– Transcript 234
R: (tape starts abruptly) …Don’t you feel wonderful? (Students: Yeah.) Of course. Again good afternoon. (Students: Good afternoon Robert) It is good to be with you here again.
Most of you have come to listen to words, but I tell you the message is in between the words. In the silence, where there is no talk going on. That’s the message. That’s where truth is, that’s where reality is, when there are no sounds, no words. Words are only to motivate you to keep quiet. That’s all words are good for. Chanting ,words, they’re only to quieten the mind. Keep you still. In the stillness is your reality. In the quietness is your strength, not in the noise, not in the talk. Try to be quiet most of the time. Do not get involved in too many conversations.
People have been talking since the beginning of time. What did it accomplish them? Look at the world, the precarious position it’s in. It’s all done by talking, talk, talk, talk talk. And now you come here to listen to me talk to add to the confusion. But I say to you, “You have to give up the talking. You have to give up all the dogmas and confusions and nonsense. Drop it all and be still. Be still and know that I am God.”
When you are still you will feel the presence of the power. You will feel the absolute reality of what you are. Only in quietness can you feel this…this peace. Not in noise, but in peace, in quietness. Only then will you feel a stillness and a harmony and joy.
How many of you are happy?
S: We’re happy.
R: How many of you are really, really happy?
S: Sometimes. (laughter)
R: How many of you are really really really really happy?
S: No not that. (students laugh)
R: Very few.
We still believe happiness lies in things and places and people. We still believe that if we won the lotto we’ll be happy for a while or if you meet the right person you’ll be happy. When things go your way you’ll be happy.
How many times have you done this and you’ve not been happy. Happiness lasts for a short time, material happiness, then it goes away. Can you believe that there is such a thing as unalloyed happiness, unbroken happiness, happiness that goes with you and stays with you and never changes? Yes my friends there is such a happiness. If you ever felt it you’ll never be the same again. It’s a happiness that brings you bliss and joy and awakens you to the truth of your Self. This happiness is you. It is your natural birthright it is what you really are. But you’ve been looking in all the wrong places.
Do you know the song, “Looking for love in all the wrong places?” When it’s within yourself, all you have to do is turn within. It’s not on the outside. It’s not in a better job or a better person or more money or more health. This has absolutely nothing to do with it, yet it appears that it does.
We’re all born to die so-to-speak. No one is going to last forever. Whatever you accumulate, whatever you do in this life, you can’t take it with you. So why are you searching for things that you can’t take with you? Does that make any sense? You can’t take certain people with you. You can’t take your couch or your house with you. You can’t take your car with you. You can’t even take your body with you. It all stays behind.
Yet most of us never want to think about these things. We don’t want to think we leave something behind. We think we’re going to live forever, what a joke. And yet there is an infiniteness within you, a joy within you, that never dies, it lives forever. What is it that lives forever? Find out. I’m not going to tell you. I’ll spoil all of the fun.
You’re not what you think you are. You’re not what appears to be. Forget about all your problems, all your joys, all your sorrows, all your happiness, forget about all these things. They can do absolutely nothing to you or for you. Stop thinking, quiet your mind, become still, peaceful, then you will feel the presence, then you will feel the power.
Do you feel it? When it’s quiet, silent. Tremendous power, tremendous bliss, joy. It abides as you when you keep still. When you rejoice in your Self. When you take refuge in your Self. When you love your Self.
Have you ever tried really to love your Self? I’m not speaking about your ego, what you appear to be, but to love the Self. The real Self! The Self which has always been and will always be. You are that Self right now just the way you are. Nothing has to change. You’re saying nothing has to change, my life is all screwed up. If nothing has to change then it has to change. You’re looking at the wrong picture. The screwed up life is not yours. You’re not that at all. When you love the Self you love the Self which is eternal, the absolute reality, consciousness, pure awareness, that is your Self.
Have you ever thought of yourself as pure awareness, total freedom, complete bliss, boundless space. This is your true nature boundless space, all pervading, omnipresence. Feel yourself as that. Forget about your body. Stop thinking about it, leave it alone.
