From Subconsciousness to Superconsciousness🔗

This is actually the subject that all the mystics, all the masters, all the saints, all the sages who walked on this planet spoke about. Whenever they spoke, it was only this one single subject.

Whatever may be the words they used, whatever may be the titles that they gave to these discourses…we may refer to them as the 'Sermon on the Mount', or as the Bhagavad Gita or the Koran, or as the Zend Avesta, or the Guru Granth Sahib; whatever be the name, all the words from all the masters are about this one subject: from subconsciousness to superconsciousness.

Anybody who shares their wisdom, anybody who is intelligent, anybody who speaks a few true words about spirituality, anybody who gives some intelligence, speaks only about this one subject - that is - the way to take one from the subconscious state to the superconscious state. Life solutions, that is solutions to the problems that we are facing in daily, or anything related to intelligence, is directly connected to this topic: from subconsciousness to superconsciousness.

Whenever our thoughts, our activities, or our mental set-up are in a subconscious state, we directly move towards suffering; we travel towards mithya, which means something that is ephemeral and unreal. The moment our words or our deeds are conscious, we travel towards superconsciousness, nithya, or the eternal, the real. All our growth can only be in this direction: from subconsciousness to superconsciousness. If we are moving in this direction, only then are we growing; otherwise we are merely getting aged, and growing old.

Getting old is not growing. Anubhava is not anubhuti. In Sanskrit we have two words – anubhava and anubhuti. Anubhava means just getting old, having experiences. Anubhuti means learning from those experiences. Let me illustrate this point by taking a simple example:

People first touch the burning butt of a cigarette and realize, 'Oh! The cigarette end burns!' Then they touch the fire of a match and realize, 'Oh! The match fire burns!' Then they touch the fire of the stove and say, 'Oh! This fire burns too!' One by one they touch the various types of fire. By the time they come to the conclusion that all types of fire burn, they would be so old that their own bodies would be ready for burning!

This is anubhava – where one learns from experience. But we don't have enough time to learn from experiences. We do not have enough time to commit all the mistakes and learn. The saying, 'Learn from your mistakes' is obsolete. I say, 'Learn from others' mistakes! We don't have time to commit all possible mistakes and learn. Anubhava is the path of subconsciousness.

The next is a beautiful word, anubhuti. This means learning straightaway from one mistake. It means the understanding gained through touching fire once, and immediately realizing that all fires burn - coming to a clear conclusion and understanding that all fires burn. Anubhuti is what I call the superconscious state, a state of pure consciousness.

Almost all religions, all rituals, all techniques, all meditations, are created only to drive man from subconsciousness to superconsciousness. Whatever we do, whether it is praying in the church, or offering puja in the temple, or doing namaz in the mosque, or any other ritual - all these were originally designed to drive man from subconsciousness to superconsciousness.

But the problem starts when we don't know the science. When we only do the act, when we act without knowing the science, we convert it into a ritual. When this happens, the process is made subconscious. Anything done with knowledge, with wisdom, with awareness of the science of the whole action, becomes meditation. When the science is lost and only the activity remains, it becomes nothing but a ritual. When the juice of wisdom is not there in the activity, it is just a ritual.

If the juice of spiritual wisdom is not there, we just remain religious nuts. When the juice of spiritual wisdom is added, we become spiritual fruits! So any ritual, any technique starts only as a technique to help us transcend subconsciousness and achieve superconsciousness.

But when we don't know the science behind the technique, we are likely to question the techniques: how does it work? Why should it help me? In what way is it going to add more energy, more clarity more intelligence to my life? When we don't know these facts, we inevitably reduce the whole thing to a sub conscious process.

When we know the science behind techniques, even just sitting can become a superconscious technique. Just sitting or simply inhaling and exhaling are more than enough to take us to the superconscious state. With intelligence and the right understanding, even a simple thing like inhaling and exhaling can put us into the superconscious state. This is what vipassana is all about. Vipassana is a wonderful meditation technique. I think the greatest gift given by the East to this planet is this Vipassana technique. Vipassana is the greatest gift given to planet Earth by Buddha. According to me, thousands and thousands of people have become enlightened just because of this one single technique. This technique is all about inhaling and exhaling consciously, that's all! If we know the science, if we are conscious, even simple inhaling and exhaling can lead us to superconsciousness. When we are not aware, when we don't know the science, even great and elaborate rituals can lead us only to subconsciousness.

