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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.

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See, the entire world is projected out of your Presence. If there’s no Presence in the body, who will talk about the world? Who will talk about the God? Who will talk about the Master? Master is not separate from you! This body is not Master (Maharaj indicates his body). The Invisible Speaker within this body and the Invisible Speaker within that body are one and the same. It is Master, you are Master. What special kind of Realization do you want? What do you mean by Realization? It is Spontaneous Conviction.

Through so many words, spiritual words, I’m trying to invite the attention of the Invisible Listener within you that you are Ultimate Truth. What is the conclusion of all this spiritual knowledge? As I told you, except your Selfless Self there is no God, Brahman, no Atman, no Paramatman, no Master. You’re not required to go to any Master, including myself. Stand on your own feet.

Master is shapeless, there’s no form, it is formless. It is invisible, it is unidentified, it is anonymous. With various words I’m trying to invite your attention that the Invisible Listener within you is Ultimate Truth. This is theory, but you must have practical knowledge. I’m not asking you to continuously say ‘Ram, Ram, Ram’, hours of reciting the Mantra. Try to have Conviction, accept the fact, the Reality within you. This body was a child, then it will become a young man, then it will become an old man. Is this your Reality?

Who is going and who is coming? Who is taking birth and who is dying? All these concepts are related to the body only. And as you know, you were not the body at all, you are not the body at all. How were you prior to beingness, and how will you be after leaving the body? Spiritual knowledge, spirituality – what is spiritual knowledge? Just to identify oneself in a real sense. Only reading so many books, listening from so many Masters, it is not enough. What were they giving as a message, that is most important. Therefore the indication of analyzing the words of the various Masters, defining the words of the spiritual Masters or spiritual knowledge, what they convey is most important.

There won’t be any criticism, this is not a debate, we’re not proving anything. But practical spirituality is most important. Practical spirituality means what? That knowledge, that Reality is supposed to be absorbed totally within you. At that moment you’ll forget the entire world, you’ll be untouched by the world. Though you are living in this world, you’re untouched with the world, you’re unconcerned with the world. All relations, all everything came along with the body only.

So everything will dissolve along with the body. That means everything came out of nothing, and everything dissolves within nothing. In between you feel that ‘I am something’. That ‘something’ is supposed to be dissolved.

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Maharaj: Be normal. There are so many things around you. Whether to take the touch or not to take the touch is up to you. You are Master of your own. There are a lot of thoughts flowing inside, you’re watching all these thoughts. Thoughts which are useful, you can take, if they’re not useful, throw it out, neglect it. Not to respond to each and every thought. It’s the nature of the mind, the nature of the body, flowing thoughts. It’s the thoughtless stage. Where all thoughts end, there you are. Where everything ends, there you are. Where were all these thoughts prior to beingness? After leaving the body, will any thoughts be there? Any fighting is there? Any struggle is there? No struggle. Because directly or indirectly we’ve accepted ‘I am the body, somebody else’, ‘I’m doing this thing, I’m doing this’, ‘I’m a devotee’, ‘I’m a disciple’, ‘I’m a Master’, ‘I am Brahman’, and all these things. That ‘I am’ is supposed to be dissolved. That concept ‘I am’ appeared upon your Spontaneous, Invisible Presence. And Presence does not know ‘I am Presence’. It’s just space or sky, everywhere. The five elements are there, it does not know ‘I am the five elements’. Water does not know ‘I am water’, earth does not know ‘I am earth’, sky does not know ‘I am sky’. You are the Projector of the five elements. The moment the Spirit clicked with the body, the five elements are projected, the entire world is projected. You are the father of this world, or mother of this world. If there’s no Presence, who will talk about the world, who will talk about the concepts, who will talk about all this Gods and Goddesses? Even ‘Brahman’ is also a concept. Even meditation is also illusion.  But to remove one illusion, you have to take the help of another illusion. Because you forgot your identity, therefore meditation is required. You’re reminding through meditation, ‘you are Brahman, you are Brahman’.

