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Master is not Separate from You
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I’m inviting the attention of the Invisible Listener within you all the time, that except your Selfless Self, nothing is there. Have some courage, spiritual courage, to accept the Reality which you are lacking. “I’m doing something, I’m doing…”, what are you doing? You can’t do anything! If there’s no Presence, what can you do with this body? If there’s no Presence for a moment in this body, what can you do, nothing. And therefore I’ve told you, this Presence is just like sky or space. It does not know ‘I am space’, also it does not know ‘I am Presence’. Try to identify the Invisible Identifier within you! It is unconcerned with the world, unconcerned with all activities. How you were prior to identifying yourself? “I don’t know”. What does identification remains after leaving the body? “I don’t know”. ‘I don’t know’ means I am shapeless, I am formless. My Presence is there, but not in form.
We have a lack of confidence. We’re listening to everything, everybody knows ‘Atman’, ‘Paramatman’, ‘God’, ‘Brahman’, but a lack of confidence is there. Some impressions are there. We have to come out from this illusory circle. All our actions are within the illusory circles. So far desires are there, we’re under the pressure of mind, ego, intellect. What is mind? The flow of thoughts. Ego is there, “I’m doing something!”, what are you doing? Intellect is there. Where was the intellect, mind, ego prior to beingness?
Basically you are formless, no form is there, no shape is there. And therefore I am saying, everything came out of nothing and dissolves within nothing.
There are no restrictions. You’re not required to do any exercise, not to torture your body. Do your duties, have some responsibilities, be practical. “Oh, I’m a spiritual man, I’m a spiritual woman, how can I do this?” Not to do this. Be simple, be normal. Don’t underestimate yourself, “How can it happen?” Everything can happen, nothing is impossible. You’re not required to spend a single penny for this. It’s your knowledge!
Therefore my Master said, “I’m not making you a disciple, I’m making you a Master.” Because you are a Master. The moment you stop measuring yourself in body-form, the Master is not separate from you.
Collecting Information
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Q: I came across the teachings of Sri Nisargadatta Maharaj ten years ago, and it had an impact on my beingness, and I wasn’t really able to handle that. So over the last ten years I’ve mainly practiced on the Sufi path. And the teacher, he was familiar himself with the lineage of Sri Ramakrishna also, and last year I came back to reading Sri Nisargadatta, and your wonderful book.
Maharaj: See, after reading so many books, we have to absorb that knowledge. Knowledge is just Reality, your Reality, Listener’s Reality, Reader’s Reality. That ‘I’ is supposed to be dissolved.
That ‘I’ appeared upon your Invisible Presence. If the Presence is not there, who will talk about the ‘I’? And as I told you, except your Selfless Self there is no God, no Brahman, no Atman, no Paramatman, no Master. The Invisible Listener within you is the Master. It does not have any special identity. To say ‘I’, your Presence is required. If Presence is not there, who will talk about the ‘I’ and who will talk about the God? To say ‘God’, your Presence is required. The body can’t say, ‘this is God’. If there is no Presence, the body can’t act, this is a dead body. The Invisible Presence, the Invisible Listener within you, through which you can identify the world, that means the entire world is projected out of your Invisible Presence. If the Presence is not in the body, who will talk about the world and God and everything? Who knows Krishna? Prior to beingness, do you know Krishna? Any God you know? Any Master you know? Any spiritual knowledge you’re having? Nothing. After leaving the body what is the use of that Krishna? All Gods and Goddesses are concepts. Okay, it’s not bad, I’m not criticizing. I’m placing before you the Invisible Identity within you, which is called Brahman, Atman, Paramatman, God, Krishna, whatever names are given. To say ‘Lord Krishna’, your Presence is there. If your Presence is not there, who will talk about Lord Krishna? We know the picture, ‘Oh, this is Lord Krishna’. Somebody told us, or we’re reading from some books, ‘This is the God, Rama, this is Krishna, this is this thing’, okay. Prior to beingness, do you know anything about this? Be honest. After leaving the body do you know anything about this? Any Master? Any God, any Goddesses?