Now, I will try to explain the science behind the technique: what is subconsciousness and what is superconsciousness; how we receive the information from the world and how the process of cognition happens in our system; how it becomes sub conscious and how it can be transformed into superconsciousness. I will explain based on Patanjali's (a great master who lived in ancient Bharat) teachings. After I explain, we shall analyze the theory with questions and answers. The system of question and answers helps one to internalize. Actually, simple theory does not help us very much. When we analyze the theory with questions and answers, with discussion, it gets internalized in our systems.

So I shall now propose the simple theory:

Let us see how the mind works. Just look at this diagram here:

This is a diagram to show how information that enters through the eyes is processed; actually, not just information that enters through the eyes but information received through all fives senses - that is through the nose, ears, tongue, touch and the eyes. We will look at how information is processed through the eyes, as an example.

To begin with, we see something through our eyes. Let us take the example of, say, you seeing me. The moment you see me, there is an energy called chakshu, which converts the information into digital information. The nature of this energy is to digitize the information seen by the eye. If you want to process any information in the computer, you will have to digitalize it, is it not? Similarly, the energy called chakshu (*chakshu* in Sanskrit means, the energy that sees) converts this visual information, encodes into in the form of a file, and takes it to chitta, the memory bank. Here the work of analyzing the information begins. This is done through the process of elimination: It is 'not this', it is 'not this'. Identification does not occur here; only elimination occurs.

Then the file goes to the mind or manas. The mind does the job of identifying the file. It says, 'This is a cow; this a nurse etc.' The mind concludes, 'This is it.'

Next, the whole file takes a quantum leap to the ego, and your ego decides, based on your past experiences with what you are seeing, what your next action or decision will be. If you have past experiences with similar things that you are seeing, and they have been alright for you, if you think that it has helped you, you will decide to continue, or else you will think it is better to move on!

Now you are seeing me. The eye passes the information to the chakshu. The chakshu converts it to a digital signal. The memory then does all the elimination on the file – 'This is not…', 'This is not…' Then, the mind does the identification of the file – 'This is it'. Then the whole file takes a quantum leap to the ego. Here, you decide based on your past experiences, whether to sit here or leave the hall.

This process between the eye and the mind is logical and conscious. You are completely aware of this process. It happens with your awareness.

The quantum leap from the mind to the ego is mostly unconscious. That is the time when the actual decisions are made, and is mostly an unconscious process for you. It happens without your awareness. During this time, you simply decide illogically; you decide against your logical thought process. You make an illogical decision.

Why does this happen? Why do you decide unconsciously and regret it later?

The reason is, this unconscious zone is filled with negative memories and restlessness. All your past memories which we call samskaras in Sanskrit, are stored here. Without any logical connection between them. These memories or incidents are stored here.

What happens is, when the file takes a quantum leap to this zone, there is so much data stored, which causes so much restlessness in you, that the file does not even reach the ego properly for a decision. These stored engrams simply start playing upon the information received. They just impose themselves, and cause havoc in the decision making process.

As a result, the ego just makes a hasty decision purely at the instinct level, and passes the file back. It happens as an unconscious process.

For example, according to the data that you have collected, you know that smoking is injurious to your health; it is not good for your body or your mind. You hold on to this decision as long as you are in the conscious decision making stage of the process. Once the mind takes the leap to the ego, the files simply instruct you to smoke; you simply decide to smoke! The conscious process says, 'No, it is not good for my health.' But the unconscious process says... actually it doesn't even say... it just makes the decision and you execute it! It is a pure instinct-level decision.

As long as the unconscious is overloaded with negative memories and restlessness, it works at the instinct level, as we just saw. You simply decide instinctively, unconsciously. When you are at the instinct level, you always end up regretting most of your decisions. You wonder, 'Why did I behave in that fashion? This is not me! How did I allow this to happen? How did I make that decision?' This happens because the unconscious is working at the instinct level. At this level, you just associate things without any logical connection, and jump to a conclusion unconsciously.

When you can be free from your memories and be empty and blissful in this unconscious zone, if you can be alive and fresh every moment without the burden of your past, without the burden of these stored memories, the energy of your being will express itself in its purest form. When this happens, we can say that your intelligence is at its peak, because energy IS Intelligence. When this happens, you make decisions out of an energy called intuition, where you simply know with tremendous clarity.

When you are at the intuitive level, you will make decisions from the energy of your intuition, from deep awareness and peace, from bliss!

