different kinds of gurus and sant satguru - isha kinds of gurus... · they speak in hinduism, they...

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Different Kinds of Gurus and Sant Satguru Barrington, Illinois — April 24, 2015 The reason for having these meetings is that on the spiritual path our mind does not stay too long. When we come to a meeting like this we get inspired. We say, “This is the true path. This is what should be given our highest priority.” We go home and start meditation, feel happy, and that great euphoria lasts a few days. After that we’re back to where we were. That is why it’s important to reignite our enthusiasm by these monthly meetings. In fact, if we could have these meetings more often would be even better. How often should you have a satsang? The best is to have it every day. But if we cannot meet every day, at least once a week. And if that is not possible, then once a month should be the minimum. For those who are living overseas, if they can come and attend a meeting and hold on to that excitement for a year, once a year may be good enough. But if you cannot come for once a year, might have to wait for the next life for spiritual enlightenment. Somebody had asked my Master, Great Master Hazur Maharaj Baba Sawan Singh, the same question. He said, “How often should we come to have your darshan?” He said, “If possible you should see me every day. If, of course, you’re not living there with me, you cannot see me every day, once a week would be fine.” And he said, “How about if we are living far away?” He said, “Once a month should be good enough.” “What if we’re living beyond the seven seas in foreign countries?” He said, “Then once a year is good enough.” He says, “What about if we cannot come once a year?” He said, “Then you might as well prepare to come for another life.” So, this is not something that we easily hold on to, and that is why it is necessary to be in the company of the truth. Satsang. Satsang literally means “the company of the truth.” And where is truth? Where we speak about truth, where we share truth, where we share the teachings of the guru who gives us the knowledge of the truth. This word guru that I’ve just used has also been used in so many senses that people have come up to me and said, “What is the difference between different gurus that you talk about? Sometimes you say there is a Sadhguru, then there’s a Satguru, then you talk of other gurus of different levels of consciousness. What is the difference, because we don’t know. We think the word guru means a teacher, any teacher.”

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Page 1: Different Kinds of Gurus and Sant Satguru - ISHA Kinds of Gurus... · they speak in Hinduism, they call it the “Guru Mantra.” That means the mantra relating to the guru. It’s

Different Kinds of Gurus and Sant Satguru Barrington, Illinois — April 24, 2015

Thereasonforhavingthesemeetingsisthatonthespiritualpathourminddoesnotstaytoolong.Whenwecometoameetinglikethiswegetinspired.Wesay,“Thisisthetruepath.Thisiswhatshouldbegivenourhighestpriority.”Wegohomeandstartmeditation,feelhappy,andthatgreateuphorialastsafewdays.Afterthatwe’rebacktowherewewere.

Thatiswhyit’simportanttoreigniteourenthusiasmbythesemonthlymeetings.Infact,ifwecouldhavethesemeetingsmoreoftenwouldbeevenbetter.Howoftenshouldyouhaveasatsang?Thebestistohaveiteveryday.Butifwecannotmeeteveryday,atleastonceaweek.Andifthatisnotpossible,thenonceamonthshouldbetheminimum.Forthosewhoarelivingoverseas,iftheycancomeandattendameetingandholdontothatexcitementforayear,onceayearmaybegoodenough.

Butifyoucannotcomeforonceayear,mighthavetowaitforthenextlifeforspiritualenlightenment.SomebodyhadaskedmyMaster,GreatMasterHazurMaharajBabaSawanSingh,thesamequestion.Hesaid,“Howoftenshouldwecometohaveyourdarshan?”Hesaid,“Ifpossibleyoushouldseemeeveryday.If,ofcourse,you’renotlivingtherewithme,youcannotseemeeveryday,onceaweekwouldbefine.”Andhesaid,“Howaboutifwearelivingfaraway?”Hesaid,“Onceamonthshouldbegoodenough.”“Whatifwe’relivingbeyondthesevenseasinforeigncountries?”Hesaid,“Thenonceayearisgoodenough.”Hesays,“Whataboutifwecannotcomeonceayear?”Hesaid,“Thenyoumightaswellpreparetocomeforanotherlife.”

So,thisisnotsomethingthatweeasilyholdonto,andthatiswhyitisnecessarytobeinthecompanyofthetruth.Satsang.Satsangliterallymeans“thecompanyofthetruth.”Andwhereistruth?Wherewespeakabouttruth,wherewesharetruth,wherewesharetheteachingsoftheguruwhogivesustheknowledgeofthetruth.

ThiswordguruthatI’vejustusedhasalsobeenusedinsomanysensesthatpeoplehavecomeuptomeandsaid,“Whatisthedifferencebetweendifferentgurusthatyoutalkabout?SometimesyousaythereisaSadhguru,thenthere’saSatguru,thenyoutalkofothergurusofdifferentlevelsofconsciousness.Whatisthedifference,becausewedon’tknow.Wethinkthewordgurumeansateacher,anyteacher.”

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Thetruthisthatthewordguru—whichis,ofcourse,aSanskritword,theoriginofthewordguruisinSanskrit—itsetymologysays,itsrootssay,thatitcomesfromthetwosyllables,gu-ru.Literally,inSanskrit,“gu”meansashadow,“ru”meansonewhocanremoveit,dispellerofashadow.Translated,itmeansonewhocanenlightenyoubyremovingthedarknessofignorance.

Thatmeansonewhocantransferknowledgetous.Thatiswhyateacherwhoteachesus,givesusknowledge,wehavebeenreferringtoasaguru.Butinthespiritualcontext,aguruisconsideredfarmorethanamerelyateacher.ThewordguruhasbeenusedinIndia,eventilltoday,forseveralprofessionalworkers.Intheteachingofmusic,allthegreatteachersinIndiahavebeencalledgurus.Inteachingdances,danceclasses,theteachersarereferredtoasgurusofthosedifferentdisciplines.Thewordguruhasbeenwidelyused.Sometimesithasbeenusedinaderogativesensealso.Sometimesagreatcheatiscalled,“He’squiteaguruinhisownjob.”Sotherefore,thewordguruhasbeenusedinallthesecontexts.

Butwhenwecometothespiritualdisciplines,theretheguruisgivensomucheminence.He’sconsideredalmostequaltothecreator.InoneofthebigmantrastheyspeakinHinduism,theycallitthe“GuruMantra.”Thatmeansthemantrarelatingtotheguru.It’sconsiderednextinimportancetotheGayatriMantra,whichisageneralHindumantrafordescribingthepresenceofGodincreation.WhentheytalkoftheGuruMantra,itsays,“GuruBrahma”(guruthecreator),“GuruVishnu”(thatmeansthesustaineroftheuniverse),“GuruDev…”ThesameGuruMantrasays,“GuruDevaMaheshwara”(he’salsoShiva).Thenitsays,“GuruisSakshat,ParBrahma”(he’salsoonebeyondthiscreator).Thenhesaystosuchaguru,“GuruBrahma,GuruVishnu,GuruDevoMaheshwara,GuruSakshatParambrahma,Tasmai,ShreeGurdevoNamaha.”ThatmeansI’msalutingthatkindofaguru,aguruwho’sallinall,everything.InanotherholyscriptureofoursinIndiawesay,“GuruGovinddonokhadekiskelagopaaye,BalihariGuruaapneGobinddiyomilaye.”Whichmeans:IfGodandGuruwerebothstandingtogether,whowouldIsalute?WhosefeetwillItouch?”Theansweris,thefeetoftheGuru,becausewithouthimIwouldneverhaveknownGod.So,Guruisgiventhatimportanceinthespiritualcontextandconsideredtobetheultimatecreativepowermadeintoahumanbeing.TheyconsiderthattheUltimateSatPurushhimselfresides,theconsciousnessoftheUltimateresides,inahumanbeing.

TheChristianBibleisconsideredas“theWordmadeflesh.”TheWordwasmadeflesh,madeintoabody,andcouldbeexpressedasthecreativepower.AndwhatistheWord?ThesameWordthatcreatedeverything.“InthebeginningwastheWord,”John’sGospelsays,“InthebeginningwastheWord,andtheWordwaswith

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God,andtheWordwasGod.Allthingsweremadebyhim,andnothingwasmadethatwasnotmadebyhim.”

WhenyourefertotheWord,yourefertoShabd,yourefertotheBani.Whenyoutalkofthesewordswhichallarereferencestosomethingthatcanbeheard—audiblethings.Whenyouusetheseaudiblewordstodescribethecreativepowerofthewholeuniverse,thenwerealizethatwe’retalkingofWordmadeFlesh,thatmeanstheUltimateCreativePowerthatevencreatedGod,residesinaGuru,intheformofahumanbeing.Thatmeansthehumanbeing,atalltimes,carriesthetotalityofconsciousnesswithhim.Whenwe’reonaspiritualdiscipline,andweriseslowlytoexperiencehigherlevelsofconsciousness,weexperienceonlyonerealityatonetime.Rightnow,ourphysicalreality,ourphysicalbodyandthematerialrealityarisingfromexperiencingwhatisaroundusthroughthephysicalbody,istheonlyreality.Weknownothingelse.

Whenwegotosleep,we’reunawareofthisreality,andwecreateadreamreality,andthedreambecomesrealforuswhilewearesleeping.Whenwewakeup,thisrealitycomesintobeing,dreambecomesadreamandunreal.Similarly,whenwegotoanextlevelofawareness,calledtheSukshamSharirawarenessortheastralbodyawareness,awholeastralworldopensup,showingusthat’stheonlyreality,thatwhatwethoughtwasphysicalwasactuallyunrealanddreamlike.Wegohigheruptothecausalreality,KaranSharirreality,andwefindthatthecauseofallthingsistheonlyreality—allthiswasillusioncreatingexperiencesforus.Butatthattimethatistheonlyreality.Thenwegohigherupanddiscoverourowntrueself—oursoul,withoutanymind,withoutanybody,withoutanysenses.Wediscoverthat’stheonlyreality.Everythingwasmadefromthere.

