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Maharaj: So you’re doing meditation every day? Good.
Meditation is the base. Though it is not Ultimate Truth, it is the base, the foundation, which is required all the time until you’ve got the Conviction of Selfless Self.
So, only literal knowledge, oral knowledge, will not help you, because you are holding this human body. You are holding this human body, and the holder of the human body is called Brahman, Atman, Paramatman, God, Master. Because of long association with the body we have become one with the body. We started considering ourself in body-form, though we are formless, no shape is there. Your Spontaneous Invisible Presence is just like space or sky. But, that Conviction is not there. And to have this Conviction, one should undergo this meditation, it’s the base.
What is the principle of meditation? It is not only sitting like this (Maharaj pretends to meditate). Through meditation you are inviting the attention of the Meditator, the Invisible Meditator within you. And all the time you are hammering yourself. Basically, body-knowledge is supposed to be dissolved at any cost.
You can hold the body, take care of your body, not to neglect your body. Have all your responsibilities, be practical not theoretical. Do your job, do your duties, whatever you’re doing. But at the same time you should be untouched by the body-based knowledge.
What do you mean by untouched by the body-based knowledge? We’re having some subtle ego. You know, as I’ve told you, that ego, mind, intellect are functioning organs, subtle organs which came along with the body. They were not there prior to beingness. Prior to beingness, nothing was there. No requirements, no needs, no need of happiness, peacefulness, nothing was there.
The body is not tolerable, body-knowledge is not tolerable. To make it tolerable we need some material causes like publicity, money, sex, and all. This is temporary relief. And to come out of these body-based concepts, meditation, the Mantra is most important. The Mantra is a concept, it’s words, words we’ve found out with long experiments, sanskrit words. The meaning of the Mantra is: ‘I am Brahman, Brahman I am’. So in the beginning stage it’s required, it’s necessary, absolutely necessary – until you’ve got Conviction, then it is absorbed spontaneously, it happens spontaneously.
Q: Is there any specific way to do meditation and bhajans?
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Q: Is there any specific way to do meditation?
Maharaj: Meditation just means concentration and involvement. Not sitting like this: ‘Ram, Ram, Ram, Ram…’, not like this. Try to identify who is acting within this body. Just sit, calm and quiet, to see what’s happening. Who is witnessing the thoughts? Who is watching the dream? Who is that? It’s not the body at all. It’s called Brahman, Atman, Paramatman, God, the name given to the Supernatural Power.
Q: So, meditating…
Maharaj: Meditation means just to identify yourself. Invite the attention of the Invisible Meditator within you that you are Brahman! Except your Self, nothing is there.
Whatever knowledge we’re having is body-based knowledge. This is a food-body, it’s not going to remain constant. There are stages: you’re a child, then grown up as young man, then you become an old man, and some or other day, willingly or unwillingly you have to leave the body! What remains? After leaving the body, what remains? Nothing. So everything came out of nothing and dissolves back into nothing. What remains? How were you prior to beingness? “I don’t know”. After leaving the body? “I don’t know”. ‘I don’t know’ means that in a negative thought, a positive concept, a positive Reality is there. “I’m not in any form, I’m formless, I’m shapeless. My Presence is there, just like sky or space: everywhere”.
Q: And the same question about the bhajans…
Maharaj: Yes, yes, prayers, bhajans, which are required, because this is the weak point (sensitive point) of the Spirit, of spirituality. It creates an atmosphere. We’re playing with the various instruments, it’s creating an atmosphere. It’s ‘sattva guna’, three gunas are there: ‘sattva guna’, ‘raja guna’, ‘tamo guna’, you know? Spiritual science says this.
Q: Is it a specific kind of bhajan, or any general bhajan?