One person came to me and asked me, 'Master, I have the habit of smoking. I am not able to drop it. Can you please help me?' I replied, 'Please start smoking consciously; that is enough.' I did not ask him to drop the habit. I just asked him to smoke with consciousness and awareness. 'Feel the cigarette, feel the touch, feel every puff, feel the smoke inside your body, feel what is happening inside your system. Experience it. See how your mind reacts to it, how you feel. Be aware; be conscious of the whole process.' I do not know how you will believe this, but the person came back to me on the fourth day and said, 'Master, I'm not able to smoke at all! What have you done to me?' I said, 'I have not done anything to you; it is not my presence that has changed you. It is your presence that has changed you!'

For your transformation, my presence is not necessary, your presence is enough!

Your presence is more than enough for your transformation; my presence is not necessary. If you understand this one statement, you will be liberated from gurus! That is the ultimate liberation. I tell you, liberation from gurus is the ultimate liberation! If you are able to understand this one technique: for transformation, my presence is not necessary, your presence is enough. Just infuse consciousness in the unconscious region. Infuse consciousness in every action, in every moment, and you will see that your entire life is transformed.

Actually, smoking is nothing but attempting to escape from some thoughts! So are all of our addictions! Analyze. Let us analyze all our addictions; analyze your addiction to coffee, tea, smoking, drinking, whatever it may be. At a particular time, we come upon a particular mental set-up; it may be depression, or a low mood, some mental set-up that we are not interested in facing. Either we feel that we do not have enough energy to face it, or we just don't want to face it. Immediately we drink something and escape from that mood! We just want to escape from that mood. We immediately turn to some escape route which may be tea, coffee, alcohol, smoking, eating, etc. Any addiction is nothing but an attempt to escape from the mental setup for the time being, for those few moments. When we can't escape consciously, we choose unconscious methods, unconscious techniques.

A small analogy: a pig felt the stink from the sewers to be too much. In some parts of Bharat we still have open drainage systems. The pig could not bear the smell. It put its nose into the filth to escape from it! In the same way, if we want to escape from suffering, we just make ourselves unconscious, and we think that we have escaped!

Drinking alcohol and other addictions are the same thing. When we are unable to consciously escape from a particular mental set-up, we take the help of some things from outside our system to make us unconscious; alcohol, smoking, drugs etc. Anything that makes us unconscious is dangerous for our decision making ability. We will not be able to make the right decision. Anything that makes us unconscious will naturally lead us to dullness. We will be abusing our body, our mind and our whole system. When we continuously use methods and techniques to reduce the awareness in the unconscious, it means putting oneself into unconsciousness. Naturally, we are traveling towards the path of suicide... slow suicide!

A small story in this connection:

Once a missionary was seen in a bar, going from one table to the other, talking to people, trying to convince them to give up drinking, and telling them how bad drinking was. One young person who was trying his best to avoid eye contact with the missionary, wanted to escape. To his horror, just then the missionary came and sat at his table in front of him and started advising him, 'Don't you feel what you are drinking is slow poison?' The youngster immediately replied, 'Yes I know. However since I am not in a hurry, I am taking this!'

One can drink, if one is not in a hurry to die! It is just slow suicide. It will make us dull and will bring down the intensity of our awareness; we will be traveling towards subconsciousness. Not just the habit of drinking - please understand, there are so many things that make us unconscious, that take us to subconsciousness. If we do something that is really not from our heart, but we do it anyway, it is out of desire or impulsiveness. Once again we are creating subconsciousness. Once again we help increase the depth of our subconsciousness. We get caught. We create a mental set-up that gives us more and more trouble.

Our whole life structure needs to be flooded with this single idea, with this single understanding. Once we do it, our lives will be simply transformed. If we are able to understand this one key sutra (aphorism), one mantra: infusing awareness into our unconscious zone, infusing awareness into the area where we make decisions - it is enough. If we can infuse awareness into the unconscious zone, our whole life will be transformed from that very moment. Transformation does not mean years, months, or even weeks. It is just a conscious choice, a simple decision: from today, I decide to transform my life. If we are in the subconscious level, the moment we choose, we will move to a conscious level. If we are at a conscious level, the moment we choose, we will move to the level of the superconscious.

