Beloved Master,
For some reason, each time that I see You, I am shocked by Your beauty. I think that You are the most beautiful being that has ever happened!
In what way do You experience Your own beauty?
Actually, there is no way to experience your own beauty. If the beauty is physical, then there are ways to know it. You could look in the mirror and see your own reflection.
If the beauty is coming out of your silence; if it is being reflected from within, then it does not belong to your physical body. Then it is not physical at all; you cannot know it yourself because this beauty cannot be reflected in a mirror. You cannot see the beauty of silence through a mirror.
It can only be experienced.
There is one thing that you must be made very clear on:
The beauty that you see in me is not my own. It is not mine at all. It is everyone's. It is part of Existence. There are so many different bodies, but within, we are the same. The inner fire is one and the same. When you start radiating this flame, a certain grace starts happening. It is a beauty that cannot be described because it is from a different dimension altogether.
So, if you are able to see my beauty, it is simply a reflection of your own self. The master is nothing but a mirror of yourself. He is a reflection of yourself.
But it so happens that when you look into a mirror, you start to think that the mirror is beautiful, that the mirror is so child-like, so innocent! What you don't understand is that the mirror is actually you; it is your own reflection!
In life, whatever you see is simply a reflection of yourself. Just look into your lives. A sunset may look beautiful to one person; it may look depressing to another. And another person may not even care; he doesn't bother about it at all.
It is the same sunset that comes through in three different ways. It is not that the sunset is beautiful, or depressing, or difficult to notice.
It is just your attitude which determines what you see. In other words, if you are beautiful, the sunset appears beautiful too.
If you are yourself a beautiful person, everything will appear beautiful to you. You will project your beauty onto the sunset. If you yourself are depressed, everything will look upsetting or disappointing to you. You will project your depression onto the sunset. And the third person, who doesn't notice the sunset at all, doesn't notice the moon, doesn't see the trees around him, is simply missing it. He is always in such a rush, always trying to reach somewhere; he doesn't have the time to look at the sunset which according to him comes and goes anyway and which he can see tomorrow anyway.
But I tell you: Every sunset is new. It is fresh everyday.
So, the way in which you see the sun, or anything for that matter, depends on you. If you are seeing some beauty in me, something beautiful has arisen within you; remember that.
A small Zen story:
Any wandering monk can lodge in a Zen temple. All he has to do is win an argument about Buddhism with those already living there. But he cannot stay in the temple if he is defeated.
It so happened that a wandering monk asked for lodging in a temple where two brothers lived. The older brother was well-read and wise, but the younger, who had only one eye, was a fool. The older brother was feeling tired. He asked his brother to take on the wandering monk. But he warned him, 'Don't talk. Have the debate in silence.'
After some time, the wandering monk came to the older brother and said, 'I am very sorry; I can't stay. Your brother has defeated me.'
The older brother was surprised and asked, 'Tell me what happened.'
The monk said, 'I held up a finger representing Buddha. Your brother held up two fingers symbolizing Buddha and his teachings. Then I held up three fingers symbolizing Buddha, his teachings and his followers. He shook his head and clenched his fist near my face, signifying that all three came from one realization. So he won.'
The monk left. Immediately after, the younger brother rushed in angrily and shouted, 'Where is that fellow? I will beat him for his arrogance.'
'Why, what happened,' the older brother asked.
The younger brother said, 'He held up one finger, mocking me for having only one eye. To be polite to a stranger, I held up two fingers, congratulating him for having two eyes. Then that rude fellow held up three fingers to remind me that between us we had only three eyes. I got mad and wanted to punch him. But he ran away!'
The same set of actions interpreted in entirely two different ways! Just watch how our minds work! We are so boxed into our own psychology. It is this psychology which we project all around us.
A man who is an embodiment of silence will see the whole world as silence. Any sound that he hears will only be lost in the silence which he feels. On the other hand, a man who is full of noise will never feel even a moment's worth of silence. He will only feel noise. The whole world is nothing but the projected version of yourself.
So, it is good that you see beauty in me; it shows that you yourself are beautiful. But don't stop there. This is not an experience to get stuck in. Notice the beauty which is growing within you as well.
Notice it.
Go into it.
Only then will your whole being be filled with beauty.
If a person is able to see everything as beautiful, then what does it mean? It means that he himself is beautiful. So the way in which you see the world, the way in which you see the people around you, all depends on you. You are living in the world which you have created.
Have this understanding: there are as many worlds as there are people because everyone is living in their own world. No two people think in the same way. No two people see the same things.
It is perfectly alright to see beauty in me. But know that it is your beauty which you are seeing. I am simply the mirror, that's all!
