“Today's subject is 'Yoga for being, spirit'.”

Today's subject is 'Yoga for being, spirit'. First day we saw 'Yoga for body', next day we saw, ' Yoga for verbalization', third day 'Yoga for mind', today 'Yoga for spirit, being'. Of course, today we are going to have one more session from 9 to 11, 'Prescription for peace of mind'. That will be the gist of all these four sessions and some thing more than that. In that we will be listening about how we perceive things, how we process information inside our system, how we decide, where we go wrong, where we miss the reality, where we miss the existence, how we miss the bliss. We will see about that in the 'Prescription for peace of mind', which along with Dr. Murali Krishna, I will be presenting between 9 and 11. Now, 'Yoga for spirit, being'.

As a being, in the being level, you don't need any separate meditation or yoga. All our yoga or meditations are to reach that level. That is all. If you can experience that level or stay in that level, you don't need any meditation or yoga. The aim of yoga is reaching the level of being or the spirit. First thing, what do I mean by the word being or spirit, let us analyze. In Sanskrit, we call atman. You can translate it in a very superficial way, as consciousness. Consciousness is not equivalent or exact translation of atman, but we have no other way. We have to use the word consciousness; soul is much poorer word. Consciousness is at least a little better than soul. So, I am using the word consciousness. Actually, being cannot be expressed by a single word. You can say what is not being and make people understand what is being. But you can't pinpoint and say what is being. Because whatever you can pin-point, it is only related to mind. You can't say any thing about the being, because it is some thing beyond mind. It is some thing above your intellect. It is some thing beyond your logic. Again and again, our masters declare that it is beyond the body, beyond the Pranamaya, beyond the Manomaya, and beyond the Vignanamaya, which are the different sheaths, different Koshas. According to our Upanishads, you have five bodies or five parts of your being. First thing is physical body, which you are having, made out of flesh and bones, you know. Next thing is the Pranic body, all the prana movements which are happening inside your system, i.e. inhaling, exhaling, all the other prana movements in your system. The third thing is your inner chattering, which is called Manomaya; fourth one, the deep sleep state, which they call Vignanamaya, which you experience at the time of deep sleep; the fifth is Anandamaya, of course, which you experience very rarely, when your mind is totally in peace, when your mind is totally in silence. It is very rare that people experience this Anandamaya Kosha. It is just like, if you are continuously asking for some thing, for example, a sweet, a particular sweet, continuously you are thinking about it; you want to have it; you are working for it. Suddenly one day, you get that sweet. When you put that in your mouth, the restlessness which you had for that sweet, or continuous thinking, which you had for that sweet, it disappears. It comes down. Your mind becomes a little calm for a few moments. Those few moments you experience Anandamaya Kosha. You experience the joy which is from your being. But unfortunately, your mind starts thinking that joy is from that sweet. Then you start running behind it. You think, if you create a same situation or a same atmosphere, you will be able to experience the same joy. If that is the case, continuously that sweet must give you the same joy. But it is not giving. Four sweets, O.K. Fifth, it's all right. Sixth, you say, 'I think, no, no, no; too much'. Seventh you try to escape from it. If it is from the sweet, it must only continue or grow. If it is from a particular space, or particular situation, it must continue or grow. But it is not our experience.

Some time, you go to the beach, you feel a sudden peace; calmness in your mind. If you think, 'Oh, the place is associated with peace and calmness', try to go every day. What will you start experiencing? You will sit there and start your regular worries. That is what I always tell people, it is not the outer space which decides. It is the inner space which decides. The person, who can't create the inner space of bliss, can never have vacation. You may try your best to change the outer place; try to have vacation. You may try your best. You may try all the possible ways. You will never have the changing of the space. It is like this. Understand this one example: if you are sitting in the office and worrying, it is work. If you are sitting in the house and worrying, it is home-work. If you are sitting in the beach and worrying, it is vacation. That's all. That's all we know. We don't know any thing else. When you try to associate peace or bliss with the outer space or the outer situation, outer things, you try to repeat the same thing. But you will not have the same calmness, same joy, same peace, same ananda from that space, from that thing again and again. If you somehow learn the technique or manage to tune yourself with your being, and open the Anandamaya Kosha, the bliss space, continuously you will be able to stay in that space. Continuously staying in that space is what I call Nithya Ananda – the eternal bliss. That is what I call the state of being.

