EkamNityam-Books: March 2019

Friday, March 15, 2019

Osho the empty boat (from his Books)

You have come to me as somebody, and if you allow me, if you give me the opportunity, this somebodiness can disappear and you can become a nobody. This is the whole effort –to make you a nobody. But why? Why this effort to become a nobody? Because unless you become nobody you cannot be blissful; unless you become nobody you cannot be ecstatic; unless you become nobody the benediction is not for you –you go on missing life.

Really you are not alive, you simply drag, you simply carry yourself like a burden. Much anguish happens, much despair, much sorrow, but not a single ray of bliss –it cannot. If you are somebody, you are like a solid block of stone, nothing can penetrate you. When you are nobody you start to become porous. When you are nobody, really you are an emptiness, transparent, everything can pass through you. There is no hindrance, there is no barrier, no resistance. You become a passivity, a door.

Buddha attained this. Because of language I say attained; otherwise the word is ugly, there is no attainment –but you will understand. Buddha attained this emptiness, this nothingness. For two weeks, for fourteen days continuously, he sat in silence, not moving, not saying, not doing anything. It is said that the deities in heaven became disturbed –rarely it happens that someone becomes such total emptiness. The whole of existence felt a celebration, so deities came. They bowed down before Buddha and they said, ”You must say something, you must say what you have attained. Buddha is reported to have laughed and said, ”I have not attained anything; rather, because of this mind, which always wants to attain something, I was missing everything. I have not achieved anything, this is not an achievement; rather, on the contrary, the achiever has disappeared. I am no more, and, see the beauty of it –when I was, I was miserable, and when I am no more, everything is blissful, the bliss is showering and showering continuously on me, everywhere. Now there is no misery.” Buddha had said before: Life is misery, birth is misery, death is misery –everything is miserable. It was miserable because the ego was there. The boat had not been empty. Now the boat was empty;

The whole effort is how to kill you, the whole effort is how to destroy you. Once you are destroyed, the indestructible will come up –it is there, hidden. Once all that which is nonessential is eliminated, the essential will be like a flame –aliveness, total glory.

The ordinary mind hankers to be extraordinary, that is part of ordinariness; the ordinary mind desires to be somebody in particular, that is part of ordinariness. You may become an Alexander, but you remain ordinary –then who is the extraordinary one? The extraordinariness starts only when you don’t hanker after extraordinariness. Then the journey has started, then a new seed has sprouted.

Once a manasked a miser, a great miser, ”How did you succeed in accumulating so much wealth?” The miser said, ”This is my motto: whatsoever is to be done tomorrow should be done today, and whatsoever is to be enjoyed today should be enjoyed tomorrow. This has been my motto.” Hesucceeded in accumulating wealth –and this is how people succeed in accumulating nonsense also!

It is not a question of whether you behave or misbehave. This is not the question. Even a good man, even a very saintly man, creates anger, because he is there. Sometimes a good man creates more anger than a bad man, because a good man means a very subtle egoist. A bad man feels guilty his boat may be filled, but he feels guilty. He is not really so spread out on the boat, his guilt helps him to shrink. A good man feels himself to be so good that he fills the boat completely, overfills it.

The moralists, the puritans, the virtuous, they are all heavy, and they carry a burden around with them, and dark shadows. Nobody likes them. They cannot be good companions, they cannot be good friends. Friendship is impossible with a good man –almost impossible, because his eyes are always condemning. The moment you come near him, he is good and you are bad. Not that he is doing anything in particular –just his very being creates something, and you will feel angry.

If you believe in God, Socrates will ask something about God; you cannot answer, you have not yet seen. What is the proof? God is a far off thing. You cannot prove even ordinary things. You have left your wife at home –how can you prove, really, that you have left your wife at home, or that you have even got a wife? It may be just in your memory. You may have seen a dream, and when you go back there is neither house nor wife.

Chuang Tzu says: To all appearances the wise man will be like a fool

This is what happened to Socrates, and it had to happen there because the Greek mind is the most rational mind in the world, and a rational mind always tries not to be foolish. Socrates angered everybody. People had to kill him really, because he would ask awkward questions and he would make everybody feel foolish. He put everybody in a corner –because one cannot answer even ordinary questions if somebody insists.

Socrates asked questions, penetrating, analyzing everything, and everyone in Athens became angry. This man was trying to prove that they were all fools. They killed him. Had he met Chuang Tzu –and at that time Chuang Tzu was alive in China, they were contemporaries –then Chuang Tzu would have told him the secret: Don’t try to prove that anybody is foolish because fools don’t like it. Don’t try to prove to a madman that he is mad, because no madman likes it. He will get angry, arrogant, aggressive. He will kill you if you prove too much. If you come to the point where it can be proved, he will take revenge.

Chuang Tzu would have said: It is better to be foolish yourself, then people enjoy you, and then by a very subtle methodology you can help them change. Then they are not against you.

The last thing and the first thing is to be empty: once you are empty you will be filled. The all will descend on you when you are empty –only emptiness can receive the all, nothing less will do, because to receive all you have to be empty, boundlessly empty. Only then can the all be received. Your minds are so small they cannot receive the divine. Your rooms are so small you cannot invite the divine. Destroy this house completely because only the sky, space, total space, can receive.

Meditation is nothing but emptying, becoming nobody

The second thing to be understood about mind is that the mind always longs for the distant, never for the near. The near gives you boredom, you are fed up with it; the distant gives you dreams, hopes, possibility of pleasure. So the mind always thinks of the distant. It is always somebody else’s wife who is attractive, beautiful; it is always somebody else’s house which obsesses you; it is always somebody else’s car which fascinates you. It is always the distant. You are blind to the near. The mind cannot see that which is very near. It can only see that which is very far

If you really want not to be angry again don’t decide against anger. Just look into the anger and just look at the shadow of the anger which you think is non-anger. Look into sex, and at the shadow of sex, which you think is brahmacharya, celibacy. It is just negativity, absence. Look at overeating, and the shadow of it –fasting. Fasting always follows overeating; overindulgence is always followed by vows of celibacy; tension is always followed by some techniques of meditation. Look at them together, feel how they are related; they are part of one process.