This must become a deep understanding in you. You must know that whatever you see in the world is just a projection. Of course, there is a state where the mind is no more and projections have dropped; it is here that you see the world as it is. It is here that you see the world as nothing but beautiful. But this beauty is different; it is not a projection at all.
When you have transcended the mind, you have become a mirror. You then reflect reality. It is nice that you see something like this in me, but trust it only when you see it in everything else too.
When a poet looks around at the trees, just observe him. He looks at the trees, or anything for that matter, with such sensitivity. He sees not only one shade of green, but many shades.
If you were to look at the same tree, you would simply say that the tree is green. It takes a very sensitive person to observe beyond that.
Once you have clearly understood that you are the world because you yourself are creating it, you will automatically become centered; you will see the world as it is.
It has to be remembered continuously: whatever you see is your own projection. Once you start seeing the same everywhere - the same in a friend as you see in an enemy, you have entered into a new space.
And it is possible. Just drop your judgments.
It will happen.
It has to happen.
Beloved Master,
I often feel blessed by an overwhelming feeling that this family, this THE SUPREME PONTIFF OF HINDUISM BHAGAWAN SRI NITHYANANDA PARAMASHIVAM family is becoming gently one body, one organism, one heartbeat. Is this a dream? Am I just being a utopian?
And please tell me that this is not a dream...
First I ask you: name one person who is not a utopian. Name a single person who does not wish that the world didn't have problems. Name one person who doesn't want peace and harmony; who wants fights and conflicts. You simply cannot! Everyone wants to live in a peaceful way.
So first be clear that you are not in a minority community. Everyone is a utopian. In a subtle way, in some small corner of everybody's mind, whether they are aware of it or not, they want peace and harmony.
Whether you believe it or not, accept it or not, everyone is a utopian, including your so-called criminals. Certain criminals may have done wrong; they may have committed some crime, but for them it is not a crime. They feel that they are perfectly right. They feel that there is nothing wrong with what they did. They feel that whatever they did made their people happy.
So first understand that everyone is a utopian.
Next, about your family feeling: of course it is not a dream. It is real. Everyone here is living with one another, helping each other grow. In fact this relationship is much more than a family feeling. It is a deep bond, a deep connection with everyone at almost the being level.
Just look at the way in which you all are living. I will recall to you an incident that happens almost everyday in our 'THE SUPREME PONTIFF OF HINDUISM BHAGAWAN SRI NITHYANANDA PARAMASHIVAM family':
One of our devotees would have come to the ashram. You would have never seen him before; never even heard of him. But what happens when you speak to him for the first time? You feel instant bonding with him. You feel that there is something there at a deeper level. And you will be wondering, 'I don't even know this person. Why am I feeling this way?'
The reason is: you all have intense love for the Master. The moment this happens, you feel connected with anyone and everyone who also shares this love for him. Whether you know the person or not, you all share a common factor love for the Master. So naturally, you all feel like one being.
You all understand each other. In fact you all love each other with the same love as you love me. This love is unconditional, regardless of gender, culture or religion. You all may fight, argue and what not, but no grudge remains. This is because of the unconditional love that you have for me and for each other. Because of this love, you all feel as if you are one being, one heartbeat.
Allow this feeling; allow it to grow. You will become so overwhelmed with love and oneness that it will spread outside the boundaries of just my devotees. You will feel this same love, this same connection, with the whole of Existence.
Yes.
Beloved Master,
Could You please pass Your comments about the difference between the spiritual question, 'Who am I?' (which Ramana Maharishi speaks about) and the psychological trauma of 'Who am I?' (the state of confusion).
It is nothing but the difference between the ego and the self. You see: the ego is just the false idea which you have of who you are; it is the work of the mind. There is actually no relationship between it and reality.
Your ego is perfectly fine for you as long as you are dealing only with the world, because in the world you are mainly dealing with the egos of other people. The moment the mind is dropped, the ego goes with it. It is here that you discover who you really are. You understand that what you thought yourself to be and what you really are, are really at two separate poles. You understand that your reality is totally different and has nothing to do with the mind.
It is like this: you have never tasted sugar before. You come to me and ask, 'What does sugar taste like?' What will I say? I will only say that it is sweet. But will you be able to understand? Can you understand what 'sweet' is? No! You need to experience it.
So, in order to understand what 'dropping the ego' is, you must first experience it. As of now, you have not reached the ultimate reality. You are still somewhere between truth and falsity; oscillating between the two.
Yes, it is better than false, but much lower than the real. You still have the separation between you and Existence. It is this separation which prevents you from seeing reality as it is. To see it as it is, is the ultimate blessing. And it is your birthright.
To understand your problem, here is an analogy. You have a wall all around you. You yourself have built this wall; a nice steel wall. And inside this wall, you are thinking that you are seeing reality.
