– Transcript 203
R: …shanti, shanti, om, peace. Hello. (Students: Hello Robert.) Happy thanksgiving. (Students: Thank you and same to you.)
We’re going to talk about something I don’t usually talk about which is what is a Jnani? The reason I’m talking about it this evening is because many people ask me this question and I usually do not answer. If they call me on the phone and they ask me, “Robert are you a Jnani?” I usually keep silent when such a question is asked. But I’ve been keeping silent for a long time and people keep asking the question. So I’ll try to explain what this is all about.
What I usually do now when people ask me the question, “Are you a Jnani?” I say, “First tell me, what do you mean by you and what do you mean by a Jnani?” and they usually say, “You Robert, I mean is Robert enlightened?” And I have to laugh at that because Robert cannot be enlightened. There is no such thing as Robert being enlightened.
Robert is an idiot. (students laugh) Robert has absolutely nothing to do with enlightenment.
So if I say, “I am a Jnani.” I’m referring to Robert and that is erroneous. Therefore be careful when people tell you that. When they tell you, “I’m enlightened. I’m a Jnani.” Be very careful of people like that. Because I refers to the I-thought. The I-thought is an illusion, it’s part of Maya it’s all a mirage. The I can never be enlightened. I can never be enlightened it’s impossible. I can never be self-realized. But the Self which is your self, my self the one Self, which exists all by itself. Self contained absolute reality is enlightenment itself.
Now the question you may say…you may ask, “Is I-am enlightened?” I-am is enlightened when you speak of I-am. Not a you enlightened. Not a you self-realized. I-am, enlightened, those words are all synonymous. I-am enlightened is the same thing, but that is not a person, place, or thing.
In other words we’re all the same. We’re all one. There is really no difference between me and you. I guess that the only difference is when you look at me you see a person. You see a simple human being. When I look at you I see the Self. I see pure awareness.
Why do I see this? I don’t know? For when you look at me you see yourself what you think you are.
Consequently when you think you’re a human being and have human attributes you’re going to see the same in me. And you will ask me a silly question, “Am I enlightened?” If you want to know anything about enlightenment you have to become enlightened yourself. If you want to know anything about self-realization you have to become self-realized yourself. That is the only time you’ll ever know this. Other wise words are a waste of time.
Think of all the words we speak continuously they’re really all a waste of time, they get us nowhere. Think of all the words you’ve spoken since you were born, a lot of words. You had a lot to say. Where did it get you? And here you are sitting here looking for enlightenment, looking for something. Trying to become something and you believe words will do it. Words are really totally meaningless even when we speak words of spirituality. Such as absolute reality, Brahman, nirvana, ultimate reality those are just words.
What do these words really do for you, nothing.
What you want to do is contemplate the truth. You have to ponder the truth in order to awaken. You have to ponder the truth for instance, that Brahman is and because Brahman is, I-am. When you can ponder this, think about this what this really means to you. What you’re really saying when you say this you will see that something is happening inside of your heart. Your heart is opening up and when your heart opens up you will find out that you are the Self, consciousness which has always been. There never was a time when consciousness was not.
Consciousness accommodates you, accommodates the universe, accommodates the galaxies, accommodates God. In other words everything that you physically see rests in consciousness. But consciousness does not rest in anything. It so beyond words and thoughts that trying to explain it is like trying to explain fire.
So we get to the stage where we stop looking for answers, we stop looking for anything and we just remain the way we are. If you can only remain the way you are you will be the Self, for the Self knows no past, no future. The Self doesn’t know anything because it’s everything. It’s self contained absolute reality. So there is nothing for it to know since it is all the things already.
You can only know something when you are not that at all.
To know something means you don’t know so you have to know. But what we call consciousness is all pervading. It is everything. So it’s nothing. You can only be nothing when you’re everything. When you think something is missing you have to search for something.
As an example most of us here are looking or self-realization looking for Buddha-hood, we’re looking to become one with the force. The looking will keep you back. For you are looking for something that already is. It always has been. Yet when you’re looking for it you’re saying it is not here. So you have to search, you have to look. It is the mind that causes all this nonsense. It is the mind that makes you search for yourself when you’re already the Self. It is the mind that tells you all these stories that something is wrong someplace, that you’re not happy, or that you’re too happy.
