Simply let go! chapter 1🔗

When you become a seeker, it means you have begun your search for the ultimate: you have begun your search to find yourself. It is at this time that all your desires which pull you to the outside world leave you. The only desire that remains is the desire for deep fulfillment. Once this happens, there will be no need to depend on anyone or anything because in order to experience deep fulfillment, you are the only one that needs to be present. Fulfillment can happen only because of yourself, never because of others. It is the most personal and individual quest possible: the quest to find vourself.

- Simply let go! -

- SIMPLY LET GO! -

he moment the disciple allows the Master to work on him, the disciple has started his inner journey. The Master-disciple relationship has no outer world goal. In the beginning - only in the beginning - there will be attention-need from the Master on the disciple's side. After some time, the disciple gains maturity. He understands the Master's formless presence. He starts to feel the Master in everything that he does. This is what I mean when I say there will be no outer goal, only the inner goal. When this happens, the disciple will radiate the Master's grace, the Master's bliss. Then nothing which happens to him in the outer world will have an emotional effect on him like before. Nothing will disturb him; nothing will have any solid effect on him. He will remain totally centered.

You should move around in the world with complete awareness. You should be able to live in society, in the external world, completely aware of what is happening, with no clinging to anything. You should be able to experience all the pleasures of life, but with no emotional pull or attachment to them. This is the ideal way to be; the ideal way to live!

When we view life as a big drama and ourselves as actors playing different roles, this consciousness will start happening automatically in us. When we start witnessing what is happening to us and around us, no matter what happens, slowly all resistance or indulgence will start to dissolve.

Witnessing begins to happen when you move towards meditation. Meditating without any expectation of what might happen next leads you to witness whatever comes your way. When I say whatever, I mean whatever. Whether it is life or death, whatever comes, you will witness!

So forget all about the results that meditation is supposed to bring; just proceed in it. You will enjoy the clarity that it brings you.

• Simply let go! -

A small story:

There was once a poor shoemaker who lived a simple life. Whether his day's work brought him money or not, he would eat the same plain rice and the same type of gravy everyday.

One day, a thief who was being chased by the police made his way to the shoemaker's tiny house. He came in and declared, 'I am being chased by the police.' The shoemaker, without even looking up from his table, nodded his head.

In the meantime, the door threw open and the police entered the shoemaker's house.

'What are you doing?' they shouted. 'He is one of the most dangerous thieves this town has ever seen. If you are going to give shelter to him, how can we trust you anymore? You have put yourself in great trouble."

The shoemaker, again without looking up from his table nodded his head.

The thief looked at the policemen and said, 'All the money, all the loot is here, in this very house!"

On hearing this, the police began searching the house and in the chaos, the thief escaped.

Luckily, for the police there were three men guarding the house outside who caught the thief right there. They checked his pockets and his small sack and discovered all the stolen money in it.

The police apologized to the shoemaker, 'We are very sorry for the disturbance which we have caused you. You are a great and humble man worthy of trust', they said.

The shoemaker who had witnessed everything that had been going on in his own house, even now did not look up from his work but simply nodded his head.

This is an example of complete awareness. The shoemaker was aware of everything that happened but he was completely undisturbed. And this undisturbed-ness only comes when you are a witness to yourself and whatever happens around you.

Swamiji to a new comer:

You say that you are afraid to come near me because you might have to take the leap into the unknown; you are afraid because you are unsure of what might happen. Understand first: only because you don't know what might happen, it is called the unknown! You will never know what lies there and that is the beauty of it. You are not meant to think about the unknown because the very word unknown says that it can never be known! Initially, it is natural to be afraid because the ego thrives on a secure feeling. When something becomes unknown, the ego feels threatened; it doesn't know what to do!

With this fear and insecurity, a hundred and one questions will arise: am I doing the right thing? Can I trust him? How do I know he is my Master? What if things don't work out with him? And what not...!

You must have a clear understanding about where these questions arise from. They arise only out of the insecurity that comes with the fear of the unknown. When this understanding doesn't happen, you go behind these questions and you fall prey to the ego. And this is how you miss the Master or delay the process of your own enlightenment. To take the leap into the unknown is the greatest thing that you can do for yourself once you have found the Master. To be around the Master is the greatest gift possible; it is the greatest blessing; but you are afraid. You say that you want to experience silence; that you want to experience peace. Being in the Master's presence is the greatest silence that you can experience. And nothing has to be done on your part. The Master does everything! You just need to be open and allow the Master to shower the experience on you and drown you in eternal ecstasy.

To be a disciple needs only one thing: openness. Openness is allowing what has to happen to happen. What you are doing now is stopping yourself from opening up. What you need to do is stop the stopping. There should be no holding back on your part. If you have the courage, simply jump and don't look back.

