has this problem?” As long as you think yourself as George, then George has this problem. When you begin to see that you’re not George or you never were George, George is just a name given to you at birth.
You really are all pervading consciousness. There is no lock, there never was a lock. You’re not bound, there never was bondage.
It’s like the story of the person who was thrown into a dungeon. And he was in the dungeon for many years. They forgot all about him. They would just sort of put the food under his cell everyday. And he just sat there crying to himself year after year saying, “How did I get into this bondage? How did I get thrown into this dungeon?” Feeling sorry for himself. One day after being in prison for many years he became very aggressive with himself. And he said, “I no longer care about being alive or dead. I no longer care about being here. I no longer care about anything.” And he went to hit his head against a wall.
He hit his head against the door of the cage, of the dungeon. And low and behold the door was open. The door had always been open, it was never locked.
For twenty odd years that he was in prison the door was never locked. It was only when he had the courage to stand up tall and all fear was gone that he found out the door was open. So he simply walked out of the gaol. No one recognized him. No one knew him.
No one had seen him in twenty years and he was completely free. So it is with us, we are in a gaol of our own making. We limit ourselves. We feel limited to a body, circumstances.
We think we’re a human, real and subject to disease, karma, all kinds of problems. This is your gaol. It is in your belief system.
In truth no one was ever bound. There is no one to become free. You are Brahman.
And you’ve always been pure awareness. This is your reality, this is you. (break in tape)And the fellow opened the door and walked out. When you realize that you are that you will become omnipresence, all pervading consciousness.
SK: This may be a good point, I don’t know. At the museum of industries, science they had all these galaxies on the wall and they were explaining all the different galaxies in there. One star was twenty-million years old or something and it stated that this star is made out of exact same properties that human beings are made out of. It was kind of…puts you in awe, you know. It makes you feel good, all this stuff.
R: This simply means that human beings are the microcosm in the macrocosm.
Within yourself is the whole universe. The difference between two atoms are the equivalent distance between two planets. And if go within the atom within yourself you will find comparable universes. And they have atoms and go within that atom and there are more universes. There is no end to it. Infinite, mind boggling. But the question remains, “Who are you that experiences this?” That is what you have to find out.
Glen (SG): Now Robert are the thoughts that we have linked just inside the brain? Or do these thoughts exist like atoms outside the brain and the brain is an antennae that picks up thoughts?
R: The brain is part of the body. The body itself is a thought. Therefore what you call the brain is a thought. It doesn’t really pick up anything. It appears to be a thought that you are able to think about other people, other places, other things. But in reality it’s only the result of the mind, or the ego, or the I-thought. All these things are synonymous.
We can say something like the ego, the mind is like a knot between the I-thought and the personality. When the knot gets cut everything merges in the Self, in the heart. You become totally free. Therefore, all the thoughts that you think with your brain come from the mind. When the mind goes the brain will just be a simple function of the body that will be keeping you alive like you are now. Only you will know the reality that you are not that at all! Yet you will be able to function beautifully. Everything will be done the way it’s supposed to be done. And you will be at peace.
SS: Robert in deep sleep does the mind exist or not? Who remembers I’m in deep sleep?
R: In deep sleep I exist. The mind does not exist. In deep sleep the witness of the sleep exists. This is why when you get up you can say I slept well, I slept good. Think of what you’re saying, you’re saying, “I slept well. I slept good.” If you had any dreams, you will say, “I dreamt.” And when you are awake like you seem to be now, you will say, “I am awake.” But notice the I was the witness to all three states of consciousness. To the waking state, to the dream state and to the deep sleep state. When you discover who the I is, you will realize the I is really Brahman. Sat-Chit-Ananda. And there is no one to sleep, no one to dream, and no one to be in this consciousness that seems to be real.
This waking state is just another dream, that’s all. So find out who the I is who sees this, who witnesses this and you’ll become totally free of the whole ball game.
Jorge (SR): I just had an insight Robert that might be helpful to someone else. I just saw that every time I stop myself from doing something or saying something because of a fear of being embarrassed, that all I’m doing is strengthening my ego. (R: True.)
