18. Do you Know what you Want?🔗

We cringe when questions come our way. We are unable to handle them. This is because all our questions are unwanted. There will be only questions for each person that will lead him or her towards the experience of bliss. Because we are unable to ask that question, because we don't know that question, we ask all other questions and suffer.

Bliss or joy is grossly misunderstood. We equate it with the excitement of a new acquisition. Think of the excitement we have when we acquire something new - like a car or house. How long does it last? Not very long. Once we achieve the goal, the thrill and happiness disappear. This is not the joy or bliss that spiritual masters refer to.

Ramana Maharishi, a realized master who lived in the 20th century, defines this situation beautifully. He says, 'before we get it, even a mustard seed looks like a mountain; after we acquire it, even a mountain looks like a mustard seed.'

Do we know what we really want? Unfortunately, none of us do. We think we know. Are we happy with our success? No! We cannot be. We will never be. Till we know what we want, we will never be satisfied with whatever we achieve and acquire. Infact, at the end we will find that whatever we have acquired is of no value to us.

We are chasing desires all the time. This leads us into an endless cycle of desire and want. Most of these desires are not our own. They are borrowed from others. We see someone having or doing something and we want to do or have it. That is how things start. The possessive feeling, labeling things or relationships as 'mine' is the most dangerous trap that the mind can set for us. It is never ending, never fulfilling, always leading to suffering.

How can we end this confusion or suffering? We will continue to suffer and be disillusioned until we know who we are. Until we know who we are, the question of what we want cannot be answered! Understand that!

The smallest but greatest book ever is a book of sayings by Ramana Maharishi titled, 'Who Am I'. Let us dare to ask this question. This question will lead us into a long journey. Our question will transform into a quest. Our urge will become urgent.

We often think answers will end our questions or problems. I tell you, any question that is directional and leads to an answer will only add to your confusion. Only when the question leads us towards a solid experience will we really grow.

Awaken this intelligence, this bliss, this joy that is undiminished. Vivekananda says, 'Till inner intelligence is awakened, no book will help you; once it is awakened you do not need any books!'

Address the question that arises from your being alone. That alone will take you in the path that is right for you. That alone will make you understand what you really want.

19. Relive and Relieve!

A devotee once asked me, 'How do we overcome karma?'

I replied, 'I will give you a simple technique. Practice it. From this moment, try and remember all the incidents in your life. Start going backwards from this moment until you reach your childhood days. Recall whatever you can. Don't bother about what you can't. You must realize that what you can't remember is really only a hangover. It has not deeply touched you. That is why it is not retained in your memory. Try this technique for a year. It will help you let go of your memories. It will help you to release yourself from karma. Reliving is a wonderful way of relieving.'

There is a qualifier to this exercise. We all can't go back and relive every memory. To do this totally, completely, we need to have the emotional freedom from our memories. It will work for us only if we have total emotional freedom, to recall any memory we wish to. No memory, when it is recalled, should create any emotional bondage or baggage. Only then are we emotionally free from them.

Remember: if we are emotionally free from any memory, we will be able to access and store memories anywhere. Don't create an emotional bondage with any memory. Release it.

Meditation is another useful method to control the influence of our mind. We can pass up anger, depression, and memories by meditation. Our body is nothing but the individual sparks of consciousness. Each spark in fact is a reflection of the Whole. Every spark makes a valuable contribution to the larger hologram or picture.

There is a technique simpler than meditation. It is to simply live moment to moment. Our life is lived moment to moment. Every moment gives birth to the next moment. If we can live this moment, then it is possible that we can live the next moment too. When we live moment to moment, we will live happily. We will have no regrets, no guilt, no expectations, and no surprises.

If we live completely in every moment, with total awareness, then we are in the state of eternal and causeless joy. Living in the moment, from moment to moment, is to live in the present, to live in the HERE and NOW, is what Buddha called mindfulness.

Live in the Now and conquer karma, memories, emotions and other energy blocks. Be in the Now and be enlightened!