When you hear that the mind does all this it is therefore your duty to transcend the mind, to stop the mind from doing these things, to stop the mind from leading you around from pillar to post, causing you happiness sometimes and causing you misery sometimes. It is the mind that has created this whole universe. Everything that you behold with your eyes, with your senses, you hear, you taste, you touch, you feel, it is really the mind. Nothing else but the mind and yet there is no mind. So what’s going on around here. We thought the mind caused our problems then we hear there is no mind, well both are correct. As long as you believe you’re a human being you’ve got a mind to contend with. As long as you believe you are a person, place or thing you’ll have a mind to contend with.
When you begin to sit still and you look upon the mind, the thoughts, you witness the thoughts, you watch the thoughts the mind slows down. As you continue witnessing the thoughts, watching the thoughts the mind becomes weaker and weaker and weaker and you become happier and happier and happier. Bliss comes when the mind is at rest.
Unalloyed happiness comes when the mind is inactive.
As long as the mind is active there will always be problems. For an active mind lives in a world of duality. Good and bad, right and wrong, up and down. Only when the mind is totally transcended will you find real peace. Yet you’re already real peace. You’re already pure awareness. You’re already total joy and harmony. Yet you keep seeking, seeking, seeking, seeking, seeking for something that you already are.
Why do you do this?
Because you believe you’re a human being. You believe you have to solve problems. Take action of some kind, unless you do it nobody else will do it. But I tell you nobody has to do anything. What has to be done will be done without you. You’re not needed. Nobody wants you. Nobody needs you. Give up. This is a very important to understand. It is only when you feel this way when you give up that the truth comes out. As long as you feel you’re somebody something, you’re filled with good thoughts, bad thoughts, preconceived ideas, dogmas you can never surrender, you can never give up.
But when you begin to see yourself as nothing, when you begin to realize your thoughts do not matter, things that are happening in your life do not really matter because things will always work themselves out, for you live in a universe that loves you. You live in a universe of pure joy. You can only see this when you stop identifying with things.
When you no longer take concern over what you should eat, what you should wear, where you should go then something strange happens.
The power that knows the way. That grows the mangoes on the mango trees, the papayas, apples, pears, grows wheat. The power that gives you sunshine. Enough sunshine to maintain and sustain this whole universe in order to be life here. When you surrender to this power it will take care of you. This is something you all have to understand.
There is a power that loves us. You may call this God, divine intelligence, makes no difference what you call it but it’s a power that loves you and will take care of you and will enlighten you and delight you. But your job is to surrender to it totally, absolutely. To let go of your personal ambitions, to let go of trying to become something, to let go of all the earthly things so-to-speak. It is only then will this power that knows the way will come to your aid and lift you up in the stream of blessedness that you won’t know what hit you. You’ll be blissed out.
Every one of us sitting here has the right to awaken. It makes no difference what you did in the past for the past only exists when you think about it otherwise where is the past? You just have to believe that karma, samskaras, the world of samsara all of these things have no power at all if you do not think about them and if your thoughts do not go backwards into time. If you stay centered then there is no one to experience karma. There is no karma for the one who is centered, living in the moment. Living in total bliss in the moment. That one is already free and liberated.
But the one who starts thinking about the future, starts lamenting about the past never gets anywhere. And karma is real for that particular person. For karma belongs to the past and the future not in the present moment.
Therefore ask yourself who are you, “Who am I?” Never forget to ask yourself that question. “Who am I? Where did I come from?” Remember you’re saying, “Where did “I”
come from?” You’re separating the I from yourself. You’re not saying, “Where did Jane come from? Where did Joan come from?” You’re saying, “Where did I come from?” The “I.”
The I-thought that thinks all day long. Remember it is the I-thought that keeps you in bondage so-to-speak. For you’re always referring yourself to I, it’s a mistake. Inquire where your I came from? Who gave it birth? Who nourished it? Upon inquiry you will find the “I” never existed to begin with again there never was an I-thought. There never was anything. You are totally free, absolutely free.
This is why coming to satsang is so important. For you’re out in the world of Maya which seems to be so strong so powerful. It makes you believe all kinds of things. It shows you all kinds of pictures and you react to them, you respond to them. It causes you fear, frustration, unhappiness. Awaken from the mortal dream. There is no longer anything that can harm you in anyway. You are free. Feel this freedom in your heart. You no longer have a past or a future. It’s all gone.