Theseexperiencesgenerateinusadifferentlevelofexperienceofreality,andwediscoverwhatlooksrealatonestageisnotrealwhenyougotoahigherlevelofconsciousness.Butwhenyougobeyondtheknowledgeoftheself,whenyougobeyondtheknowledgeofyouratmaorsoulanddiscoverthatyouwerealwaysbeenpartoftheonecreativepower,thatyouwereneverseparatedfromit,thatinyourTrueHomethereisalltherealitiesandalltheunrealitiesputtogether,thateverythingthattookplaceinalllevelswastakingplacefromthereandwithinthatareaofexperience,whenyoureachtotalityofconsciousness,youdiscoverallrealitiesandallillusionswhichmakerealitiestobetheretogether.

Hugedifferencebetweentheawarenessoftotalityofconsciousnessandtheawarenessofanyotherlevelofconsciousness.Intotalityyoudiscoverthatyouarethereatalllevelsatalltimes.You’realsothereintheillusionsthathavebeencreated.Theshowistakingplaceatalltheselevels.WhenwetalkofaPerfectLiving

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Master,aSantSatguru,whenwetalkof(furtheradjectivesweaddtothewordguru),whenwetalkofaSatguru,atrueGuru,we’retalkingofsuchahumanbeingwhohasthatawarenesswithhimatalltimes,notonewhohasbeentothatexperienceandcomebacktotellus—thatisnotaPerfectLivingMaster.Notonewhocangowhenhelikestothoseareasandcomebackandtellus.That’snotaPerfectLivingMaster.APerfectLivingMaster,bydefinition,isonewho’scarryingtheawarenessoftotality,andtheawarenessofalllevels,attheverytimewhenhe’sjustanordinaryhumanbeingsittingamongstus.

So,it’saverybigdifference.Butanybodywhoreachesthatstatehasthesameexperience.It’snotthataPerfectLivingMasterhasadifferentexperience.Anydiscipleofhis,anybodywhohasworkedhiswayuptototalityofconsciousnesshasthesameexperience,seeingtherealityisallcreatedbytheprocessofillusion.Wehavenotcreatedtheselevelsofconsciousnessasshadowsorasillusions.Wehaveusedtheprocessofillusion,agrandprocessofillusion,tocreatereality,tohaverealexperiences.Sothatiswhythewholecreationthatisaroundusisanextensionofourownself,anextensionofourtruenature,ofourtruetotalityofconsciousnesstowhichwebelong,whichisourtrueself,andthatisfromwherethewholeexperienceistakingplace—atdifferentlevels.Bydividingintodifferentlevels,wehavecreatedanimmensevarietyofexperiences.

Imagine,whenyouareonlytotalityofconsciousness.Nowofcourse,there’llbenotime/space,nomind,nothinking—wecan’timagineit.ButI’mtryingtoputanalogies,justtryingtogiveyoucomparisonsforthesakeofunderstanding.SupposingwewereonlytotalityofconsciousnessinourTrueHome,SachKhand.Supposingwearethere,andwe’reallthere.Areweoneorarewemany?Weareonebydefinition.Ultimately,it’sonecreativepower.Weareoneexperiencingthemany.Thatmeans,withintheonewearethemany.Ananalogycouldbethattheoceanisone,butthedropsintheoceanaremany.Butthey’renotseparatefromtheocean,they’repartoftheocean.Howwouldyoudistinguishbetweenadropofwaterintheoceanfromtheocean?It’sstillpartoftheocean.It’sjustbecomeadrop.It’sasmallfragment,smallslice,smallpointofview,smallpositioninthetotalocean.

Thisisexactlywhatasoulis.Asoulisneverseparatedfromitstotality.ThesoulneverleavesitsTrueHome.Thesoulonlycontractsitsawarenesstobeasmallslice,asmallpartoftotalityofconsciousness,andthat’swhatwecallahumansoul.Asoulisaunitofconsciousnessthatresideswithintotalityofconsciousness—andexperienceoftheoneandexperienceofmanyisjoined.Andwhyshouldthatexperiencetakeplace?Whyshouldweevenconsider?Welookattheocean,wedon’tlookatthedrops.Welookatthedrops,weforgettheocean.Whatisthepurposeofadropinrelationtotheocean?Thepurposeistoexperiencethe

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closeness,theLoveofitsownTotality.IfLoveisourtruenature,andIbelieveitis,Consciousnesspersehascertainqualitiesinit,certainfunctioninit,andthemostprominentoneisLove.

Theabilitytoidentifywithanother,theabilitytoexperiencetheother,theexperiencetobecometheother,toputyourselftotallyinsomebodyelse’splace,isLove.TrueLoveisanunconditionalexperienceofthatkind,andtogeneratethatexperiencewehavethemanyintheone,andthemanycanexperiencetheLoveforeachotherandfortheone.It’sagreatraisond’etre,agreatreasonforcreationofthemany,thatifthetruenatureofGod…Peoplesay“GodisLove.”InwhatwayisheLoveifhe’snotabletoloveanybody,ifnobody’stheretoloveGod?Youcan’tsayGodisLovebutthere’snoLovetherebecausethere’snobodytolove,nobodytoloveGod.Therefore,ifwithinGodsoulscanbecreated,notdistinctfromGodbutpartofGod,thentheexperienceofLovetakesplacerightthere.

Thatiswhytheexperienceofthemanyintheoneisgenerated,tohavetheexperienceofLove,anexperiencethatnevergoesaway,eventillthemomentwhenwebecomehumanbeings,evenwhenwebecomeotherformsoflife,evenifwe’reinadreamstate.ThisexperienceofLovethatgeneratesthere,rightinourTrueHomeinSachKhand,neverleavesusevenifwe’rerighthere.Thenwhathappens?Supposingyouenlargethatexperiencefurther,andfromtheindividuatedselfwhichisthesoulyouaddtoitsomethingthatcancreatethesenseoftimeandspace,thatcancreateevents,thatcancreatespace,distances,itcancreatetimeanddistance.Imaginehowmanyeventswecanplaceintothatframework.Andthatframeworkisprovidedbyattachinganaccessorytothesoul,whichisabodyuponthesoul,whichwecallthecausalbody,sometimesalsocalledthehumanmind.

Thehumanmindisthatbodywhichweattachtothesoultocreatetheexperienceofavastnessoftimeandspace.Infinitetimehasbeencreated,infinitespacehasbeencreatedbytheadditionofonelittlegadgetcalledthehumanmind.Andthesoul,whichislifeitself,consciousnessitself,empowersthemindtobegintowork.Whenthesoulempowersthemind,thegadget,towork,themindbeginstowork.Whatdoesitdo?Startsthinkingandthinking.Ideas,rationalization,allthesethingscomeupbecauseofthemind.Thesoulisempoweringthemind,themindisfunctioning,andwehaveavarietyofexperiencesnowofeventsandtimeandspace,andweputtheeventsonatimeline.Andweintroduceanewlawformakingthoseinterestingevents,thelawofcauseandeffect,alsoknownasthelawofkarma.

Thelawofkarmaismerelytoenhancethebeautyofthoseeventsthatwehaveplaceduponatimeline,andonthetimelineeacheventhasacause.Andso,wecreateaseriesofeventsontime,andtimenevermoves.Timewasastraightlinewe

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drew,puteventsonit,andthenwecometoexperienceitbyputtinganothercoveruponourselves.Thesoulnowwearsamind,thenitwearsanothercovercalledsenseperceptions,ortheastralbody,orSukshamSharir.Thatisnothing,thatSharirisnothingbutsenseperceptions.Itisnotthatit’sanotherbodywe’reputtingon.Everytimewethink,becauseweusethewordbodyoracover,itmustbelikethisbody.Thephysicalbodyismaterial.Whenyouaddsenseperceptionstoit,becomesaphysico-astralbody.Youputamindintotoit,becomesamental-astro-physicalbody.Youputasoulintoit,itbecomesalivingastro-physicalbody.Thesoulisthelifethatgiveslifetoallthesethreefunctionsthattakingplacenowtogether.So,whenyouhavesenseperceptions,theareaofexperienceisadvancedsomuchforthesameconsciousnesswhichwasTotal,andremainsTotal.

Youaddthisphysicalbody,thentheinterestingpartoftheexperiencestarts.Themostinterestingpartthatyoucanhaveiswhenyouhaveallthesebodies,includingaphysicalbody,putonyou.Thenyoubecomeanindividualentity,andyouconsiderthephysicalbodytobeyourself.Youforgetitisjustacoveruponyourself.

Thenyousay,“Icanseewithmyeyes,Icantouchwithmyhands,Icanhavealltheexperiences,sensoryexperiences,”forgettingthosesensoryexperiencesweremerelycoversuponyourself.Thenyouthinkandbegintodecidethings.Andthinkingisagreat,greatwonderfulthing.Idon’tthinkweevergotagreatergiftthanthegiftofamindtouse,andthegiftofsensestoperceive,andgiftofabodytohave,thewholethingcondensedandmadeintoaphysicalworld.

It’saverygreatgifttoustoexperience.Butwehavestartedidentifyingourselvesonlywiththebody,asiftheothersdon’texist,they’rejustpartofthebody,thatthey’rephysicalthings.Physicalbodyisthelastcoverweputon.Thesearethreebigcovers.Thefourthone,theoriginaloneofbecomingasoulfromTotality,isverysubtle,andthatisveryhardeventoexpress,becauseit’sbeyondtimeandspace—beyondanynotionthatwecanhave—beyondthemind.