Through the body we are trying to identify, ‘Oh, this is the God’. And what is the use of this God? Just to have peacefulness, happiness, what we require. The body-knowledge is not tolerable, therefore all these Gods and Goddesses are required. Why is spiritual knowledge required? Body-knowledge is not tolerable, for which you are taking some material causes. So many desires are there. So all desires are supposed to be dissolved spontaneously.
You may read thousands of books. What is the use of reading the books? Try to identify the Invisible Reader within you. We’re collecting information through various books and playing with the words, ‘Atman’, ‘Paramatman’, ‘Brahman’, ‘God’, it’s okay, so many words are there. So many books are there, what do they convey? So many Masters are there, what do they convey? They say: except your Selfless Self there is no God, no Brahman, no Atman, no Paramatman, no Master. Why don’t you see that Master within you? Why don’t you see that Krishna within you? Because we’re measuring ourself in body-form. And that body-identity is supposed to be dissolved, for which you are to undergo the discipline of the meditation.
Why is meditation required? Through which you’re hammering yourself, you’re inviting the attention of the Invisible Meditator within you that you are Ultimate Truth, you are Final Truth. That is the base.
Meditation is also illusion, but it is necessary. To remove one illusion you have to take the help of another illusion. Be strong, not physically, spiritually. Have some courage to accept the Reality. We’re having pressures of so many concepts, spiritual concepts, ‘Oh, how can I do this. If I say something, it will do something.’ ‘This is called sin, this is called virtue’. What is ‘sin’, what is ‘virtue’? This is called ‘destiny’, this is ‘past birth’, ‘future birth’, who’s birth? This is ‘karma’, that is ‘karma’, what is ‘karma’? You’re not the doer, there’s no deed! Ultimate Truth is not separate from you. So far we’re measuring ourself in body-form, that Ultimate Truth will be separate.
Golden Opportunity
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Q: What type of meditation is (inaudible), whether ask the self ‘Who am I?’ or meditate on the ‘Brahman’ (mantra)?
Maharaj: You are to recite some mantra, ‘Aham Brahmasmi’, ‘I am Brahman, I am Brahman’, like that, or ‘Soham’, there are so many. Every lineage is having some different words. The principle behind it is that through those words you are identifying yourself. ‘I am Brahman’, ‘Aham Brahmasmi’, ‘Soham’, ‘Sivoham’, these are the words. They are key-words, through which you are hammering your Selfless Self. All the time I am living as a man or woman, limitations, body limitations are there. Your Presence is beyond that, beyond sky. The entire world is projected out of your Presence. If there is no Presence who will talk about the world, who will talk about the God? To say ‘God’, your Presence is required. To identify God your Presence is required. When did you come across with the God? Be free (to reply). If there is no Presence in the body can I identify ‘Brahman, Atman, Paramatman, Master’? Any relations are there?
Nothing is impossible.
Yes?
Q: So why is the realization of Ultimate Truth so scarce and rare…
Maharaj: See, ‘Realization’ means Conviction. Realization means Spontaneous Conviction. At present we are saying “I am somebody else”, “I am man or woman”, that is illusion. So I’m talking about that Realization, Spontaneous Conviction: ‘I am Brahman, Atman, Paramatman, God, Master, I am nothing to do with the world’.
This is an illusory world. The moment Presence clicked with the body you see the world. Where is the world prior to beingness? That means the entire world is projected out of your Presence. Therefore I define it as ‘Unidentified’ Identity, ‘Invisible’ Identity, ‘Anonymous’ Identity which cannot be defined, cannot be guessed, cannot be imagined. This Reality is supposed to be absorbed totally. Only dry discussion on spirituality will not help you. And the human body is a golden opportunity to identify yourself.