You exist in three levels – being, having and doing. Some people exist only in the level of doing, workaholics. They can't relax. The moment they relax from the work, they feel that they are not needed. Even if they don't get money, they will not be able to relax from that work. Many people I have seen, they take up some social service, just because they can't keep quiet. Please understand, if you take up social service, or serving others just because you can't keep quiet, you will only damage the society rather than helping it. You will be only creating more misery. Unless you are totally in tune with yourself, how do you think you can help others? How you can serve others? Many times, I discourage people from serving. Usually, people take up serving others just because they can't keep quiet. The first side effect will be ego. My name should be displayed. I should be given priority. This should be my place. This is the way I will do. First side effect of doing service, just because you can't keep quiet, is ego, which is most dangerous. There is a beautiful Zen saying: Even if a master kills some body, it will do good to that person. Ordinary egoistic person, even if he serves others, it will give only disturbance to others. It is the quality of your being, which decides whether you are going to do good or bad to the society, to the humanity. If you take up any service just because you can't keep quiet, just because of your workaholic attitude, be very clear, neither you will be peaceful, nor others will be peaceful.

I have seen many so-called social service people, social service institutions. Actually the social service organizations are the root cause for all the troubles. They create trouble so that they will have their job. They just wait. Otherwise they feel that they are not needed. Please don't do any service just because you can't keep quiet. Let all the service be the outcome of bliss and joy. Then you will never expect any other result.

There is a beautiful story. Bodhi Dharma goes to China. There he was received by the king of China in the border. The king was very devoted to Buddhism. He had built thousands of monasteries. He had translated all the scriptures into Chinese language and he had done all possible things to spread Buddhism. He was standing in the border of his country and was receiving the Bodhi Dharma. After receiving the Bodhi Dharma, he asked, "Buddha, please tell me. I have done so much of service to Buddhism. What will I get after death? What is the reward for me because I have done so much of service?" It is a wonderful story. He says, "I asked so many Buddhist monks. They told me that I will reach the seventh heaven. But I wanted to listen from you. What will I get after my death? What will be the reward for me for all the service?" Bodhi Dharma was a very honest man. Straightaway he says. He didn't even bother that he was talking to the king of that country. He said, "I can be sure of one thing. You will reach only seventh hell". The king was totally shaken. He said, "What are you talking? I have done so much for Buddhism. How can you say that I will reach seventh hell?" Here, Bodhi Dharma makes a beautiful statement. "If you have really done the service, the very service itself is the reward. If you have really done this out of your joy and bliss, from your being, the very service itself is a reward. If you have done from your doing, just because you can't keep quiet; because your whole personality is centered on doing." Our personalities will be centered in three levels. Either it will be centered in being level, or having level, or doing level. Person, who is centered in doing level, he is in hell. There is one more beautiful statement Bodhi Dharma makes. "Don't think you will do some sins and then you will reach hell. You are doing sins because you are in hell". You will never hurt others; you will never be violent with others if you are happy and peaceful within yourself. You will do sinful acts, you will do wrong things because you are in hell. Very doing wrong things shows that we are in hell. Very doing right things shows that we are in heaven. Don't think that you will do some sinful act and then go to hell. You are in hell and because of that you do sinful act. Don't think that you will do some good things and then reach heaven. No. You do good things because you are in heaven. The very mood with which you do the activities, that is heaven or hell. Heaven or hell is not geographical. It is psychological. It is not geographical. Don't think you will reach somewhere. No. Bodhi Dharma explains beautifully: "All your service, all your actions are out of doing and not out of your being. Because you can't keep quiet, you have to do some thing. You are Rajasic, restless. Just you wanted to show you are some way great. Whatever you take up you do it in a specific way."

