– Transcript 226
R: Om shanti shanti shanti om, peace. Good evening. (Students: Good evening.) I welcome you with all my heart. It is good to be with you again. I love every one of you, unqualified. Just the way you are, for I love my Self. If I love my Self I have to love you because I love my Self. There is no difference. This means if you go out and rob a bank I’ll still love you. It makes no difference what you do because I’m still seeing my Self.
There is only one Self and you are that. Always remember this.
Whatever you see is the Self. There is nothing else. If you see something else you have problems. For you’ll see the Maya world closing in on you. Giving you all kinds of thoughts and feelings and ??? When you go to sleep you are devoid of all possessions and also the body. Yet strange as it may sound when you wake up you’re happy. You say, “I slept well, I wish I could have some more sleep. It was a wonderful sleep I had.” You would think that you would be unhappy for you are devoid of all of your possessions when you sleep. There is nothing, but you feel happy.
Compare this with the dream state. In the dream state if you’re devoid of all your possessions you feel miserable. Especially your body, which means you’re dead in the dream state. The same as this waking state, this reality here, right now. If you are devoid of possessions you feel miserable. You feel as if there is something missing. Yet of all three states sleeping, dreaming and waking the dream state is the only state in which you wake up happy. Yet you have nothing.
The conclusion we come to, is that happiness is inherent within the person and nothing to do with the world. By finding the Self you find happiness. Ponder this, think about this.
In the deep sleep state is the only state in which you find true happiness. So a Jnani or a Sage, is one who is consciously experiencing the dream state. Not a dream state, a deep sleep state. One who consciously experiences the deep sleep state. In other words there is nothing in the deep sleep state but the Self. And the Self becomes the Sage or the Jnani. And the way to get to that state is through experiencing the Self, as I-am.
This means that you must negate the world or what it appears. You must do self-inquiry or going deep within meditation negate the senses. Whatever you see, whatever you smell, whatever you taste, whatever you feel, whatever you hear, is false assumption.
What you’re really doing when you are identifying with the senses is you are seeing how you’ve been programmed since you were a little boy or girl. This is all the senses are is programming.You’ve been brought up to believe that this is good, this is bad, this is right, this is wrong, this is this way, this is that way, since you were a little person. And you grow up disliking this and disliking that, according to your programming. Everybody thinks something is right, something is wrong of their own making. So you have to deprogram yourself by leaving the world alone.
This is a strange thing for me to say to leave the world alone because we’re always involved in the world, but yet this is exactly what we must do. Remember the only thing going for you is your programming. You’ve been programmed. In other words everything you see, taste, touch, hear and smell are erroneous it’s not the truth, it’s not reality. Yet most of us identify with these things and make it our reality. We become depressed, we become anxious, we become upset, we become angry, we become happy, we become this way and we become that way by what our senses tell us is real. And our programming that tells us this is right this is wrong and this is what is keeping us back from self-realization.
And I can share these things with you over and over again for many years. Certain people are set in their ways, and it’s very very difficult to break it up. To break up the programming, because they refuse to let go. Going smoothly simply means, things are going your way. Things are going the way you think they should go. Then something happens you lose your job, there is a death in the family, your house burns down, your car is stolen.
What do you become then? Are you in control? Do you remember it’s all a dream? And in truth you cannot lose anything or gain anything? Whether you react violently or you react with malice? Be honest with yourself, see what’s going on. See what is really going on with your life.
You have your ideas what is right, what is wrong, what is good, what is bad and you don’t want your world to shake up. You want the world to continue the way it’s going the way you think it should go. If anyone comes along and shakes up your world you become totally upset. How can a being like that become self-realized? Awakened? When the world of Maya presses them down.