Sothatiswhy,whenwehaveallthesecoversuponourselves,weforgethowthey’realloperating.Weascribeeveryactivitythatwehaveinthisworldtothisbody.HowcanyoudescribeLovewiththisbody?HowcanyoudescribeLove,evenwiththemind?HowcanyoudescribeLovewithsensorysystems?Lovedoesnotcomefromanyofthese.YoucantrytohaveLovewithanyofthese;itnevercomes.Itcomesdirectlyfromyoursoul.Lovecannotcomefromanywhereelse.Infact,ifyoutrytouseLoveinconjunctionwiththese,veryoftenwedestroyit.TheveryfirstdestroyeroftheLovethatweexperienceisourownmind.WethinksohardthatwedestroyourownexperienceofLove.Youfallinlovewithsomebody,whatdoestheminddonext?“CanIbesure?DoIreallyLove?DoesheorshereallyLove?”Whatisthis?The

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mind,whichisathinkingmachinegiventoustoenhanceourexperience,we’reusingittodestroyourbasicexperience,thebasicexperienceofLovewhicharisesfromconsciousnessandnotfromanyofthesecovers.We’reusingthecoverstoexplainitaway,andthendestroyingit.Thatiswhywehaveotherformsofexperiencesthatbelongdirectlytoourconsciousness,andnottoanycover.

ApartfromLove,anotherexperienceisinstantknowledge.Intuitiveknowledge.Aknowing.Aknowingandawarenessthatisnotcomingfromthinking.Weallhaveit.Weallhaveintuitivefeelings.Sometimeswegiveitthegrossnameof“gutfeeling.”Agutfeeling,asuddenknowingofsomething,iscomingfromthesoul.Itisnotbeinggeneratedbythinking.It’snotbeinggeneratedbythesensesofthebody.Andyet,weveryoftenrejectitwiththesamemind.“ThisintuitivefeelingIhave,gutfeeling,doesn’tmakesensetome.Iwon’tdoit.”Nextday,“IwishIhadlistenedtomyintuition.”Intuitiveknowledgedoesnotcomefromthetimeframeofamind.Itcomesfromourownsoul.Therefore,wearenowinastatewherewecameforagreatadventure,withsomuchequipmentwithus,wonderfulequipment:anabilitytoLovebybecomingthemanyinone;theabilitytohavetrueknowledge,intuitiveknowledgewithouroriginalconsciousness;theabilitytoenjoytheexperienceofintuitiveknowledgeandLovethroughbliss,andthroughthatgreatinnerhappinessthatwecouldnotfindinanythingelseexceptthatintuitiveknowledgeandLove—givesthegreatesthappinesswecaneverget.Andwecloseditwithamind,sothatthemindcancommunicatethis,themindcanshareit,themindcanspeak,themindcanspeakandcommunicatetoagreatexperience—tosharewithotherunitsofconsciousness,otherbeingsthathavebeencreated.

Butwedidnotusethemind.Westartedgettingusedbythemind.Insteadofusingacomputer,themostwonderfulcomputer,withsomuchability,insteadofusingacomputer,webecameaslaveofthecomputer.Webecameslavesofourownminds.Insteadofusingthemindthewaywewanttouseit,themindtellsuswhattodo.Howcouldthatbe?Howdidwereversethiswholething?Becausewecouldnotidentifyourownself.Weforgotwhowewere,andwebegantoidentifyourselveswiththemind.“Ithink—that’sme.”Totallyincorrect.“Ithink—that’sme”isnotcorrect.Correctwordwouldbe,“Iamlife,Iamconsciousness,Ihaveamind,andIusethemindtothink.IhaveamindthereforeIusethemindtothink.It’smymachinetouse.”Weforgotthatandmadethemachineidentifyasourownself.Weforgotwhowewere.Weforgotwhatlifeis.Weforgotwhatconsciousnessisandbegantotakeonemachine,whichwehadstarted,whichweareoperating,asourownself.

WhenIcametotheUnitedStatesinthebeginningandtriedtotalkaboutmindandsoulasbeingdistinctentities,professorsatHarvardUniversityweretelling,

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“Whateveryoucall[it],mindorsoul,thatmeanstheconsciousselfinthebrain.”Theywouldnotevendistinguishbetweenthemindandthesoul.Theydidnotevendistinguishbetweentwofunctioningthingsinourownhead,workinginaphysicalbody—onethatishavingtheexperienceoflove,intuition,joy,bliss,beauty,andtheonethatisrationalizing,sensing,makingthoughtsinourhead—aretwodifferentdistinctthingshappening.Andtheycouldnotevendistinguishbetweenthetwo.Ittookmetimetotellthem,“Thesearedifferentfunctionstakingplacewithinthehumanbody,withthehumanself.”Andwe’veevenforgottenthatpart.Weforgetwhowewere.Weforgotthatthemindwasonlyamachinegiventous.Andontopofthat,thesenseperceptionswhichwerecoveredtoenlargethescopeofperception.

So,theperceptionbythemindwastotalatalltimes,butwedividedintoseeing,touching,tasting,smelling,separately,towidenthescopeofourexperience.Yetwebegantothinkthey’reseparatefromthemind.Themindonlythinks,sensesareseparate.Andthenweputonthisphysicalbody,throughwhichtheastralsensesoperate,throughwhichthemindisoperating,whichhavebeenallempoweredandmadealivebyourownsoul.

We’retakingthisphysicalbodytobeourself,andwearelivingalifethinkingthisisourself,andwhateverhappenstothebodyishappeningtous.Thebodygoesthroughpainandsuffering,wesay“We’resuffering.”Wecan’tseparateandevenseethatthebodysuffers,wedon’tsuffer.We’renotthebody.We’rewearingittemporarily,andwecanquitthebodyandcomebackintoitanytimewelikebyquittingtheconsciousnessofthebody,andgoingintoaconsciousnessofahigherself,whichispossiblewhileyou’resittinginthebody,withinthishumanbody,whichisthemostcomplexandmostwonderfulthingevercreated.Ilookatcreation,Ilookatthevastnessofspace,Ilookatthemicroscopicnatureofthemolecularstructures,oftheatomicstructures,oftheneurons,andsee,compare,“Istheresomethingexistingmorecomplex,morewonderful,morewelldesignedthanahumanbody?”AndIcan’tfindanything.

Notonlydoesitcontainsomuchphysiologicalelementswhichmakeitremarkable—thathavingthousandsofmilesofnervoussystemrunninginasmallcompactbodyandseveralmileslongofothersystemsrunninginthebody,andbloodcarrying,andlymphaticusescarrying,andasystemworkingsoautonomouslythatwedon’thavetotellthehearttobeat,anditkeepsonbeating…wedon’ttellanyautonomoussystemtowork—somanythingsarehappening.

Didyouknowthelargestorganinthebody,whichisthemosteffectiveorgan,isnonethattheyteachyouinthephysiologyclass.Itisbacteria.Bacteriaweighs,inanaverageadult,aboutthreepounds.Itisheavierthanallthethreeorgansofthis

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heart,stomachandliverputtogether.Iwastalkingaboutthefunctioningofthesesystems,andhowthebodyisthemostwonderfulthingevercreated.ThemoreIexamineit,themoreI’mstruckbywonder.Iamstruckbythephysiologicalstructureofthebody,whichisamazing,andmostofitworkingautonomouslywithoutwantingmydirectionhowtodoit,socomplete.Andthenontopofthat,theworkingofthesenseperceptions,whichgivemenotonlyanideathere’saworldaroundme,theycreatetheworldandthenIexperienceatthesametime.They’reamazingfeatsbeingaccomplished,thatwhenyouseethings,wedon’trealizewecreateatthetimewesee.It’ssimultaneous.Andthemindhasthecreativepower,whichitusesthroughthesenseperceptions,tocreateperception.Andwhateverweperceiveisbeingcreatedwhileweperceiveit.It’samazingthatwehavenoknowledgeofanyworldaroundexceptthroughoursenseperceptions.Senseperceptionsaretheonlyguaranteethatthere’saworldaroundus.

Ifwedon’thavesenseperceptions,theworlddisappears.Andyetwethink,“Theworldisindependentofus,”andwe’vejustcomeforashorttime,becauseweidentifywiththebody.Supposingyouidentifywiththesenseperceptions,supposingyoucanbecomeunawareofthebody,supposingyoudie.You’restillleftwithsenseperceptions.Whatwouldyousee?Youseetheworldstillistherebecauseofyoursenseperceptions,notbecauseofyourbody.

Yourbodywasnotcreatinganything.Yourbodywasmerelygivingexpressiontoanidentityofyours.Youwereidentifiedbyonecostumeyouwerewearing.Whenwegotoatheater,inanact,thecostumesarebeingwornbythesecharacters.Abarberinmyneighborhoodusetoactasakingonthestage,andheworetheking’sroyalthing,buthewasstillabarber.Whenhecameoutfromthestagehewasabarber.Whenhewasonthestagehewasaking.

Wehavebecomekingsofthestage,andwethinkwe’rekingsallthetime.No,wewerebarberssomewhereelse.Wedon’tknowwewere.Justbywearingacostume,we’reassumingtherolethatwe’replayingasourpermanentrole.That’snottrue.So,whenweshedthisoutercostume,wediscoverwhoweare.Andthenwediscoverthesenseperceptionshavebeencreatedtogeneratetheexperience,whichwewerehavinginadumbway,inaverydilutedway,throughthephysicalbody.

Wesee,notbecauseofoureyes,physicaleyes,weseebecausewe’realive.Weseebecausewehaveawareness.Ifyou’reunaware,ifyou’reunconscious,youdon’tseewiththeeyesopen.Onlywhenyou’reconsciousyoucanseewiththeseeyesopen.Andifyoutakeawaytheseeyes,andtakeawaythephysicalbody,youwillstillsee.Anyproofofthat?Sure,there’sproofrighthere.There’sproofthatiftheseeyesalonecouldsee,wecouldneverseeanythinginadream.Wecouldneverimagine

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anythingandseeit.Whateyesareseeingthoserightinthephysicalworld?Weareusingtheseeyes,wecloseoureyes—wecanthinkandhaveavisionofanythingwelike.Whicheyesarethosethatareseeingthat?Whicheyescanpickupfrommemoryascenethatwecansee?Whicheyescancreateanimaginativeimageinourhead?They’renotphysicaleyes,butthey’reeyes.