Why do you think, the so-called religious people installed tall structures? It is not to show the greatness of god. It is to show the greatness of themselves. Big, big things; erecting tall structures; Why? It is to show that they are great. Not even God is great. I have seen. In Bharat, some temples are called Birla temples. I was just shocked. Why should Birla have a temple? It is for God we make temples. But, when you erect temple just to show your greatness, the temple will be named only after you! Not after God! It is out of restlessness, just to show that whatever you do, you do it in a grand way. Whatever you do, you do it in a big way. When you do the service just out of restlessness, out of doing, it will create only hell for others and for you. That is the first thing.

Next thing, not only service, any thing you do out of doing, any thing you do out of restlessness, will create only more confusion, more questions within yourself. I have seen many people coming and asking me, "Swamiji, somehow I don't believe in my profession; how can I practice it? What am I supposed to do? I feel I am not in the right place. I feel I am misplaced". Deep misery. Deep agony is their being. How can they do any thing perfectly? How can they do any thing totally? I have at least 600 American doctors as our healers. We are 2000 healers all over the world, serving the society through 400 centers. Average, 20,000 people are touched by our healers every day, our records, statistics say. I have seen many doctors coming and asking me, "Swamiji, somehow I feel I am not in the right place. Or, I am not doing what I feel, what can I do? How can I do? What should I do? How to go about it? Understand, it is not important what you are doing; it is important how your being is. Whether you practice this profession or any other profession, if your being is not in tune with your self, you will feel the same restlessness. Don't think by changing the profession or by changing the house or by changing the wife, you can come out of this problem. No. Only by changing the inner space, we can come out of this problem. We can feel more in tune.

The next level, people who are centered on having; this is another one kind of restlessness. Continuously acquiring things, but never enjoying, never living or enjoying them. I have seen people, continuously they acquire. When you are sitting in an ordinary car, you think of SUV. When you are in SUV, you think of Mercedes. When you are in Mercedes, you think of Rolce Royce. By the time you get Rolce Royce, you think of helicopter. Some thing. Continuously you are postponing. Continuously we run behind having but not living; but not enjoying. The persons who are centered in the level of "I", they are in the level of doing. Just for the sake of ego. The persons who are centered on 'having', they are centered in the level of 'mine'. "I" and "mine". "I" is continuously doing, "mine" is continuously having. Continuously you try to expand your boundary. Continuously you try to change the outer things. Continuously, we want to expand our boundary. I have seen people, if they have five acres; they will be standing near the boundary and try to expand the boundary a little more. Suddenly by fortune, if you are having 500 acres, again, they will be standing near the fence and try to push the boundary just by a few inches, just 3 or 4 feet. Whether it is 5 acres or 500 acres, these people are going to stay only near the boundary. They are bound to be near the boundary. They can't stay inside the home happily. Continuously pushing the boundary. Continuously trying to expand the boundary. These kinds of personalities are based on having. They will feel happy; they will feel secure; they will feel relaxed only when they continuously possess more and more things. Deep feeling of insecurity, the fear, is what makes you have more greed and continuously try to possess things. Continuously possessing things is nothing but deep insecurity feeling. If you penetrate your being a little deeply, you can understand it is nothing but feeling deeply insecure. All our possessions, the idea of possessing continuously more and more things, are just because of fear. Just because of the feeling of insecurity. We think, let this be with us, let this be with us. You feel your boundary is more. You feel if you have more things, you will not be taken away from this world. We usually see, if you have more friends, more relatives, more things around us, we feel we are secure. We will not be taken away.