If you can understand this, meditation will happen to you. Really, it is not something to be done, it is a point of understanding. It is not an effort, it is nothing to be cultivated. It is something to be deeply understood. Understanding gives freedom. Knowledge of the whole mechanism of the mind is transformation. Then suddenly the clock stops, time disappears: and with the stopping of the clock, there is no mind. With the stopping of time, where are you? The boat is empty.

When the whole moves without any impediment the very movement is bliss. Bliss is not something that comes from outside –it is the feeling that comes when your whole being moves, the very movement of the whole is bliss. It is not something happening to you, it arises out of you, it is a harmony in your being. If you are divided –and you are always divided: half-moving, half-withholding, half saying yes, half saying no, half in love, half in hate, you are a divided kingdom –there is constant conflict in you. You say something but you never mean it, because the opposite is there impeding, creating a hindrance.

You can see if a man has newly acquired wealth –he will be showing it. A real aristocrat is one who has forgotten that he is rich. A man of Tao is the aristocrat of the inner world

Self-knowledge is not possible. If your innocence comes out of your inner source you cannot know it. If you have imposed it from the outside you can know it; if it is just like a dress you have put on you know it, but it is not the very breath of your life. That innocence is cultivated, and a cultivated innocence is an ugly thing.

It happened once that Henry Ford came to England. At the airport inquiry office he asked for the cheapest hotel in town. The clerk in the office looked –the face was famous. Henry Ford was known all over the world. Just the day before there were big pictures of him in the newspapers saying that he was coming. And here he was, asking for the cheapest hotel, wearing a coat that looked as old as he himself. So the clerk said, ”If I am not mistaken, you are Mr. Henry Ford. I remember well, I have seen your picture.” The man said, ”Yes.” This puzzled the clerk very much, and he said, ”You are asking for the cheapest hotel, wearing a coat that looks as old as you yourself. I have also seen your son coming here, and he always inquires about the best hotel, and he comes in the best of clothes.” Henry Ford is reported to have said, ”Yes, my son’s behavior is exhibitionist, he is not yet attuned. There is no need for me to stay in a costly hotel; wherever I stay I am Henry Ford. Even in the cheapest hotel I am Henry Ford, it makes no difference. My son is still new, afraid of what people will think if he stays in a cheap hotel. And this coat, yes, this belonged to my father –but it makes no difference, I don’t need new clothes. I am Henry Ford, whatsoever the dress; even if I am standing naked, I am Henry Ford. It makes no difference at all.”

Have you observed yourself? You are always trying to exhibit your wisdom, always in search of a victim to whom you can show your knowledge, just searching, hunting for somebody weaker than you –then you will jump in and you will show your wisdom.

A wise man need not be an exhibitionist. Whatsoever is, is. He is not aware of it, he is not in any hurry to show it. If you want to find it, you will have to make efforts. If you have to know whether he is gentle or not, that is going to be your discovery.

Remember this. It is very easy to make money and it is also very easy to make a virtue of poverty. But these two types are not different. A man keeps on making money, and then suddenly he gets frustrated. He has achieved, and nothing is gained –so he renounces. Then poverty becomes the virtue, then he lives the life of a poor man and then he says: This is the only real life, this is religiouslife. This man is the same, nothing has changed. The pendulum moved to the left but now has gone to the other extreme.

No, a perfect man, a man who is really a sage, the man of Tao, goes his way without relying on others. If you rely on others you will suffer, if you rely on others, you will always be in bondage, you will become dependent and weak. But that doesn’t mean that you should pride yourself that you walk alone. Walk alone, but don’t take pride in it. Then you can move in the world without being a part of it. Then you can be a husband without being a husband. Then you can possess without being possessed by your possessions. Then the world is there outside, but not within. Then you are there, but not corrupted by it.

This is true loneliness –moving in the world without being touched by it. But if you are proud, you have missed. If you think, ”I have become somebody,” the boat is not empty, and again you have fallen victim of the ego.

Buddha says there is nobody to claim, there is no self within you. Buddha says you are like the onion: you peel, you go on peeling the layers, and finally nothing remains. Your mind is like an onion, go on peeling. This is what meditation is –go on peeling, go on peeling, and a moment comes when nothing is left. That nothingness is your true self. NO SELF IS TRUE SELF. When the boat is empty then only for the first time you are in the boat.

ANDTHEGREATESTMANISNOBODY. It happened that Buddha renounced the kingdom. Then he went searching from one forest to another, from one ashram to another, from one master to another, walking. He had never walked before without shoes but now he was just a beggar. He was passing along the bank of a river, walking on the sand, and his footprints were left. While resting in the shade of a tree an astrologer saw him. The astrologer was returning from Kashi, from the seat of learning. He had become proficient in astrology, had become perfect, and now thathe had become a great doctor of astrology he was coming back to his home town to practice. He looked at the footprint on the wet sand and he became disturbed: These footprints could not belong to an ordinary man walking on the sand without shoes during such a hot summer, at noontime! These feet belong to a great emperor, a CHAKRAVARTIN. A chakravartin is the emperor who rules the whole world. All the symbols were there showing that this man was a chakravartin, an emperor of the whole world of the six continents. And why should a chakravartin walk barefoot on the sand on such a hot summer afternoon? It was impossible! The astrologer was carrying his most valuable books. He thought, ”If this is possible I should throw these books in the river and forget astrology forever, because this is absurd. It is very, very difficult to find a man who has the feet of a chakravartin. Once in millions of years a man becomes a chakravartin, and what is this chakravartin doing here?” Sohefollowed the footprints to their source and he looked at Buddha who was sitting resting under a tree with closed eyes, and he became more disturbed. This astrologer became absolutely disturbed because the face was also the face of a chakravartin. But the man looked like a beggar, with his begging bowl just there by his side, with torn clothes. But the face looked like that of a chakravartin, so what should he do? He said, ”I am very disturbed, put me at ease. There is only one question I have to ask. I have seen and studied your footprints. They should belong to a chakravartin, to a great emperor who rules over all the world, the whole earth is his kingdom –and you are a beggar. So what should I do? Should I throw away all my astrology books? My twelve years of effort in Kashi have been wasted and those people there are fools. I have wasted the most important part of my life, so put me at ease. Tell me, what should I do?” Buddha said, ”You need not worry. This will not happen again. You take your books, go to the town, start your practice and don’t bother about me. I was born to be a chakravartin. These footprints carry my past.” All footprints carry your past –the lines on your hand, your palm, carry your past. That is why astrology, palmistry, is always true about the past, never so true about the future, and absolutely untrue about a buddha, because one who throws off his whole past moves into the unknown –you cannot predict his future. Buddha said, ”You will not come to such a troublesome man again. Don’t you worry, this will not happen again, take it as an exception.” But the astrologer said, ”A few more questions. I would like to know who you are: am I really seeing a dream? A chakravartin sitting like a beggar? Who are you? Are you an emperor in disguise?” Buddha said, ”No.” Then the astrologer asked, ”But your face looks so beautiful, so calm, so filled with inner silence. Who are you? Are you an angel from paradise?” Buddha said, ”No.”