Ifyoucouldremovethephysicaleyes,andstillusethoseeyes,you’dfindthoseeyesareresponsibleevenforseeingwithphysicaleyes,thatphysicaleyescannotseeunlessyouhavetheastral,innersensoryeyeswhichsee.So,whenyoudie,youdiscoveryoucanstillsee,andyouthoughtthatonlyyourphysicaleyeswereseeing.Physicalbodyislyingdead,youcanstillsee.Butyoudon’thavetowaittillyoudietoprovetoyourselfthatthisistrue.Youcanpretendtobedead.

ThisisthesecretofverifyingallthethingsIamsaying.EverythingI’vesaidtoyoutodayoranyotherday,isaverifiablething.Verifiedwhileyou’restillinthephysicalbody.Verifiabletoday.Anditcanbeverifiedbysimulatingdeath.Thatmeans,youdon’tactuallydie—keepyourbodyintact,butyousimulatedeath.Howdoyousimulatedeath?Howdoyoupretendtobedead?Youcandoitbydoingthesamethingswhichhappenwhenthephysicalbodyactuallydies.

Ifyou’veseenpeopledying,you’llnoticetheydon’tdieallatonce,theydieinthephysicalbodyprogressively,startingfromtheirextremities—theirhandsandfeet.Theydon’tknowwherethehandsandfeethavegone,andthelegshavegone,armshavegone,beginningbottomofthetorsohasgone,goesup,thedyingpatientisstillspeakinginthehospitaltousthathedoesn’tknowwherethesethingsare.Andhetellsus,“Idon’tknow,putmyarmsthisside,”thearmisalreadythatside.“Willyoumovemylegthisside?”andthelegisalreadythere.Patienthasbecomeunawareoftheextremities.Ultimately,whentheattention,thelifeforce,ispulleduptothehead,andthebraindies,themanisdead.It’saprocessofgraduallydyingfromtheextremitiesofthisphysicalbodytothehead.Youcandothesamethingwhileyou’realive.

Youcandothesamethingbydiscoveringthatwhatmakesyouknowthatyouhavehandsandfeet,whatmakesyouknowyouhaveabodyisyourownattentionontheseareas.Youarescatteringyourattentionintotheseareasandcreatinganexperienceofabody.Ifyourattentioniswithdrawn,youwon’tknowyouhaveabody.Theextensionofyourattentionintothevariouspartsofthebodymakesyouknowyouhaveabody.

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It’snotnecessarytoseeit.Youcloseyoureyesyoustillknowyouhavethesamebody.Howdoyouknow?Yourattentionisscatteredthere.Andthroughthescatteringofthisattention,andthesenseperceptionthatoperateinsidethisbody,wehaveanimmediatecontactwithanotherphysicalworld.Attentiongoestherealso.Imaginethenatureofourattention.Itissoscattered.Itisscatteredfirstthroughthebody,thenfromthebodyallovertheword.Andthenwehavesomuchattachments,somanyrelationshipswiththephysicalworld—it’sallspreadoutthere.Everytimewecloseoureyes,somanythoughtscometousabouttherestoftheword.It’sallattention,scatteredattention.Thescatteredattentiongivesusanexperienceofourbody,andofthisphysicalworld.Ifattentionispulledaway,everythingdisappears.

Ifwecanfindamethodofwithdrawingourattentionbacktofromwhereitflows,itdoesn’ttakelongtofindoutwhereit’sflowingfrom.It’sflowingfromthehead,frombehindoureyes.Whenweareawakeinaphysicalbody,ifwesaywe’reaunitofconsciousnesswithnoform,justaunitofconsciousnessoperatingtoknowwhereweare,toknowwhat’shappening,wherewouldyoufindit?

Youwon’tsay,“It’sinmyhandsorinmyfeetorinmylegs.”You’llknowit’sinyourhead.It’sbehindtheeyes.Youcloseyoureyes,you’restillbehindtheeyes.Somebodytalkstoyoufromtherightside,youturnright,because…asifyou’rethinkingyou’reoperatingfromhere.It’snotdifficulttoknowthatwhenwe’reinthewakeful,physicalstate,weoperatefrombehindtheeyesatacertainpoint,inthecenterofthehead,whichistheseatofourconsciousness,sometimesreferredtoasthethirdeye,asthecenterofconsciousness.That’swhereweoperatefrom.That’sfromwhereconsciousnessspreadsthroughattentioneverywhere.Nowifwewithdrawattentionsystematically,withadefinitemethodofwithdrawal,taughtbysomebodywhohasalreadydoneit,taughtbysomebodywho’sveryexpertinthis,adeptinthis,andwewithdrawourattentionprogressively,we’llforgetwhereourhandsandourarmsare,forgetwhereourbodyis,andeventuallyforgetwehaveabody.Andyetwe’restillthere,moretherethanwe’retherenow.Wediscoverthatoursenseperceptionopensupinawaywecouldn’timagine.Herewehadweakeyesight,wewereusingglasses.Suddenlyourvisionbecomesoclear.Haveyouevernoticedthatevenifyoureyesightisweakinthephysicalbody,inthedreamsyoudon’twearglasses[but]youseeveryclearly?Inhigherlevelsofconsciousnessyouseeveryclearly.

Doyouknowthatyoucan’thaveproblemwithsmellifyou’rehavingacold?Butinthesensorysystem,youalwayssmellsowonderfully.AndIdotheseexperiments

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withyouwhereIsay,“Imagineflowers,”everybodyisabletosmellflowerswithouttherebeinganyflowers,justbyusingtheinternalsensorysystem.Alwaysveryaccurate,senseperceptionsgrowtoaremarkableextentwhenwedon’thaveabody.Thebodyisnothelpingustosee,ortouch,ortasteorsmell.Bodyiscoveringusup,sowecanonlylittlepartialuseofoursenses.Youbecomeunawareofthebody,andthesensesopenup.Yourealize:senseperceptionswerenotphysicalbody.That’saseparatebody.

Itappearstobelikethisone,becausetheattentioninthesensorysystemsisdividedexactlylikeit’sdividedinthisbody.Thatwecanstillfeelwehavelegsandfeetandthat.Butwhenwesee,there’snolegsandfeet,and...butstillwefeelwehave.Wetrytowalkintheastralbodywhenwe’redead,orwhenwepretendtodie,orwhenwesimulatedeathbyaspecialmethod.Whenyouwithdrawattention,andonlymovewithoursensorysystems,wefindthatwehavenophysicalbody,yetwecandoeverythingthatwecoulddowithoursenseperceptions.Andthenwefindsincewedon’thaveabody,ifweliketofly,wefly—there’snogravityleft.Thatinnerselfofoursdoesnotfollowanylawofgravity.Apparently,there’redifferentlawsoperatingwhenwe’reonlyusingoursenseperceptions.Andthatiswhythesenseperceptions,theytakeusup,andwehaveatotallynewexperience.

Nowifwecoulddothesamethingagain.Supposingyouwithdrawyourattentionfromthesenses.Where?Intheheadwhichisstilloperating,intheastralbody,inthesensorybody.Youwithdrawyourself,andyouwithdrawcompletelyfromyoursenses,youarestillthereinamuchmorerealwaythanyouarehere,orinthesensorybody.Thereyoudiscoverthatyourlifeforce,whichisyoursoul,onlyiscoveredwithyourmind—thethinkingmindandthecreativemindthatisaroundyouiscreatingtimeandspace.

Thereyoudiscoverhowtimeandspacewerecreated.Thereyoudiscoverhoweventswereplacedthere.Thereyoudiscoverhowyourdestiniesweremade.Thereyoudiscoverhowdifferentialsbetweenustookplace.It’sallthere.It’snotsomebodyelseistellingus.Wehaveitinus.Eachoneofushasthiswholestorehouseofinformation.Onlyifweweretobecomeunawareoftheexternalform,andgototheinnerform,wediscoverthesethings.

Butthat’snottheendofthejourney.That’stheendofthejourneysofarasyourdiscoveringwhatcreatesthisworld—whatthisworldisallabout,howyou’rehere,whywewerehere,howdestinieswerecreated,howthepast,present,andfuturewerecreated,howkarmawascreated—yougetalltheanswersdirectly.Butyoustilldon’tknowwhoyouare.You’restilltiedupwiththemind.Now,that’sthemostdifficultpart,toleavethemindbehind,andreleasethesoulfromthemind.That’s

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themostdifficultpartandthatcannotbedonebyanymethodofwithdrawalofattention.Nomethodofmeditationhaseverdoneit.Peopletalkofmeditatingandgoingtoheavens,yes.Allheavensareintheastralstage.Youcangothere.It’sstillinspaceandtime.Heavensarebeautifulplaces.Youcanalsogointohell,alsolyingthereinthesamelevel.Youcangointohighpleasureandverybigtortureatthesamearea.Theyexist.

Anybodycanexperiencethem.Youcangointohigherlevelswhereyoudiscovertheuniversalmindasthemindofallmindsanddiscoverthat’stheultimate.Butyoucannotseparatethesoulfromthemindbyanykindofmeditation.Becauseallmeditationissomehowaphysicalexercise,anexerciseonattention,andexerciseonamentalcapacitycalledattention.Attentionisnotaspiritualthing,attentionisamentalthing,it’sanextensionofthemind.Whenyouputattentiononsomething,you’reusingyourmind.

Howcanyouusethemindtogooverthemindandbeyondthemind?Therefore,meditationstopsthere,andneverhastakenanybodybeyond.WhoeverclaimsthathehasgonetoaTrueHome—toSachKand—bymeditation,istalkingonlyoftheastralstage.AndpeopletalkaboutitlikethatisSachKand,that’sourTrueHome.Theydescribeitinvividdetailasifthereisspaceandtimewhereitexists.Itdoesnot.Thereisnospaceandtimewhereasoulbelongs.Itispureconsciousnessbeyondallthese.