But Swamiji, I think I have finally figured out my problem. I feel that if I fully jump, my freedom will be lost. I feel that if I completely let go as You said, I won't have any freedom at all.

You have missed the point I am trying to make! The moment you have jumped, you have let go of all your self-restraint which is binding you all the time. Then there will be no boundaries to bind you. And that is the ultimate freedom! I am defining freedom for you here! Do you understand? Your question is on freedom but I am defining the very freedom for you first! Freedom is breaking free from all the self-restraint and taking the leap into the Master's arms. What you think as freedom and afraid of losing is actually your conditioning that is binding you!

Your everyday responsibilities and the emotional attachment to them are the things that are binding you. Once you jump, the Master takes over everything. Then it is enough if you have deep trust in whatever the Master says; things will happen on their own. Even if he tells you to jump off Mount Everest, you will simply do it, because He has told you! But don't worry, I will not tell you to jump off mountains; relax!

Being a disciple means to live innocently in the space of the Master. It means to trust him in anything, no matter what he says. All your logic, all your nonsensical mental setups will then simply leave you. The Master's words will become your inner chatter; the Master's grace will become your body language. This is the meaning of living with the Master.

- Simply let go! -

One more thing: living with the Master does not mean you should completely drop out of society. First of all, understand: you don't need to drop out of society, you only need to drop out of its grip over you. You only need to drop out of its clutches and be free. You can never physically run away from society. Be very clear: you cannot suppress society and hope to overcome it. That is not the way. As time goes by, as you de-condition yourself, as all the binding thoughts leave you, society will leave you on its own! So I tell you: do not drop out of society; just drop out of your past, just drop out of the emotional attachment to your past. Society carries your past for you; it carries your sense of time and space related to the past. So when you stop bothering about the past, society will automatically drop you.

Why do you think I give spiritual names to all of you? It is an indication of a new life. You see: you are identified with your original name only because people call you by it. Your name carries your identity and your identity stores your past. So when your name is changed, just imagine what will happen! First thing: the Master has given you a name and that too with his name in it (as in Nithya or Ananda). Second thing: everyone around you starts calling you by that name! When this happens, the past that was attached to the previous name simply starts to leave you. A new beginning happens. Of course, you will accumulate new memories, but now the Master is there; so first of all, you will not accumulate negative emotional baggage; second, he will see that whatever memories happen in you do not bother you in any undesirable way.

Becoming a disciple means leaving yourself in the Master's hands and trusting him to the depths of your being. It means simply jumping without thinking twice about anything. It is like you are in a dark forest and the Master is the only one who knows the way through it. He may not have a torch to make you feel secure and make you place your faith on him; but he has held out his hand which is more than enough. Whether you allow him to guide you or not is up to you. If you allow him to guide you, he will lead you through it. If you resist, he will wait until you relax.

The attitude of the disciple is feminine. Whether you are male or female does not matter. There are many women who are logical and insensitive. And in the same way, there are many men who are emotional and sensitive to things around them. When I say 'feminine', I mean that you should be sensitive and passive to the Master's energy and everything around you.

Be very clear: I am not telling you to live in a docile fashion. No! All I am saying is to be deeply passive and trusting towards the Master. It is the easiest way to awaken your inborn intelligence. The attitude of the disciple is that of intense openness with the awareness of everything that happens inside him and outside of him.

In the beginning, when the disciple comes in contact with the Master, his devotion is only on the periphery. But as the days go by, the devotion becomes more intense; the devotion gets installed deeper and deeper. And as this happens, intelligence blossoms.

I am reminded of one young ashramite who is a perfect example for a disciple. He operates out of sheer devotion. And because of this he is extremely intelligent and aware. His awareness is such that even outside of his department, he connects and gives suggestions instantly. The other ashramites don't particularly approve of this, because their work multiplies with his suggestions! But this boy doesn't care. And one more thing: because of his growing intelligence, he takes on everything effortlessly and also, technology never baffles him. He seamlessly works his way through.

- Simply let go! -

A young girl tells swamiji that she feels like she is not fit to be around Him

(Swamijilanghs and begins to talk)

What are you saying ma? Everyone and I mean everyone, is fit to be around the Master! He is nothing but a tour guide for the space where you belong. How can he only be for a few? No! The Master is there to clear your doubts and put you into your inner space of pure bliss. How could you not be fit for me then? The very fact that you are having this doubt shows that you are more than fit. Only fit people will analyze these things! The rest take the Master for granted.

But I want to tell you one thing: the Master-disciple relationship should never be analyzed; it should only be experienced. By analyzing, you miss the juice; you miss the exhilarating feeling that can happen within the space of your being, just by being with the Master.

