Meditation is the art of doing nothing

 

To be more dynamic, we must first be free from all activity - whether we do those actions as per our wish while awake or while we are still asleep while sleeping. Meditation is the state of doing nothing. Meditation is a state of complete relaxation, free from the remembrance of the past, the plans for the future. We all want a deep relaxation that refreshes us, so that we can be useful when we wake up. But when can you rest? Only when you have stopped all other activities.

When you stop all voluntary activities like moving around, working, thinking, talking, seeing, hearing, smelling and tasting etc., then only you get rest or sleep. In sleep, only involuntary activities remain with you, such as breathing, heart beating, digestion and blood circulation etc. But this is also not complete relaxation. Complete relaxation occurs only in meditation. And meditation happens only when the mind becomes still. 

How to stabilize this mind? By understanding the purpose of life and being clearly focused. To be centered means to be content in every moment, to be neutral. Even if you get what you want, you remain anxious and even if you do not get it, you remain anxious! Every desire generates fever in the mind. In this situation there may be no attention.

True liberation is to be free from the past and the future. If you go to sleep with some desire, mental agitation or disturbance, you cannot sleep deeply. The more you are restless, the more difficult it becomes for you to sleep. If you drop everything before sleeping, then only you will be able to rest. Similarly, when you want to sit for meditation, drop everything. Whatever joy you experience in life comes from the depths of your innermost self. It comes only when you let go of all your hold and become stable. That is meditation. Actually meditation is not an action; It is the art of doing nothing.

The relaxation of meditation is deeper than the deepest sleep, because in meditation you become free from all desires. When you come out of deep meditation, then you are very moving and can do better. The deeper your relaxation, the more dynamic your actions will be.

Meditation is to get rid of all the anger or tension of past and past events and to give up all future plans and desires. Planning prevents you from taking a deep dive inside yourself. Meditation is to fully accept the moment and live each moment to the fullest. Only an understanding of this and a few days of continuous meditation practice can change the quality of your life.

Prakriti is the best example of the three states of life consciousness – waking, sleeping and dreaming. Nature sleeps, wakes up and dreams! In existence it is happening on a fantastic level and in the human body on a different level. Awakening and sleeping are like sunrise and darkness. The dream state is like a dusk between them and meditation is like a flight into space, where there is no sunrise, no sunset, nothing. Meditation is the means to be free from all desires, and thus the way to approach God.

The three aspects of Guru Tattva

Life and the Guru are inseparable. Life itself teaches so many things. When you consciously reflect on it you can distinguish the things you have done right and those which were clearly wrong. The wisdom that allows you to differentiate is the guru principle that resides in each one of us. 

What is the role of a Guru? Doing all that you can for someone else’s growth and development without expecting anything in return is being a Guru. Have you played this role to at least one person with a pure heart and clear mind? When you are guiding someone not wanting anything in return from them know that the Guru Tattva or Guru Principle is working through you. 

There are three aspects of the Guru principle or Guru Tattva. The first one is in its absolute form which is all-permeating and exists beyond time, then it is in the form of knowledge and the thirdly in the physical form. 

When we are ignorant of our true nature we become miserable. When our mind is miserable we look for the cause, which could be a situation, a person or an attitude. This is a cycle of ignorance. Our identification of the Self is limited by thoughts or emotions. So instead of blaming a situation or person for your misery wake up and see that you are caught up in small things, having forgotten who you really are. The knowledge of the Self burns down all karma and brings you closer to the cause of all the causes which is your being. Experiences keep changing but the unchanging experiencer remains at the centre. Again and again, make the effort to know the one who is experiencing.

A Guru’s job is not to fulfil materialistic desires. These are just accessories of life that will happen effortlessly when you have your eyes on the real goal, which is to seek liberation and which is not possible without a Guru. Only he can make you recognise the beauty of inner freedom and the light within. 

In Sanskrit, a disciple is called antevasi - one who dwells within a Guru and in whom the Guru resides. The one who has realised that there is nothing other than the all-permeating Guru principle that surrounds him is called a disciple. This ‘feeling of connection’ with the infinite is made possible by the presence of a Guru alone. When you feel connected to knowledge, wisdom and to the Guru, there is no lack in life, celebration happens instantaneously.

There have been many great souls who have walked the path of true knowledge and have shown that it is possible to attain the pinnacle of life’s purpose through surrender and devotion. Their lives serve as an example for humankind. 

Life Lessons from the Bhagvad Gita

 

The Bhagvad Gita caters to the entire range of human evolution. It stands for poise and equanimity and for performing one’s designated duty. There are seven important lessons Lord Krishna has given in the Bhagvad Gita that we should all remember.