Maharaj: Any bhajan through which you are getting happiness, peacefulness, not a specific bhajan.. In our lineage we have bhajans. The purpose behind that: you should be one with your Selfless Self. There will be spontaneous peacefulness, not artificial peacefulness, not a material cause of peacefulness. Peacefulness is there, happiness is there, a tension-free life is there. And therefore I am insisting not to measure yourself in body-form, not to underestimate your Selfless Self. That grand secret is within you. We’re ignoring ourself. We’ve got so many expectations, so many concepts. We like to live within the circle of concepts – you have to break the circle.
And this courage you’ll get out of meditation only. And I’ve repeatedly told you, meditation is not only sitting like this (Maharaj pretends to meditate), it is involvement. This body is called ‘man’, this body is called ‘woman’, and we accepted it, we’re acting as a woman or a man. You’re watching the dream as a woman or man, we’re totally absorbed. Your parents told you this body is called ‘man’ or ‘woman’ and we totally accepted it. Master says you are not woman, you are not man, you are Brahman! But we don’t accept it. You are the Supernatural Power. You’ve got tremendous power, hidden power, which you’re ignoring all the way. Then you will be fearless, no tension will be there.
What is the purpose behind spirituality? To live a tension-free life, peaceful life, happy life, fearless life. Everybody is having fear of the death: “What will happen?”. After knowing the Reality:“I’m not going to die, there’s no birth and death to me. It’s connected to the body only, and I’m not the body at all and I’m not going to remain the body at all!”, it’s fact.
Have Satsang with Yourself!
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The Invisible Speaker and the Invisible Listener is your identity.
So be strong, have some courage to accept the Reality. Only Satsang is not sufficient. If you listen to so many Masters, Satsangs, (Maharaj shakes his head). Have Satsang with yourself! The great Saint is within you. There is no Saint except your Selfless Self. There is no Master except your Selfless Self. So stop measuring yourself in body-form. Beyond that, nothing is there. It’s the Reality. It’s Ultimate Truth, Final Truth. Try to absorb what you’ve listened to so far.
Don’t ignore any responsibilities. “Oh, I’m a spiritual man, how can I do this thing?” no. Because this is a human body, you have to live just like a human, not inhuman. Have love and affection for your family members, take care of your family members, take care of all responsibilities.
The moment the Spirit clicked with the body, we say ‘I’. Along with ‘I’, so many concepts appear. To have a peaceful ‘I’, you have to identify yourself. ‘I’ appeared upon your Spontaneous Presence. If Presence is not there, who will talk about the ‘I’? ‘I’, ‘you’, ‘she’, ‘it’, ‘he’….Prior to beingness who is there? There’s no ‘I’, nothing is there. And therefore I’m repeating that except your Selfless Self, there is no God, no Brahman, no Atman, no Paramatman, no Master. It is fact.
You may be having any position. Do your job, do your duties, no harm. This is a long dream. Everybody is seeing various dreams everyday. What happened to those people? What happened to that dream world? What happened to that peacefulness? Painfulness? Nothing is there.
Through the body we know ourself, ‘I’m somebody else’. The body is the media, not Ultimate Truth. It’s a food-body; so far as you’re supplying food and water, it is growing. So be loyal with you, be faithful with you and your Master. But the Master is not in any form, He’s a formless Master.
Strong involvement is necessary. It is usually said that when we come into this world, we don’t bring anything, and that when leaving this world, we’re not taking anything. It’s a general statement. Why to become a victim of so many concepts? ‘Mind’, ‘ego’, ‘intellect’, so many ‘chakras are there, ‘kundalini’ is there, so many, so many words are there. What ‘chakra’, what ‘kundalini’, what ‘deed’, what ‘karma’ or ‘destiny’? We’re under the pressure of so many concepts. Where are those concepts prior to beingness? Who knows what is ‘karma’, who knows what is ‘religion’? Prior to beingness any religion is there? Prior to beingness, what religion did you belong to? Did you know about any God, any Goddesses? We’re unknown to ourself. After leaving the body what will happen? All the same questions get asked. “What is the birth after death?” What birth is there? Who knows? So not to become a slave of your own concepts.