Sotherefore,ifyouarewithinthesethreerealmsofthephysicalworld,ortheastralsensoryworld,ortheworldofthemind,thementalword,yougointocyclesofbirthandrebirthoverandoveragain,nomatterhowhighyou’vegone.Becausealltheseformsoflife,thephysicalformoflife—notnecessarilyhuman—anyphysicalformoflife,haveatimeofbirthandatimeofdeath.Itmustbebornandmustdie.Theastralsystemofsensesmustbebornandmustdie.Themindmustbebornandmustdie.

Ofcourse,thetimeframeinwhichtheyexistisdifferent.Thephysicalbodyhasaveryshortphysicaltimeofahundredyears,sometimeless,sometimealittlemore.It’snotvery...toomuchtimecomparedtocosmictimewe’recountinginourexperienceitselfaroundus.Intermsofthebigbangtheoryandbillionsoflightyearsandsoon,it’saverysmall-timeframe.It’slikesecondsinaclock.Thissmalltimeisonlytheageofthisphysicalbody.Andweare…whenwethinkwearethat,imaginehowwereducedourexperiencetojustaspecoftime.Theastraltime,orthetimeofasensorysystemwhichoutlaststhisphysicalbody,andthroughwhichwecancometoseveralformsoflife,physicalandotherwise,isonethousandtothreethousand[years]ofphysicaltime,andtheastralbodydiesandcomesupafreshwithanewbirth.Themind,whichiscarryingallourkarma,allourpastexperiencestogenerate

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newexperiencesobservingthelawofcauseandeffect,theminditselfhasalimitedtime.

Intermsofhumanphysicaltime,it’saboutthreemillionyears—isagoodlifetimeforthemind.Afterthreemillionyearsgoes,anewmindcomesup.Minddies,mindisborn.Imagineifyouareonlygoingtogototheselevelsofexperiences.You’venotgoneoutofthetrapofcomingagainandagainwithinthesamecycleofthethreeworlds.You’restilltrappedinthethreeworldsofthephysical,theastral,andthecausal.Theworldofthisphysicalbody,theworldofthesensorysystems,andtheworldofthethinkingmind.You’venotcrossedthatatall.Tocrossthatyoumustusesomethingthatliesbeyond.Youcannotusethesystemthatoperateshere—body,sensesorthinkingorrepeatingwords,ormantras—youcan’tuseanyofthese,oruseanyformofattentiontogothere.Noneofthesework.WhenIwastalkingoftheguru,IwassayingonspiritualtraditionaguruisGodhimselfinahumanform,isthecreativepowerhimselfinahumanform,becausehehastheawarenessofTotality,thesameawarenessweascribetotheUltimateGod.

ButwhenweusethewordGod,thecreator,we’renotevenreferringtotheUltimate.We’rereferringtothecreatorofthephysicaluniverse.We’rereferringtotheGodthatpresidesovertheastralsystemandthephysicalbody.Andbecausewholecreationofthephysicalistakingplacefromthere,wesay,“Godissittingupinathrone.”Ofcourse,he’ssittingthere,andwe’vegivendifferentnamestoit.We’vegivennamesofthatGodwhocreatestheastralandthephysicalplane.WecallhimGod,Ishwar,Parameshwar,Allah.WecallhimJesus.Ofcourse,theyallsitintimeandspace,andtheycanallbeseenbyanybodywhogoesthere.It’snotnecessarytofollowonereligioninordertoseethecreator.Wehavegivendifferentnamestothesamecreativepowerthatexistintheastralplane,fromwherethesetwoworldsarebeingcreated.Butwe’venotevendiscoveredthesourceofourownmindwhenwestartcallingthatcreatorastheultimatecreator.Eventheuniversalmind,fromwherethewholeuniversesarebeingcreated—theminditselfiscreatingtimeandspace—eventhatisnotourtrueGod,truecreator.Hardly…veryfewpeoplereachthere.ThentheydiscoverwhotheywerecallingGodwasjustacreationofGodhimself,wasnotapartofthecreativepower.Butwhenyoureachthere,that’sthelimit.There’snomethodweknowof.

Therefore,ifonewantstogotothoselevels,wecanfindthegurus—manygurus.Ofcourse,abulkofthegurudominrecenthistory,especiallyinEasternhistory,inthehistoryofIndia,Chinaandthosecountries,hasbeenconfinedtodiscoveringenergyforms,energiesofdifferentkindswithinthephysicalbodyandtheenergycenters

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belowtheeyes.Theyhaven’tevengoneintohigherawareness,andwestillcallthemgurus.Wecallthemyogis.Theperformanceofyogainthesixenergycentersbelowtheeyesgivesexperiencesofenergy,hasnevergivenanyexperienceofhigherawareness.Nobodyhasbecomemoreawareofthenatureofthiscreation,ofthenatureofthecreator,byperforminganykindofyogicexercisethatgoesbelowtheeyesintotheenergycenters.Howcouldit?There’snoGodresidingbelow.Ifthere’sanythingresiding,it’slyinginsideourownconsciousness.

Ifourownconsciousnessinthewakefulstateislyingbehindtheeyes,inthehead,howcanlowercentersofenergywhichoperatetorunthesystemhere,whichoperatetorunourbodyandtheenvironmentaroundourbodyandexperiencesaroundourbody,giveusknowledgeofGod?TheyogahasnevergivenanyknowledgeofGod,notthiskindofyogathatreliesupontheenergycentersbelow.There’snocenterofawarenessbelowtheeyes.Allcentersofawarenessliewithinthehead,inthebrainareaonly.

Andtheyliebehindtheeyes,inthecenterandabove,nothingbelow.Butwhenyouputyourwholeattentiononthecentersbelow,howcanyougetanyexperienceofhigherawareness.Buthigherawarenesshasitslimits.Fromtheyogisandyogeshwarswhoarespecialistsinthecentersofenergy,whichtheycallthesixchakras,theydonotgoanywherehigher.Butthegurusgohigher,andtheyaremany.Nottoomany,butmany.Andtheyareabletotakeustotheastrallevels,whereweseetheheavens,andwhereweseethecreatoroftheseuniverses.

Buteventheyhavegoneonlyonesteponthespiritualladder,andtheyareveryfewwhocantakeusbeyondtheastralintotheregionoftheuniversal,theuniversalmind.Theuniversalcreativepowerfromwhereeverythingiscoming,includingthecreationoftheGods.Butthatisalsonot…neitherourtrueself,norourtruecreator,andwe’reblockedthere.Now,thisiswhatdistinguishesbetweenthegurusandwhatwecallthePerfectLivingMasters.

Whenwesay,“PLMs,”we’renotonlytalkingofmasters,we’retalkingofPerfectLivingMasters.Whatcausesimperfectionisthemind.Therefore,anybodywhogoesuptotheregionofthemindisnotaPerfectMaster.He’sstilldealingwithimperfection,becausetheminddivideseverything,andbydividing,makesitimperfect.Itcannotseethewhole.Themindcanneverseethetotalpicture,nomatterhowhardittries.Itsprocessofknowledgeisbaseduponanalysis—breakthingsopenandsee.Itlackstheprocessofsynthesis,whichconsciousnesspersehas,thesoulhas,buttheminddoesnot.Theapproachofmindalwaysistobreakthingsopenandseehowtheyoperate.Theapproachofthesoulalwaysisseethebigpicture,whatdoesitlooklike.It’sabigdifference.Analysis—synthesis.So,themind

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cannotactuallydiscoverthetotal,thereforeitremainsimperfectallthetime.Andallthingsthatarementalremainimperfect.

Allthesethreeworldsareimperfect.WhenwetalkofPerfectLivingMaster,we’retalkingofnomastersoftheseregions.Theseregionsareproducingmasters.Theytakeyoutohigherawarenessalso,buttheywillnottakeyoutoperfection,whichliesbeyondthemind.Buttherearesomewhowilltakeyoubeyond.Again,veryrarenow.Thoserareoneswhohavetheknowledgeandawarenessofsomethingbeyondthemind,theycomeandtellsus,“Thisisjustafunctionofcoversuponourselves.Ourtrueselfisthesoul,notthesemind,sensesandthebody.”Theytrytotakeusbeyondthat,andtheonlyprocessthroughwhichwecancrossthemindisthroughsomethingthatbelongstothesoul—Love.Onlywhenyou’repulledbyunconditionalLovefromtheothersidecanyoucrossthemind.Becausemeditationdoesn’tgothere,repetitionofmantrasdoesn’tgothere,evenlisteningtothesounddoesnotgothere.OnlyLovegoesthere.Whatwecallthesound,theultimatecreativesound,theWord,theShabd,isactuallyLove,anditcomesfrombeyondthemind.WhenyouexperiencethatLove,andyou’redevotedtothatLove,whenLoveandDevotionbecomesyourmethodofspirituallife,youcancrossthemind.

That’sabigdealtobeabletogoover,andglossoverthesethingslikethephysicalbody,crossoveroursenseperceptions,becomeunawareofourmindandsenses,andthenbepulledbyLove,butthat’swhenyou’rereadyforgoingbeyondthemind.Whenyou’reready,somebody’sLove,whichiscomingfrombeyondthemind,pullsyouthroughthisgreatveil,thebiggestblockcomingbetweenthemindandthesoul.Andwhenyoucrossthat,youdiscoveryouwereneveranyofthesethreethings.Theywerecoversuponyourself,themind,thesensesandthebody.Andthenyourealizewhoyouwere,theSoul.SuchMasterswecallPerfectLivingMasters,orSadhGurus.Westilldon’tcallthemSatGurus,becausetheyhaverevealedtoustheatma.They’vetakenustoParBrahm,whichIquotedrightinthebeginning.Thattheseare,MastersareSakshat,thatmeans,physical,visibleformsofParBrahm.They’revisibleform,becausetheycantakeusrightthere.