Yet what do you see? What do you feel? Feel the joy welling up inside of you. The happiness, the love that you really are, feel it. It makes no difference what experiences you’ve been through up to this point, your background makes no experience whatsoever.
You are not your background or your experience this is all dead wood. Now is the time.
Right now! Awaken to your reality right now, do it!
There are no hindrances, there are no interference. There is nothing that can ever interfere with you. Nothing can hinder you. There is nothing that can punish you. You are total freedom, yes you are.
Now that you know that you are consciousness. You have always been consciousness. The body is but an appearance, like the print in a page. When there is print on the white paper, you see the print but if it weren’t for the paper there would be no print. The print only appears because there is paper and so it is with consciousness. Your image of a person appears only because there is consciousness. Consciousness is the only reality. Do not think about this, become it.
Do not believe you have to identify with the white paper or with consciousness.
There is no one to identify with anything. When you realize you don’t have to take sides.
By taking sides I mean identifying with the good and negating the bad this is not what you’re supposed to do. For this implies duality. There is really no good and no bad. There is only the one, the one Self and you are that. Why will you not believe me? There is only the one perfect Self. The one absolute reality and you are all that. That is what you are. You are perfect, blissful, joyous, happy. Except this for yourself.
Feel it now. Feel it stronger than ever, the presence, the power. Do not think about it. Do not speak words to yourself. Just be! Be that which you already are.
(silence)
Notice how your thoughts begin to slow down. As your thoughts slow down you’re feeling peace that you never felt before. You’re feeling a happiness a harmony that you never felt before, it’s happening all by itself. And most of you are feeling this right now. It’s beautiful. In this now you become all pervading, you’re omnipresent. You are the trees, the mountains, the rivers, the ocean, planets it is all taking place within you, feel it.
(Phone rings and is answered by Henry as he explains directions to the satsang to the caller. The conversation leads to Robert saying…)
He’ll never get here tonight. (laughter) Good luck. People have been trying to find Henry’s house for ten years.
SH: Yeah that’s the third time he’s called today he’s having a hard time getting here but he’s coming, he’ll be here in a moment. (laughter)
R: So anyway, all is well. Things are like they should be, you are like you should be. Love yourself just the way you are. Be happy. Don’t worry about a thing. Put yourself into the lap of consciousness. Melt into consciousness. Don’t worry about anything. You are already free and all is well.
Feel free to ask some questions.
Fred (SF): There are no Jnanis there is only Jnana. (R: Yes exactly, true.) SB: Robert tonight you said if we observe our mind it will slow down. But a few weeks you said to simply ignore the mind.
R: Same thing, when you observe it you ignore it. No difference. (SB: But you said when you observe it you’re giving it some energy.) If you’re thinking about it. If you just observe it you’re ignoring it. (SB: Not getting involved with it at all?) Exactly. When you think about the mind, when you’re thinking about the thoughts then you’re giving it energy.
When you just observe and just watch and leave it alone and do nothing where does the energy come from? There is no energy to give it. So you ignore the mind by observing it.Then you will find out that there is no mind. You’ve been wasting your time for years observing something that doesn’t exist. So why would you want to do that Bob?
All this talk about observing minds, watching minds. The truth is there is nothing to watch, there is nothing to observe. I’m just sitting here telling you these things because you want to hear me talk. But there is nothing to do. There is nothing to observe, there is nothing to watch. Who watches, who observes? The one who believes they are a body, a doer. When you get rid of the misconceptions you’re a doer or a watcher you’ll have nothing to watch and nothing to do.
But as long as you believe that you are the doer then you will think of all kinds of practices that you want to do. You’ll practice yoga meditation, japa, mantra, pranayama.
You do all of these things because you think you are the doer. But when the realization comes to you that you’re not the doer then you do not have to do anything, there is nothing to do. So know the truth about yourself. I am not the doer therefore I have absolutely nothing to do. I’m at peace with myself and the whole universe and all is well.
You see my friends nothing really exists. You don’t exist, I don’t exist nothing really exists. Everything is an illusion. Everything is an appearance. It appears to exist but it doesn’t exist. Everything that you see is hallucination. You’ve been hallucinating for years. It’s time you stopped.
(Person who phoned arrived to satsang then Robert continues) R: All is well. Feel free to ask some questions.