Honour Existence: The Bhagvad Gita says that the Universe is made up of eight elements: earth, water, fire, air, ether (space), mind, intellect, and consciousness. The five sheaths to human existence are the environment, physical body, prana or energy, mind and consciousness. So, the whole universe is an individual part, and we are part and parcel of the universe.

Peaceful Fight: Krishna tells Arjuna to fight but be in peace at the same time. He says, “First, go inside and cleanse yourself. Do not fight with hatred, but fight for justice; fight with equanimity.”

Mind your Mind: The Gita says, “Your own mind is responsible for your bondage and for your liberation.” Your mind keeps changing all the time. If your mind is trained well through sadhana (spiritual practices), it befriends and helps you. Otherwise, your own mind behaves like an enemy.

Karma Yoga: Liberation is acquired by nishkama-karma - action done without any feverishness or attachment to the fruits of the action. Karma yoga is doing work with total responsibility.

Stop the hurt: Lord Krishna first hurts Arjuna by saying, “What a coward you are to want to run from the battlefield?” But Arjuna doesn’t argue. When you feel hurt, don’t shut down. Look into the situation. If a wise person’s actions, or someone you have a lot of regard for, hurts you, then know that it is for some good reason. If a friend is hurting you, know that some karma is getting released. If the hurt is coming from an ignorant person, then have compassion. These three attitudes can make your whole personality shine.

You are sukha: Remember that that which is temporary is sorrowful. Sukha (happiness) is inside you. Don’t look for happiness in that which is temporary, fleeting and changing. Joy and happiness are only in that which does not change.

Witness the Flow of Time: The relevance of Gita is in observing the flow of events in your life. That is ‘sakshi’! Look at your past — Is it not a dream? Similarly, another 20 years will pass. Remembering that, “Whether unpleasant or pleasant things are happening, I am a witness to it. My mind getting caught up in it is also part of the happening; I am witness to that too.” This is how you rise above any situation.

Just like how the air comes and blows everything away, in the same way, all of life’s events come and go. But what is essential is that you should not get stuck anywhere, move ahead and put in your efforts. Whatever is yours will come to you for sure.

Three modes of a seeker - on Guru Purnima 2020

Guru Purnima is a celebration of seekers, and the seeker revises his journey. He reviews his journey. How far you have walked, where have you come from, what you have experienced in life and how many hurdles have you faced and how many hurdles you have crossed. What is your journey and where is it moving ahead?

It is a review of one’s journey. And then, re-dedication. This is the day to re-dedicate. Review, re-dedicate and then rejoice in gratitude. These are the three things that Guru Purnima brings to you. The celebration is for re-dedication and rejoicing in gratitude.

Every seeker has three modes that he goes through.

The sadhak (seeker) wants to satisfy his basic instinct, his needs, to get rid of his misery, so he becomes a sadhak. A sadhak is seeking to be free, to get liberated. Liberated from what? From misery and lack. Lack and misery are what one wants to be free from. One wants to experience abundance. This you know when there is someone to take care of you, when there is the power, the divine, who is taking care of you. This faith is pashu-bhava. It is the basic mode.

The first mode is confidence that there is someone who is taking care of my needs. I am concerned about my needs, right? When you know there is someone who is providing for you, then you are relax, you have comfort. If you have a dog at home, a horse, or other animals, the animals know their master is there and the master will provide for them. There is confidence and a certain loyalty for the master. That loyalty and confidence is the first mode of sadhak.

The second mode of sadhak is veera-bhava or invoking the valour within you. Life poses many challenges where things get shattered. In these moments, your confidence get shattered. You start doubting your own abilities. You start doubting your progress. You start doubting yourself and everybody else, which is a reflection of your own self-doubt.

When these turmoil come, when these arise in you, when you have the valour of ‘I will go through this. I will I will come out of it successfully. I will achieve this. Come what may,’ invoking that valour is the second mode of the seeker.

The first is confidence and faith. The second mode is conviction and valour to move on the path. ‘I will go through, come what may.’

And then the last one, the divine power, when you feel total oneness with the divinity. Sacrifice and dedication in veera-bhava lead you to divya-bhava, which is divinity.

What is divinity? It is when you see that everything is a game. The whole universe is just a play and display of consciousness. You are not shaken and not moved by anything whatsoever. 

You know sometimes, we can say we are all love but others are bad. No. In divya-bhava you see the role of everyone else also as divine, not just yours as divine. You find every single role, whatever it is, as divine, as a game, as a play. That is divya-bhava.

These are the three modes a sadhak moves through in life as time progresses.

What is the purpose of the mind?

Just let it be! That is the secret to handle the mind.

If you try to get rid of the mind, it becomes a monster. If you just let the mind be, it will vanish!