Exceptional Spiritual Intoxication
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The body is only the media through which you can identify yourself. Everything came out of nothing, everything dissolves into nothing. It’s a fact. Spiritual knowledge is also an illusion. Why do you want spiritual knowledge? Because you forgot your identity. Where is that spiritual knowledge prior to beingness? After leaving your body any spiritual knowledge is there? When did you come across with spirituality? The main purpose is just to identify yourself in a real sense, which leads to the Spontaneous Conviction: I was not the body, I ‘m not the body, I ‘m not going to remain the body. So the moment there is Conviction, everything will dissolve. You have to bow down to your Selfless Self. We are always depending on God to do something: “Oh God do something, oh Master do something”, why? Okay, at the initial stage it’s okay, but you are no longer a child. Child depends upon it’s parent, but you are grown up, you are spiritually grown up. I am placing before you your facts, the Invisible Listener’s fact.
There is no binding, no conditions. Nothing is required, it is free of charge. Presence is free of charge and you are neglecting that Presence. If there is the Conviction ‘except myself nothing is there’, and ‘myself’ is not an egoistic statement, ‘except Selfless Self nothing is there’, you will get exceptional spiritual intoxication. I call it spiritual intoxication. Though you are living in the world, you remain unconcerned with the world. The entire world is projected out of your Presence. To say ‘world’, your Presence is required. In a dream you see sky, space, everything, even god, etc. Although you are acting in the dream, who is watching that dream, who is taking the video-shooting of that dream? After awakening you say “Oh, I’ve seen this thing, that thing, good dream, bad dream”. How was that dream-world projected? Similarly, this world is projected out of your Presence. But Presence does not know ‘I am Presence’, just like sky does not know ‘I am sky’. We say “This is sky”. The five elements do not know ‘I am the five elements, water does not know ‘I am water. Your Presence is beyond that. But we are neglecting all this. So be with you always.
concentrate on the Concentrator
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You’ve got a dream-experience, for example you’ve got a dream-experience. In a dream you see all the five elements, you see water, the sun, moon, everything. Not only that, you see yourself. And you’re deep sleeping. But you’re watching that dream, you’re acting in that dream. Who has created that dream-world? Who is witnessing that dream-world? Who is experiencing that dream-world? Just think it. Same thing here, your Spontaneous Invisible Presence projected all this world. If there’s no awakening in the morning, who’ll talk about the world? Who’ll talk about all these Masters? Who’ll talk about the God?
So directly or indirectly, you’re the base of this world. You’re Ultimate Truth, you’re Final Truth. You’re not required to go anywhere to find out God or Goddesses. But, devote some time for meditation. This is the only solution. Only dry knowledge, if we go on for hours together with dry knowledge, if you read so many books, visit so many Masters, you’ll get temporary relief. One should learn to concentrate on the Concentrator, the Invisible Concentrator. Even if you think intellectually: what is there? Is this body your identity? What is the value of this body? If for one moment the Presence disappears, what is the value of this body? Nothing. Who is talking from this body, who is listening from this body? They’ve got tremendous value. These bodies are different, the Listener and Speaker is one. So not to discriminate. Be with you all the time.
Not to depend upon anybody else. You’re totally independent, you can fly with your own wings. Without wings you can fly. You’re a free bird. Have some courage – spirituality is giving you courage. Since you’re holding the body so many problems may be there. You may come across some unpleasant atmospheres also. But all problems will be solved spontaneously if you’ve got strong courage.
I’m telling you, Nisargadatta Maharaj faced a lot of problems, beyond imagination. When he came back after three years, one shop remained, all family life ruined. Nothing was there. But he was having strong faith in his Master. And strong faith in himself, that is required.