Andthere,wediscoverwewereaSoul,aunitofconsciousness,apartofGod,apartofultimatecreator,ourselves,andallthingswerecreatedwiththepowerofconsciousness,ofthesoul.That’sthebiggestdiscovery,andwestillclassifytheseSadhGurusaspartofthespiritualPerfectLivingMasters,becausethey’vetakenusbeyondthemind.ButevenamongstPerfectLivingMasters,thereareotherswhowillnowtakeusevenbeyondthesoul.

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Thesoulisalsoacover.It’sacoverofindividuation,tomakeyoufeelyou’reseparatefromtheTotal.Youneverwereseparate.You’remerelyapointofviewoftheTotal.You’realwayspartoftheTotal,andthosewhotakeyoutothatpointandtellyou,“Youaretheoneandthemanyatthesametime,that’syourreality.Youaretheultimatecreativepower.YouaretheWordthatallthesepeoplespeakabout;otherthingsarenotpartofthis.”ThosewecallSatGurus,theGurusoftruth.

So,whenwesaySatGuru,we’rereferringtothose.SadhGuru,alsoPerfectLivingMasters,takeyoutoParBrahm,beyondthemind,andrevealtoyouyoursoul.AndthenotherGurus—BrahmGyaniGurus—willtakeyouuptoBrahmorthecreativepowerofthemind.Andthenthereareotherlesserguruswhotakeyouuptotheastralplane.Andthereareguruswhoareplayingaroundwiththeenergycentersbelow,whomwecallyogisandyogeshwars.

So,Iwantedtoclarifytoyoutodaythatthesewordsarebeingusedaboutaguru,andaSatGuru,verylooselywithoutpeopleknowingwhat’sthedistinction,sothere’sabigdistinctionbetweentheseexperiencesthatwehave.Ifoneisseekingintheheartonlytofindheaven,you’llfindaguruwhowilltakeyoutoheaven.Hewilltakeyoutotheastralplane,becauseallthoseliethere.Somanymastershavecomeinhistorywhohavepromisedyouheaven,andwe’llgoandlivehappilyeveraftertillourtermfinishes[and]wecomebackintohellorcomebackintotheworldwhichwemakehellourselves.

Sometimeswedon’tneedtogotoheaven.Peoplecanmakethislifeintoheaven,andalsomakethisverylifeintohell.Buttheopportunityforustoplaywiththeworldhereisgreat.Therearesoulshavingdifferentformsatalltheselevels.Physicallevel,weseepeoplearoundus—theyallhavesouls,samesoul.Soulisnodifferent,identical.Weseeplantsgrowingoutside,eachonehassamesoul.Wehavetrillionsofbacteriasittinginsideus,eachone—samesoul.Wehaveangelsgoverningtheguardianshipofmanyoverhere,samesoul.Wehavethecreativepowersofcreatorsofheavensandtheuniverse,samesoul.

Wehavepeoplelivingformillionsofyearsinthehigherregions,samesouls.Littleinsectiscrawlinghere,samesoul.Soulisnotdifferent.Soulisthepowerofconsciousness,thepoweroflifethatmakesaformalive.Theseareformsbeingcreated.Theformsarecreatedstartingfromthecausalplane,whichgivetheconceptofwhatkindofformcanbecreatedtotheastralplane,wheretheformstakesomethingthatcanbeobservedbythesenses,whichgetcolorandshape.

Thephysicalplane,we’rebornasphysicalthings,asphysicalspeciesoflife.So,theseareforms,butthesoulisstillthesame.Soulhasnokarma,neverhad,neverwantedto,nevergot.Souljustmadethemindalive,andthemindcreatedkarmaandcarried

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it.Themindcreatedkarma,soulpickeditup.“Letmetrythisone,letmetryanewmasknow.”“Letmeputonanewcostumeandseehowthatworks.”Andwepickedupourownkarma,wepickedakarmaladenonthemind.

Neverbelongedtous.Soulneverhascreated,norbore,norsufferedanykarma.Butwhenweputonacostumethat’sundergoingthosethings,wethinkit’sourownexperience.Wetookitforapurposejusttohavetheride.Weknewwecouldsheditandbecomekarmafree,butwhilewe’rewearingthatcostumeofamind,whichcarrieskarma,we’reboundbythelawsofkarma.Thenweputonsensoryperceptions—karmagetstranslatedintosensoryexperiences.

Weputonaphysicalbody,karmabecomesanexperienceinthephysicalworld.That’swhatwe’regoingthrough.Andwethinkit’s“mykarma.”Nottrue.It’syourmind’skarmabeingplayedoutthroughthesensesandthebody.Youareprovidinglifeforthekarmatoplayout.You’reprovidinglife,andthelifeforce,vitalforcetothesecoversuponyourself,tohavedifferentexperiences.Thatdoesn’tmeantheybelongstoyou—youcanstepoutofit.Youcanstepoutofitanymoment.

ThemethodthatI’msuggestingtoyouis:whywaitforahundredyearstodieandexperiencewhat’shappening.Whywaitforthreethousandyearsfortheastralbodytodiebeforeweknowwhatthemindis.Whywaitformillionsofyearsforthemindtodieandthensay,“We’reasoul”whenyoucanfindallthattoday,wearingallthecostumesastheyare.Ifwehavetheabilitytofindthesethingsoutwhilewe’restillinthephysicalbody,whynottryitoutnow,whenwecan,andbehappyforever,byknowingthetruthaboutthewholeshow,knowingthetruththatwe’resouls.

Karmaisagamewe’replayingwithourbodies,withourcostumes,andthephysicalworldismerelyashowplace.We’reactors,wehavebecomeactors,andwehavegotallactorscreatedbyusplayingonabigstage,justbecausewehaveplacedourselvesinsideonemindandcreatedothermindsaround,justbecausewehaveputourselvesinonesensorysystemandseeallothersensorysystemswiththeirownmindsasseparate,justbecausewe’veplacedourselvesinonephysicalcharactertowatchfrominsidetheshowandcreatedallotherphysicalcharactersaroundus.Itwasonlytomaketheshowsointeresting.Itwasnotintendedtotrapusintothiswholesystemandthinkthisisthereality.

Wecameforagreatadventure.Itrulybelievethatthiscreationwassupposedtobeagreatadventureforus,forthesoul.Weforgotitwasforadventure.Webegantoidentifyourselvesmorewiththecostumesthanwithourowntruenature.Andthecostumesbecameourself.Andwe’rethinkingwearethecostumes,sowesuffer.That’swhywe’resuffering.That’swhylifehasbecomeverydifferentfromwhatitwasintendedtobe.Butwecanswitchanytime.Wecanswitchlifefromanareaof

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sufferingintoanareaofadventure,merelybygainingbacktheawarenessofwhoweare.Wedon’thavetogoanywhere,wejusthavetogetbacktheawarenessofwhoweare,howthis,allthesecoversuponusareoperating.Ifwecanjustdothat,wecanswitchourliferightnowfromoneofsuffering,driftingthrough,livingterriblytillwedie,intoonewherewe’vecometoputoncostumestoseevarietyofexperiences.Greatshow,greatactors,greatdrama,greathypeofthedrama.Wecanseethatrightnow.

Itwillchangeourexperience.Notwhenwegobackhome.Itwillchangeourexperiencefromhere,fromtomorrow,itwillbedifferentlife.SothatiswhythesePerfectLivingMasterswhocomewiththatawareness,carryingwiththatawarenessatalltimes.Notthattheyhadonceuponatime.TheycarrythatawarenessofTotalityevenwhiletheysitamongstushere.Whentheycomeandtellusthatthisisnotthetruth—whatyou’reseeing,itwasjustsetup.Andsetupsothatyoucangothroughtheexperienceofarollercoaster,highandlow,andtheexperienceofbecominglikeyourtrueself.Theysay,“Man,”whichmeanshumanbeings,“Maniscreatedintheimageofthecreator.”I’veheardthatmanytimes,andIalwaysusetowonder,doesitmeanthecreatoralsohaseyestosee?Doesitmeanthecreatoralsoislikehavingabodyorsomething?Notatall.Thecreativepowerisjustacreativepower.Thenwhatissimilar?Howismanmadelikethatcreativepower?

Onlyonethingiscommonbetweenthecreativepowerandahumanbeing.Thecreativepowerhasthewilltocreate,andwehaveafreewilltodecide.That’stheonlycommonthing,andthat’swhyahumanbeingismadeintheimageofthecreator.Thecreatorwilled,thecreatorwilledallshowtotakeplace,andithappened.Thecreatorwilledinnotimefortimeandspacetobecreated,andallthingshappenedbythatwill.Andwehaveafreewilloperatingasifwecancreateourdestinies,wecancreatenewthings.Wecanmakechoices.Wecandowhatwelike.Thisisthecommonfeature.Onlyhumanbeingshaveit.Insectsandplantsdon’thaveit,animalsdon’thaveit,angelsdon’thaveit,Godswhoruntheseuniversesdon’thaveit,becausetheyhavefullknowledgeofthewholewillandwedon’t.Ourignoranceistrulybliss.Thatinignorancewethinkwecandecidewhatwillhappentomorrow,withoutknowingthattomorrowhasalreadybeenplacedontheeventslist,wayatthetimeoforiginalcreation.

Therefore,whensomebodysays,“Doyouhavefreewill?”theanswerisyes.Weexerciseiteveryday.Howcananybodysay,“Idon’thavefreewill.”Youtellme,“Itiswrittenthatyouwon’tdrinkwaterfromhere,”that’sthefree…that’swill.Okay,I’llbreakit.Ijustbrokeitwithmyfreewill.Supposingyousaid,“You’regoingtodrinkwater,becauseit’swrittenupthereindestiny.”Isay,“No,Iwon’tdrinkit.”Ijustdestroyedthiswholeconceptofpredeterminationbyonelittleact.