This is the ultimate technique, not only for spiritual progress, even to live life happily; this is the master key. Anybody, not only spiritual masters, anybody who is on this planet Earth, any intelligent man, any person with wisdom who happened on this planet Earth, if we see his teachings, if we read his words either directly or indirectly, he will be saying the same thing: infuse consciousness into your decision-making zone. Infusing awareness into the unconscious zone is the ultimate teaching. Neither can anything more be said, nor anything be removed from this teaching. All meditation, all spirituality, all techniques, are nothing but this one sentence: infusing awareness into our unconscious zone. That is the mysterious zone in which our decisions are made. If we can infuse a little bit of awareness, that is enough; we are already spiritual. We are becoming Buddha.

Now, what is the way? We all know that infusing awareness into our unconscious zones is necessary. How do we do it? Understand these three simple things: whatever way your body moves, try to be inside your boundary. Wherever you are sitting or standing, try to be inside your boundary. Just be inside your body. Let us look at your life. If you are in your house, early in the morning, you will be worrying about your office. If you are sitting in the office, you will be bothering about the evening to be spent at the beach. If you are sitting on the beach, again you will be worrying when you would be back at the house! Only one thing is sure – if your body is here, you are not here! That has become a mental set-up. So understand this first key: just be where you are. If you are here, please be here! That is the first key.

Next thing, infuse awareness into your inhaling and exhaling as much as possible. Whenever you are sitting, relaxing, watching television, playing, reading the paper, or driving, whatever you may be doing – one thing is sure, you are certainly breathing. Just bring in some awareness into your breathing. Whenever you remember, try to infuse some awareness into your inhaling and exhaling. This is the second key.

Third thing: bring awareness into the words that you use with yourself. We are continuously using words with ourselves: what I call a monologue. Try to bring a little bit of awareness into your monologue.

So, live inside your boundary; bring awareness into your breathing, bring awareness into your monologue. Here (pointing to the edge of the body) ends your body, and here (pointing to the air next to the body) the universe starts. Please live inside your boundary. If you can live inside your boundary, you will be liberated.

Please understand that life is a paradox. If you live inside your boundary, you will be liberated from boundary consciousness! The moment we start living inside our boundary, we are jeevan mukta. Jeevan mukta in Sanskrit means a person who is liberated while still alive. A person who has achieved spiritual freedom while still living in the body is called jeevan mukta in Sanskrit. Liberation does not mean achieving any special powers. Of course, we will have them once liberated. A liberated person is one who lives inside his boundary. If we live inside our boundary and start infusing a little bit of awareness into our inhaling and exhaling, and whenever we remember, bring awareness into our monologue, our inner chattering, we can never create guilt. Be careful not to create guilt. If you forget for a few moments, do not bother. If you create guilt, again you will be creating conflict within. Don't create conflict between the conscious and the unconscious. Don't create guilt. Whenever you remember, just infuse awareness into your inner chattering, to your inhaling and exhaling and to your body language. Just be aware, be conscious of your body language, how you are holding yourself, how your body is moving, how you are living inside your being, and just be inside your boundary.

These three simple keys can completely liberate one from subconsciousness. It can completely transport us from subconsciousness to superconsciousness.

Now, as stated earlier, I shall spend some time with your questions. Any question or discussion are welcome. If you are not able to accept anything of what I have said, you are welcome to open the subject, because whatever I said, will only be at the mind level. Unless you analyze with doubts, and questions and answers, you will not internalize it.

A person who is superconscious will be serenely blissful. One more thing, the question itself will disappear. I tell you, if you go and sit in front of a person who is superconscious, the question itself will disappear. Try your best to doubt him; you will find that there is no root for your doubt! The root of doubt is logic. That will slowly start slipping. Without you being even aware, the pillars that hold your logic will slowly fall.

People ask me, 'Master, should I accept you as a guru?' I tell them, 'Never commit that mistake.' Me becoming your guru will happen on its own, unconsciously. You will not be able to forget me. If I am in your thoughts, in your dreams, in your sleep, then I am your guru. If that has not happened, just forget me and carry on with your life. So, if you are sitting in the presence of a superconscious being, this question itself will slowly start melting. Try your best to doubt, 'I don't think he is superconscious. Let us see...'

Try your best to create more and more doubts. The doubts will just wither away. The doubts will not stand. That is the only technique; nothing else can be done. You will be just beyond your mind, beyond your logic, beyond your doubt. The conclusion will happen inside your system. Then you can decide that the person is superconscious. There is no other technique, no other scale, and no other invented machines to find out if a person is superconscious.

Master, what about pain? Is it a mental problem? Can it be healed?