Basically you are formless, there’s no shape. There’s no experience, no experiencer, no witness, no witnesser. All these concepts appear upon your Invisible Presence, where there is no pain and no pleasure. Because body-knowledge is not tolerable, therefore pain is there. This is a food-body. Prior to beingness and after leaving the body, there’s no pain and no pleasure. Is a dead body having any pleasure or pain? No. That means, you were not the body, you’re not the body, you’re not going to remain the body. Then who am I? It is called ‘Brahman’, ‘Atman’, ‘Paramatman’, ‘God’, ‘Master’, that you are, the Supernatural Power. These are the words.

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No special efforts are required, no deliberate efforts are required. See, this body is called ‘man’, this body is called ‘woman’, do we say ‘I am man, I am man, I am man’? Your parents told you ‘this body is called man’, and you accepted it. You’re not making any sadhana to say ‘I am man, I am man’. Like that, the Master says ‘you are Brahman’, why don’t you accept that Brahman? Brahman means Ultimate Truth, Final Truth. Do your sadhana, no problem. Out of sadhana, what do we want to achieve? Why am I doing sadhana?

So all your actions are supposed to be spontaneous. And therefore I’m advising, meditation is most important. In the beginning you’ll find it difficult. Mind, ego, intellect are functioning elements. The moment Spirit clicked with the body, you say ‘I’. Along with ‘I’, the mind, ego, intellect, these functioning elements, appear. So many concepts appear upon your Presence. These are layers, various layers are there. Unless that body-based layer dissolves, you’re not able to identify yourself. Fire is there, but it is covered with ash. You have to remove the ash.

So like that, you have to convince yourself. See what is there. Just glimpses of ‘I’ is there. Who is watching the dream? Who is witnessing the thoughts? Now I am talking something, who is listening inside? Who is analyzing my words? It happens spontaneously within you. The body can’t do anything, this is a dead body. If there is no Presence, who will talk about this?

So unless body-based knowledge dissolves, you’re not able to identify yourself in a real sense. And therefore meditation is required. Through meditation, slowly, silently, and permanently, all concepts will be dissolved. Though you’re acting as a man or woman, male or female, you remain untouched with all this world. Do your job, do your duties, take care of your responsibilities. But while doing all these things, you remain unconcerned with all deeds, because you’re not the doer at all.

You’re talking ‘past karma’, ‘future karma’. What is ‘past karma’, ‘future karma’? Come out from all these illusory concepts. You can do it, it’s not impossible.

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Maharaj: See, you’re holding the human body, and some invisible Presence is there. What is the necessity of identifying ourself? Because there are so many concepts wrapped up upon us, so many concepts are there. We’re under the pressure of so many concepts. And what do we want exactly, we’re not able to know.

We’re reading so many books, approaching so many Masters, but there’s no conclusion. What is the Reality? We’re in search of God, in search of so many Masters. But you’re ignoring your own Master within you.

See, the Invisible Presence within you is Ultimate Truth, Final Truth. It is called Master, Brahman, Atman, Paramatman, God. You’re not required to go anywhere. How are you prior to beingness? Not thinking ‘realization’, ‘enlightenment’ – these are the words. Prior to beingness are there any words like ‘realization’, ‘enlightenment’? Nothing is there. After leaving the body, what is ‘realization’, what is ‘enlightenment’? What is ‘knowledge’, what is ‘philosophy’, what is ‘spirituality’? Nothing is there. As I told you, everything came out of nothing and everything dissolves within nothing.