The astrologer asked one more question, saying, ”It seems impolite to ask, but you have created the desire and the urge. Are you a human being? If you are not an emperor, a chakravartin, if you are not a DEVA from paradise, are you a human being?” And Buddha said, ”No, I am nobody. I don’t belong to any form, to any name.” The astrologer said, ”You have disturbed me even more now. What do you mean?” This is what Buddha meant: ANDTHEGREATESTMANISNOBODY. You canbesomebody, butyoucannotbethegreatest. There is always someone greater somewhere in the world. And who is somebody? You are the measure. You say that this man is great –but who is the measure? You. The spoon is the measure of the ocean. You say, ”This man is great.” You say, and many like you say, ”This man is great” –and he becomes great because of you! No. In this world, whoever is somebody cannot be the greatest, because the ocean cannot be measured by spoons. And you are all teaspoons measuring the ocean. No, it is not possible. Sothe really greatest will be nobody amongst you. What does it mean when Chuang Tzu says, ”The greatest will be nobody”? It means: it will be immeasurable. You cannot measure, you cannot label, you cannot categorize, you cannot say, ”Who is this?” He simply escapes measurement. He simply goes beyond and beyond and beyond and the teaspoon falls to the ground. Enough for today.

How do you deceive? There are two ways. One is to go mad. Then you can declare that you are Alexander, Hitler, Nixon. Then it comes easily because then you are not bothered by what others say. Go to the madhouses all over the world and there you will find all the great characters of history, still living! While Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru was alive, at least one dozen people in India believed that they were Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru. Once he went to a madhouse to inaugurate a new department. And the madhouse authorities had arranged for a few people to be released by him, because now they had become healthy and normal. The first person was brought to him and introduced, so Nehru introduced himself to the madman who had become more normal and said, ”I am Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru, prime minister of India. ” The madmanlaughedandsaid, ”Don’t worry. Be here for three years and you will become as normal as I have become. Three years ago when I first came to this madhouse that is who I believed I was–Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru, prime minister of India. But they have cured me completely, so don’t worry.”

There are two types of superiority. In one you have just hidden the inferiority, covered it, you are using a mask –behind the mask the inferiority is there. Your superiority is just superficial, deep down you remain inferior, and because you go on feeling it you have to carry this mask of superiority, of beauty. Because you are aware that you are ugly you have to contrive to be beautiful, you have to exhibit, you have to show a false face. This is one type of superiority; it is not real. There is another type of superiority, and that superiority is the absence of inferiority, not the opposite to it. You simply don’t compare. When you don’t compare, how can you be inferior? Look: if you are the only one on earth and there is nobody else, will you be inferior? With whom will you compare yourself? Relative to what? If you are alone what will you be, inferior or superior? You will be neither. You cannot be inferior because no one is above you; you cannot declare yourself superior because there is no one beneath you. You will be neither superior nor inferior –and I say to you that this is the superiority of the soul. It never compares. Compare, and the inferiority arises. Don’t compare, and you simply are –unique. A religious man is superior in the sense that the inferiority has disappeared. A politician is superior in the sense that he has overcome his inferiority. It is hidden there, it is still inside. He is just using the garb, the face, the mask of a superior man.Whenyoucompare, you miss; then you will always be looking at others. And no two persons are the same, they cannot be. Every individual is unique and every individual is superior, but this superiorityis not comparable. You are superior because you cannot be anything else. Superiority is just your nature. That tree is superior, that rock is also superior. The whole of existence is divine, so how can anything here be inferior? It is God, overflowing in millions of ways. Somewhere God has become a tree, somewhere God has become a rock, somewhere God has become a bird, somewhere God has become you. And only God exists, so there can be no comparison. God is superior, but not to anything –because only God is, and there cannot be any inferiority. A religious man comes to experience his uniqueness, comes to experience his divineness, and through his experience of divineness comes to realize the divineness of all. This is nonpolitical because now there is no ambition, you have nothing to prove, you are already proved; you have nothing to declare, you are already declared. Your very being is the proof. You are...it is enough. Nothing else is needed.

Buddha says: Don’t be ambitious, because through ambition you will remain inferior always. Be nonambitious and attain to your intrinsic superiority. It is intrinsic. It doesn’t have to be proved, or achieved, you already have it, you have got it. It is already there –it has always been with you and it will always remain with you. Your very being is sup-erior but you don’t know what being is there. You don’t know who you are. Hence so much effort in seeking your identity, in searching, in proving that you are superior to others. You don’t know who you are. Once you know, then there is no problem. You are already superior. And it is not only you that is superior –everything is superior. The whole of existence is superior without anything being inferior, because God is one, existence is one. Neither the inferior nor the superior can exist. The nonambitious mind comes to realize this.