It is nothing but too much unawareness in the unconscious.

I shall give you a simple technique which I have spoken about in my discourse entitled 'Pain to Bliss'. The technique shows you how to infuse awareness into the places where you have pain - physical or emotional. Both can be healed when you infuse awareness. For example, let us say you have knee pain. Just relax, and start searching in the zone where you have pain. Naturally, around the knee area you will feel the pain. Now, drop the word 'pain'. If you see your inner chattering, you will continuously be repeating the word 'pain' again and again, without your awareness. Be a little aware and drop that word. Drop the word and see what is happening in that area.

Just as when a small child sees something new, how would it look at it? It sees it with all curiosity, with all excitement, is it not? In the same way, look at the area where you have the pain, with all curiosity, without labeling it as 'pain'. First thing, drop the word 'pain'. Do not use it. Secondly, just see what is happening there. You will see that some new feeling is there. What is that new feeling? Just see. And slowly you will see that the area in which you felt the pain, instead of the whole knee, the area of pain slowly starts shrinking. And instead of a small patch, it reduces to one point. Suddenly you will see that the whole pain disappears!

Understand: I am not proposing a theory. I have worked with many people using this technique. It works. I have worked with cancer patients; I have worked with acute arthritis, rheumatism, people who have got pain all over the body. Even with such patients, I worked with this technique. It works miracles. And apart from me working, many of our disciple doctors, they too have worked with this technique and they vouch for this technique. They have given testimonials for this technique, a simple technique wherein you infuse awareness in your boundary and inner chattering. When you infuse awareness in your inner chattering, the word pain can be dropped. You will not be repeating it sub consciously, intensely and continuously. You will first drop the word 'pain'.

Next thing: infuse awareness into your boundary; live inside your boundary. Infuse awareness to the area where you have pain. And the third thing, you can do this also, infusing your awareness into your inhaling and exhaling at the time of meditation. If you can do these three things, miracles can happen. People come out of physical pain and suffering.

Now I shall give you small tips about emotional pain.

All types of emotional pain are nothing but your inner chatter done without awareness*.*

Your monologue without awareness is the thing that leads to all emotional pain. If you can infuse some awareness and constantly edit your inner chattering, censor your inner chattering, you will release your emotional pain. For example, if an entire movie is released as it is from the studio, without editing, will anybody see it? After the shoot is over, if the entire film is just released without editing, what would happen? We are doing the very same thing in our lives. Whatever happens, we don't put enough time, awareness, consciousness and energy to do the editing process. That is why our life is a mess, just like a movie that has been released without editing.

If we start living without editing our inner chatter, we will make a mess of our whole life. So just infuse a little awareness whenever you are in emotional pain or psychological pain. Sit with yourself and look at your inner chattering. You will see that simple awareness itself is the cure.

A small story:

Once a great king went to Buddha and sat in front of him. The king was constantly shaking his legs, unconsciously. Buddha suddenly started staring at the king's legs. The moment Buddha's gaze fell on the king's legs, the king stopped the shaking. Automatically the king stopped the shaking! The king asked, 'Oh Buddha, how can I stop my mind?' Buddha replied, 'The same technique!'

The moment you become aware, you stop. The shaking of the legs stopped the moment he became aware of it. In the same way, the moment you become aware of your mind, it stops! The moment you become aware of your emotional pain - your psychological suffering, you get the release from it. All you need is to infuse awareness. As long as you are unaware, you are in the subconscious level, and you will have physical and psychological pains. The moment you infuse awareness, both physical and psychological pains just disappear, dissolve. You are not even solving them, you are just 'dis-solving' the pain.

One request: before trying these techniques, please don't decide that they will not work! This is my simple request. You see, when you come here, I don't demand faith. I don't ask you to believe in me. I don't ask for faith as a pre-requisite. But one thing: do not have negative faith. Neither have faith nor doubt. Just have simple curiosity to try, like a scientist. The real spirit of Science is trying to analyze, trying to work, trying to explore. If any hypothesis is proposed, they will explore. The curiosity or the capacity or the energy to explore, is what I need when you work with these techniques. Spirituality also needs the same spirit. A real scientist will always be curious and enthusiastic, to explore. Please have that much energy for these techniques too. Have the courage to explore. Then you will see that miracles will happen in your life. You will be simply transformed. When you listen to the techniques, they appear so simple. One may be tempted to think, 'No! This is too simple to work! All this will not work.' Or, if you feel it is too complicated, then naturally you will think, 'Oh! It is so complicated. It will not work!' In both instances, you arrive at a conclusion before you practice even once. Please don't do this.