SP: You mentioned karma being of the past and being of the future but not being of the present. The question is how can anything be of the past, be of the future and not be of the present?
Unless it may be in a different transform? (R: In a different what?) Unless it is perhaps in a different form, transformed existence in other words it’s not like karma but it’s something else. In the present that is.
R: There really is no past and there is no future. When you think of karma by…by thinking you’re already thinking of the past and the future, just by thinking alone. So by thinking about the past… (break in tape) …by not thinking then it’s impossible to have any karma there at all. There is no place for it to come from. For there is only this moment happening. This moment is happening every moment. It comes from nowhere. It’s not attached to anything. There is just this perfect moment which is right this now.
Therefore karma never existed in the now because there is no room for it. There has to be room in your mind for karma and everything else, for samsaras. Everything has to have room. When you think about the past and the future you’re giving it room. But when you’re centered in the moment, in the now, in the second, there is no room for anything. You just are now. You just are being, pure being right now this moment, this instant and there is nothing there, there is no room for it.
Again only when you extend the mind by thinking does the mind contrive all of these things, karma, reincarnation, it all comes from thinking of the past and the future.
But if you stay centered in the moment, in the second where would the room be for it to come. There is no room for there is only this instant. Whatever happens is already happening this instant.
Fred (SF): In reality there is no present either?
R: True. In the true reality there is absolutely nothing. (SF: Zilch.) Everything is wiped out. But when I have to sit here and talk to you like this then I have to come up with all kinds of things. For you to ponder, to think about. Remember again that the nothing we speak of is not the void. It is beyond the void. This nothingness I’m speaking of is ineffable. It is beyond words and thoughts, it’s nothing we can ever understand with our finite minds. (SF: The void is a mental concept.) Yes. Everything is a mental concept. Anything that you can think about, anything that you can come up with your mind is a mental concept. Whether it’s God, whether it’s the Self or whatever you’re thinking about. Therefore to get to these places you have to stop thinking totally and completely. Use whatever method to stop the thoughts. Whatever method that you have. A method that you’re used to. Use whatever method that you like to stop the thoughts. By ignoring them, by watching them, by asking, “To whom do they come? Who thinks?” But by all means do something to keep the thoughts from attacking you, from telling you what to do and how to live.
(silence)
Well what do you think? Is there any hope for us?
SH: None so whatever.
R: That’s okay don’t worry. We’re all hell bound for heaven. (SH: What’s that?) Something in your mind. (SH: Well maybe I should throw it away?) Get rid of it the best way you can. Don’t you want to go to heaven Henry? (SH: You tell me what it is and I’ll consider it.) It’s a place where you sing beautiful songs. (SH: No not interested. (laughter) You can have all that angel crap.) (laughter)
Fred (SF): Heaven is pure awareness. (SH: Not according to him.) (laughter) They’re all words, it don’t mean anything.
R: Whatever you believe that is the way it is. (SF: It’s all a product of mind.) SH: What if you don’t believe in anything? (R: Then you’re nothing.) SF: You’re in good shape.
SH: Thank you. You hear the Toku. (Talks to his dog as dog snores) yeah.
SK: Robert could you comment on - there is this story old Indian story, I’d just like to hear your comment. There was a guru and he told his students, don’t worry everything is Ram, everything is God. And so one of the students heard that and left the teachers place and on the way home there was a mad elephant raging through the town and somebody ran by and said, “Look out there is a mad elephant!” and the student said, “Well everything is Ram,” and he kept on his way and the elephant came by and picked him up and threw him down and crushed him. And later on the guru came by and said, “Well how did this happen?” And the guy said, “Well you told me everything was God and there was a mad elephant come by and I started to see him as God and he picked me up and threw me down and crushed me.” And he said, “Well how come you didn’t see the person that warned you about the mad elephant that was going to come by? Why didn’t you see him as God?” I mean how this connects to what you were saying if everything is nothing and we shouldn’t worry about it, if that’s so, steamrollers are nothing, trucks are nothing and pay your rent or get out notices are nothing, can you see what I’m trying to say?