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Howcansomebodysay,“Everythingispredetermined,”butI’mbreakingitallthetime?We’reallbreakingitallthetime.Weallhavefreewill.Thenwhatismeantbythisstatementthateverythingispredetermined?Well,therearemanyconsiderationsinthis.One,dowebelieveinacreator,inaGodwhoknowseverything?Becausewedefinehimlikethat.Godisomnipresent—he’spresenteverywhere.Godisomnipotent—he’sallpowerful.Godisomniscient—heknowseverything.DoesheknowI’mgoingtodrinkwaterornot?Ifhedoesn’tknowhecan’tbeGod.IfheknowsifI’mgoingtodrinkwaterornot,mythinkingwhetherIshoulddrinkornotalsoisknowntohim.ThatmeanswhatIthinkismyfreewillisactuallynotthatfree,becauseifheknows,I’mjustthinkingIgotfreewill.ReallyIdon’t,becausesomebodyelseknows.Therefore,ontheologicalgrounds,freewillisruledout.IfGodknowseverything,wehavenofreewill.

Butwesurelyhaveanexperienceoffreewill.Baseduponwhat?Baseduponignoranceofwhatisgoingtohappenthenextsecond.Ignoranceofwhatisgoingtohappenthenextfiveminutes.Ignoranceofthefuture.Ignoranceismakingusbelievethatwehavefreewill,andwe’lldecideinourhead,inconsciousness,“I’mgoingtodothis,ornotgoingtodothis,”whichisthebasisoffreewill,choicemaking.BecauseIcanmakeachoice,thereforeIhavefreewill.SomebodyhasalreadylaiddownhowIwillmakeachoice.

Sowhatkindoffreewillisthis?Butsittinghere,ifIclaim,“Ihavenofreewill,”[it]isuselesstosaythat.BecausehereIamhavingfreewill.Peoplesay,“Ifeverythingispredetermined,Iwantto…andnotmeditate.”Why?“Ihavenofreewill.”Isay,“Doyouknowthatyourdecisionnottomeditateisalsopartofthepredeterminedthing?Howcanyouseparateonepartofyourdecisionmakingfromtherestandsay,“Everythingispredetermined,butIcandothat?”

Don’tyourealizeifeverythingispredetermined,whatyouthinkyoucando—thatisalsopredetermined?Therefore,wegetcaughtintothis,becauseoftheignoranceofthefuture,andthechoicemakingstillavailabletous.Thisisaverysubtlethingthatdistinguishesahumanbeing,ahumanformoflifefromallotherformsoflife.Becausewhenwe’reignorantofthefuture,andwefeelandexperiencefreewill,experiencechoicemaking,wecanchoosetogobackhome.Wecanchoosetofollowaspiritualpath.

Itmighthavebeenwrittenupearlier,butatleastlookslikewe’rechoosingnow,andbecausewe’rechoosingnow,itworks.Nomatterwhereit’swrittensomewhereelseornot,atleastherewemakeachoice—weseekandwefind.Therefore,thequestionis,“Dowehaveafreewill,orisittotallygovernedbyGod?”Nowthatquestionisverytricky.I’lltellyouwhyit’satrickyquestion.Becausewhenwesay,

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“IsitourfreewillorGod’swillthat’sprevailing?”lookinglikeourfreewill,weforgetwhoisGod.

Who’sGod?GodisourownTotality.GodisourselfinourTotalform.Therefore,there’sreallynodistinctionbetweenGod’sfreewillandourfreewill.It’sthesamefreewillwhetherwecallitGod’sfreewillorourownbecausewe’vealwaysbeenpartofGod—neverseparated.Infact,ourtotalidentifyisthesameasidentityofGod.It’sonlywhenwegotothehighestlevelofconsciousnessandrealizetheTotalityofconsciousness,wediscoverthatthatandusisnodifferent.

WhenIwasachildmymothersaid,“Youshouldlearnalittlemusicalso.”So,weusedtohaveamusicalinstrument,calledaharmoniuminIndia,andmanykidsusedtolearn.So,Icalledateacher,andhetaughtmehowtoplaysimpletuneontheharmonium,andlittlesong…Thewordsofthesongwereverysimple—refrain,shortphrase—itsaid,intranslation,adropisaddressingtheocean,andsaying,“Youarenodifferentfromme,we’rebothwater.”Today,Iusethatasathoughtforthedayeverymorning,thatthedropofthewaterisnodifferentthanthewaterintheocean,theessenceisthesame.Andwhenwefindoutthatnotonlyessenceisthesame,butwherearewelocatedisallamuchbiggerriddle.AsIwasgrowingupagain,andrepeatingtomyself,“DariyaseHawakaheyesadatuhornahimeinhornahi.”Thedropistellingtheocean,“You’renodifferentfromme,we’rebothwater.”

AsIwasrepeating,Isaid,“Whatasenselessthingforthedroptohavelefttheocean,andnowworkinghardtogoback.”Andpeopletoldme,“Thesoulisadropfromthatoceanofconsciousness,separatedforeons—formillionsofyears—tryingveryhardtogobacktoitsTrueHomeandstrugglingtogoback.”Ialsobegantostruggle.ThenIthoughttomyself,“Thisisauselessstruggle.”(I’mtellingyouofmyownthinkingasIwasgrowingup.)Suchauselessstruggle,thatifI’madropofwater,I’mexperiencingmyselfasadrop.Thesunshinesonmeandspreadstherainbowcolorsonme,andIlooksobeautiful,andI’msowonderful,Imakelittledropletsofmyself,andcombineandbecomeadrop.I’mhavingsuchwonderfulexperiencesasadrop.Whatwillhappenif,afterallmystruggleandgoandmergeinthatocean,whichisthespiritualpaththeyweretellingme?Thespiritualpathis,fromthedropofocean,strugglingforeons,formillionsofyears,togobackandmergeintheTotalityoftheocean.I’llbe—it’slikecommittingsuicideforme.I’llbefinishedasadrop,nothingwillbeleft.Whatwilltheoceangainbyonemoredropinit?It’stheworselose-losegameIcouldthinkof,andit’scalledthespiritualpath.Said,“Howcanonefollowsuchapath?”andIwastotallydismayed.Tilltherealdiscoverycametomemuchlater.“Indeed,Iamadropofconsciousness.Indeed,I’madropoftheocean,butIneverlefttheocean.Iwasalwaysintheocean.”WhatdidIlose?AwarenessthatI’manocean.Awareness—myawarenesswascontractedtothesizeofadrop.AndI

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begantothink,“I’madrop,allthedropsaroundme,andI’mplayingagame.”Whenmyawarenessexpanded,IdiscoveredIwastheoceanatalltimes.Ineverleftit.Thatmadesensetome.Thatisthetruespiritualpath.ThetruespiritualpathisyouhaveneverleftyourTrueHome,thatyou’restillthere.Youlosttheawarenessofit.Andbycreatingaseriesofexperiences,youfeltyou’refarawayfromyourTrueHome.Andwhenyougo—risefromonelevelofexperiencetoanother—fromonelevelofconsciousnesstoanother,yougetcloserandcloserinyourawarenesstotheTotality.UltimatelyyoufindyouweretheTotalallthetime.Thatmakessense.Nowwe’rediscoveringourtrueself,whichisverydifferentfromadropgoingandmerginginanocean.

Sothatiswhynowitmakessensetome,thatweshouldbeabletoenlargeourawarenesstodiscoverwhowereallyare.Andthesestepswe’retalkingabout,ofexpandingourconsciousness,removingthecoversthatweworeinordertohavedifferentkindsofadventures,removingthemanddiscoveringthatwewerethemakerofthewillofallthecharacters,includingthecharacterinwhichwe’resittingnow…wearesittinginonecharacterinaplay.Ifweweresittingoutside,wouldbeeasytoseetheplay.

Wegotoamovie,thescreenisatadistancefromus.Wearesittingintheaudience.Weseetheshowgoingonthere,althoughweforgetit’sjustashadowplay.Weforgetthey’rejustpictures.Wethinkthey’rereal.Weevencry.Weare,“Somethingisgoingtohappen!”Weareattheedgeofourseat.“Nowwhatwillhappennext?”Althoughwe’retakingitassoreal,wearenottakingintotherealitythatwearepartofit.Weareseparatedit.

Butsupposingtheshowtookplaceonascreeninsideus.We’llberattledbyitasifwe’reparticipatinginit,thatwe’repartofit,it’sourshow,weareinit.So,toenhancethebeautyofthisshow,insteadoftryingsystemsof3-D,stereoscopic…Sotheyputstereoscopicglassesnow.Yougoandseea3-Dmovie,differentfromothermovies.Itmakesthescreencometoyou.InOrlandoFlorida,intheDisneyworld,there’sashowinwhichtheywearglasses.Theyusedtobegreenandredglasses—themoviewasshotintwocolors,fromthedistanceoftheeyes—andyoucouldseethingsmovingtowardsyou.Nowtheyusepolaroidglasseswhichhavenocolor,soitlooksevenmorereal.So,youwearthose,andallthingsbecomebecausethetwoeyeshavetakencamera—twocamerashavetakenthepictureinthesamewaythetwoeyessee.Andbecausetwoeyescreatesenseofdepth,thereforethetwoglassestheygivefreeattheentranceofthecinema—youseethingsmovingtowardsus.Iwentandsawamovie,andthere’satruckcarryinglotofratsandmice.Suddenlythedooropens,andtheratsrunintotheaudience.Everybodypickeduptheirfeet.[Laughs]Andtheycouldallfeeltherats,becausetheyhadinstalledlittleairtubes

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insidetheseats.Andwhentheratscame,theyputtheairout,andyoucouldfeeltheratsinside.Everybodyscreamed,“Theratshavecome.”Itwasamovie,nothinghadmoved.Andthensuchastinkcame,whichalsowasplacedinthechairs.