When you are not aware of the tricks and the mumbo-jumbo going on in the mind, then life is misery. This is because life is based on the mind. 

When you recognize that all this is in your mind (judging people and situations, holding concepts about the self and others); you recognize that you are making a mess of everything in your mind.

'This is how it should be', or, 'It should not be like this', whenever such thoughts come, it means the mind is coming into play; this is all part of the world. This is where you need to latch onto that non-changing, abstract, invisible energy or power. When you latch onto it, you are no longer caught in the grip of the mind. 

When we are in the grip of the mind, we make ourselves and others miserable. 

Look back at your mind, not at others, and see what drama and pain has been caused by it. When you do that, it is no longer pain, it is entertainment. It is like a multi-channel television, a movie channel that has caused so much comedy, suspense, drama, and misery in your life. 

This is the reason why all the great saints and poets always addressed their own mind, ‘Oh, my dear mind, how fascinating you are, why do you get caught up in so many things! Why do you not recognize that which is so magnanimous, and so beautiful?’ Rumi, Kabir, all the great saints, have sung about their own mind. 

In The Bhagavad Gita also, it is said that the mind is responsible for your freedom and bondage. The mind is a friend and an enemy.

When the mind is your enemy, it ties you down to your past impressions and experiences, because it does not let you see things with a fresh new eye. This is because everything we perceive is through the mind; even knowledge is perceived through the mind. When the mind is your enemy, it makes you judgmental, brings misery, stiffness and unhappiness. 

When the mind is your friend, it makes you relax, smile, brings happiness, freedom, and liberation. So, the mind can be our greatest enemy or our best friend.

Achieving all four aspects of Purusharth

Both Artha (wealth and material comforts) and Kama (desire or passion) arise in life from time to time according to one’s needs. Fulfilling those needs to sustain one’s life, yet not getting entangled in too much greed or lust is the responsibility of Dharma (righteous action) and Moksha (liberation from suffering).

The main goals of our life are Dharma and Moksha. In the course of our life, from time to time, we have to engage ourselves in the pursuit of Artha and Kama. Enjoying them but at the same time not getting caught up in it. This is why we should engage in those action that are in alignment with our Dharma, and refrain from those actions that go against Dharma. The same goes for Artha also.

Life cannot run without any one of the four aspects of Purusharth.

In the course of life, you must have Moksha as your supreme aim; adhere to and uphold Dharma at all times, and you will see that your pursuits for both Artha and Kaama will also give good results in due course of time.

There Is No Escape From The Guru

You can’t escape from having a Guru, or being a Guru. Everyone has to realize this, that there is no escape, or no way out.

There is a proverb in Sanskrit that says, ‘I first salute the wicked because he is teaching me by falling into a pit. He has warned me. Then I salute the one who has shown me the light’.

See, the one who is showing you the light is not doing so at his own cost. But the one who is falling, is teaching you at his own cost.

So by default everyone is a Guru because you are teaching someone something. You may not be moving people from where they are stuck, or granting them what they want, or bringing them freedom (as that requires a higher qualification), but you are definitely teaching them some wisdom. At least one of the four functions of the Guru everybody has, i.e., knowledge, progress, achievement and liberation.

So there is no escape from having a Guru or being a Guru. By default, someone or the other will learn from you.

The four benefits of having a Guru:

1. Wisdom
2. Progress in life
3. Achievement
4. Liberation

Without knowledge there cannot be organization, if organization is there, that means that there is knowledge because knowledge has organizing power. This is what has been said by the Ancient Seers.

There is a verse in the Vedas that says, ‘Wisdom and knowledge lies in the imperishable sounds and letters which are embedded in the space beyond the physical space, which is the abode of all the angels.’

This space (which the Vedas refer to) is the inner space in which all the Devas are imbedded, and if you have no access to this space then what is the point of all of this knowledge. And one who has access to the inner space is just full of bliss, and nothing can shake him or her. These four things – wisdom, progress, achievement and liberation - come from that inner space.

This is all very interesting! In this era of technology, it is so easy to comprehend. Several decades ago, people would not comprehend this. It is very difficult for many to comprehend this, of course, not for those who have meditated deeply. But those who just read this, it is very difficult for them to comprehend that there is a space in which all the knowledge is embedded.

Do you know, when you sent a text message what happens? The text travels through the space and in a fraction of a second, it enters into the other cell phone. In between two cell phones, where is the text? Have you ever thought about it? I think many people have not even thought about it. That space through which the text message travels is already there.
Supposed you type something, and the receiver gets something else; just imagine if there is some mismatch. You type, “Honey, I love you”, and the person receives a message from you that says, “You’re a stupid guy”. Nothing happens like because that Parame Vyoman is so structured. There could be an error in tying but not an error because of the space element because the space element is so perfect.