Master, I am doing some mantra from (so and so master). Lots of thoughts are coming.

Any technique that you have received from a master, you should ask the advice or suggestions also from the same master, because he or she wants you to grow in a particular way and that is why they have given you some particular technique. If I now give some suggestion, there is a possibility of you getting disturbed. Suggestions or advice should be given only by the person who gave you the technique. It is like this: only the Ford Company can release spare parts for Ford cars! Only the person who launched the product can give the spare parts also. Only he will know the repair and maintenance methods! In this same way, she has given you the technique. Now only she can give the solution. And one more thing: you must follow only her solution. I request you to not follow my solutions, because my solutions are given to the people who are practicing my techniques.

During the discourse, you used two words, 'consciousness' and 'spirit'. What is the difference, and how does one know which is which?

When you are working, it is called consciousness and when you have achieved, it is called spirit, that's all. When you are working, that is when you are trying to infuse consciousness. The time when you work is called consciousness. When you have achieved, it is called spirit.

Let me give you this small example: consciousness is like 18 carat gold, while spirit is like 24 carat gold. If you don't have any doubts, you can be sure you have achieved the spirit. The work is over. If you have doubts and you are still working, it is consciousness. Consciousness is the path and spirit is the realization. In a way, you can say that the superconscious is spirit. Consciousness is your moving on the path.

Master, when I start doing vipassana meditation, I tend to fall into depression, or some other emotions become strong. What is the reason? How can I overcome this?

YOU ARE NO SINNER! This is a nice question. Actually if you do vipassana, when you are in a state where you have suppressed your emotions, you will have this feeling. Your suppression, depression, everything will come up. The best way is, before doing the technique, start doing some catharsis. Do some loud glossololia which we call 'manipuraka meditation' in our Life Bliss Programs. Glossololia means, shouting in a language that you don't know. For five minutes, just start screaming. You may feel funny, odd. But when you do it you will understand; all your suppressed emotions will be cleansed. I always have this technique in my meditation camps. This type of catharsis meditation is a must in our meditation camps. Throw away whatever you have. Watch how once all the garbage is taken out, meditation just happens to you!

I will not force sanity upon you. Once the insanity is pulled out, sanity happens to you automatically. Sanity just blossoms in you. So before doing the vipassana technique, for about five or ten minutes, you can just blabber, or scream, or just make loud noises. Do something nonsensical and intense like this. You will see that your mind and body then easily settle into the meditative mood without falling into depression, because you have vomited everything out.

Master, the first time I heard your discourse, I felt shy to ask questions…

(interrupts) Actually, I always tell people, never feel shy to ask questions. The problem is that if you ask, you think you will look like a fool, as everyone will be looking at you. If you ask, no doubt you may look like a fool, but if you don't ask, you will remain a fool! Whether it is better to look like a fool, or remain a fool is your decision!

(continues*): This time, so many things you have explained I have never heard before…*

(interrupts again) Actually this is the Science of the whole thing. This is the Science based on which meditation techniques themselves are created. This is the master key for all the meditation techniques. Meditation techniques themselves are master keys. This is the master key of the master keys!

(Continues*): I did notice a difference in me as compared to last time. My actions have changed; I am more aware. Earlier I was hyper. Now I think I am in the medium level. Maybe I will be much better by the time you come here next time. Maybe I will be a different human being!*

The conscious decision that, 'I will be a different person by the time I meet you next time', is more than enough for the shift, for the transformation to happen. We don't respect the power of our conscious decisions. Actually, I don't think we respect ourselves at all in the first place! Then where is the question of respecting the conscious decision? We don't respect ourselves as an entity, which is why others also don't think of us as an entity. This is the basic trouble. If you think your conscious decisions are powerful, people will just follow you.

People come and ask me, 'Master, how do I impress others? How can I influence people?' I tell them, 'First influence yourself! Integrate yourself. Believe that you can influence yourself and others.' The moment you influence yourself, you integrate yourself; you become such a power, such an energy source, that people can't resist you; they will just follow you. Anybody whose consciousness has become 'a leader' will just start leading. Whatever profession you may be in, wherever you are, whether you are in business, or in a job, or you are a doctor, lawyer or whatever, if your consciousness is to lead, you will lead irrespective of anything else. If your consciousness is 'to follow', even if you are in the CEO chair, you will be following somebody, imitating somebody. 'Leader' or 'follower' is based on consciousness. It is based on the state of your mind, not the status of your chair. 'Leader' is a state, not a status. Please be very clear: people who have achieved the status without achieving the state can never stay in the status. Even if you are in the status without being in the state, you will not be able to enjoy it. If you are in the state, the status will just follow you. Even if you don't have the status, you will be enjoying your life.