As I mentioned before happiness is your svarupa, your reality. And you have a taste of it in a deep sleep stage, when you are in deep sleep and you wake up you feel happy. But then you go through the day, you go through various situations and you go through the vicissitudes of the day, catch yourself and see how you react to things. See how many times a day you become angry, mad, upset over something. It’s all going to change in any event, no matter what you do. Everything must change, yet you are going along with the way things are in this world. As if the world were real. You keep forgetting it’s a dream. You keep forgetting it’s all Maya. You keep forgetting it’s God’s Leela. It’s all a cosmic joke. Yet you take it seriously. And I tell you, you can never awaken when you take this world seriously, it’s impossible. All you’re doing is accruing more karma. Ponder this, this is very important.
Every time the world shakes you up, you feel something has happened not to your liking, you’re accruing karma. You have to be aware of these points all of the time.
Point number one: This world is a dream, just like the dream I dream at night.
Everything in this world is karmic. Nothing is real. So I will never again allow this world to dictate to me what is right, what is wrong, what is good, what is bad.
Point number two: My nature is divine. I am not the body nor this world nor have I got anything to do with this world or this body. The body goes through its own karma, it takes care of itself, does whatever it’s supposed to do. It has absolutely nothing to do with me.
Point number three: Everything I observe in this world is myself, nothing else. I only see myself wherever I look. Whatever I’m involved in. I see myself and nothing else.
Point number four: In order to transcend this world and become totally free, I have to somehow awaken from this mortal dream. And I can only do this by becoming non-judgmental, peaceful within myself, looking at this world like a moving picture, in all kinds of scenes in a movie. I know I’m not affected by these things, by the things of this world or any other world.
Point number five: I-am the substratum of all existence. I-am the screen in which the movie is being shown. I-am the director and producer of the movie. I-am also the actor.
I play all of the parts. Therefore I will never again become confused in the picture or the screen.
You should ponder these things every morning when you get out of bed, when you first wake up. Become aware of this. Do not turn on the television and watch the news, or read the newspapers, because this will confound you and confuse you totally. It’s the same old thing always going on in this world, so we get involved in those things. You profess to be a student of truth. You want to become free and liberated in this life. Yet what are you doing about it. You can’t live the same old life and expect to be liberated. Changes have to be made within yourself. And it is up to you to make these changes, nobody can do it for you. You have to do it yourself. You have to see where the years have put you in this world. What your situation is, what you’re going through, and transcend the whole thing. There is no other way. The whole ball-game is yours.
You have the freedom to accept your reality, by letting go of everything else, or you have the freedom to want everything else, and let go of reality. This is the only freedom we’ve got. Everything else is preordained, predestined. So when anybody asked me, “Is everything predestined, preordained?” I say, “Yes and no.” For the average person it is.
The person who is walking around reacting to everything in life or is judgmental. To that person everything is preordained. But to the person who is truly working on themselves by not allowing conditions to upset them, situations to come upon them make them judgmental, that person is working for their freedom. And little by little they chip away their karmic blocks, the samskaras, until they become totally free and liberated.You appear to come into this world alone and you appear as if you’re gong to leave this world alone. All the things that have upset you or made you happy, you can’t take those things with you. All the things you’ve accumulated, your furniture, your houses, your cars. Everything has to be left behind. You hopes, your dreams, all left behind. And where you go is determined by what you’re doing right now. What’s important to you? Be honest with yourself. For some people it’s important to worry, to fear, become upset. To look at the shady side of life and believe something terrible is always happening.
Everybody is different, but you make your own life by what you allow yourself to think and believe. Thoughts are things. Whatever you ponder, whatever you identify with becomes your reality sooner or later.
Why not ponder I-am continuously. Why not ponder pure awareness, nirvana, Sat-Chit-Ananda. There is an old saying that says, “Think of God and God will think of you.”
Which simply means, think of your higher Self and you will become what you think about, your higher Self.
But if you get mixed up in this world and you think of worldly things, what do think happens to you. You become a worldly person that worries, upsets herself, himself, who gets into all types of mischief, troubles, the choice is always yours. There is one reality, one Self, one principle, one consciousness and you are that. Why will you not accept this? Open your heart to it.