SK: Also what you’re saying is that the I is really independent of everything that is going on in my life? (R: Yes) But it gets identified with it and it thinks it’s really happening to me? (R: Exactly) And it really isn’t.
R: It’s happening to the I. (SK: Thank you.) But it has nothing to do with you. The I is going through all of these experiences, the I-thought. But if you can really separate yourself from the I, you will see that you never had any… (SK: This is the I that witnesses?) The I is the witness but in reality the I is the I-am. The I is really Brahman. And we think the I… (SK: But we identify with it?) We identify with the I and we think the I is us. I have a body, I have a pain, I feel this and I feel that. So we have lowered Brahman into a material world, so-to-speak. (SK: Yes.) But as we continue searching for the I and following the I, the I will turn into Brahman. The I will become I-am.
SH: Which it always was? (R: Which it always was, yes.) It just took a little vacation?
(R: Exactly.) Why does it do that? Such a stupid process.
R: It didn’t really do that. You should question yourself, “To whom does it do that to? Who believes this?” (SH: Well the notion of the separate I arises from pure consciousness.
Where else can it come from?) No. (SH: Where does it come from?) Where does the water in the mirage come from? (SH: It doesn’t.) Exactly. (laughter) It’s an optical illusion. We are talking about these things. We have to use words to explain these things and we get into all kinds of nonsense. If you can only understand that nothing exists, there is nothing that actually exists the way you think it does. Then you’ll realize that consciousness cannot do anything to anything. Consciousness is self-contained pure awareness. It only knows itself. It knows nothing but itself. It knows itself as absolute reality. (SH: Does it act as a screen for all these scribbles of the…) That is a stage we go through too. We use a screen image. (SH: That is just an image?) Yes.
SH: It really has nothing to do with consciousness but we attribute consciousness is the screen that all this is written. (R: Yes) But that isn’t true? (R: No, not really.) Why do we say it like it is true?
R: Because we refuse to sit in the silence. If we would sit in the silence we would realize that all this is a lie. When I try to sit in the silence with you people for an hour or so, you complain to me. You call me on the telephone, you say, “Robert why don’t you say something?” (laughter) (SH: Why don’t you lie to us some more.) That is what I’ve been doing all this time. (laughter)
ST: But the people who are for that are being silent are you counting their vote also?
R: Well fortunately there are more people who want me to talk than there are more people who want to keep silent.
SH: But you’re a big boy you don’t have to follow what those people want?
R: Well I’m here to be of service and while I’m here we’ll talk a little, keep silent a little. We’ll do whatever we have to do.
Glen (SG): We can have one night of total silence for those who are interested?R: I suppose we can.
SU: If silence is within ourselves how do we maintain it if we don’t maintain it? (R: If the silence is within yourselves then how will you maintain it if you don’t maintain it?) I maybe in the wrong silence?
R: And even the wrong silence will turn into havoc. You will hear scratching and moaning. (laughter)
SH: It’ll give a wonderful opportunity to watch your monkey mind, objectify it. (R: Sure) That is what we do anyway, in any case. Watch…the witness of the mind’s shenanigans.
R: Of course, we’re doing the right things.
Glen (SG): If a person is meditating or sitting in the silence he can only know I mean…I think in my mind there is always something going on, there is always this stuff going on. That is what I think the world always is, right?
R: Umm, sure, but you think and believe that is the world. You create the world.
Always remember everything is in a state of flux. Nothing is solid in this universe. (SG: Nothing is what?) Solid, everything is in a state of movement. The mind is the energy that causes the change to take place. That molds the energy into what you believe.
That’s why certain metaphysical organizations teach you about mind. They tell you that mind is the most powerful tool you’ve got and you can become anything by thinking about it. And you can! But what you’re doing is you’re pulling yourself back into Maya by using your mind. It is true you can do all kinds of things by using your mind. But in the highest truth you will be downgraded, you will pull yourself down. The highest teaching is to destroy the mind, to get rid of it completely, absolutely. Then the absolute reality becomes prevalent.