This is the game that ego plays on you. There is a whole other dimension waiting to be seen, waiting to be experienced, and your ego keeps you thinking that you have seen all that needs to be seen. If you break open these walls, you will see the reality of the whole of Existence.
But first, you must get rid of the ego; the ego which prevents you from knowing, from really seeing.
There are some religions like Zen or Hinduism which take you to the end of your spiritual path. It is religions like these which are not only interested in clearing you of the ego, but also go a step further: They take you until the point where there is nothing more to drop; where even the self has disappeared.
Right now, you are like a house that is full; you are having a party within you. There are so many personalities, so many thoughts, so many false ideas contradicting each other. A noisy party is going on within you. When you start moving deeper within you, trying to understand your reality, the party starts winding up; the guests start to leave. The party is no more; your house becomes empty. If you move even deeper, there is no house! Even the house has disappeared.
This is what I am talking about. Right now, you are full of thoughts and you are bound by the ego. It is like your house is full. Some day, the ego will leave you, like your guests have left and your house is empty.
But if you go still deeper, the house too disappears. Then there is nothing at all to drop. Your self has dropped. It is at this point that you are no more. It is in this emptiness that the ultimate experience can really happen.
As I said, your house is now full. There is no space to fit anything in. Only when you become empty, the experience will have the space to happen. Only when you have become no more, the experience of who you really are will blossom. Only when the false identity fades away, your identity will become visible.
It is at this point that you cannot have any connection with your past. It is like you have completely cut off from what you thought yourself to be. It is only now that you can really be yourself.
And this is what enlightenment is: it is getting rid of your ego, your mind, bit by bit. You go on losing this ego until there is nothing more to lose; until you have completely lost yourself. Only then, you find yourself.
I tell you honestly: you all really don't know how to live. We are all miserable because of this one reason. No one is in harmony with each other. Everyone is always at each other's throat. There is never a time when you are fully in peace.
Actually, if you look deeply, there is no such thing as peace. The period of preparation for the next war is what we call peace!
And this is really the way in which we live. All the misery in the world is simply because of this one reason: we all have completely forgotten how to live with each other.
Just look into your lives: when you are in an argument with someone, you naturally feel that the other person doesn't know what he is doing. You feel that he is wrong, that he should simply keep quiet and listen to you! If this is what is going on in your mind, be very clear that the other guy is thinking the same thing! That is why there is an argument!
I am not only talking about arguments, I am also talking about competition, about jealousy. Your whole life which is a struggle to earn money, to always succeed, is simply because of this competing attitude. If you really look into this, you will understand that the only reason that you continuously desire, is to show yourself as better than someone else. Only when your neighbour gets an air conditioner does the temperature in your house increase!
I am reminded of a small story:
There was once a Priest and a Rabbi. They were both next door neighbors.
These two guys would always be competing.
When the Priest got an ice box, the Rabbi had to get a new refrigerator. When the Rabbi got a new fan, the Priest had to get a new air conditioner.
One day, the Priest drove in with a new BMW. On seeing this, what did the Rabbi do?
He immediately went and bought a new Rolls Royce!
The next day, the Rabbi walked out of his house and found that the Priest was baptizing his new BMW.
The Rabbi just didn't know what to do.
That evening the Rabbi was seen cutting the exhaust pipe of his new Rolls Royce!
If you understood the joke, it is good.
If you didn't understand, don't miss the laughter! Simply laugh! What else can be done!
This is the way in which you are living! Whether you believe it or not, accept it or not, it is the truth! Your whole life simply exists on this one basis: to show yourself as better than the other guy.
Stop all this nonsense! This is not the way to enjoy your life in totality. This is not the way to extract the juice of Existence.
Life is nothing but a celebration and you are here to live it.
You are here to enjoy.
You are here to sing with the birds.
Just do it! Grasp the spirit and flow with the river of life!
Nothing more is needed.
Thank you.
Your discourse this morning was just amazing! You have such a vast context. Can You please speak about Your role in this place? Was it Your choice or did Existence plan it for You? Did Existence think that you were the only person who could save humanity?
There is a time that will come when there will be no difference between you and Existence. It is not that I planned for myself to come here or Existence did. There is no difference between Existence and I; there is only a merging, a deep merging.
It is like this: do you see this handkerchief? There are so many threads coming out of this one piece of cloth. It is not that the threads and the handkerchief are different. The threads are part of the whole handkerchief. They are both one and the same.
In the same way, so many masters have happened on planet Earth. We all think that they are different from each other. Actually, they are part of the same Whole. They are all part of the same cosmic oneness. There are so many threads, but they are from the same thing, the same source. There is no difference between Existence and I. Every master who has happened on planet Earth is pure Existence descended once more in human form.
It is not that I am the only person so far who has tried to save humanity. So many masters have come; each with a different technique for awakening. But somehow, we have simply escaped from them. We have survived them; we have survived even Buddha!