Angels are not figures, they are just energies. When we use the word energy, it feels like some dead inert substance, but if you use the word angel it feels alive and lively. If you say, ‘The human body is carbohydrates, amino acids, proteins’, or you say, ‘A living human being’, it makes a difference somewhere. In the same way, the energies are called Devas.

The word Deva has many meanings, but one of the meaning is ‘Light’. Another meaning is ‘Playful’, one who loves to play. Deva also means ‘Perfection’. Perfection,
playfulness, light and positivity – this is what Devas are. It is a very interesting analysis.

We are so fortune to get all this knowledge which has been maintained for thousands of years. Without any scriptures and books also, you can realize this knowledge. But the authenticity of it is when you know that the same knowledge has been there for many years (scriptures). So, the authentication is essential.

Perfection, authenticity, simplicity, clarity, universality and reality – this is what we have in the Art of Living. It is all very sure and very clear. And this knowledge is also practical, it has a utility to it.

Benefits of having a Guru

Every human being comes to this planet with subconscious, unconscious and conscious mind. As the conscious mind starts becoming more active, learning begins. The presence of a Guru is essential for any learning to happen. The Guru’s presence continues throughout the life because the learning continues throughout the life.

What are the benefits of having the Guru in life?  When you consciously acknowledge the Guru, that is when you learn more. You also might have experienced, that in life sometimes you feel stuck and the Guru’s presence moves you through, so that you don’t get stuck. Events, situations, concepts can all make one feel stuck. Firstly, one does not even know that one is stuck. Guru’s presence makes you realize that you are stuck, and helps you move.

First step in learning is knowledge. Of all the different types of knowledge that you learn, from whomsoever you may learn, that “who” is part of the Guru. Mother is the first Guru. From the mother you learn first level of learning – alphabets or this is a cat, this is a banana etc. This also applies to the various other disciplines that we learn.

Moving from where we are stuck to having the flow in life towards its ultimate goal is the second benefit of having a Guru.

Third benefit of having a Guru is when you have a desire for something. In order to get it you need guidance. You need someone to give you what you want. But then there is no end to desires and sometimes you are not even sure of your own desire. That is where the Guru comes into play. The Guru principle or Guru Tattva will give you that which is good for you and not everything that you want.

The fourth benefit is liberation or inner freedom.  Guru does not let you remain in an illusory world but helps you wake up and look at what is the ultimate reality of the universe. That is freedom or liberation.

Knowledge, movement, achievement and freedom : these are the 4 aspects that one gains by having a Guru.

Self-effort is only in the conscious mind. For the subconscious mind you cannot put an effort. You need someone else or some other higher power to influence that. In fact to turn the unconscious mind into the super-conscious mind one definitely needs help and therefore nature has provided tradition of masters. Time and again the human society has been guided by holding hands towards oneself, towards the light that one is. In fact if you see from the context of mind and intellect, or emotion and intellect they go in completely opposite direction. 

Moon is associated with the mind. Someone who goes crazy is called a lunatic. Moon is associated with feelings, emotions, craziness whereas Guru is associated with wisdom, knowledge and rational thinking. Guru Purnima is the strange combination of the rational and emotional. Guru stands for rationality or wisdom and moon stands for emotions. This combination is an oxymoron – fullness of the emptiness or emptiness of the fullness. Life has place for both and the Guru does both. Guru brings the fullness in emotions or strength in the emotions and sharpness in the intellect.

Rational thinking appears to be in opposition to emotional ecstasy or emotional elevation but with spiritual wisdom it doesn’t. It unites them very well. In fact it brings us to the first point in Art of Living – opposite values are complimentary. It makes you realize that you can be sensitive and sensible in life. This is the skill and the art in life. It’s easy to be sensitive and it’s easy to be sensible. There are some who are very sensible but not sensitive and there are some who are very sensitive but not sensible. That wisdom which brings the balance in life is the Guru principle.

Everyone is a student and everyone is a teacher as well. By default you are teaching something. Whether you want to or not, whether you acknowledge it or not, either by showing people what you should do or by showing what you should not do. Someone learns from you even though you may not deliberately want to teach. From just the way you walk your life, someone can learn from you.

The smallness in human psyche or human attitude and tendency can only be gotten rid of through wisdom. Wisdom comes from Guru and so is the celebration of Guru Purnima. The wisdom does not find its fulfillment unless and until there is gratitude and recognition of progress, achievement, freedom and wisdom in life. It is there, but it needs recognition. It is called Pratyabhijna in Sanskrit.