Simply being around the Master relaxes you; it melts you into the same space he is in. It is as if you are a solid block of ice and the Master is the warm sun. What happens when ice is exposed to sun? It melts and becomes one with the sun's space. The same thing happens when you sit before the Master. He simply melts you and you fall into the same space that he is in.

Just talk to some of the people who are continuously around me. They will tell you about times when they sit around me and simply relax into a different space. They feel as if they are melting into unknown-ness.

This kind of feeling happens only when the disciple is fully relaxed and receptive, with a deep trust towards the Master. Then whatever is there will be experienced. Actually, whenever you experience anything of this kind, be clear: you are not experiencing anything new. You are only experiencing what is already there. When you are receptive, you allow the Master to show you what is already there in you. It has always been there, but you have somehow missed it.

I understand, but whatever it is that You were talking about, whatever it is that I can experience, can I not experience it on my own? Is it necessary that I have a Master?

You can try. I am not saying not to try. One thing: it is easier to experience with the help of the Master, that's all. He puts you on the right path and is there with you all the way. If you do it by yourself, it might take longer because you have to experiment with so many paths and so many techniques. The Master will straightaway show you the right way!

Actually, I look at all of you and see how lucky you are. I never had a living Master who lived with me and guided me! You are so lucky to have a Master to show you the way!

In my case, I didn't even have a Master to show me the way. It was like I had a thousand keys for one lock. I had to try; I had to experiment with every single key until I got to the right one. And then finally, the door opened. So yes, it is possible to do it by yourself. But why go through so much when I am here right in front of you waiting to give you the right key? The problem is, even though the key is right here, you fellows won't take it. You have been trained to complicate things before you - Simply let go! - get what you want. It is hard for you to believe that the key is right in front of you; you feel that you have to do great penance in order to get the right key. No! I am here right in front you holding the key. Just take it!

Ramana Maharishi, a great Master of South Bharat once said, 'Enlightenment is easier than pealing a potato!'

So simply peel the potato; there is nothing more to it!

The Master-disciple relationship is beautiful, but during this time, the disciple falls so much in love with the Master's form that he becomes helplessly attached to it. This is where the problem starts.

It is okay to love the Master. And in the beginning, it is okay to become attached to the form. In fact, it is necessary in order to really love him; but you must not stagnate there. You must move beyond the form. And when I say, 'move beyond the form', I don't mean stop admiring the form. I mean, don't confine the Master to his 6-foot body. Start feeling him everywhere and in everything.

God or the Divine is omnipresent; He is everywhere. The Master's form is just a reflection of what is really there. It is a form he has chosen to make it easy for you to relate to him, that's all. Getting attached to the form is missing his reality.

A small story:

There are Supreme Swans called Paramahamsa that symbolize Realized Souls or Incarnations. The Paramahamsa flies with its flock and lays its egg while flying. The egg hatches in mid air and even before touching the ground, the little one emerges from it and flies upwards!

The Paramahamsa flies high and beneath it were little fish in a pond. The fish suddenly caught the reflection of the Paramahamsa in the pond and thought it was a new fish that had come to play with them. When the Swan flew to the right, the closest fish to his reflection thought, 'He's so beautiful, so loving, and so compassionate and I am so close to him!' When the Swan flew to the left towards another fish, the first fish thought, 'He must love him more than me. He is going towards him.'

When the Swan flew towards Los Angeles, all the fish in Los Angeles thought, 'Wow, he is coming here! Let us build an ashram for him.' Some other fish decided to write books and make web sites about him. Some fish fought over the swan and some fish marveled at him.

But there were a few intelligent fish that saw the Swan's reflection and said, 'No! This cannot be real. This is not a fish.' They looked up and saw the reality of the Swan. When they saw the reality of the Swan, they realized the truth that they too were not fish but they were really Swans. They realized that they too could fly! One thing: while all this chaos was happening beneath it, the swan flew on blissfully, never hearing or seeing the fish or anything else!

So understand: what you are seeing is nothing but a reflection! It is not the real thing, yet it is the embodiment of reality. It seems to be like you, yet it is not like you. With intelligence, just look up and you will know too.

• Simply let go! -

Being with the Master is like having a love affair with the Divine.

I always tell people: The Master will be with you whether you physically see him or not. In fact he will be with you more when you start feeling his presence stronger than his form. This is because, the feeling of his presence will be so deep, the receptivity will be so strong, that he will install himself deeply in you. It is only when this happens, that you don't see him and yet feel the current and you will understand he is within you. And if he is within you, you will see that there is no difference between the form and the formless; you will understand that the Master is really the formless in form, that's all!

Being a disciple means coming close enough to the Master so that you too can fly. It means coming close enough to look up and see what really is.

Now I tell you: look up! See what is there. See what you are.