It’s not you. It never was you. You are boundless space, pure awareness, beauty, joy, everlasting bliss.
You must begin seeing yourself this way. What you see you become. What you feel you become. What you think about all day long you become. What do think about yourself all day long? How you see yourself, how you feel about yourself. It’s an important question. For you are what you see. There is only one Self and you are that. But if you see something else it’s not my fault.
Why are you seeing the confusion, the chaos, the turmoil, the sickness, the poverty, the lack? Who tells you see this?
You’ve been brainwashed since you were a little person to believe that this is a universe you have to struggle in, overcome things, that’s a lie. There is nothing you have to overcome because there is nothing you ever became to overcome. You are pure consciousness, pure being, this is your nature and if you see and think everything is Brahman, you will become Brahman. If you see everything as lack and limitation, you will become lack and limitation. You’re in control, you’re in charge of this. No one can really control you, you are the power. You have all the power that exists it is all within you. It is all you.
You are that! You have always been that. What makes you think you are something else.
Awaken to the truth. Awaken to reality, your reality. The one reality!
What about this world? This world is like a dream, that’s all, just a dream. It comes and it goes. It’s here today, it’s gone tomorrow. Would you get involved in the dream and think it’s real? If you’re dreaming you get tied up by savages and they’re cooking you alive. When you woke up would you try to go put the fire out, try to escape? You’d laugh.
You’d see this is all a dream, it’s not happening I’m awake now. And so it is with this world, this universe.
Things appear to be real, it makes you react to things. You try to change things, you try to improve this world, yet you’re doing it all in the dream. So you say, should I do nothing good in this world? Should I help others? As long as you’re dreaming help others.
Do good in this world. Do what you can to alleviate the pain and the suffering of others.
But when you awaken you will see there never were any others. There is no others, there is only the one, the one reality, you are that. There never were any others, but as long as you don’t experience this state you must continue to do good works. Do what you can to help the misery of this world, have compassion, loving kindness. Help others all you can.
But all of the time work on yourself. Continue to work on yourself, always. Never stop working on yourself.
How do you work on yourself?
Whenever something happens to you, when you see something in the world you don’t agree with, you don’t like, or have a feeling inside that disturbs you, question and ask, “To whom does it come? Who experiences this feeling? To whom does it come?” And you say, “It comes to me. I feel this.” Then inquire further, “Who am I?” This process is called self-inquiry or the direct path. It skips all the meditations, yoga, pranayama, ni-pranayama, it goes beyond everything. It goes beyond everything. Direct path self-inquiry.
It’s good for everyone, everyone should practice it.
When you first get up in the morning, as soon as thoughts come to you ask, “To whom do these thoughts come?” Ask yourself, whatever the thoughts are. “To whom do these come? Who is experiencing these thoughts? Who has these feelings?” and the next answer will be, “I do.” You inquire further then, “Who am I?” What you’re really saying is, “What is the source of this I?” This is what you’re really saying. Where did this I come from? What is its source? I is the root thought, the root thought, root of all thoughts. If you can quench the I all the other thoughts will go with it. You don’t have to try to remove thoughts or change thoughts, you simply get rid of the I that thinks that. When the I is eliminated so will all of your thoughts be and you’ll be home. This is what you should practice day and night, all of the time. It’s the best psychotherapy in the world.
Whenever something disturbs you, no matter what it is. Whenever something annoys you, whenever something bothers you, inquire within yourself, “To whom does this come? Who feels this? Who feels this?” and of course you will say, “I do.” The I is the answer. “Where does this I come from that feels this? Am I the I? No, I wouldn’t be able to say, ‘I do.’ Who is this I? Where did it come from? How did it appear? The I is only a thought. It has no validity, no reality, it’s a thought.” Follow it to its source by observing it, by watching it.
As you do this certain thoughts will come to you again, then you repeat the procedure again and again. “To whom does this come? Who is feeling this? Who is thinking this? I am. What is this I? Who is this I? Where did it come from? Where did I come from?”