The principle by which the internet is working today was there even hundred of years ago, but no one recognized it. They did not know how cellphone could work without wires. Science is a recognition of that which is and spirituality is also a recognition of that which is. So they go together very well. That’s why fulfillment in life comes when you have both science and spirituality. Contentment comes when knowledge of who am I (the subjective knowledge and the knowledge of what-is-this-all-about) is present. In both realms Guru is essential. Leading from darkness to light, from known to unknown, the manifest appearance to the un-manifest reality, the journey can only happen with a Guru.

From darkness to light, from the seen world around us to the unseen world within us, from the conscious mind to the super-conscious mind, the journey is possible only with a Guru and Guru’s energy or grace.

So everyone is playing the role of The Guru in a small way or big way in some field or the other. When it comes to the totality or the ultimate then you say Jai Gurudev. That is very sacred and so Guru Purnima is one of the sacred moments where one feels how blessed one is, how enlightened one is and how fortunate one is. It is a moment where we realize what a big blessing or possibility has been opened up for us on this planet.

Two things that manifests in Guru’s presence – Emotional fullness and Intellectual sharpness.

What is Freedom? What Does It Mean to be Truly Free?

It is a natural tendency of every human being to want to be free. Freedom is not luxury, it is a necessity. Not just human beings, but even animals want freedom.

Babies want freedom. If you tie a scarf on the neck of a baby, it just wants to remove it. You put a chain on a baby’s neck and the baby will want to pull it out. It is the adults who put jewelry around their neck, but children want freedom, they don’t want any restriction. That is why they throw their hands up and down… free!

Wanting freedom is innate to human beings as well as animals. Every living being wants freedom, and liberation or moksha is nothing but freedom.

Freedom is a natural desire in every human being but when the mind gets so muddled up in unnecessary day to day things, it forgets that it wants freedom. It is as good as someone who wants to sleep but has forgotten how to sleep.

Freedom is not running away from situations and circumstance. Sometimes a situation is stifling or unpleasant, and we run away from it and think this is what freedom is, but that is not so. Freedom means:

• Being unfazed by circumstances, situations and the people around you
• Being free from your own emotional garbage
• Being free from the jungle of your thoughts that bother you
• Being free from all the entanglement that you harbor in your head
• Being free from fear and anxiety

Anything that stifles you and makes you feel small, being free from that, is what freedom is.

How does one move towards freedom?

• Let go of cravings and aversions

Whether you accept it or not, watch it or not, life is an act of letting go. It started the moment you were born. You let go of the womb and came into this world. As soon as you came here, you started breathing in and breathing out and you are taking food in and letting it out. It is a constant exchange. You cannot hold on to anything here.

As a child you were holding onto many toys, and as you grew up, you let go of all those toys. Are you still holding on to your little toys and bells? No! As you grow older, you obviously let go of many things. Similarly, let go of cravings and aversion. When you feel free from all the cravings and aversions, that is freedom. 

• Meditate

Meditation is food for the soul, it nurtures the core of your existence. It keeps you physically fit, healthy and mentally focused. Intellectually, it brings you sharpness, keenness of attention, awareness and observation. Emotionally, you feel lighter, softer and purer and you feel able to let go of the past garbage. It creates positive vibrations around you, influencing your behaviour with others, and others behaviour towards you. There is nothing better than meditation to bring calmness to the mind!

• Reduce your wants

If you want freedom, your wants should be minimum. Minimum wants will give you more freedom. If the wants are too many, they go on and on and on.

Now, when the wants arise in you, what do you do? You can't keep on wanting things. This is where wisdom comes to help. See life with a bigger context.

• Develop a sense of contentment

When the mind is not stuck in desires of either respect, money, position, and the mind goes beyond these things, then you can say you are free.

Before you let go of the body, if a point comes when you are so fulfilled, and you are ready to let go of everything – that is the infinite freedom that you experience.

You need not even physically let go of things. It may not be possible practically to let go of everything but at least in the mind if you let go of everything, you will find there is enormous freedom, and lots of happiness and connectivity towards everything will come.

• Have Faith 

One very important thing we need is the faith that only the right thing will happen! There is a great power in the universe that has maintained this universe from billions of years. Have faith in that power. It will take care.

If you have these Three, you are very fortunate

After 8.4 million bodies, you get a human body. 

Just imagine, from bacteria, birds, animals, etc., 8.4 million lives later a human life comes. In this human life, few get to know the real spiritual path. And among those, very few walk on the path and they are the lucky ones.

Adi Shankara has also said, that the human birth is very difficult to get. 

After having gotten human birth, the desire of wanting to walk on the spiritual path, is also very difficult to get. Few people get this. And even after getting this desire to walk on the spiritual path, only few get the opportunity to do it; they get the right path.