There’s No Body
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The Invisible Presence within you is Final Truth. It has a strong power, strong energy. And therefore not to measure oneself in body form, that is most important. Because you are shapeless, there’s no body. Though you’re holding the body, there should be Spontaneous Conviction: “I am not the body, I am not going to remain the body”. So mind, ego, intellect came along with the body and dissolve along with the body. All concepts, so many concepts are there. All needs, all requirements came along with the body. Concepts like ‘God’: to say ‘God’ your Presence is required. To say ‘Master’ your Presence is required. You are Master of your own! But because of long association with the body you forgot your identity. And to identify yourself in a real sense, meditation is most important.
Everybody’s asking regarding the Naam Mantra, Mantra – these are the words! There are so many words. ‘Aham Brahmasmi’ is a word, ‘I am Brahman’ is a word, ‘Soham’ is a word. This is the media, it is an indication. Through meditation you are inviting the attention of the Invisible Meditator that you are Brahman. You’ll forget your body-identity.
I’m not saying neglect your body identity. There aren’t any conditions or any restrictions. Since you’re holding the body you can take care of the body. But it is open fact that the body is not your identity, the body was not your identity, the body is not going to remain your identity. So literal knowledge, bookish knowledge will not help you. You might have visited so many Masters, read so many books. Just ask the question to your Selfless Self: “Will all this knowledge be helpful at the time of leaving the body? Whether after reading so many books do I have complete peacefulness? I’m happy? I’m tension free? Fearless?” Ask the question to yourself. Directly or indirectly we are having the subtle ego: “I am somebody else”. That ‘somebody else’ is supposed to be dissolved totally. It is not impossible, it is not difficult at all. You can do it, you have tremendous power, you have tremendous energy. We are neglecting that. You pray “Oh God bless me, Oh God bless me”. Where is God? If your Presence is not there who will talk about the God? It’s a simple thing. To say ‘God’ your Presence is required. If your Presence is not there who will talk about God? Where are the Masters? You approach your own Master! – through which you say ‘I’. To say ‘I’ your Presence is required. I’m inviting the attention of the Invisible Presence within you that you are Ultimate Truth. It’s a very simple thing. But, it needs some involvement. Everybody knows you are Brahman, Atman, Paramatman, God, Master. But it should be absorbed, “Yes, so that I!”. Just like this body is called man, this is called female, man or woman, when you are neither man nor woman, you are Brahman. It’s fact. It is very easy to understand but a little bit difficult to absorb because we’re lacking involvement, for which nothing is required.
What is the purpose of the human life? Everybody wants happiness, peacefulness, tension-free life, fearless life. The moment you identify yourself in a real sense, spontaneous peacefulness will be there. Who wants peacefulness? Prior to beingness do you know what is peacefulness? Any happiness? The moment the Spirit clicked with the body we say “I want everything”. We want happiness, peacefulness, tension-free life, fearless life.
Everyone wants to know about death. What is death? What is birth? There’s no birth, no death. Birth and death are connected with the body only, and as you know, you are unborn. It’s a fact! You may not believe, but you are unborn. Because we are measuring ourselves in body-form therefore we are saying “I am born” and counting age, “I am somebody else”. We’ve got lots of attachment, related to the body. Mind you, I’m not saying to neglect your body-knowledge, just to identify it. Except your Selfless Self there is no God, no Brahman, no Atman, no Paramatman, no Master. You are Master, you are Brahman, you are Paramatman. It’s a fact. For which, at the initial stage, you are to undergo the discipline of meditation until you have Spontaneous Conviction. Why is medication required? To develop Spontaneous Conviction. “This body is called man, I am somebody else, my name is something-something given to me”, and I have accepted it. If a thousand people ask “Oh, John” you say “Oh, I am John”.
No I Am
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Maharaj: Have you read Ramana Maharshi and all?
Q: Yes, all the books.
Maharaj: So you have a good background. Everybody is having spiritual knowledge. Everybody knows ‘Atman’, ‘Paramatman’. But practical knowledge is most important. Because what happens? We’ve accepted the body as our identity. Prior to beingness there was no body, no shape. But because of long association with the body we’ve accepted the body as our identity, forgotten our identity. As a matter of fact, Reality is there. Your Spontaneous Invisible Presence is Reality.