The first thing to be understood is that what you are is what you think of others. Your desires, your own ambitions give you the pattern. If you are after money you think that everyone is after money. If you are a thief you keep checking your pocket: that is how you show that you are a thief. Your inner desire is the language of your understanding

You can find only that which you are. You always find yourself in others, because others are just mirrors. To catch Chuang Tzu, a Lao Tzu was needed. Nobody else could catch him, for who could understand him? A Buddha was needed; Buddha would have guessed where he was. But a policeman? –impossible! Only if he were a thief would it be possible. Look at the policeman, the way he is, the way he talks, the dirty language he uses; it is even more vulgar than thieves’ language. The policeman has to be more vulgar than the thief, otherwise thieves would win.

Chuang Tzu could not be found because the police were searching for his past and he lived in the present. He was a being, not a mind. Mind can be caught but being cannot be caught. There are no nets. Mind can be caught very easily, and you are all caught in some way or other. Because you have a mind, a wife, a husband will catch you; a shop, a treasure, a post, anything will catch you. There are nets, millions of nets. And you cannot be free unless you are free of the mind. You will be caught again and again. If you leave this wife, another woman will catch you immediately. You cannot escape. You can escape this woman, but you cannot escape women. You can escape this man but where will you go? No sooner have you left one than another has come into your life. You can leave this town, but where will you go? Another town will catch you. You can leave this desire but another will become the bondage. Mind is always in bondage, it is already caught. When you drop the mind then the police cannot catch you.

Puranas, no Itihas, no history. Rama is not an historical person. He may or may not have been, it cannot be proved. Krishna is a myth, not an historical fact. Maybe he was, maybe he was not. But India is not bothered whether Krishna and Rama are historical. They are meaningful, they are great epic poems. And history is meaningless for India because history contains only bare facts, it never reveals the innermost core. We are concerned with the innermost core, the center of the wheel. The wheel keeps on moving, that is history, but the center of the wheel, which never moves, is the myth..

Rama is never born and never dies. Krishna is never born and never dies. They are always there. Myth is not concerned with time, it is concerned with eternity. History changes with the times, myth is always relevant. No, myth can never be out of date. Newspaper is history, and yesterday’s newspaper is already out of date. Rama is not part of the newspaper, he is not news, and he will never be out of date. He is always in the present, always meaningful, relevant. History keeps changing; Rama remains in the center of the wheel, un-moving.

Have you ever seen a picture of Rama or Krishna which belongs to their old age? They are always young, without even a beard or mustache. Have you ever seen a picture of Rama bearded? Unless he had some hormonal defect it must have grown; if he was really a man –and he was –then the beard must have grown. If Rama was historical, then the beard would have been there; but we have pictured him beardless, because the moment the beard grows you have started becoming old. Sooner or later it will turn white. Death is coming near and we cannot bear to think of Rama dead, so we have washed his face completely clean of any sign of death. And this is not only so with Rama; the twenty-four TIRTHANKARAS of the Jainas are all beardless, no mustaches. Buddha and all the AVATARS of the Hindus had no beards, no mustaches. It is just to indicate their eternal youth, the eternity, the timelessness, the far-awayness.

There is time –in time everything changes –and there is eternity. In eternity nothing changes. History belongs to time, myth belongs to eternity. Science belongs to time, religion belongs to the non-temporal, the eternal.

All that is great, all that is beautiful, all that is true and real, is always spontaneous. You cannot plan it. The moment you plan it, everything goes wrong. The moment planning enters, everything becomes unreal. But this has happened to humanity. Your love, your sincerity, your truth, everything, has gone wrong because you have planned it, be-cause you have been taught not to be spontaneous. You have been taught to manipulate yourself, to control, to manage, and not to be a natural flow. You have become rigid, frozen, dead. Life knows no planning. It is itself enough. Do the trees plan how to grow, how to mature, how to come to flower? They simply grow without even being conscious of the growth. There is no self-consciousness, there is no separation. Whenever you start planning you have divided yourself, you have become two; the one who is controlling and the one who is controlled. A conflict has arisen, now you will never be at peace. You may succeed in controlling but there will be no peace; you may not succeed in controlling, then too there will be no peace. Whether you succeed or fail, ultimately you will come to realize that you have failed. Your failure will be a failure, your success will also be a failure. Whatsoever you do, your life will be miserable. This division creates ugliness, you are not one, and beauty belongs to oneness, beauty belongs to a harmonious whole. All culture, all civilization, all societies, make you ugly. All morality makes you ugly because it is based on division, on control.

Autobiography of Swami Sivananda (from his book)

1. I have seen God in my own Self.

2. I have negated name and form, and what remains is Existence-Knowledge-Bliss Absolute and nothing else.

3. I behold God everywhere. There is no veil.

4. I am One. There is no duality.

5. I rest in my own Self. My bliss is beyond description.

6. The world of dreams has gone. I alone exist.

Cosmic Consciousness is not an accident or chance. It is the summit, accessible by a thorny path that has steps—slippery steps. I ascended them step by step the hard way; but at every stage I experienced God coming into my life and lifting me easily to the next stage.

Harijan Guru incident:

One moment I felt that the God whom we worshipped in the image in my father’s worship room had jumped over to the heart of this untouchable.

Lord came to me in the form of a half-demented assailant, who disturbed the night Satsang at the Ashram. His attempt failed. I bowed to him, worshipped him and sent him home. Evil exists in order to glorify the good. Evil is a superficial appearance.

Idol-worship, service of the sick, practice of meditation, the cultivation of cosmic love that transcended the barriers of caste, creed and religion, with the ultimate aim of attaining the state of Cosmic Consciousness, was revealed.

“Sarvam Khalvidam Brahma—all indeed is Brahman.”

When man gets entangled in selfishness, greed, hatred and lust, he naturally forgets what is beneath his own skin. Materialism and scepticism reign supreme. He gets irritated over little things and begins to fight and quarrel; in short, man becomes miserable.

Religion is living, not speaking or showing. I hold that whatever be one’s religion, whoever be the prophet one adores, whatever be one’s language or country, age or sex, one can be religious provided the true implication of that hallowed term “Tapas,” which essentially means any form of self-control, is made capable of being practised in daily life to the extent possible for one, in the environment and under the circumstances in which one is placed.

