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Tokyo, December 18, 1985
With great respect and love, I welcome you all with all my heart.
Swami Muktananda, our Guru, taught us to respect one another. He
taught it, and he lived what he taught. Many of us hear the teaching
"Respect one another," but we do not listen to it. Even if we listen
to it, we do not necessarily practice it. It is amazing that we all
know this great teaching, but somehow we do not know how to
incorporate it into our lives. We think we respect one another, but
this respect does not show in our actions. Why?
In the Bhagavad Gītā the Lord says:
> Let a person uplift himself by his own Self;
> Let him not lower himself.
> The Self alone is one's friend,
> And the Self alone is one's enemy.
Although Lord Krishna says "Uplift yourself," we are not able to do
that. We think we are unworthy, we think we are full of negativities
and doubts, and these weigh us down. Even if we imagine we respect
one another, what comes across is our low opinion of ourselves. It
does not matter if we are scholars, professionals, or great
businessmen; beneath our erudition and professional success we feel a
lack of worth, we feel we are not what we should be.
This feeling of unworthiness creates disrespect. If we do not feel
greatness or divinity in ourselves, if we do not experience the Truth
within, how can we recognize that greatness and that Truth in others?
This is the reason that, even though the great teachings teach us to
respect one another, we are not able to imbibe their teaching.
To make the Truth our own, we have to prepare the field of the body.
In order to make his field flower, a farmer must first weed it, plow
it, seed it, and irrigate it. But in order to ensure the flowering
of wisdom in the field of the body, we cannot use a tractor or a
shovel to dig it up; we must employ more subtle practices. And so we
chant, we contemplate, and we meditate.
When we contemplate "Who am I? Why was I born? What is the purpose
of this world?" even if we do not find the answers immediately, the
inquiry itself creates energy. Most of us live without ever trying
to find out the cause of our being here and the cause of the
universe. Of course, we study these things in school and in college,
and we learn the theories that others have come up with, but we do
not try to find the answers from within our own being. That is more
difficult, isn't it?
How can we chant, contemplate, and meditate so as to live the life we
must live? Although chanting is very sweet and beautiful, we cannot
always chant aloud when we are walking down the street. So when we
are together like this or when we are by ourselves, we chant to
ourselves constantly. As we practice chanting, our whole being
accepts the sound. Then, regardless of the situation in which we
find ourselves, we hear the sound, and it protects us.
We practice contemplation. Although we are not always comfortable
with what we are contemplating, we continue our inner inquiry. As we
contemplate more and more, the answer reveals itself to us.
For some, the answer reveals itself as supreme contentment. No
matter what their circumstances may be, such people are content.
Whether there is heat or cold, honor or dishonor, praise or blame,
they experience supreme contentment within.
For some, the answer comes as divine intoxication. Many people drink
to feel high and to block their emotions and anxieties. But when you
truly contemplate, the Truth reveals itself as divine intoxication.
No matter what is happening, you experience a high state. Someone
may be yelling at you, and you think, "Listen to that--the glory of
God!" In everything and everyone you experience only intoxication,
ecstasy.
Some people experience the answer as absolute enlightenment, complete
serenity. When the Truth reveals itself to you, no matter what form
it takes, it is the Truth. However, who has the patience to wait for
the Truth to reveal itself? Until that revelation comes, we spend
our time being jealous of other people, getting angry with them, and
thinking bad thoughts about them. In Vedanta this is called māyā,
illusion. In the beginning there was enlightenment, and at the end
there will be enlightenment, but in the middle there is a drama. We
do sādhanā, we do our practices, to avoid being totally involved in
the drama of maya.
In the Gitā the Lord says:
> With his mind completely harmonized by yoga,
> The yogi sees the inner Self abiding in all beings.
> He sees the same Truth everywhere,
> He sees the same God everywhere.
... We do not meditate to invoke spirits. We meditate to invoke the
supreme Spirit, or God.
Baba Muktananda used to say that in the modern age people do not like
to use the word "God." They speak of "Consciousness," "your full
potential," "what you really are," or "the meditative energy." What
can we do? This is the world we live in. In these days people don't
seem able to take the Truth as it is. We have to change it in order
to like it.
People meditate for different reasons... But true meditation is
becoming absorbed in the Truth at all times, in all places, with all
people.
It is better not to place conditions on the results of meditation.
God has placed everything within all of us. Many people say, "When I
first started meditating, I had so many visions and so many kinds of
experiences. Now, five years later, there is nothing. I don't have
any visions and I don't experience anything. It must be a dry spell."
Even though you think your experience is dry, still a great deal is
happening. The power of meditation never stops. The fact that you
do not experience anything in a particular moment does not mean that
you should give up and do something else.
There was a farmer who wanted water, so he dug a well fifty feet
deep. He didn't find any water, so he dug another fifty-foot well.
Once again, no water. Three more times he dug to a depth of fifty
feet. Still no water. Finally, he was exhausted, and he went to a
wise sage. In the East people still go to a Master to ask about
personal problems. The farmer told the sage what had happened.
The sage said, "Why did you dig five wells? Why didn't you stick to
one and go deeper than fifty feet? You would have found water."
Keep going deeper and deeper. Do not limit the results of
meditation.
A great saint, John of the Cross, said:
> That you may have pleasure in everything,
> Seek pleasure in nothing.
> That you may possess all things,
> Possess nothing.
> That you may be everything,
> Seek to be nothing.
This is the true way of life. If you want true pleasure, then do not
go after pleasures. If you want to possess everything, do not go
after anything. If you want to become something, first become
nothing. That is true humility. Without true humility, it is very
difficult to recognize the experiences that we have. Beautiful
experiences are taking place within us, but we cannot see them if we
lack humility. True humility is nothing but love, and love is
nothing but respect.
A king asked his prime minister, "Tell me, what is the best thing in
this world, and what is the worst thing?"
The prime minister said, "The tongue is both the best and the worst."
The king was curious. "How so?" he asked.
The prime minister replied, "With this tongue a human being can
elevate the entire universe, and with this same tongue a human being
can send this universe to hell."
Sometimes even though we feel good, we need to train the tongue to
say good things. In Siddha Meditation, the way we train our tongue
is by chanting the name of God over and over again. As chanting
opens up the heart, it fills the entire being with great love.
...
While chanting, rather than analyze the meaning, learn to lose
yourself in the sound. Let it fill you completely. Make more room
inside so that the sound can expand. In meditation too, just lose
yourself. Do not worry about how well you are sitting or how bad
your posture is. Just lose yourself in it. Baba used to say, "Do
not be afraid of losing yourself. I will find you." The words of a
master are like a koan: they might sound simple, but they are full of
meaning.
Lose yourself and become ecstatic. Become humble, and you will be
filled with love. As you become filled with love, you will be able
to respect one another, and thereby the word "respect" will gain
great honor.
Bearing that in mind, with great love and great respect, I welcome
you all with all my heart.
* * *
True love is not based on outer attention. True love is an inner
treasure which grows and grows. To experience it, go deep inside.
If you do not get support from inside, no matter how much outer
support you get, it is never going to be enough. You will always be
flying from one flower to another, like a bee.
You have to know that the honey is inside, not just outside. But
when you do get love from outside, drink it. Don't push it away.
When we are given love, we say, "Perhaps I am not worthy of receiving
this love. When I am deserving enough, I will take it." When love
comes, experience it then and there. And when you think you are not
getting love from outside, take it from inside. There is so much
love within.
tags: article,inspiration,spirit
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