What is the importance of spirituality? Because of long association with the body we are considering ourself in body-form. What are we requiring? Everybody wants happiness, peacefulness, tension-free life, fearless life, the four things required in one’s life. We’ve accepted the body as identity and therefore we’ve forgotten our identity.
So the purpose of spirituality is just to identity oneself in a real sense. We’re identifying ourselves in body-form. As a matter of fact, you’re shapeless, there’s no birth, there’s no body at all. Prior to beingness there’s no body, after leaving the body nothing remains.
The purpose behind this is just to identify yourself in a real sense. We’re identifying ourselves in body-form which is illusion. To dissolve all these illusions spirituality is most important. What is spirituality? Just to identify oneself. We’re identifying ourself in this form, and that is illusion, as I told you. So the same simple question is ‘how were you prior to beingness? After leaving the body?’.
We have so many concepts. We’ve got literal knowledge, a lot of literal knowledge, “I am somebody else”. We are knowing ‘karma’, ‘dharma’, so many religions are there, so many concepts are there. We’ve wrapped all these concepts around us and are trying to live within the concepts. We have to dissolve all concepts. Your Spontaneous Invisible Presence is Ultimate Truth, that you are not knowing. Your Invisible Listener is Master. But because we are measuring ourself in body form, we forgot our Master.
Except your Selfless Self, nothing is there. God, Brahman, Atman, Paramatman, God, this is your name – not in body form. Therefore I am inviting the attention of the Invisible Listener within you that you are Ultimate Truth. But we’re not accepting this because of the impact of the body. It’s a fact, even if you think intellectually. Prior to beingness there is no body, no concept, no ‘I am’ also. The moment the Presence clicked with the body you say “I am somebody else”. You are nobody, you are everybody. Your Presence is just like space or sky – you’re everywhere. Therefore not to measure yourself in body-form, that is the most important thing. And for which the only source is meditation. I’m telling you, meditation is also illusion at the advanced stage.
So Many Words
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So basically, you are unborn. There’s no death and no birth to you.
We’re using so many words, just for communication. Language is created by us. So instead of defining the spiritual words, analyzing spiritual words, try to identify yourself in a real sense. When trying to identify yourself in a real sense, the identifier will disappear, nothing will remain. There’s no ‘I’, there’s no ‘he’, ‘she’, ‘it’, nothing is there. Complete silence. There’s no experience, no experiencer. There’s no witness, no witnesser.
Your Presence is there prior to beingness, and that Presence will remain, just like space or sky. But not to measure yourself in body-form, that’s the first thing. And how does it happen? The only source, I told you: meditation is the only source.
Through meditation you’re inviting the attention of the Invisible Meditator within you that you are Ultimate Truth, you’re hammering all the time. Some words are given: ‘I am Brahman’, ‘Soham’, so many words are there. Through these words you’re hammering yourself. You’re inviting the attention of the Meditator: you are Ultimate Truth, you are Final Truth. After Spontaneous Conviction, you’re not required to recite the Mantra, it will be spontaneous, it will be automatic. (So recite the Mantra) until you’ve got Spontaneous Conviction: I was not the body, I am not the body, I am not going to remain the body. So, no concept will impress you or depress you.
Thousands of concepts are there. We’re a victim of our own concepts: ‘I’m somebody else’, ‘I’m a man or woman’, ‘I’ve got some knowledge’. Even ‘I am Brahman’ is also a concept.
Prior to beingness there’s no concept at all. After leaving the body, what remains? So for which, you must have Spontaneous Conviction. Then pain will turn into pleasure. Everybody is having problems, the human body is full of problems. Everybody says, “My problem is a major problem”. So come out from all these problems, come out from all the tension. You have to go through the meditation only.
‘Where do I stand?’
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Maharaj: So, I’m not asking you to neglect your family members. Whatever job you’re doing, do your job. Do your duties, take care of all your responsibilities. But at the same time, there should be the Conviction, ‘I’m nothing to do with all these things’. As if you’re acting in some drama. I’m giving a simple example, you’re acting in a drama, your doing some role. You’re doing a very nice role, people are saying, “Oh!” At that time you are knowing that ‘I am nothing to do with this role. I have to act two or three hours only, or two and a half hours, or two hours.’