Imagine,they’retryingtomakearealitytocometoyoufromascreenbytheselittledevices.Andwhatagreatdevicewe’vecreated,muchbetterthanthese,bynotsittingawayfromthescreen,butsittinginthescreen.Sittinginsideoneofthecharactersonthescreen.Imaginethewayyouseeashowlikethat.Thephysicalworldisnodifferentthanthat.Wearethesamewitnesses,thespectatorsoftheshow,sittinginonecharacterinside,theconsciousnessandheadofonecharacter,andthinkingwearethatcharacter.

Ifwerememberwe’renotthatcharacter,wearetheaudience,havingplacedourselfinonecharacter,andourbodyisacharacterlikeanyothercharacteraroundus,andthenwatchtheshow,yourwholelifechangesfromthatmomentonwards.Imagine,it’sallagameofawareness—it’sagameofwhatyouknow.Ifyouknowthatit’sashowsetup,andthatyoucannotchangeanything,thefilmwasshotlongago…Whenweseeamovie,it’snotbeingpreparedatthattime.There’safilmbehindus.Itconsistsofsingleshotsrolledtogetherfast,itmovesfast,givesthesenseofmotiononthescreen.There’salightbehindtheprojector.Ifthelightfails,thefilmgoes.Ifthemoviestops,itbecomesoneshotonly.It’sallbaseduponalightshiningthroughamovingfilm,whichiscastingashadowonascreen,andwethinkit’sreal.Nobodyinthehall,intheaudience,looksbacktoseehowit’sworking.Theyonlyseeandsay,“It’sreal.Itlookssoreal.”

Itellastoryofayoungmanfroma—youngboy—fromavillageinIndiawhohadneverseenamovie.Whenhecamefirsttimetothetowntoseeamovie,aHindimovie,Indianmovie,inthatmovieduringoneofthescenes,agirlcomestohaveabathinapondofwater,andshe’stakingoffherclotheswhenatrainpassesinfront.Andbythetimethetraingoes,thegirlisalreadyinthewater.Henevergetsachancetoseehertakingoffherclothes,beingayoungadolescentverykeenonseeingthatscene.[Laughs]

Hecametwentytimestothemoviehopingonedaythetrainwillbelate.[Laughs]That’showwelivelifehere.Welivelifeasthingsarehappening—andtheywillchange.Theyneverchange.Andonlyafewstepsinsidecanrevealtouswherethemoviewasshot,whereitwascaptured,inthecausalplane.Themoviewaspreparedinadvanceinthecausalplane,andthatiswherewe’reworkingoutandjustwatchingthemoviebysittinginoneofthecharacters.

Imagine,ifyougotthisdirectknowledge,notjustbylisteningtome,butbyactuallyexperiencingthatyouarethat,justplaceyourselftoseeaearlierpreparedmovie

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thatyou’regoingthrough.Wouldn’tlifechangeautomatically?Whatwouldyoudothen?Youwouldbesittingintheaudience,whichmeansinthehead,smiling,enjoyingthemovie.Whenthebodymoves,otherthingsarehappening,alleventsaretakingplacearoundyou,andyouenjoy.Andwhenyouwanttogohome,youswitch—gohome,comebacktoseethemovieinthetheatercalledthehumanbodywheneveryoulike.Doyouknowthisispossible?Possiblerighthere.Itdoesnotrequireyoutogointoanycaves,orintomountains,orintoretreats,orintoanyjunglesandforeststomeditate.Itonlyrequiresyoutodiscoverwhatisinsideyou,what’sbehindyoureyes,whoareyou.Adiscoveryofwhoyouarewillrevealallthis,anditcanbedoneprogressively,bythemethodofsimulatingdeathofonebodyoveranother,bywithdrawalofattention.Ameditationisaprocessofmeditatinguponyourself,andnotmeditatingonanythingelse.Meditatinguponyourselfmeansthinkingallthetimeaboutwhatisinside.Ifyoujuststartthisone,andeveryreligioncandoit,that’stheamazingthing.Christianscandoit,Jewscandoit,Hinduscandoit,Sikhscandoit,atheistscandoit,non-believerscandoit.Believersinanyothersystemcandoit.Nothingtodowithreligionatall.

It’saquestionofdiscoveringwhoyouare.Andyoudiscoverbyputtingyourattentionbehindtheeyesandfindingoutwhoareyou.Simplequestion.Askyourself,“IfI’mnotthisbody,whoamI?WhoamIoperatinghere?AmIsittinginside?Whatismyform?Whatismyshape?WhatamIdoinghere?CanIseefromhere?Isthereanythingaroundme?DoIseeanypatterns?Who’sseeingthat?”Justgoingandaskingwhoyouare.Andthen,“CanIjustdowhatIlike?AmIboundbythebody?CanIjustgetawayandflyout?CanIdoalltheseotherthings?”Andyoucan.And,“Whoisthatwhichiswithinme?Howishehavingthesecapabilitiesofseeing,offlying?”Thenyoufindyouaretheoneaskingthesequestions.Youarethemind,thinkingmind.Andthenyougofurther.“Howcanthemindthink?Whoisempoweringthemindtothink?”Yougofurther,andyoudiscoveryouarethelifeforce,thevitalforcethat’smakingthemindthink.Youarethatwhichmakesthesensework,youarethatwhichismakingthebodywork.Youarethesoul.Youdiscoverthesoul.

Simpleprocess.Ofcourse,youneedpractice.Weneedpracticebecausewehavebeenmovingintheotherdirectionallourlife,takingtherealityoutside,notinside.Followingtherealityoutside.Continuouslytryingtoremoveourlonelinessofinsidebymakingrelationshipsoutside,whichneverwork.Theyworkforalittlewhile,thentheybreakdown.Nobodyunderstandsushere.Nobodylovesushere.Nobodyreallycaresforushere.We’retryingtolookforsomethingthat’sfarmoreakintoourownconsciousness,theconsciousnessofLove,Joy,Beauty,andIntuitiveKnowledge.That’swhatwe’relookingfor.Youwon’tfinditoutside.Andyetwe’re

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tryingtosearchveryhardoutside.Sothatiswhywhenyouwithdrawyourattentionwithin,that’sthewaytoyourtrueself,andtoyourcreativeself.

So,thisis,inshort,whatcanchangeourlivesfromnowon.It’snotamatterofwaitingforsomething.Religionpromisesthings.Religionpromisesthisiswhatwillhappen.Spiritualitysayshereandnow.Religionmakesyoubelievethingsontheexperienceofsomebodyelse.Spiritualitydependsuponyourownexperience.Religioncreatesdifferencesamongstusbydividing,andbysaying,“Thisparticularwayistheonlyway.”Yourownexperienceshowstherewasonlyoneway.Religiontakesusmoreintooutwardceremoniesandrituals,andinwardyouknow,they’realltyingyoudowntooutsidethings,andthere’snoritualrequiredforfindingyourownself.Therefore,bigseparationbetweenreligionandspirituality.AndwhatIamtalkingaboutisspiritualpath,notareligiouspath.Asithappens—andI’mveryhappyforthat—asithappens,thisspiritualpathwasthefundamentalbasisofallreligions.Humanbeingsdepartedfromtheexpressionsofthistrueknowledgebythefoundersofreligion.

Ifyoustudyverycarefullyallthescripturesweascribeas“WordofGod,”ifwegotothescriptures,you’llfindthatthey’vedescribedthesamething,thatthetruthcanonlybefoundinside,thatevenalivingGodlivesinsideofus,thekingdomofGodiswithinandnotoutside.Theysaythesamethings,andyetwegotoworshipinanyofthesereligions,theytelluswhattodooutside.Theydon’ttellustogoinside.

So,wehavedepartedfromspirituality,whichwasthefoundationofreligion,intoexternalceremonies,externalactivities,whichwecallreligiontoday.YetItellpeopleofallfaithsandallreligions:practiceyourownfaith.Practice—studyfirst—thenpractice.Wedon’tevenstudy.Wejustkeeponrepeatingwhatwe’rereadingandthinktherepetitionofwordsisgoingtogiveussalvation.Howcanit?Howcanamentalactivitylikereadingofwordswrittensomewherestillbecalledsalvation?Hasanybodyevergotsalvationbyreadinganything?Iknowofnoinstanceatall.Whoevergotenlightenment,gotenlightenmentfromwithinthemselves,andthentheyrevealtoothers,“Ifyouwanttofindit,gowithinyourself,”andwedon’ttrythat.Thatiswhythespiritualpathisasimpleone.LikeonemysticBullehShahsays,“Whosaysthatit’sdifficulttofindGod?YoucangetGodjustbypullingyourattentionfromhereoverhere.”Makesitsosimple.It’sallaquestionofputtingyourattentionwheretheselfexists,wherethecreatoroftheselfexists,andit’salwaysinsideyourself,notoutside.

We’llhaveashortbreak,andsomepeoplehavecomefromoutsidewho’venevermetme—I’dliketomeetthemduringthisbreak.Andtherewascoupleofother

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peoplewhohadrequestedtoseemeinthebreak,andifthey’reheretheymightliketocomeandseeme.

Thankyouverymuch!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0qqzn898jhQ&feature=youtu.be

Published by ISHA. All rights reserved. This English transcript of a YouTube talk by Ishwar C. Puri is published under a CC BY-NC-SA license, which means that you can copy, redistribute, remix, and freely distribute sections of the transcript, provided that any derivative works or new resulting creations are not used for any commercial purpose and as long as you give appropriate credit, provide a link to the license, and indicate if changes were made. If you remix, transform, or build upon the material, you must distribute your contributions under the same license as the original. License details: creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/4.0/ Copyright 2019. Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike (CC BY-NC-SA).