I hold that real religion is the religion of the heart. The heart must be purified first. Truth, love and purity are the basis of real religion. Control over the baser nature, conquest of the mind, cultivation of virtues, service of humanity, goodwill, fellowship and amity, constitute the fundamentals of true religion.

I have understood that it is the foremost duty of man to learn to give, to give in charity, to give in plenty, to give with love and without expectation of any reward, because one does not lose anything by giving,—on the other hand the giver is given back a thousandfold.

There is no physical world for me. What I see I see as the glorious manifestation of the Almighty. I rejoice when I behold the Purusha with thousands of heads and thousands of eyes and feet, that Sahasrarasirsha Purusha. When I serve persons, I see not the persons, but Him of whom they are the limbs. I learn to be humble before the mighty Being whose breath we breathe and whose joy we enjoy. I do not think there is anything more to teach or to learn.

Sound health, clear understanding, deep knowledge, a pure, powerful will and moral integrity, are all necessary parts of the process of the realisation of the ideal of humanity as a whole.

To adjust, adapt and accommodate, to see good in everything, to bring to effective use all the principles of nature in the process of evolution towards Self-realisation along the path of an integrated adjustment of the human powers and faculties, are some of the main factors that go to build up a philosophy of life.

To behold the Lord in every being or form, to feel Him everywhere, at all times and in all conditions of life, to see, hear, taste and feel everything as God, is my creed. To live in God, to melt in God, and to dissolve in God, is my creed.

A certain amount of education and culture is necessary to have a sufficiently clear grasp of one’s position in this world.

Success is difficult without mutual help. The head and heart should go hand in hand, and the ideal and the reality should have a close relation. To work with this knowledge is Karma Yoga. The Lord has declared this truth in the Bhagavad Gita.

Sage Tiruvalluvar (rules about householder’s life) : “The wise who are competent to distinguish between what is useful and what is not will never give utterance to futile words.”

Tapasya (austerity) and Sadhana (spiritual practices)

It is not easy to walk mile after mile on an empty stomach and still preserve equanimity of temper. That is real Sadhana. It elevates the individual more than a hundred malas of Japa sitting in a cosy corner without the pinching of hunger.

he writes: “Self-realisation is a transcendental experience. You can march on the spiritual path only by placing implicit faith in the words of the sages who have realised the truth and have knowledge of the Self”

He knew all the teachings about the Self that are in the Upanishads. Yet he fully recognised the need of a Guru. He knew that unless implicit faith is placed in the words of a Guru, the ego cannot be curbed. He teaches us this truth when he writes about his search for a Guru.

Swamiji says: “To raise the fallen, to lead the blind, to share what I have with others, to bring solace to the afflicted, to cheer up the suffering, to love my neighbour as my own Self, to protect cows, animals, women and children—these are my aims and ideals. I will help you and guide you. I live to serve you all. I live to make you all happy. This body is meant for service.”

On this blessed earth from which alone one can strive for and obtain Mukti, in which even Devas wish and have to be born for getting their final beatitude, appear, from time to time, some rare great Mahatmas, whose sole object of existence is to radiate love, light, joy and mercy all around, to serve the poor and the helpless, to bring solace to the forlorn and the depressed, to uplift the ignorant, to disseminate spiritual knowledge among the people and to bring unalloyed felicity and happiness to suffering humanity. These are the Saints and Sages, Arhats and Buddhas, Fakirs and Bhagavatas, Swamis and Yogins who have adorned this earth, at different times and in different climes.

I combined Nritya also—the Dance of Lord Siva and Lord Krishna. People were thrilled. Even today thousands repeat my favourite Kirtans: “Agada Bhum,” “Chidananda-hum,” “Om Namah Sivaya, Chidananda-hum, and Sita Ram Sita Ram,” “Pilade,” ,“Govinda, Govinda—Don’t smoke, Govinda.” etc.

Yoga-Vasishtha and Tulasidas Ramayana

“Twenty Important Spiritual Instructions” and “Importance of Brahmacharya.”

I asked people to maintain Likhita-Japa (writing of Mantras).

They must not waste their precious life in sleeping in the Brahmamuhurta, between 4 and 6 in the early morning. That period is highly favourable for deep meditation. The atmosphere also is charged with Sattvic vibrations. Without much effort one can have wonderful concentration at this period.

I arranged their night meals before sunset. That enabled some to get up early morning. It is only those who load the stomach heavily at night that find it difficult to get up early in the morning.

#####We can implemented this in our hosue also########

The function started with prayers to Lord Ganesha, Guru Stotra and Mahamantra Kirtans. One student would read a Chapter of the Gita and explain the meaning of one Sloka. Another student gave some short hints on concentration and meditation. In the end, I spoke for half an hour on attaining quick spiritual progress and suggested various methods for destroying the evil tendencies of the mind and controlling the turbulent senses. I laid great emphasis on ethical perfection. The function came to an end with the chanting of ten Santi Mantras in chorus. The students kept up the divine consciousness even during their work in the day.

######IT Milan we can have a group for the below#####

In the evening also I organised a “Study Class” between 3 and 4. I asked one student to read a Chapter from any of my books. On the next day I used to put questions on the important points. I trained the aspirants in a variety of ways. They all specialised in chanting the Mantras of the scriptures, conducting Kirtans, delivering short lectures. I asked one student to put questions and others to answer them. In the evening class, I introduced Likhita-Japa and in the early morning, Trataka and other Yoga exercises. During the day, they should all prepare essays on Yoga and philosophy and write about their own experiences. Even today when school boys and young children come to the Ashram, I teach them a few short sentences in English and ask them to deliver a powerful lecture. Many have learnt my English Kirtans, like “Eat a little.”

When man gets entangled in selfishness, greed, lust, passion, he naturally forgets all about God. He always thinks of his body, family and children. He constantly attends to his food, drink, comforts and conveniences. He is drowned in the ocean of Samsara. Materialism and scepticism reign supreme. He gets irritated by little things and begins to fight. There is restlessness, misery, panic and chaos everywhere. Now the whole world seems to be in the grip of materialism. The invention of new kinds of bombs causes terror everywhere. People have lost faith in holy scriptures and the teachings of the sages and saints. People have become irreligious owing to wrong education and evil influences.