You are not alone. As soon as you begin to think of your higher Self, the higher Self begins to think of you. Happiness is your reality. Peace is your true Self. You’ve got it, it’s where you are right now. Awaken to it. But you must leave your world alone. Stop trying to change things or people or situations. Remember this is what keeps you back from your self-realization.
Do not try to figure people out or analyze conditions, situations. You cannot do this, it’s too complicated. This is why it is written in all the great books, leave everything alone. Leave people alone, leave the world alone. Remember there is nothing to fear and there is nothing to fight. You are carried along in a stream of blessedness to your highest good. Everything is on your side. There is nothing against you you know. There is no one or nothing trying to hurt you. You do not have to defend yourself against anyone or anything, because there is nothing trying to hurt you.
Every situation that comes into your life is necessary at this time, everything. If you look at everybody and everything as God you’ll be on your right track. Look at every situation, every condition as Brahman.
If there is only Brahman, and there is only Brahman, how can there be mistakes someplace. How can people make a mistake? See what I’m saying? There is only the one, and that one is all pervading, omnipresent, perfection, love, happiness, joy, that one is you. You are the one.
So when you react negatively to a situation, you can call it blasphemy. For you’re saying that God doesn’t know what he’s doing. That somehow consciousness has made a
mistake someplace and you have to correct it, what nonsense. Yet most of us are doing these things everyday. Thinking that it’s up to us to straighten something out, up to us to correct somebody, it’s up to us to fix things. These things that you’re trying to correct and fix have been going on since the beginning of time, when the illusory universe first appeared. It’s all God’s Leela. The sport of God, it’s a joke and you’re taking it seriously.
Is there any wonder that you’re feelings are always hurt. That you become angry everyday over some situation that is a trifle or nonsense, for you refuse to understand your divinity. You’re looking at yourself as a mortal being who has to go out into this world and fight for survival. It’s a lie, it’s not the truth.
This is what you should focus on day and night, and the best way to work on yourself is through self-inquiry. It encompasses all these things we’re talking about. But it’s up to you to do it and keep doing it day and night without stopping. Whatever comes to you, whatever you see everyday, whether it’s a trifle or it’s a serious thing, you have to inquire, “To whom does this come? Who feels this? Who sees this?” I know it’s hard for some of you to do this and this is because you’re not practicing the little things.
If you keep practicing the little things first, then when a so-called big catastrophe comes along, you’ll be able to handle it beautifully. You’ll simply say, “To whom does this come? To me, the ego, the I. I am free of it completely,” and be able to shrug it off and walk away in complete peace. But if you’re not practicing this, then when a so-called catastrophe comes along in your life, you will become violently upset over it, depressed, mad.
It’s like when you’re going to die and leave your body. What you occupy your mind with when you die is that’s where you’re going to go. So some of you say, “Well I’m going to occupy my mind with Brahman, when I die I want to go straight to Brahman.” Of course it doesn’t work this way. Because if you have not been practicing previously to death, so-called, you will not be able to do it. When Mr Death comes to pay you a call, you will be in total fear. You will not be able to think straight. This is why it’s so important to practice now. It makes you stronger, in control.
Practice “Who am I?” constantly, continuously. “Who is this I that has this problem, this fear, this frustration? Where did the I come from?” As you keep separating yourself from the I daily, continuously soon you will not have to voice these things. It will be automatic. Whatever situation unveils itself, you will not say anything you will just look at it and smile and not be involved in it whatsoever. You will have risen to a higher consciousness, just by smiling at the condition, the situation. But if you are not practicing, then when a situation confronts you’ll get angry, mad, upset, depressed and the rest.
So this world of Maya is yours to play with as you wish. You can take control of it or it can take control of you. It’s your choice. If you do not wish this Maya world to take control of you, then you have to get out of it as fast as you can. Again you get out of it by not reacting to conditions to people to places to things and inquiring, “To whom do these things come? Who is feeling this? Who is…to whom does this come? To me. Who is me?