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Where do you stand? What is the place of spirituality in our human life? Because the human life is painful, there’s so much pain, no pleasure. And therefore, to tolerate this human body, we’re in search of so many material causes. Money is required, publicity is required, sex is required, desires are required. In spite of all these material causes, we’re not happy. There’s no happiness, there’s no peacefulness. Only temporary reliefs we’re getting. How to get permanent happiness? Is permanent peacefulness there or not? Yes? The moment you identify yourself in a real sense, happiness will be there. Happiness, unhappiness, pleasure, pain, came along with the body. And the body is not your identity, the body was not your identity, and the body is not going to remain your identity. This is a food-body, a human body.

I’m not discouraging you to do all these things. Spirituality is so many things: how to live happily, how to live peacefully. The moment we identify ourself, peace is there. As you know, the body is not your identity at all. Some or other day, willingly or unwillingly, you have to leave this body.

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Maharaj: In the beginning it happens, in the beginning it happens. It’s a cleaning process. All concepts are eliminating. Your so-called mind, ego, intellect are pricking from the back side. That internal force is trying to distract you from the Reality, it happens in the beginning. Because we’re having, directly or indirectly, body-concepts. It will take some time.

But not to ignore your family responsibility. Because we’re human beings. Spirituality is not a restriction, bondage, blockage in your human duty. Do your duty. If you have responsibilities with your family members, take care of your family members. Not to say only ‘I am Brahman, I am Brahman, Brahman, Brahman’.  If you say ‘Brahman’, who will give you food? You have to do your job, do your duties, you have responsibilities, but at the same time there should be Conviction.

Yes?

Q: Thank you, Master. So you mentioned fire and ash, you used that analogy. So ash, for me, has been automatic. It’s like there’s a constant narration happening. I look at a pizza, “Oh, it’s a good pizza, it’s a bad pizza”, it seems to be so automatic. And it keeps going and perpetuating on its own. I’ve had a few moments here and there where I didn’t have any relationships, because the relationship with my wife and children is only activated the moment it comes into thought. If I’m here there’s…Nothing is there, no worries are there, it’s just here. But these moments are so far in between, and then when I have them there’s this desire to capture that, to keep it. And then I read books, and that turns into a new form of thought, it’s just changed how it sounds. But then I’m just reading about spirituality, philosophy, and then it takes the place of practical thoughts. But it’s the same perpetuating thought, it just keeps going.

But then I heard that you said you recommend meditation and the Naam Mantra, and that’s what brought me here today.  I’ve gotten a taste of that and I want to hold onto it because its so much better than this constant narration of life, because there’s nothing else besides this narration.

Maharaj: See, one thing’s there, that the existence of Presence touched with the body, and you say ‘I’. Along with that ‘I’, along with the human body, all responsibilities are there. Pain is there, pleasure is there, relations are there, ‘my wife’, ‘my son’, ‘my father’, ‘my daughter’, ‘my Master’, and all relations appear. Give just due to all those relations, but at the same time, try to understand, ‘Where were all these relations prior to beingness?’ Not to neglect all these relations, give just due to all these relations, if you are a father, you’re a mother, or sister, or whatever position it may be. But, you have to know yourself. All these relations are body-based relations, but not to neglect all these responsibilities. There should not be so much attachment. I’m not asking you to neglect your family responsibilities. But all these relations are body-based relations. Prior to beingness, what relations were there? After leaving the body, what relations will remain?

So, while we’re holding this human body, whatever responsibilities we have with this human body, we have to observe them. We have to live like a human. But who is holding that human body? If there is no Presence for a moment, what relations are there? That Conviction is supposed to appear. I’m not asking you to neglect your family, neglect your body or neglect anything. Do you job, do your duties. Have practical spirituality, not theoretical spirituality.

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So meditation is the base, I’ll tell you.

Yes, yes?