The Society has brought about a vigorous awakening throughout the world and has contributed much to a new life of freedom in action, a life of harmony amidst worldly turmoils and a life of bliss through mental non-attachment and mental renunciation of desires, egoism and mine-ness.

The Divine Life Society proclaims that any man can attain Wisdom in his own station of life, be he a Brahmachari, Grihastha, Vanaprastha or Sannyasi, be he a scavenger, Brahmin, Sudra or Kshatriya, be he a busy man of the world or a silent Sadhaka of the Himalayas. Divine Knowledge is not the sole property of Sannyasins, recluses.

It explains how although the central basis is Jnana Yoga, Vedanta, it is necessary for one to practise Karma Yoga for purification of mind and heart; Hatha Yoga to keep up good health and strength and purify the Prana and steady the mind; Raja Yoga to destroy the Sankalpas and induce concentration in meditation; and Jnana Yoga to remove the veil of ignorance and ultimately rest in one’s own Satchidananda Svarupa.

if you know the way to crush the ego, to destroy the lower nature of the mind and to have mastery over your body, senses and mind. This is what I have found out to be the way for real Peace and bliss eternal.

“You have come to this earth to attain spiritual perfection. You have come here to attain supreme and unalloyed Bliss. The purpose of human birth is the achievement of Divine Consciousness. The Goal of life is Self-realisation. Man is not a sensual animal. Man, in his essential nature, is an ever free, ever pure, ever perfect, immortal, spiritual being. Feel that you are the Immortal Self. You are Satchidananda. Remember ‘Ajo nityah sasvatoyam puranah,’—you are unborn, eternal, imperishable and ancient. To live in this exalted Consciousness is to experience indescribable joy every moment of your life, to experience a limitless freedom in the Spirit. This is your birthright. This is the aim of your life. This is the goal. To realise this through a life of truth, purity, service and devotion is the chief purpose of the Divine Life Movement.

Adjust, adapt and accommodate.

“Perfection of the individual leads to the perfection of mankind ultimately. Spread the doctrine of selfless service. Inspire all to follow the path of Yoga and attain the Goal of life, fine health and long life.”

“Evolution is quicker through collective Sadhana, mass prayers and common meditation. The purpose of Divine Life Branches is not amassing wealth, name or fame. It is just to bring peace and harmony to the world by creating spiritual vibrations at various centres.

The members of the family join together in the morning and evening for common prayers and conduct Bhajans and Kirtans. The spiritual vibrations thus created bring peace and prosperity to the entire family. Do something among your own selected friends, even with two members.”

“Collect a few members. Read some pages of my books. Clear the doubts of the aspirants. Make them do some Japa, Kirtan, meditation, study of the Gita. Ask them to maintain a spiritual diary and Likhita Japa notebook. Let the flower blossom. The bees will come by themselves.

“Serve people whole-heartedly, willingly, untiringly, without grumbling, without showing even an occasional Sunday castor-oil face. This is rather difficult. Try your utmost. Then it will become pure Yoga. You need not meditate. You need not do Japa. You need not close the nostrils for Pranayama. Convert every motion, every breath, every movement of the body into pure Yoga as above described. It is service of the Lord. You work, live and breathe for Him alone. Entertain this Bhav. You will have cosmic consciousness soon. Remember this point: Work is worship. Work is meditation. Do not forget this. You will have to evolve through work and meditation. Scavenging is Yoga when done in the right spirit. The first duty before you is to place your head at the feet of all elders, Swamis and everyone in the Ashram, be he a scavenger or a Zamindar. Feel oneness. Be cheerful. Adjust. Bear injury and insults. Train the mind to be even in all circumstances and places. Then only can you be really strong.”

“Thou art blessed. God exists. God indwells everything. God is the Inner Ruler. God is to be realised. Dharma leads to God-vision. Goodness leads to God. Love leads to God. Meditate on the Eternal, thy innermost Self or the Atman. Persevere in Sadhana. Plunge in Sadhana and meditation. Enter the silence. Become a flame of God. Attain eternal bliss through the Life Divine. He who lives for the service of others is very happy. He is blessed. He attains God-realisation. Service purifies the heart and brings the divine Light. Be rooted in the Atman. This is real Sadhana. Claim thy birthright amidst typewriting, editing books, writing articles. This is better than a cave-life. This is dynamic, integral Yoga. Though you are in the city, feel that you are in the Ashram here in the Himalayas. This is Yoga. This the test put by Janaka to Sri Suka.”

“Wherever you go, give, distribute, disseminate, your ideas, mottoes, ideals. Broadcast your spiritual feelings. Share with others. Always give, give, give. Give all. Ask nothing. Your usual routine for meditation and study must be kept up. Brahman alone is real. Minus Indriyas, you are Brahman “Tat Tvam Asi”. I am not tired of repeating again and again these three ideas. They must enter your very nerves, cells, blood, bone. Hammer these ideas on the minds of all, along with Bhakti and Nishkama Karma. Carry these three ideas in your pocket, Chitta. This world, body, is shallow, Jalam, Svapna.

Study of the Gita, Atma-Bodha, Viveka-Chudamani, the Upanishads, etc.

Printing some leaflets for free distribution.

carry on our Sadhana and service with the right attitude, Bhava and Sraddha,

I do not detest anybody. I revere a woman as my own self. I regard women as Mother Durga or Divine Mother. Women are dynamic forces on earth.

Mere emotion and enthusiasm will not serve you much in the path of renunciation. The path of Sannyasa is beset with many difficulties. But it is full of joy and bliss and is smooth for the man of firm determination, patience and fortitude. The life of a Sannyasi is the best kind of life in the world. A true Sannyasi is the real monarch of the three worlds. Even a mere aspirant is an Emperor of the three worlds. Have courage. Be bold. Realise that the world is a mere illusion. Assert your real Satchidananda Svarupa.