So many people, who want to walk on the spiritual path get caught up in all these wrong notions that one day the world is going to collapse, or doom’s day is going to come. And so these people pray out of fear. They get into paths where they are indented with fear and guilt. Fear and guilt are two things that will never allow you to go deep into yourself. And this is what some of the so called (religious) paths do.

Some of the religious paths create this fear of hell and heaven that puts people into such a turmoil of guilt and fear that the mind can never calm down. Meditation can never happen. This is very unfortunate. So even though these people are aspirants, they are not getting the path. 

These people don’t get access to the knowledge: ‘Come on, the mind is like a river, what are you holding on to? Don’t hold on to it. All the events are gone, drop it and move on. Live in the present moment‘. 

This knowledge is not available to many people (who aspire to walk the spiritual path). They go on repenting about the past, feeling guilty, and the mind becomes a mess.

Of course they do pray. Their prayers do help, and they get some blessings. Blessings come to everyone, no doubt, but the knowledge, the right path and liberation remains a distant dream for them. Peace does not happen in their life. They sit with the hope that one day they will go to heaven. And so these souls get trapped with desires and fear. 

They get a human life to be free from all this. So they will have to come back again to work out all these things. Again they will get into meditation.

So, a human birth, desire for a path, and the path being available to them (Maha Purusha Sannidho: getting a Spiritual Master), these three things are rare and difficult to get. If you have all three, you are lucky.

Why do we seek attention and how to overcome it?

After food and sleep, what kids really look for is attention. They will be playing at home, but the moment some guest comes, and the parents start talking to the guests children will start their tactics to draw the attention of their parents. Because the parents' attention is somewhere else and children are unable to tolerate that; they want to draw the attention towards themselves. This hunger for attention is there in every child.

Wherever you've already got attention, the mind doesn’t stay there. It looks at places where you are not getting attention.

Sometimes when people give you too much attention also, you are unable to take it, digest it, handle it. This is also an issue. Many marriages break because of this. Not because of some dispute, but because they feel stifled. Husband loves the wife so much, or wife loves the husband so much, that they start policing each other. Then at times you feel it’s so suffocating and break up.

Similarly, with parents, where mother or father give too much attention to their children. I have seen many kids coming here, saying: “I just want to get out of my parents home. I love them, they are too good, but I can’t stay with them” Why? They are unable to take the attention and digest it. It feels overwhelming.

In one's old age, people become even more miserable because they feel that they are not getting attention. They think, “Now that I have become old, nobody takes care of me, nobody asks for me, nobody talks to me.”

This hunger for seeking attention remains until death. Liberation means getting rid of this hunger. If we are content, then we become liberated or free. As long as we continue to seek the attention of others, this hunger will not get satisfied. Until the hunger is gone, there is no contentment. If there is no contentment, there is no freedom. If there is no freedom, then there is no happiness. How can one be happy when a person is stuck in bondage? How can one be blissful? There is no chance at all. That’s why, we should first of all identify if whatever we are doing, we are doing it to seek the attention of others or not. We have to ask ourselves this question.

We should see that there is an energy (shakti) which is looking at us every day with thousands of eyes. That is why this shakti is called Virupaksha. One of the names of Lord Shiva is Virupaksh, which means the one who has eyes but no form, just like our mind.

Mind is seeing, listening, but does the mind have any form? There is no form. Whatever the eyes see, it is only the mind that perceives it. If the mind is elsewhere, then even if the eyes are open you don’t perceive anything. When this realization – that there is somebody who is giving us attention and taking care of us all 24 hours, whether we like it or not and that they are our very own – dawns on us, then we see no meaning in seeking attention from others. There is no desire in seeking attention from others. This habit of seeking attention from others will appear very foolish and it disappears. Maturity in life comes when you don't crave attention from anybody.

When you don’t crave attention from others, then you are so fulfilled, then you are so centered and then you start becoming a giver. Till then we are beggars and want attention from people. But when we are centered and settled, then we say, "I am here to give. Come on, take what you want to take."

We should not think that others do not love us. If they do not love us, then it is their stupidity. In this world, if someone does not love the other then it’s his/her stupidity.

Just like the air outside you is connected to the air inside of you, the mind inside you is connected to the mind in the cosmos. The cosmos has a mind of its own. Just recognize – this little mind of mine is part of the one mind – gives enormous strength. It gives you such confidence. It gives you such satisfaction that nothing whatsoever can give. It gives you such immense dignity, strength. Words fails to describe what it is.

You don’t have to do anything, you only have to recognise it.

The secret to handling your mind

Just let it be! That is the secret to handling the mind.

If you try to get rid of the mind, it becomes a monster. If you just let the mind be, it will vanish! When you are not aware of the tricks and the mumbo-jumbo going on in the mind, then life is misery. This is because life is based on the mind.