All Desires Will Disappear
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Maharaj: ‘Shama’ means tolerance. So all attributes…Forgive and forget, it appears. Previously, for small, small matters, you’re getting irritated. After having Realization, after having Spontaneous Conviction, nothing has happened, no irritation. Whatever happens, whatever small thing appears in your experience, you’ll be completely calm and quiet. Exceptional tolerance will be there, exceptional blissfulness is there. All desires will disappear. No desire, no mind, no ego, no intellect – it happens spontaneously, and it’s called Spontaneous Conviction.
You’ll become completely free. Even though you’re using this body, either male or female, you’ll remain unconcerned with the body-knowledge. You’re using the body as a temporary thing. Just like you’re using some thing, say, an instrument – like that. It happens spontaneously. That is the conviction, the Spontaneous Conviction. Understanding is quite… “Oh, I understand, I’m not the body”, it is not so easy. And for which, again I am repeating, meditation is the basic thing. You have to devote some time. Some time means at least one hour. If you consider 24 hours, at least one hour. What are you doing for one hour? Just to try to identify the Unidentified Identity within you. I was not the body, I am not the body, I’m not going to remain the body. That Reality will be absorbed totally within you.
So even though you’re living in this world as a male or female, you’re unconcerned with the body activities. It happens. Complete peacefulness will be there. And this is very simple. The Nama Mantra is playing a very, very good part. Through Nama Mantra you’re hammering yourself. Slowly, silently, and permanently, all these desires, all these expectations and needs, will be dissolved. You’ll be completely free, completely free, completely silent, silent, silent.
So understanding intellectually is not sufficient. Because everything is within you. Spirituality, Reality, is not separate from you. So far we’re measuring ourself in body-form, therefore we’re not able to identify ourself in a real sense. If we haven’t identified ourself in a real sense, whatever you’re doing, if you approach thousands of Masters, if you read thousands of books, it will not help you.
Some people come and say “50 years I’m doing spirituality”, “30 years I’m doing spirituality”, what are you doing? Subtle ego is there: “I’m doing something”. You’re not the doer! There’s no deed! Nothing is there.
So, the first stage, body-identity is supposed to be dissolved totally, spontaneously. It happens. Nothing is impossible, you’re getting courage.
So, don’t play with the words, the spiritual words, we’re playing with the spiritual words: ‘Atman’, ‘Paramatman’, so many, so many, thousands of words. We’ve created language, we’ve given meaning to the language. Not to struggle with the language. Someone is saying “why this, why you”, these are the words! Just for conversation, just for sharing the Reality, knowledge.
See what was there prior to beingness. Any language was there? No ‘I’ was there, there was no ‘you’, no ‘he’, ‘she’, ‘it’, nothing was there. No concept of God, no Master, no disciple, no devotee, no deity. Nothing was there. After leaving the body, what remains? You’ve got a lot of knowledge, you’re master of knowledge, okay. Will that knowledge be helpful at the time of leaving the body? What is the use of that knowledge? What do you mean by knowledge? Just to identify oneself in a real sense. We’re identifying ourself in body-form and that is illusion, this is open fact.
So everything starts and ends within you. As I told you, everything came out of nothing and everything dissolves within nothing. Your Presence was there but not in any form. You’re formless Presence. After leaving the body your Presence will be there, but not in any form. Just like so many houses have collapsed, what is the fate of the sky, space? Sky is not dying, there’s no death, no birth.
So ‘death’ and ‘birth’ concepts are supposed to be dissolved. All desires will be dissolved. It happens! We’re having subtle, subtle desires. So instead of studying the spirituality, try to digest that spirituality within you. Spirituality is not separate from you. So far we’re measuring ourself in body-form, counting ourself in body-form, spirituality will be different. The moment spirituality is absorbed, at that stage there is no ‘I’, there is no ‘you’, ‘he’, ‘she’, nothing is there. No God is there, no Master is there, no disciple, no devotee, nothing is there! Therefore I’ve told you: except your Selfless Self there is no God, no Brahman, no Atman, no Paramatman.