What you’re doing you’re separating yourself from the I. Slowly by slowly, little by little you’re separating yourself from the I-thought. And one day the I will just vanish completely. At that time you will become absolute reality, pure awareness.
But you have to practice this continuously. As you’re going to sleep, when you wake up, all of the time. Who am I? Meaning what is the source of the I? To whom do these thoughts come? Who feels depressed? Who feels disturbed? Who feels out of sorts? I do. Who am I? And you have to yearn for freedom inside. You have to yearn for absolute freedom and make it first in your life. What’s first in your life you become.
Think for a moment, what is the most important thing in your life? To be free? To have a million dollars? If you have a million dollars then you have to go to work and do all kinds of things to get rich, it’ll take up all of your time and one day you’ll drop dead and that is the end of that. Whereas if you’re smart you will try to find out what the truth to your reality is. What is reality? Who am I? Where did I come from? What is life all about? It’s all within you, all the answers are within you waiting to express themselves.
Do not waste any more time but diligently begin to practice this method. Wherever you are, it makes no difference whether you’re driving your car, if you’re watching the TV, if you’re doing the dishes, if you’re working in the office. Anyone can practice “Who am I?”
Now feel the silence. The silence we’re in isn’t the silence. It’s beyond explanation.
When I speak of the silence, I’m speaking of reality, God, consciousness. Feel it! Feel it right now.
As you feel it, if thoughts come to you ask yourself, “To whom do these come?
Who is feeling these thoughts? Who is being bothered by these thoughts? I am. Well who am I?” This is a definite method that will bring you home if you will practice it. Do not think of time, how long it will take. For time is nonexistent.
It’s like the story of the student who was with a Master and his Master was teaching him all these truth principles and he kept asking, “Master how long will it take me to get there? How long will it take?” He bothered the Master all day long. Finally the Master told him, “Come with me.” He took him to the lake and told him to look into the lake.
When he did this the Master pushed him into the lake and held his head under the water for a long time. When he pulled him up by the hair he looked the student in the eye and asked him, “What was it that you wanted mostly when you were under the water drowning?” And all the student wanted was to grasp for air and he said, “Air! Air!” And the Master said, “When you want truth as much as you wanted air you’ll have it. When you want to be free as much as you wanted the air, you’ll become free.” And so it is with us.
Again what do we put first in our lives? What do we get involved in? Think of all the nonsense going on in our lives. Do we need all of this nonsense? Drop it! Drop everything! Your true nature is absolute reality. Your true nature is bliss consciousness. Your true nature is pure awareness. You are that Brahman who has always been and always will be.
You are the universe right now. Enjoy it, accept it, be it and be free.
(pause as tape starts abruptly)
…the guru in which you ask any question. If you stump me you get to sit over here and I get to sit over there, so feel free to ask a question about anything. Very inquisitive bunch of people.
SY: What is the purpose of evil in the world?
R: To whom does the evil come? Who experiences evil? Is there such a thing as evil? That’s how it appears. Is there really evil? The logic that appears to us is a cleansing process. A human being so-to-speak, a world so-to-speak, it doesn’t exist. It appears to be cleansed every now and again. The way this earth is cleansed is through earthquakes, cataclysms, all kind of good things like that. And everything begins fresh and new. But when a person is cleansed it’s through suffering so-it-appears. You go through certain suffering and you come out of it beautiful and happy, maybe not in this life.
It’s like a flower. When you plant a rose seed, if you were as big as an atom and you observe the rose seed you see a tremendous explosion taking place. Like a nuclear explosion. In order for the rose to come out there has to be destroyed. There has to be an explosion and the beautiful rose comes out. In other words, if there is no explosion you wouldn’t have the rose. This is true with everything in life - what appears to be life.
So something happened that we were told, when we were little, is evil. And we separate it and we say, “This is evil, this is good. This is right, this is wrong.” It’s all taking place in your mind. Everything takes place in your mind. Stop the mind from moving and everything will stop, and there will be no more evil for you. That is why it is written, “Evil is in the eyes of the beholder.” So it’s what you see. You may see evil and another person in the same situation sees harmony and joy. Depends who is looking, who is seeing. So rather than try to differentiate between evil and good, right and wrong, dive within yourself and find out who you are, then see if there is any evil in the world. SK: Robert what can help individuals, in their motivation for liberation? Not quite as much as the fellow that wanted air when he was drowning. Can anything be done about that?
