There is a beautiful Zen story:
One disciple goes to the Master and asks, 'Master, you have become a Master, please guide me also how to become a Master'.
Master says, 'Who says I have become a Master? No. I am a Master because you want to be a disciple. As long as you are playing the role of a disciple, I will be in the seat of the Master. The moment you are no more a disciple, I will not be a Master anymore'.
The disciple was shocked, 'How can it be?'
The Master says, 'Yes, only when you want to see a Master, you will see a Master in me'.
For example, it is not that all the people who see me on the road feel my presence or energy. No. Only a person who needs, who wants, feels connected. So, including your experience, everything is part of the great psychodrama being played here.
Understand, Master plays a psychodrama of Master-disciple relationship to expose you to the reality and to take away all other psychodramas from you. That is why we say that Master-disciple relationship is the ultimate relationship, the last relationship. Till you have that relationship, you will have all other relationships. Once you have the Master-disciple relationship, he swallows all other relationships. He takes away all other relationships. And then he takes away even the Master-disciple relationship and shows you that there is no Master, no disciple.
There is only one thing, you can call it as 'you' or 'me'. It is only one. As long as the 'you' and 'me' exist, there is a possibility for relationship. In reality, 'you' and 'me' itself don't exist. It is one and the same. You may call that as 'you' or 'me', any word you may use.
But you will realize the one who sees everything as movements in consciousness, will realize that you and me are just two different waves in the same ocean. It may be a big wave or small wave, but whatever it is, it is in the same ocean. You are also going to settle down in the same ocean, I am also going to settle down in the same ocean. Even if you don't want, we will fall into the same ocean.
He says, 'Speaking such Truth is very difficult indeed.' your very inner consciousness has to be raised to a different level. Just speaking the Truth is impossible by you, unless you are constantly being alert.
Maybe you can take this as a small homework, just try. Till tomorrow, try with full alertness. Maybe you can have a small notebook. Whenever you miss, note down how many times you missed. Just try to see. Then you will understand what Mahāvīra means by the word 'being continuously aware.'
If you try just for twenty-four hours, only then you will understand the meaning of the word 'being continuously aware'. Today you need to carry only one message, only one line, 'being continuously aware.'
Please try to experiment with this one idea. Till tomorrow be continuously aware and see how many times you are failing. That is enough. You will learn what Mahāvīra wants you to learn. You will learn what you need to learn. That is more than enough.
You are a Wave in the Ocean of Life
The wave when it rises, when it is in its peak height and when it falls, in all the three times, it is directly connected to the ocean. It can't be away from the ocean. It can never be separated from the ocean. Even if the wave thinks that it has become separate from the ocean, and it has to get liberation, it has to reconnect itself to the source and the ocean. Even if you think you are separated from the ocean, you are connected to the ocean.
In the same way, even if you believe you are in bondage, and you have not achieved liberation, be very clear, you are never bound. You are eternally liberated. You are connected to the source. You are connected to the ocean. You are filled with energy.
The person who understands everything as movements in consciousness, realizes that you are like a wave in the ocean. You rise in it, go to the peak height in it, you fall inside it, that's all. There is no other difference. One who sees everything as movements in consciousness, transcends sin and merit, bondage and liberation.
The one who transcends sin and merit, bondage and liberation, understands the futility of sense enjoyments and renounces them completely. When you understand the sin and merit, bondage and freedom, it is not that you need to renounce the sense enjoyments. Sense enjoyments will renounce you. They will understand you are useless for them and they will renounce you.