All needs, requirements, desires came along with the body. Where were those desires prior to beingness? Everything dissolves along with the body. What remains? Nothing.
Through the body you can identify ‘I’.
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Because you are the central point of this world. If for a moment the Presence is not there, what is the value ofthis body? And what is the value of the knowledge? Where was that knowledge prior to beingness? What is the use of that spiritual knowledge after leaving the body?
Thousands of questions are there. The answer is within you. There is only one answer: except your Selfless Self there is no God, no Brahman, no Atman, no Paramatman. They’re all concepts which appear upon your Presence. Even ‘I am Brahman’ is also a concept which appears upon your Presence. Presence does not know ‘I am Presence’.
And therefore, instead of studying spirituality, try to absorb what you’ve listened to. It’s the Listener’s story, the Listener’s Identity. Because this body is an opportunity for you. Don’t waste time. It is invaluable, your Presence is invaluable. Through the body you can identify ‘I’.
It’s a combination of Presence and the body. Presence touched with the body, and you say ‘I’. Just like a matchbox and stick. Fire is everywhere. The moment the matchbox and stick click each other, you see fire. Where will that fire go? Hell or heaven? The moment the Invisible Presence touches with the body you say ‘I’. Where was that ‘I’ prior to beingness?
Q: Why is one Brahma willing to harm another Brahma if we are one and the same?
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Q: If all of us are Brahmans, the Brahma itself, is that correct? That’s the premise? Is that we are all…
Maharaj: It’s a fact! You’re measuring yourself in body-form! Bodies are different, bodies are different…
Q: No problem, so that’s the premise. So the question that is begged is: why is one Brahma willing to harm another Brahma if we are one and the same?
Maharaj: Because it is body-based knowledge. Brahma is not harming anything. Is the sky harming any sky? American sky is harming some Indian sky? Sky doesn’t know ‘I am sky’, Presence doesn’t know ‘I am Presence,’ Brahman does not know ‘I am Brahman’. Brahman is a word given to that Ultimate Truth that you are. The Invisible Listener within you is Ultimate Truth, it is called Brahman, Atman, Paramatman, God, Master. It is not an individual, there’s no duality at all.
Q: So then can one say that it’s okay for this Brahman to harm this Brahman?
Maharaj: No, no, no “Okay I am Brahman I will harm another Brahman”, there’s no two different Brahman.
Q: Okay, so it’s one Brahman, right, but bodies, there are two separate bodies. If I harm this body in some way do I just turn around and say it’s okay because we’re all one and the same?
Maharaj: Egoistic concepts are there, ‘I am somebody else’. That ‘somebody’ is supposed to be dissolved. Brahman is not harming anybody else.
Q: But if harm should happen, which you, I think, said earlier, was that nothing is really being done, no deeds are being done, ultimately.
Maharaj: There’s no doer there’s no deed. So far we’re measuring ourselves in body-form, all these concepts appear. I’m talking about that invisible Presence within you, where nothing is there, no thoughts are there, no concepts are there. The concept ‘Brahman’ is also not there. And as I told, the name ‘Brahman’ is given to that Ultimate Truth. Except your Selfless Self there is no Brahman, Atman, Paramatman, God, Master. So Brahman is not harming some other, “this Brahman is different, this Brahman is different”.
Q: Okay, so in other words, what you do to others you’re doing to yourself, right?
Maharaj: So far you’re considering yourself in body-form these concepts appear. No other is there. Because we are measuring in body-form, therefore ‘he’ is there, ‘he’, ‘she’, ‘it’ is there, and all concepts appear. Prior to beingness any of these things are there? Prior beingness or after leaving the body, are you finding any different things?
Q: So, somebody who does do harm to another…
Maharaj: When did you come across with somebody? Prior to beingness who ‘somebody’ was there?
After leaving body any ‘somebody’ is there?