SK: Robert, the pure witness, whatever that maybe is a pretty neat thing in this part of the duality.
R: The pure witness is beyond duality. But it is not realization. (SK: Is there not a witness that is experiencing witnessing objects. Isn’t that a dualistic situation?) Yes you can call it dualistic, sure. (SK: This is a two part question.) Sure what’s the other part? (SK: Okay maybe the word pure witness is…let’s assume there is some kind of a witness that can be an experience of witnessing others in a kind of wonderful, magical detached way as compared with normal human experience. So I guess you already answered the first part of the question. On the way to reality I guess eventually that has to go to?) Yes. (SK: And that dissolves?) The pure witness can be compared to the screen. (SK: The second part of the question is sort of speculative I guess, but on the way to this reality business whatever it may be. Could it be that some people maybe hang out more in that witness space than others?) Well of course, it’s all very possible. People hang out in all kinds of places. (SK: Do I have to spend a certain number of days in the witness before you can…) Is that a question you asked? (SK: It started to be one but I stopped in the middle of it so that I could make sense of it. I’ll be quiet now.) (laughter) The screen is the witness of all the images superimposed on it. The screen is also like the paper on which typeset is imposed upon. You type on the paper, but if you were not the paper you couldn’t type on it. You
have to have the paper in order to be able to type on it. So what we do is we read the words, the images and forget about the paper in which it’s imposed. The words are superimposed on the paper. So it is with us. In reality you are like the screen or the paper. And all of the world images are imposed on you, superimposed on you. So in a way you can consider that duality but it’s a very high state of duality.
SK: I can be noisy again. (R: Umm.) Can you talk about a few kinds of witnesses experiences. You can surely talk about a witness experience whether it was an experience of being a witness or witnessing objects, be they thoughts or physical things or sensations. You can talk about that kind of experience. But isn’t there another kind of witnessing that you frequently refer to that doesn’t have that particular division between witnesses and that which is witnessed.
R: As long as you are witnessing there has to be something that you witness. There has to be an object to witness or you couldn’t be the witness. (SK: Somehow there is some kind of awareness that happens that includes the same sort of thing even if there are no objects so-to-speak.) You are speaking about the time I talk about the paradox of being the Self and also seeing the images, which is a paradox. Where you realize your Self as the Self, the way that a Jnani that is embodied sees the world. The Jnani sees the world as the Self.
Everything is the Self and that is never forgotten. Everything is the screen and all the images, people, places and things are superimposed on the Jnani. The Jnani is aware: 1: That he or she is all pervading omnipresence.
2: There is nothing else but the Self which is the Jnani in expression.
3: The Jnani is able to see both, the objects like the average human being sees them, but sees them as the Self.
So it becomes a little mind boggling when you get to that stage because you can’t explain it. There are no words to explain this. The finite can never comprehend the infinite.
But suffice is to say, that only the Self exists and all is well.
Mary why don’t you read the Jnani?
(Mary reads the Jnani refer to beginning of this book for text) R: Now let us sit in the silence for a while. We are not meditating, we are simply sitting in the silence, observing our thoughts. Watching what goes on inside. Do not try to change your thoughts or push them away. Just observe, watch and everything will take care of itself.
(long silence)
R: Om shanti, shanti, shanti, om peace.
Do we have any messages?
Mary (SM): No, we do have some of the new transcripts that came in today on the table.
R: We have prashad to eat. These look good. Pass it that way. We have…
(General prashad talk as tape ends)
Absätze ohne Sprecherpräfix gehören dem zuletzt genannten Sprecher — so steht es im Buch, wo der Präfix nur den Anfang einer Rede markiert. Die Zuordnung ist eine Folgerung dieser Ausgabe. Namen in Klammern sind aus dem Text erschlossen: sicher belegt sind SM = Mary, SF = Fred, SJ = Jay, SC = Nate, wahrscheinlich SG = Glen, SR = Jorge. Alle anderen Kürzel bleiben stehen, weil der Beleg nicht trägt.