Like that you have to convince yourself. Knowledge is there, a lot of knowledge is there. In the light of that knowledge of Reality you have to convince yourself, ‘where do I stand?’ ‘What do I want exactly? I’m meditating, I’m doing bhajans, I’m doing all these things, I’m reading so many books, I’m approaching so many Masters. To what extent will this be useful for me? Where do I stand? Who wants all these things? What is the purpose behind that?’
Because, we are not peaceful, we are not happy. Everything is with us, no happiness is there, no peacefulness is there, always there is tension, and most of all fear of the death. Why this? Because we’re not identifying ourself in a real sense. We’re not having any experience of death and birth. And as you know, what is the time limit of this body? You are a small child, grown up as a young man or young woman, then you’re an old man, and some or other day, willingly or unwillingly we have to leave the body. It’s your Identity.
So be fearless. After having the Conviction, you’ll be fearless, ‘Oh, this is a dead body. Let anything happen’. Because I am unborn. These are allegations, you’ve taken birth and you’re going to die.
Therefore spiritual science says, if at all you want to compare (yourself), compare just like sky. Sky doesn’t know ‘I am sky’. So, your Invisible Presence does not know ‘I am Presence’.
We’re using ‘I’, ‘you’, ‘he’, ‘she’, ‘it’, it’s language, just for conversation. And therefore I told you, not to play with the spiritual words. “Who is ‘you’”, “Who is ‘I’”, it’s okay, just for understanding.
No Experience
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Q: So are we supposed to recite the Mantra at the same time?
Maharaj: All the time, all the time, you can recite Mantra all the time. When you’re sitting for meditation, sit in that fashion, what I told you. At the initial stage, I’m telling you again: Mantra, meditation are required at the beginning stage, until you’ve got Conviction, until you remain untouched with the body-based knowledge, body-based concepts. Then all your actions will be spontaneous, untouched with the world. Though you’re holding the body as a man or woman, male or female, you’re untouched with the world. No concern. You’re living in this body, doing all activities, as if you’re acting in some drama, as if you’re acting in a dream. Are you taking any ego saying “I’ve done a good thing or a bad thing” (in a dream)? There’s no deed, there’s no doer. No experience, no experiencer. Even if you have the experience ‘I am Brahman’, it is also illusion. Where everything ends, there you are! Everything came out of nothing, everything dissolves within nothing! If at all you want to compare, compare just like sky or space. Space is everywhere. Is American sky different and Indian sky different? Sky is sky.
Those who are here holding these bodies, the Spirit and Presence is one, there’s no difference. When I’m talking with you I have to take ego that ‘I’m something else’. There’s no difference at all. How we are prior to a hundred years, just remain, nothing, we don’t know. After a hundred years, how will you be? “I don’t know”. ‘I don’t know’ means we are shapeless, no birth or death. The body is only the media to identify yourself.
It is very simple Reality, it is the Listener’s Reality. Not to run after miracles. You don’t need to go anywhere. Everything is within you. But we’re not giving importance to ourself, we’re giving importance to something else. Your Spontaneous, Invisible Presence is having tremendous power. It is the Master of Masters. And again I’m repeating, to dissolve all body-knowledge, all body-based concepts, you have to undergo the meditation at the beginning stage. Whatever experiences are happening during the process of meditation, just ignore it. Good experiences, bad experiences.
And as I told you, spiritual science says there are three types of experiences. ‘Darshan’ means you can see the Gods and Godesses and idols. ‘Sparshan’ means you feel the touch also, and ‘Sambhashan’ means talking. It happens, it can happen, but it’s not Ultimate Truth.
So not to come across with such elements that will distract you from the Reality. Such elements may be that you come across some miraculous experiences, or unpleasant experiences. It happens. Where were those experiences prior to beingness? And after leaving the body, any experience remains? Nothing.
Untouched
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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.