When you recognize that all this is in my mind (judging people and situations, holding concepts about the self and others); you recognize that you are making a mess of everything in your mind.

‘This is how it should be’, or, ‘It should not be like this’, whenever such thoughts come, it means the mind is coming into play; this is all part of the world. This is where you need to latch onto that non-changing, abstract, invisible energy or power. When you latch onto it, you are no longer caught in the grip of the mind. When we are in the grip of the mind, we make ourselves and others miserable.

Look back at your mind, not at others, and see what drama and pain has been caused by it. When you do that, it is no longer pain, it is entertainment. It is like a multi-channel television, a movie channel that has caused so much comedy, suspense, drama, and misery in your life.

This is the reason why all the great saints and poets always addressed their own mind, ‘Oh, my dear mind, how fascinating you are, why do you get caught up in so many things! Why do you not recognize that which is so magnanimous, and so beautiful?’ Rumi, Kabir, all the great saints, have sung about their own mind.

In the Bhagvad Gita also, it is said that the mind is responsible for your freedom and bondage.

The mind is a friend and an enemy. When the mind is your enemy, it ties you down to your past impressions and experiences, because it does not let you see things with a fresh new eye. This is because everything we perceive is through the mind; even knowledge is perceived through the mind. When the mind is your enemy, it makes you judgmental, brings misery, stiffness and unhappiness.

When the mind is your friend, it brings happiness, freedom, and liberation. So, the mind can be our greatest enemy or our best friend.

Heaven & Enlightenment

You still have a lot of time left to know about heaven! There is no use in knowing about heaven now otherwise there will not be any excitement left when you actually get there!

But it is important to understand enlightenment now. When you feel content you are enlightened. When everything feels like a dream you are enlightened. Just tell me, whatever has happened so far in your life, does it not seem more like a dream? You went to school, then college, got married, so many events took place in your life, all that is like a dream now. Isn’t it? Now you are sitting here among so many people, does this not seem like a dream? After today, many days and many years are going to come and pass and eventually we are all going to die, then will it not seem like a dream?

If you look into the past or the future or if you decide to wake up to the present everything will still feel like a dream, you will realise you are separate from the events you see and experience. This is enlightenment/ liberation. And when you feel free you feel happiness and where there is happiness that place in nothing short of heaven.

Doesn’t this place feel like heaven! We are not those who go to heaven but those who create heaven where we are! We bring heaven to us!

If there is no bondage, where is the question of liberation?

Several years ago, we walked in the hills of the Himalayas. One night we wanted to go to the top of a hill. We were in a mischievous mood. So we gathered a few people and quietly left the āshram which we were not supposed to do (Shankaracharya Nagar). There were guards all over. But we were very friendly with them and escaped by the back gate into the mountains. There was so much confidence that nothing would happen. If animals came, we’d apply a Siddhī (power) and the animals would go away. We’d make friends with them. There could be lions, tigers and elephants in those forests. So we walked and walked in the night. Up one hill and then down another hill, up and down three hills. It must have been very late in the night, around 3 a.m. We were walking with a small torchlight. We just wanted to have an adventure.

And at 3 a.m. or 4 a.m., somebody said, ‘Stop! Don’t go any further.’ So we stopped. We were on a big cliff. A few steps further there was the edge – a fall of thousands of feet. It was so dark we couldn’t see anything. We saw it all the next morning. So after somebody stopped us, we took another road; maybe it was their property. We went another way-a very small walking path.

On the way back, the other two people who were with me, refused to come back on that road. It was after 6 am, daytime, and they saw it was a way you don’t dare walk on! In the night, we walked through and went to the small Shiva temple down below in the valley. I really had to convince the other two boys with me on the way back. I was responsible for the whole course there, including taking all the boys back to the course venue. But they refused to come back because path was so narrow. One had to walk through just a small strip. It was really frightening. It was a slippery, sandy road. If you slipped, you would fall down thousands of feet! Ignorance or darkness is also useful sometimes.

Na mē bandhō’sti mōkshō vā. Nothing was binding me. At night nothing was binding the people, they could simply walk down but the way back scared them. It is in the mind. It should have been the other way around. In the daytime people could have walked and at night they should have been scared of walking that path! But the reverse happened. Na mē bandhō’sti mōkshō vā . There is no bondage in me, so where is the question of liberation? A devotee is very dear to God, but an enlightened is even more, because in a devotee there is a little gap. The devotee thinks he is separate from the Divine, but an enlightened doesn’t see it that way. He sees no distance, no separation. It’s a jñāni and a bhakt. As Krishna says, ‘A devotee is very dear to me, but the jñāni, an enlightened, even more because he is never away from me even for a moment.' 