This will not happen again! Be very clear: I will not let this happen! You will not be able to escape this time. You will be awakened!
Actually, there are so many awakened ones already. We are just not able to recognize them. It is not that each one has come with a mission. Some of them live happily in society.
There are three types of enlightened people: The first type is mystics. They are ones who are realized but have not necessarily come down with a mission. They live happily with themselves. It doesn't mean that they have to live in some secluded cave in the Himalayas. They might as well be your next door neighbor. You never know!
The second type is Masters. They are the ones who have realized and have a mission as well. They go around carrying their message to awaken humanity. They are very much like scientists, except that they are of the inner world.
A scientist is one who creates a formula to recreate the same experience which happened to him in the outer world for others to experience.
A Master is one who creates a formula to recreate the same experience which happened to him in the inner world for others to experience.
The third type is avatars - incarnations*.* He is above the other two.
In fact, avatars are the first two and something more. They do live happily with themselves. They do have a mission. The only difference is that they can put you into the experience straightaway without any formula. All that you need to do is approach them with a deep receptive mood. In fact, even if you don't have this receptive mood, he will ensure that the experience happens within you. He will not allow you to escape.
Understand: once you have stepped inside, you will not be able to go out. The process has already started. Even if you leave me, the process will continue without stopping. With or without your knowledge, your transformation will go on.
You will be transformed!
You will be awakened!
Yes.
Beloved Master,
I feel a sort of love when I am in Your presence; a deep, warm love. But I find that when I am not near You, the same feeling does not persist. I am confused because I thought that time and space played no role in the relationship between the Master and disciple. Please explain.
Yes, it has always been that space and time play no role in the Master-disciple relationship. This relationship is one of great love. Space and time shouldn't matter at all. The problem is that in the beginning, the love of the disciple is not pure.
Yes, the love is there, but it is clouded by possessiveness and expectations. You expect that the master will do this and do that. You expect him to flow in a particular way. You feel upset when he talks to others and not to you. This type of love is still not desireless.
It is only because of these expectations that jealousy arises and space and time seem to matter. Otherwise, not only in the relationship with the master, in any kind of relationship, unconditional love is the only thing that should be there. Desires should not even be present. I mean any desire, including that of enlightenment. This is the main thing stopping you from realizing.
There is one thing that you have to realize in order to actually love the master. Understand that he is forever in your heart. It is not like he is in your heart when he calls your name and talks to you and leaves your heart when he is doesn't. No! He is in your heart right now and all the time. His laughter is the very blood that pumps from your heart. His dance is your very breath. If this is the case, what is there to feel upset about when you are not in his presence? You should be happy and feel him with you all the time, wherever you may be, wherever he may be.
But somehow you seem to miss this. It is only when you realize that the master is within you, will space and time not make a difference at all. This difference comes in only with desires. These desires are practically unavoidable in the beginning. I am not talking only about normal expectations. I mean the desire of enlightenment, the expectation of enlightenment also. And this desire is practically unavoidable because you do not see it as a negative desire.
Let you be clear: there is no such thing as a positive desire or a negative desire.
As I said before: the desire of enlightenment is the only thing that is stopping you.
Your wanting enlightenment is so strong that you simply miss it. Only when you relax, only when you are fully in the present moment, only when the very idea of enlightenment has left you, enlightenment will happen. Only when you have dropped the idea, will enlightenment happen.
Forgetting completely about the future will make your love pure. Only when your love has become pure, with no desires, no expectations from the master, will enlightenment happen.
Do not try to fight with your desires. Then you will only be suppressing them. Don't go behind the expectations also. Simply remain undisturbed by them, fully aware. Let you see witness all your desires.
The only way to overcome desires is to watch them, not to go behind them. The next time you feel a pang of jealousy, simply watch it. When you see me talking to someone else, do not let those feelings of possession take over your whole mind. That is not the way. Tell yourself, 'I am on my way to enlightenment, and jealousy is not a quality of enlightenment. Then what for should I be jealous?'
You will see that if you watch jealousy, if you watch your body reactions as a result of jealousy rising in you, you will automatically go beyond it instead of getting entangled in it.
Then, your love will become pure.
Beloved Master,
I have been meditating for a few years now and since I have started I am able to see tremendous changes in my life. Changes have been happening by themselves, without my trying, or doing anything. I feel as if something wants to express itself and that I should allow it. Am I waiting for something to grow strong enough, or am I just lazy?
Yes, experiences will happen with meditation. You may find a deep change within yourself since you have started your spiritual journey. But this is where you start missing as well: you go on asking for more. You are not just allowing it to flow in its own course. Life is a river: flow with it. But our problem is that we always flow against life's currents.
Part 2: The Only Way Out Is In