Sit for a moment alone in a quiet room. Enquire. Cogitate and investigate. Realise the glory of living in the Atman. Introspect. Try to remove your defects and weaknesses. This is real Sadhana.

In the early stages of your life, do intense Sadhana in seclusion and a little service to Mahatmas, the sick and the poor—as much as you can. Do not think of conducting classes on Yoga and preaching and presiding over big Conferences. Do not entertain the idea of a world tour and of becoming a World-Teacher. All such hopes will only result in a downfall. When you are young, do intense Sadhana and have deep study. Forget the past and the future. Lord Jesus hid himself in solitude for several years. He came out for a period of three years to electrify and thrill the world with his spiritual powers and illumination. Empty bullets in the air cannot influence the birds. The words of a man who has no ethical and spiritual development will be like empty bullets. They cannot have any influence on worldly minds. Become a dynamic personality. Through pure thought (Satsankalpa) you can revolutionise the materialistic world. Do not be tempted by name and fame or comforts and conveniences. Lead a hard life.

Realised souls are not rare. Ignorant, worldly-minded persons cannot easily recognise them. Only a few persons who are pure and have all virtues can understand realised souls. They alone will be benefited in their company.

There is no use of running hither and thither in search of realised men. Even if the Lord Krishna remains with you, He cannot do anything for you, unless you are fit to receive Him.

To serve God and mammon at the same time is impossible. You will have to sacrifice the one or the other. You cannot have light and darkness at the same time. If you want to enjoy spiritual bliss, you will have to renounce sensual pleasures.

I believe in the harmonious development of heart, intellect, mind and body. One-sided development is not of much benefit.

The aim of philosophy is right living.

It is the theory of the divinity of the universe, the immortality of the soul of man, which is identical with the Absolute Self of the universe, there being an essential unity of everything in the universe with the highest Brahman, which is the only existing Reality.

The one Brahman or the Supreme Self appears as the diverse universe in all the planes or degrees of its manifestation, and, therefore, the aspirant has to pay his homage to the lower manifestation before he steps into the higher. Sound health, clear understanding, deep knowledge, powerful will and moral integrity are all parts of the process of the realisation of the Ideal preached by the Vedanta. I insist on an all-round discipline of the lower self.

“Have meditation in the open air with select friends. Arrange group demonstration of Yoga Asanas. Have Trataka practice on OM or any of the Lord’s pictures for 5 minutes. Introduce fasting or Phalahara on Ekadasi days. Give lessons on the various Chakras.

“Prepare the lessons daily at night, the previous day. Concentrate and collect ideas. Register and record them on a piece of paper or in a notebook. Read a paper if you cannot deliver a lecture. Speak slowly. Recharge yourself with mild Kumbhakas and Japa. Take good nutritious food and fruits.

In all my writings I have prescribed methods for overcoming and mastering the physical, the vital, the mental and the intellectual planes of consciousness in order to enable the aspirant to proceed with his Sadhana without impediments towards this great spiritual destination, the realisation of the Absolute. The Vedanta is a philosophy and way of life which teaches the method of spiritual realisation, the direct experience of the immortal, the omnipresent nature of the Self, where the universe is realised as identical with the Self, where nothing second to the Self can exist, and as the result of this high realisation, the realised sage becomes the Saviour of the Universe, Sarva-bhuta-hite Ratah.

To behold the Atman or Self in every being or form, to feel the Brahmic consciousness everywhere, at all times and in all conditions of life, to see, to hear and taste and smell and feel everything as the Atman is my creed. To live in Brahman, to melt in Brahman and to merge and dissolve in Brahman is my creed. In my creed there are neither saints nor sinners, neither peasants nor kings, neither beggars nor emperors, neither friends nor foes, neither males nor females, neither Gurus nor Chelas. It is all Brahman. It is all Satchidananda.

The secret of my energy for the dynamic work is the keeping up of the Divine Consciousness throughout.

Change the angle of vision and be always happy and cheerful. See only good everywhere. Dance in joy. Saturate the mind with divine thoughts. You will at once feel tremendous, inner spiritual strength and spiritual power from within. The peace you enjoy now cannot be described in words. Adopt any method that can make your mind move inward, that can make the mind one-pointed and steady. Keep control over the senses. Have a careful vigil and intense faith. Develop will-power. Otherwise, Vikshepa and Alasya (oscillation and laziness) will overpower you.

Out of evil comes good. It has given you strength and wisdom. Now rest in peace and work like a lion. Joy, Bliss, Power, Strength, Splendour and Glory are your Divine heritage. Think you are the emperor of the world. Face difficulties boldly. Draw inner strength. God has given you special favour. He has made you a Brahmachari and cut off all ties and made you absolutely free. Where then is room for lamentation, despair, sorrow, worry or depression? Smile. Cheerfulness, peace, divine service, Yogic activities, dissemination of knowledge, form part and parcel of you now. I am always at thy feet to serve thee. Be assured. Be assured. Be assured. Jump in joy. Dance in ecstasy. Walk like a lion. Radiate Joy, Peace and Strength to all around.”

Honour those who are bad characters. Serve the rogue first. Treat him as a future saint, as a saint, as a saint himself. This is a way to purify your heart and to elevate him also. I take a special delight in serving such people carefully.

Persistently tell an ill-tempered man: “You are a Santa Murti (a man of peace),”—he would be ashamed to lose his temper. Call a lazy man, “You are a dynamic worker,” and he would throw off his laziness and plunge into service. This is my method.The praise should come from the very bottom of your heart.

My View of Goondas

Good people are already virtuous

I will have to correct and mould Goondas only. This is my special work.

Goonda is a negatively virtuous man.

He exists to glorify the virtuous.

Goonda also is Lord Krishna.

Lord Krishna says in the Gita:

‘Dyutam chhalayatamasmi—

I am the gambling of the cheat.’

Rudri says: ‘Taskaranam pataye namah— Prostrations the Lord of thieves,’

I keep in the Ashram all sorts of students.

The world calls me a Guru for thieves and rogues. Glory to the Divine Mission.