Who is I? Where did I come from?” You keep doing this without looking to time and space and anything else. Just keep doing it. Try and make yourself happy everyday, laugh at yourself.
Sit in the silence by yourself as much as you can. When you sit in the silence do not think about the world and conditionings, just sit. Observe your thoughts in your mind.
Observe your feelings.
You are a product right now from the conditioning you had since you were little.
That is what you’re experiencing right this moment, nothing else. Most of us believe we’ve got our own thoughts, we can think. We can make decisions, but that is not true. You’re totally programmed, mesmerized, hypnotized. You have many false beliefs inside of you, waiting to come out at the first opportunity you give them. They’re like dormant seeds waiting to sprout. Yet you’ve got all the ammunition that you need to get rid of all of these things if you will but use it.
You have self-inquiry to work with. You can become the witness to your thoughts and emotions. You can realize the world is Maya and not identify with its conditionings.
You can know that your body is also Maya and not react to it. You have all those wonderful tools in which to work. You are free, totally and absolutely free. You are boundless, pure awareness right now. The old you is melting away. All your fears and frustrations of the past are gone. You have lifted yourself to a higher vibration. The things that used to bother you, annoy you, are now gone totally and completely. You’re awake and all is well.
SY: Robert I have a question. (R: Umm.) Is there a reason why you’ve chosen twelve to three and six to nine to meditate for a specific reason? Or is that just the time that you meditate in?
Thinking that we should all be meditating at the same time?
R: It’s really just the same when I meditate. I don’t really meditate I just sit in the silence. (SY: So it doesn’t matter really, any time?) Well the time that you do it with me, you’ll get more out of it. You’re doing when I’m doing it. Because there is oneness, a feeling of oneness, a feeling of light, of energy that permeates all of the devotees, same as that at this time. (SY: That’s a lot of hours.) You don’t have to do it at exactly at the same time. I mean you could do it for an hour if you like, a half hour, or whatever is convenient for you. But if you have to do it, do it at a time that I have allocated and time in between as from twelve to one. You can start off small, you can start off doing it for fifteen minutes perhaps, twenty minutes and as you feel the energy you can increase it. Things will begin to happen for you.
Many people tell me from Europe, Asia, United States, who are sitting at those hours, they feel powerful energy and they’ve changed in their lives. Things have changed for better for them. I hear all kinds of stories about this. Try doing it at that time. If you’re beginning to do this for the first time, like I say, you don’t have to sit for all those hours, you can sit for twenty minutes for a half hour. Whatever is convenient for you, whatever feels right for you. When you get up you forget all about it. Do not think of it any longer.
You get to see things differently, feel differently, feel happier and more peaceful. But again you’ve got to take the effort to do it.
SY: You know it’s funny I seem to be able to get inspired to do it and then this terrible thing, it’s too warm in bed and…oh no.
R: Do it in bed. (SY: Really?) Sure. (ST: Under the covers.) (laughter) Why not? Begin by doing it in bed and things will change, then you get out of bed. You will find that it’s so refreshing that you will get out of bed and sit in a chair. But start wherever you desire. (SY: Well I was told one time that it was much better to sit up to get your spine in an upright position.) Well this is in the beginning of meditation when people first start to meditate, but you don’t really have to do that. Not what you’re learning here, not for Jnana or Advaita. If you’re practicing different forms of yoga what you’re saying is correct. You have to sit a certain way, a certain posture. But this is not yoga. This is Advaita, it’s different. Try you’ll like it. (SY: Thank you.)
Mary would you read the Jnani? (SM: Yes Robert.)
(Mary reads the Jnani refer to the beginning of this book for text) R: Thank you Mary. (SM: Thank you Robert.)
R: Remember to love yourself, to worship yourself, to pray to yourself, to bow to yourself for God dwells in you as you, peace.
Time for prashad…
(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.