R: Begin to work on themselves continuously, peacefully, until that time comes when you have that kind of desire, that kind of feeling. As you look at this world and become disturbed by it you will one day realize, “Why am I going after this world? Why am I allowing the world to bother me? Why do I react to this world?” And you will go deeper and deeper and deeper. As you come to satsang all of the time, and you keep studying all these things you will find that you are gradually becoming less and less, and your true Self is becoming more and more. And you will win eventually. So don’t think that you’re not doing it or you have no desire, there are things keeping you back, do the best you can. And when you’re not practicing do good to others, have compassion for the world. Handle it the best you can and everything will take care of itself.
It’s hard when we look at ourselves and think that we’re making progress or not.
We can’t do this for ourselves. But anyone who comes to satsang like this, or practices these things by themselves, something is happening. Something wonderful is happening inside and one day you will feel it. You just keep practicing, practicing, practicing, then you will be home soon. Have no fear all is well.
SB: Robert is going deeper and deeper and deeper something like when water gets hotter and hotter and hotter? And it doesn’t appear that anything is happening, it’s still plain old water, and there is a point where it just starts to bubble, and there is a point that it actually evaporates and completely changes from water into vapor and disappears. Is that like going deeper and deeper into silence? There is a certain point where you just evaporate or coincide with reality and then everything, you know…
R: If you wish to use that analogy that’s fine.
SB: Because I noticed that long ago, about twenty years ago I had a profound thing happen to me. Just by accident, I had never read a book or never went to any meetings of any kind and just looking back now on how it happened it was like falling and falling and falling into emptiness for several days. And then there was a point where there was just absolutely nothing, a profound emptiness then there was a tremendous fear at a certain point. And when I look back on it, it seems like it was a death, a more profound emptiness, no motion at all. And then at a certain point something happened like an explosion. So the silence, it seems like we could be silent in the mind and nothing seems to be happening. And I look back at that and remember what a difference that was between that silence of absolute death like and that just for a few minutes, and then the mind coming back and then the desires coming back. But it was just like a completely different mode of being. (R: Try for it again.) That day it happened by accident. It was like a coincidence. It wasn’t something I knew about and tried for… (R: It happened by itself.) It just happened by accident without ever knowing a single teaching. Never read a single book.
R: That is the best way for it to happen. What happened, why did it go away? (SB: Mind came back, “How could I live like this?” That was the first thought.) See this means…what this means to me is you never really had it. If you really had it, it would never go away.
(SB: So what is it then? it wasn’t the real thing but it was some kind of a…) Yes, you had a spiritual experience which was good. (SB: Yeah.) You went to a certain degree but not to the Self of it. At least you know something is there. It makes your belief stronger. Because if you did not experience anything… (SB: Yeah.) …you wouldn’t know if anything exists like this. But since you had the experience you know it exists.
SB: But the funny thing is that, you know, everybody, it’s like we’re all searching for something, and the funny thing is, in this little thing that happened, it came out of absolutely nothing, nothing, not a speck of anything.
R: You will experience it again. It will stay with you this time. It won’t go away. All is well.
We have a reading by Mary. We read this once a year.
S: It is called, “Mind the business for which you have come”: “All events in life are shaped according to the divine plan. What is bound to happen will happen. What is not to happen cannot be brought about by any human effort. On this point Ramana was quite categoric. When Deva Raja Mudaliar questioned him as to whether only important things in ones life, such as major occupation or profession alone, are predetermined, or even trifling acts, Ramana replied, “Everything is predetermined.”
“One of the purposes of birth is to go through certain experiences which have been marked out in the karmic unfoldment of this life. The whole program is chalked out. This would apparently be a dampener to all effort, for one would be puzzled as to what the responsibility of man is. Is he an automation of karmic forces? Where do his free will and effort come in?