Benefits of having a Guru

Every human being comes to this planet with subconscious, unconscious and conscious mind. As the conscious mind starts becoming more active, learning begins. The presence of a Guru is essential for any learning to happen. The Guru’s presence continues throughout the life because the learning continues throughout the life.

What are the benefits of having the Guru in life?  When you consciously acknowledge the Guru, that is when you learn more. You also might have experienced, that in life sometimes you feel stuck and the Guru’s presence moves you through, so that you don’t get stuck. Events, situations, concepts can all make one feel stuck. Firstly, one does not even know that one is stuck. Guru’s presence makes you realize that you are stuck, and helps you move.

First step in learning is knowledge. Of all the different types of knowledge that you learn, from whomsoever you may learn, that “who” is part of the Guru. Mother is the first Guru. From the mother you learn first level of learning – alphabets or this is a cat, this is a banana etc. 

This also applies to the various other disciplines that we learn.

Moving from where we are stuck to having the flow in life towards its ultimate goal is the second benefit of having a Guru.

Third benefit of having a GURU is when you have a desire for something. In order to get it you need guidance. You need someone to give you what you want. But then there is no end to desires and sometimes you are not even sure of your own desire. That is where the Guru comes into play. The Guru principle or Guru-tattva will give you that which is good for you and not everything that you want.

The fourth benefit is liberation or inner freedom.  Guru does not let you remain in an illusory world but helps you wake up and look at what is the ultimate reality of the universe. That is freedom or liberation.

Knowledge, movement, achievement and freedom : these are the 4 aspects that one gains by having a Guru.

Self-effort is only in the conscious mind. For the subconscious mind you cannot put an effort. You need someone else or some other higher power to influence that. In fact to turn the unconscious mind into the super-conscious mind one definitely needs help and therefore nature has provided tradition of masters. Time and again the human society has been guided by holding hands towards oneself, towards the light that one is. In fact if you see from the context of mind and intellect, or emotion and intellect they go in completely opposite direction. 

Moon is associated with the mind. Someone who goes crazy is called a lunatic. Moon is associated with feelings, emotions, craziness whereas Guru is associated with wisdom, knowledge and rational thinking. Guru Purnima is the strange combination of the rational and emotional. Guru stands for rationality or wisdom and moon stands for emotions. This combination is an oxymoron – fullness of the emptiness or emptiness of the fullness. Life has place for both and the Guru does both. Guru brings the fullness in emotions or strength in the emotions and sharpness in the intellect.

Rational thinking appears to be in opposition to emotional ecstasy or emotional elevation but with spiritual wisdom it doesn’t. It unites them very well. In fact it brings us to the first point in Art of Living – Opposite values are complimentary. It makes you realize that you can be sensitive and sensible in life. This is the skill and the art in life. It’s easy to be sensitive and it’s easy to be sensible. There are some who are very sensible but not sensitive and there are some who are very sensitive but not sensible. That wisdom which brings the balance in life is the Guru principle.

Everyone is a student and everyone is a teacher as well. By default you are teaching something. Whether you want to or not, whether you acknowledge it or not, either by showing people what you should do or by showing what you should not do. Someone learns from you even though you may not deliberately want to teach. From just the way you walk your life, someone can learn from you.

The smallness in human psyche or human attitude and tendency can only be gotten rid of through wisdom. Wisdom comes from Guru and so is the celebration of Guru Purnima. The wisdom does not find its fulfillment unless and until there is gratitude and recognition of progress, achievement, freedom and wisdom in life. It is there, but it needs recognition. It is called Pratyabhijna in Sanskrit.

The principle by which the internet is working today was there even hundred of years ago, but no one recognized it. They did not know how cellphone could work without wires. Science is a recognition of that which is and spirituality is also a recognition of that which is. So they go together very well. That’s why fulfillment in life comes when you have both science and spirituality. Contentment comes when knowledge of who am I (the subjective knowledge and the knowledge of what-is-this-all-about) is present. In both realms Guru is essential. Leading from darkness to light, from known to unknown, the manifest appearance to the un-manifest reality, the journey can only happen with a Guru.

From darkness to light, from the seen world around us to the unseen world within us, from the conscious mind to the super-conscious mind, the journey is possible only with a Guru and Guru’s energy or grace.

So everyone is playing the role of The Guru in a small way or big way in some field or the other. When it comes to the totality or the ultimate then you say Jai Gurudev. That is very sacred and so Guru Purnima is one of the sacred moments where one feels how blessed one is, how enlightened one is and how fortunate one is. It is a moment where we realize what a big blessing or possibility has been opened up for us on this planet.

Two things that manifests in Guru’s presence – Emotional fullness and Intellectual sharpness.