R: Of course. That is a story we’ve told here many times ??? Always remember in the absolute sense there is nothing. But as long as there is a body, the body will be taken care of in the right way. You will listen to a person who is telling you something if you have to listen, you will make the right decisions, you will know what to do. This is what I was talking about earlier, there is a power that knows the way. There is a power that will take care of you. You came to this earth for a specific purpose as far as your body is concerned. In the ultimate reality there is no purpose but as long as you are referring to as you were talking about the story you came to this earth for a purpose and your purpose will be accomplished without any help from you if you will keep your mind on God so-to-speak, by contemplating the ultimate reality. By realizing that you’re ultimate oneness, pure awareness and leave your body alone. Your body will know what to do and take care of itself, it will know where to go and it’ll know what to eat. It will take care of itself perfectly without any help from you and it will do a better job than you can ever do to help it.
Therefore if you’re going home tonight and something tells you the freeways broken, do not say, “I don’t care,” and then go on the freeway anyway… (SK: Right.) …the wisdom in you will tell you what to do, you will know what to do. You will always be told what to do from within. The power within will tell you what to do. It will guide you and lead you and direct you in the right path. So that you can have peace, prosperity, happiness, joy, love. And it will unfold in the right way. It will all take care of itself. But if you identify with the situation then you may or may not benefit from it. But if you take care of the situation by not thinking about the condition, the situation by keeping your mind stayed on the infinite then your body will take care of itself. It will know what to do and you will be guided to the right place, to meet the right people, right beings, right everything. Right action will ensue and you’ll find things are working out okay.
Fred (SF): That sounds as though we should end up with good physical health? And not suffer from these various pains and ills.
R: As you unfold, as you go higher in this path what seems to be some power to hurt you begins to dissipate. As an example, you may go on this path and develop cancer on the body. Yet you will not look at it that way it will not matter to you whatsoever. You will not be concerned with it, it will not mean one thing to you. Yet other people see you suffering from cancer. But to you it will be totally meaningless. Because you have discovered something that the average person has not discovered yet and you will be in glory, you will be in peace, you’ll be in joy even though your body is being eaten away by cancer.
(SF: Transcended the mind and the body?) Exactly. You are not the person who is having the cancer. It’s an appearance it seems to be like you. But you’re not that whatsoever in other words everything will take of itself in the most beautiful way. Because the nature… (SF: Perhaps the body and the mind should reach - well I’m sorry I didn’t mean to - even intellectually.) The body in reality does not exist. The mind in reality does not exist. So nothing is really happening to the body and the mind. And as you work on yourself and as you go higher in consciousness you’re able to see this, to feel this. This means the things that used to disturb you and bring you these problems will no longer be valid. It will all be gone.
Fred (SF): Did you say the body will know how to take care of itself? In my thought would be the body should enjoy what we consider physical health.
R: If you’re speaking of physical health then you’re in a category that has not been enlightened or nowhere near enlightenment. But as you go higher who is there who needs physical health? What exists? Who needs to be physically healthy? (SF: You take the body to be physically healthy.) There is no body. The body is not yours anymore. There is no longer a body who needs to be healthy. Only hen you’re a human being there is a body who needs to be healthy. As you advance spiritually there is no body left who needs to be healthy or sick. Those words are gone from your vocabulary. You no longer exist. For when you think of health it means that you’re sick so you think of health. If there was no such thing as sickness would you be thinking of health? (SF: All of the opposites are nonexistent.) Sure.
You only think of health because you think of sickness. But as you transcend and you go higher there is nobody left to think that way. That thinking begins to dissipate totally disappear out of your system, out of your life. Yet others who see themselves, will see you as themselves. So they’re steeped in Maya, they will therefore see you suffering but you’re not suffering. But as far as you’re concerned there is no one left to suffer. The sufferer has been eliminated. You are in total joy, total bliss.
Thus the story of Jesus and the crucifixion, Ramana Maharshi, Krishna had cancer and many other Sages have suffered so-to-speak. Who sees them suffering? The body, the mind. But if ask them if they are suffering they would say, “no,” for you see it, in reality it doesn’t exist.
Mary would you read the Jnani? (SM: Yes Robert.)
(Mary reads the Jnani. Refer to beginning of this book for text.) R: Thank you Mary. (SM: Thank you Robert.)
R: Announcements?
Mary (SM): The book has finally arrived and those of you who have put in your order please see Amelio or Jane. And it’s beautiful. We have an announcement about the bhandara. (Announcements about the bhandara) R: It is now time for prashad. What you’ve been waiting for, for so long. I can see your mouth watering all over while I’m talking…
(Prashad continues 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.