The spiritual vibrations of this Holy Centre Convert them as Divine Beings, Yogis and Saints!

Destroy Abhimana (Egoism)

It is well to remember that Sattva, Rajas and Tamas have their own “hooks” that keep the Sadhaka back and prevent him from soaring into the realms transcendental. The Sattvic hook is the most subtle of all and therefore most difficult to discern and detect. With Sannyasa, floats the Sannyasa Abhimana. It might allow the student a greater freedom to roam a little higher than others, but he is also bound. With Tyaga, creeps in Tyaga Abhimana, most subtle and most dangerous, almost impossible to get over. Similar is the case with Seva-Abhimana. Egoism takes many shapes. Sannyasa, Tyaga and even Seva is transformed by it into its cloak. The Sadhaka who would like to strive for realisation of the Self would do well to guard himself well and not allow quarters to these subtler forms of Abhimana.

Your kind line. Thank you very much indeed. Get up at 4 in the morning. Have a meditation room under lock and key. Do not allow anybody to enter it. Have a Gayatri picture, the Gita, etc., in the room. Meditate on the Gayatri. Repeat the Gayatri Mantra with meaning. Concentrate on the Trikuti, the space between the two eye-brows, with closed eyes. Sit on Padma-Asana. Try to sit for two hours continuously. Study the Gita regularly. Speak the truth at any cost. Control anger. Serve poor persons, the sick and the saints. Spend some money on charity. That will purify your heart. Don’t join worldly persons. Serve, love, respect everybody. Give up Ninda (criticising), back-biting, fault-finding, tale-bearing. Be humble. Be obedient. Speak sweetly. You will enter into Peace. Observe Mauna for one hour daily and three hours on holidays. You are the Atma. You are immortal. Be fearless. Assert the majesty of your Self. Free yourself from the deceptions of the mind and worldly objects.

#### start serving Khir/Suji halwa/ Cut fruits prasadam or some cooked items in the near by temple with a table/nice spoons, bowl etc

###### Have group bhajan at home, group chantting , kirtan

Do not be hasty in leaving the world. The world is an arena for developing various Sattvic qualities. The world is the best teacher for those who want to be benefited. Remain for some time longer there. Earn and enjoy. Vairagya comes out of Bhoga. Then it will be strong, steady and intense.The world is not a hell. It is all Ananda when ego and Raga-dvesha die away. Change the mental attitude. Come and see all these places and Mahatmas. You will have inspiration.

I have great hopes in you. You are a glory to India and the world at large. May the Divine Light, Divine Splendour and Glory shine in you for ever. Live in Truth. Feel Truth. Realise Truth. Disseminate Truth. Regulate your energy. Conserve it. Utilise it when needed. Meditate well. Live in a closed room. Don’t mix much. Do not multiply friends. One real and sincere friend is quite sufficient. Don’t beg with the begging spirit. Command and get whatever you need. The whole world is your home. Prakriti and nine Riddhis are ready to serve you with folded hands. Control Indriyas. AWAY FROM LADIES. Be fiery. Don’t become a lazy Zenana Vedantin or a moustache-lady Sannyasin. There must be fire in every cell, in every word. I know you will do wonders within a short time. Read the Upanishads and the Gita. Master them well. You are a zero in that direction.

You should have regular, systematic study, meditation and Japa. Don’t think: ‘I will study in Uttarakashi when I am alone without work.’ That is wrong. That is foolishness. You must have the daily habit. That ‘tomorrow’ will never come. Make hay while the sun shines. Winnow the corn when the wind blows. Concentrate. Meditate. Live alone for some hours. Be polite. Never be arrogant. Have tolerance and patience. Manifest these virtues while talking. Watch every thought: There is no play. You have taken a responsible garb. Do you feel this? Away from ladies. No joking and laughing with them. These are all manifestations of lust only.

Don’t beg. Don’t ask with the begging spirit. Command. Everything will come.

Don’t look at the filth again. Don’t ruin yourself. You have sufficiently enjoyed a life of joy and bliss in the spiritual path. What to speak of further glories if you blossom fully through Yoga. Beware. Beware. Don’t become a slave to your senses. Don’t come out of your room. Stop all activities. Hide yourself in a room or come back to Ananda Kutir at once. Introspect and meditate.

If you cannot resist Moha, it is better you leave the city at once. Proofs will take care of themselves. I do not care for work at all. If you are strong enough, you may stay there for some time more and finish the work. Anyhow make arrangements for coming to Rishikesh soon.

Without ideal life, resting in the indwelling, interpenetrating Presence, sensual life becomes a burden. It is tantamount to brutal life. The world is a dream. The Essence is the solid Reality. Never forget this. You are the Atma, Akarta, Sakshi.

Nishkama Seva

This does not require big funds. If you are fit to serve humanity, the Lord will arrange everything for you. Get some useful medicines and distribute to the sick persons or nurse them nicely. Do not expect anything from anybody for the service you do. Give education to the poor boys in your village. Maintain yourself by getting alms from 4 or 5 houses. Live in seclusion. Do Sadhana. Destroy Manorajya, building castles in the air. It is an enemy of peace. Do service according to your ability, capacity and means, as much as you can, with the right mental attitude and spirit.

Take plenty of energy-giving, easily digestible, nutritious food, and fruits and milk. For some months, breathe in and out very, very slowly.

Overcome Depression and Gloom

Run in the open air. Do mild Pranayama. Chant OM. Sing with devotion. Dance in ecstasy. Depression will vanish soon. You are Ananda Svarupa—where is gloom and depression? They are mental creations only. Remain silent. You can gain more by silence. Soak a few Badams (almonds) overnight in water. Take them in the early morning with sugar-candy. It is very efficacious as a brain-tonic for Sadhakas. Apply Amalaka oil on the head. Take Huxley’s Syrup also.

Yoga is the science that teaches you the method of uniting the individual will with the Cosmic Will. Yoga transmutes the unregenerate nature and increases energy, vitality, vigour, and bestows longevity and a high standard of health. Try to increase the power of concentration. Japa will help you to have a one-pointed mind.