Q: …body, body, if this body harms…
Maharaj: (Smiling) I’m shouting…I’m shouting at you…because you’re measuring yourself in body-form therefore you say different bodies are there. Different houses are there, sky is one. This is called a bungalow, this is a cottage, something, something, names are given. If all the houses collapse what happens to the sky? Is it going to hell or heaven? And therefore I’m telling you not to measure yourself in body-form, it’s the basic thing. Since we are measuring ourselves in body-form, so many concepts appear. Bodies are different. After one hundred years what will happen to all these bodies? Even if you think intellectually – how were you prior to one hundred years, you say “I don’t know”, your answer will be: “I don’t know”. How are you after one hundred years – “I don’t know”. ‘I don’t know’ means “I’m not in any form, not in any shape”. As I told some of you: You’re alone in the house, and somebody knocks on the door “Anybody there?”, you say “Nobody’s there”. Correct? You want to say “I am here, except myself nobody’s there”, that’s the only thing. Except your Selfless Self, nothing is there.
And therefore I am insisting on meditation. Meditation means concentration, full involvement. For which there are no restrictions, no bondage is there. This is the base, foundation. Because only listening is meaningless, it is a temporary relief, painkillers. Temporary intoxication.
The human body is an opportunity for you to identify yourself. Every moment is very important, it’s valuable. Complete concentration, complete involvement is most important. We’re not accepting it. Everybody knows ‘I am not body at all’, everybody knows. Some or other day, willingly or unwillingly we are to leave this body, what remains?
Q: Maharaj, why are we so scared to find this Ultimate Truth?
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Because you’re Master of mind! So far mind was dictating us “do this thing, do that thing”, now we are dictating to the mind. It can happen. Mind, ego, intellect, these are only functioning organs. And after having Conviction you will be thoughtless, no thoughts will be there. And therefore for which, again I am repeating, meditation is the base, the foundation, which you are neglecting, you are not knowing.
Yes?
Q: Maharaj, why are we so scared to find this Ultimate Truth?
Maharaj: Not like that. Because we are having so many concepts engraved upon us we are having some strong concepts: ‘I am somebody else’, ‘man’ or ‘woman’. And to dissolve all these concepts, again, you have to undergo the meditation. After having the Conviction that ‘I am not the body at all, I was not the body at all, I’m not going to remain the body at all, I am unborn, death and birth are connected with the body only, all desires are connected with the body only”. You are beyond that. So there won’t be any depression, there won’t be any negative thoughts. It is not your fault. Because since childhood till today we’ve had a long association with the body, thousands of concepts have been engraved upon us. And we are trying to live within the circle of those concepts, we are having some limitation. Our thinking process is also within the circle of limitation, ‘I am somebody else’, ‘I am a man or woman, somebody else’.
Don’t Underestimate You!
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Maharaj: Be strong! Have some courage, “I can do it!” Don’t underestimate you! When Master says you are Brahman, you are Brahman, so live like Brahman, not like a man or woman. It’s open fact, it’s Reality. Forget everything and be with you. Master is not separate from you. God is not separate from you.
Q: Almost right now, I can feel the resistance. I mean, I feel Presence and I feel resistance, and I just have this little awareness that this resistance is a game, just like it’s a game…
Maharaj: Stop all this thinking. Be totally blank.
Q: Yes, that’s the part that scares me.
Maharaj: How you are prior to beingness, are any thoughts there? Are you a woman or man? After leaving the body, do all these thoughts remain? Nothing. Why to struggle with the thoughts? Why to struggle with the concepts?
So try to absorb this Reality already within you. Be bold, have some courage. I’m placing before you your fact, your Reality, listener’s Reality, not the Reality of Brahman, Atman, Paramatman, God, or Master. Live like a Master, live like a God. It’s your identity. You’ve got supernatural power, tremendous power, miraculous power, but you’re not using it. With courage you can overcome all the problems. Even physical, mental problems, spiritual problems, all problems.