Q: When I get to this place of feeling presence, the concepts drop and I just feel this pure experiencing, where there’s this confusion, and a lost feeling. And there’s some resistance that comes, and I can be like that for maybe five minutes, ten minutes, some length of time where I feel like I can’t function in the world. The mind’s not there, so that if someone even said, “Do you want a pizza?” I wouldn’t even know what a pizza was, I would be confused. And then there’s some part of me that is scared, that it doesn’t want to lose it’s individuality or identity of who I am, because it can’t even fathom that. Like it’s going into nothingness and being nothing, and then suddenly I go, “Woah”, and I come back to, ‘I’ve just got to be this person and do my thing’. And I’ve felt like I’ve gotten to that place so many times, and then there’s this resistance. It’s almost like there wants to be some bargaining, “Can I just hold onto a little piece?”

Maharaj: You’re experiencing all these things. This is the struggle of your thoughts, concepts. And you are knowing what struggles are going on inside. All these struggles appear upon your Presence. Prior to beingness, no struggle was there. The struggle appears upon your Presence. Because, some or other way, that concept ‘I am somebody else’ is there. That concept is supposed to be dissolved. So don’t fight with the concepts, don’t fight with the mind, don’t struggle with the mind. Thoughts are coming and going.

Therefore meditation is most important. Meditation plays a very good part. In the beginning you have to undergo the meditation, then all your concepts will be dissolved. You’ll remain unconcerned with all thoughts, untouched with the whole world.

Yes?

Q: I just…

Maharaj: Because, except your Selfless Self, nothing is there. All these concepts, body-based concepts, appear upon your Presence. These are layers. You’re experiencing all these concepts. “Why am I experiencing so many things here?” These are layers upon your Presence, they’re supposed to be cleared. And meditation is giving you courage to control all these things. It will happen spontaneously, nothing is impossible for you. Don’t become a victim of your own concepts.

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Maharaj: Don’t count hours!

Q: Well I don’t specifically, but I kind of generally…

Maharaj: Out of that Mantra, that ‘I’ is supposed to be dissolved.

Q: I’m sorry?

Maharaj: Out of this Mantra, the words, that ‘I’, so called ‘I’, the egoistic ‘I’, is supposed to be dissolved, that’s the purpose behind the Mantra.

Q: Yeah, but right now the ‘I’ doesn’t like not sleeping.

Maharaj: Because you’re measuring yourself in body-form. There’s no awakening, there’s no sleeping. There’s no consciousness, there’s no unconsciousness. All concepts are related to the body only. Prior to beingness, any sleep was there? Any awakening was there? Any consciousness was there? No concept was there prior to beingness, and after leaving the body, where does that ‘I’ go?

So through the Mantra some vibrations are created inside. Through that vibration your body-based concepts dissolve. And therefore I said it is the anti-virus software. Since childhood till today, so many concepts are there. Because we’re a victim of our own concepts. So many concepts are there. What you have listened to, what you have read, you have to forget it. Try to find out where you stand.

Q: You talk about spiritual courage, and it seems like courage for me is putting up with a lack of sleep

Maharaj: Ah, you must have courage to accept the Reality. For which you must have strong faith within you, “Yes!”, and your Master also. Your Master says ‘You are Brahman’, you have to accept, ‘I am Brahman’. If somebody abuses you in bad language, you’re accepting immediately, you’re slapping him, correct? Because, you see, that bad word, meaning has been given to that word. Meaning is given to that bad word; you say this is ‘donkey’, “What are you calling me?” But if we say ‘You are Brahman’, you’re not accepting it.

Try to identify yourself, it’s not difficult at all. Not to define any word, not to criticise any word, not to analyze any word. So many words are there. Language is just for conversation, just for communication. Words are not Ultimate Truth. What they convey, that is most important. So be with you all the time.

So, all problems will be solved. And as I told you, tremendous power is within you. You can overcome all problems. There are so many examples, I’m not quoting the examples, but it’s Reality.

Q: When I take a break from the Mantra, I just kind of be with the ‘I am’…

Maharaj: Why to take a break from the Mantra, the Mantra is not giving any harm to you.

Q: It’s not giving any harm to me?

Maharaj: Yes. These are words, always alerting you from the illusory concepts. They’re reminding your Selfless Self.