So it is necessary to achieve the state rather than the status. Status will just follow you, if you are in the state.

You mentioned Patanjali. According to Patanjali, there are eight sutras for enlightenment, starting with yama, niyama (observance of moral and social codes) etc. One among the eight is meditation. Before reaching samadhi (realization), you advocate meditation. However, can we directly enter into the zone of dhyana (meditation) without following the initial yama, niyama and other steps?

This is a wonderful question. You see: this system was created for human beings who lived on this planet 2000 years ago. For them yama, niyama, etc was natural. The depth of fantasy was less. So brahmacharya (observance of reality) was possible. The need to tell a lie, was not there, so satya (truth) was possible. Since enough of protection was available, ahimsa (non-violence) was naturally possible. For the society of those days, all those things were possible. Even now it is possible, I don't deny it, but only after having the experience of meditation. Today's human mind is so complex. All these things are too much for it.

If you start working without having the experience of meditation, just in the way of yama and niyama, you will only be creating conflicts within yourself. You will only be creating guilt within yourself. Just try yama and niyama. I don't have to say. You will know for yourself what the experience is. I have always seen people coming and saying, 'Yes master, we have a little problem.' They come and stand before me and scratch their heads. Why? Even to practice yama and niyama, you need a certain amount of integrity and energy, certain awareness of the unconscious, which is not there in the modern man today. In the modern man, even that much awareness of unconscious is not there. Even to follow what your intelligence says, you need an awareness of the unconscious.

In this modern society, man has become schizophrenic. There is no person who can be termed a 'normal' man. The normal level itself has become abnormal. Or rather, the abnormal level has become normal! This is what is referred to as 'border-line' cases in medical language. People almost look normal. They walk, talk, etc almost normally. But once you go close, you're gone! That is why they say, before getting married, it is better to live with that person for at least 6 months! You will come to know whether he is a border-line case, or whether he's alright!

The abnormal level has become the normal level. So we need to do some meditation immediately, infusing awareness, so that we can become 'man' again. Then we can start practicing the yama, niyama, asana, pranayama, pratyahara, dharana, dhyana, and samadhi. There are seven steps. The eighth is not a step; it is an achievement. The steps are seven. But first you have to become 'man'. For that itself you need to increase your awareness.

Master, under your guidance I have come from Pre-school level to Middle school level. Now I want to go to High School level with your techniques.

The only technique to do is: increase the unconscious awareness; that's all. Actually, when you increase the unconscious awareness, you have started acquiring the real wealth. Goddess Lakshmi stands for wealth. Wealth here actually refers to increasing the unconscious awareness. The very word Lakshmi in Sanskrit means increasing the unconscious awareness. When you increase the unconscious awareness, with this same house you will feel more comfortable; with the same furniture, you feel more luxurious; with the same people, you feel blissful; with the same situations, you feel joyful. Actually Lakshmi is added when you increase the unconscious awareness. Of course, because of your right decision-making, wealth will also be added. The moment your unconscious awareness expands, your car becomes big, your bungalow becomes big, your life becomes big; everything becomes big - because of your decision making power, because of your clarity. Apart from that, your being, your Lakshmitva - the quality of being Lakshmi, the capacity to enjoy, the energy of the wealth consciousness, will just increase. Increasing the unconscious awareness is what I call 'creating affluence'.

Master, we have always been taught that ego is something bad, that we should try to get rid of the ego, but the way you explained, if there is sufficient unconscious awareness, the ego will let us make good decisions…

If there is sufficient unconscious awareness, the ego will disappear into the soul. Do you see this diagram? Under the ego, I have written atman. When the unconscious awareness is less, you are egoistic. When the unconscious awareness is more, there is no ego. The ego just disappears. Only the atman shines. So it is all about unconscious awareness.

I pray to the ultimate divine energy, the consciousness, the eternal bliss which is in all your hearts, let you all understand these great truths and let you practice and experience the eternal bliss, nithyananda.