Ramana points out that there is another deeper purpose in life, that is to search and find out the truth for oneself. He would say that the only useful purpose of life, is to turn within and realize there’s nothing else to do. Ramana would therefore constantly din into everyone the fact that the ultimate truth is …, immediately available here and now.
When Natanananda asked Ramana, “Is it possible for everyone to know directly, without doubt, what exactly is ones true nature?” prompt came the reply, “Undoubtedly it is possible. The ultimate truth is so simple,” Ramana would say. “It is nothing more than abiding in ones own state.” This is the essential message of all religions and creeds. Leaving aside the automatic course of our lives regulated by the creator, according to his law, ones duty is to channel effort to be self-aware. Steadfastness of purpose is in treading the inner path through vigilant self-inquiry. On such inquiry as to the source of the individual, the inquirer merges in the conscious source.
The inner odyssey is seldom smooth sailing. Full many a delusion would wean one away.
For instance, people would go to Sri Ramana ashram to breathe its rarified atmosphere, while there, instead of surrendering to his flowing grace, they would get involved in the happenings of the ashram management. Ramana used to jovially remark of some visitors, “On their first visit to Sri Ramana ashram, they seemed to be alight. On the second visit they discovered that the ashram is not properly run and on the third visit they start giving advice. On the fourth they know best how to run the place. And on the fifth they discover that the management is not responsive. On the sixth, they suggest that the present staff should walk out, leaving the ashram to them.” They would thus get bogged down in things which are irrelevant for the search. When such people complained, Ramana would say: “Mind the business for which you have come.”
This would apply, of course, not only to their visit to Shri Ramana ashram, but also to the purpose of human life itself. One has to constantly keep before the minds eye the liberating purpose, the only worth while one of freeing oneself from the karmic chain, by discovering the hidden truth.
Ramana would even seemingly chide if one failed to pursue ones own sadhana, but spent time thinking and talking of others.
A devotee once told Ramana, “I have been here for many years. People got into Samadhi. I close my eyes for a minute and my mind travels around the world.” Ramana replied, “Why do you think about others? Let them meditate, sleep or snore. Look to yourself. Whenever your mind goes astray bring it back to the quest.”
Once Bhagwan told a devotee, “You wake up, look at the mirror, it shows the growth to be got rid of. Instead of wasting time, start shaving. Similarly, heaven knows when the allotted time would end. Hence, not to seek the truth by vigilant self-inquiry is truly suicidal. Many would like to blame their circumstances for their indolence and laziness and failure to pursue self-inquiry.”
Ramana would ask, “Why depend on that which is not in your hands. Go ahead with the business which is in your hands, under your control, leaving aside what you cannot do anything about.”
Proper utilization of God given freedom of turning the mind, is what is needed all the time.
As for adverse circumstances in life of which everyone has a belly full, while sympathizing, Ramana would at the same time say, “You are always free not to be affected by the pleasure and pain consequent on action.” The teeth have to be taken out of the event by an attitudinal change which neutralizes it.
Sometimes Ramana would advise leaving things to the sure hand of the sat guru, and to stick single-mindedly to the effort which would make one self-aware. Ramana would say, “Why don’t you do what the first class railway passenger does? He tells the guard his destination, locks the door and goes to sleep. The rest is done by the guard. If you can trust your guru as much as you trust the railway guard, it will be good enough to make you reach the destination.” Again when someone pestered him for the darshan of Shri Krishna, he said, ‘Why don’t you leave the shaktakara of Krishna to Krishna.” We also have the pointed advice given by him to Ganapada Muni. “Remain all the time steadfast in the heart. God will determine the future for you and accomplish the work.
What is to be done will be done at the proper time, don’t worry. Abide in the heart.” Life becomes meaningful if we joyously tread the inward path, remembering that ours is to do the vichara and it is for the inner source to do the rest. Then bliss is not the end product to be found on reaching the goal, but is felt all along the homeward, heart-ward journey.”
R: Thank you Mary. (SM: Thank you Robert…)
(tape ends abruptly.)
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.