There is a beautiful sloka in Mahabharatha. Dharma is a hero of the Mahabharatha. He was questioned by a demy-god. Beautiful questions. Kim Aashcharyam Ithah param? What is the great surprise in the planet earth, in this universe? What is the greatest surprise you are seeing in the universe? Dharma beautifully answers. Ahanyahani Bhoothani gachchanthi iha yama mandiram. Seshas sthiramichchanthi, kim aascharyam ithah param. The running translation goes like this: Every day, we are seeing so many beings reaching the abode of Yama, lord of death's house. But, even after seeing, we feel that we are going to be here eternally. We are going to be here for ever. We never think, our being never feels that we are also going to leave. Continuously we are seeing; for few minutes we feel. Especially for doctors, after a few times, we just become insensitive to the whole concept. Or we just take it for granted. We don't think, we don't look, and we don't prepare ourselves consciously for the whole life and death. We don't look at the whole event. We don't look both sides. Either you try to forget yourself through greed, which means expanding your boundary, or you try to forget yourself because of fear. Of course, the fear also ends in expanding the boundary. We try to hide; we try to forget all these things by continuously expanding the boundary. Whether you stay in the level of doing, or in the level of having, unless you reach the level of being, you will not be able to relax; you will not be able to experience what life really is. Actually, for a person, who is born blind, you can never make him understand what he is missing. Can you make him understand what he is missing? No. Same way, the person who has not experienced the ecstasy of being, the bliss of being, we can't explain to him what he is missing, what he is not having. By our not entering into the space of being, what we are missing, can never be explained or expressed by words. That is the reason, again and again, our Rishis or masters insist on reaching the state of being. In Bharat, this is a basic lesson. The moment a person reaches the age of seven, the first lesson given to him is how to connect yourself into your being. The first lesson taught to anybody is how to stay in your being level. The Gayathri Manthra is a straight technique to reach the being level. Of course the Gayathri Manthra is no way related to any ritual, any puja or any worship. It is a straight technique to make you fall in tune with the being, to make you fall in tune with your consciousness. The meaning of the Manthra itself says: Let me meditate on the energy which awakens the consciousness in me, let the consciousness help me to meditate on it. That is all. Nowhere has it said about any Devatha, any god, any ritual or any thing. It is a straight technique to tune you into that being level.

When I use the word 'being', I mean the thoughtless awareness. Your doing or having – these two are like zeros. Unless there is a being, these zeros have no value. Only when you achieve your being, these zeros will have value. If you don't have the being, what can you enjoy? We can only jump from one place to another, one space to another. You can just move. We are almost living like a ghost. We are living like ghosts. Our body is there, we are moving. Some thing is happening. We are there. But, the being, the feeling of homeliness is missing. The first day, somebody asked me, "Swamiji, what do you mean by the words, 'you have achieved enlightenment'? Throw us a little light. Educate us about it. Who asked? Is that person here? Who put that question? First day, somebody asked me: Educate us about enlightenment. How did you have that experience? What do you mean by the word 'enlightenment'? I told him that I will speak about it after a few days. I will speak about it when I speak about the spirit, the being. See, enlightenment doesn't mean that you become extra-ordinary. Or you become some thing like a super-human or you become some way superlative. No. By enlightenment, you achieve one thing, a deep homely feeling, deeply rooted, centered in your being. You will feel a deep relaxation, you have come home. You are in your space. There are no other super-natural powers. Or there are no other super-natural things associated with enlightenment. Having super-natural power is in no way related to enlightenment. Please understand that some powers may express through enlightened persons. That is different. But the powers are not the criteria. Just doing some magic or miracle, is no way related to enlightenment. If magic or miracle is criteria for enlightenment or saintlihood, then P.C.Sarkar is a greatest saint. He does all possible magic, all possible miracles, which nobody can explain. So, magic or super-natural things are not the real criteria of enlightenment. Enlightenment is a deep feeling or deep subtleness or total relaxation which happens inside your being. When you know your being, when you feel in tune with your being or when you experience your energy, you achieve the state of enlightenment. Let me tell you about an incident which happened in my life. At the age of ten, I was taken to a great master Annamalai Swamigal. He was there in my native place, Thiruvannamalai. As a small boy I was taken to him. Usually you know, in Bharat, the parents force their kids and take them to the Swamis and all these temples. I was also taken by force. He was talking to a group of westerners. He was saying that we are not bodies, we are not disturbed, we will not have any pain or sufferings, we are beyond pains, beyond sufferings, all these hypes, great Vedantic ideas, and he was talking. When I heard that, first thing, I felt surprised; how can this be true? When my mom beats, I feel the pain. Of course, in Bharat, you know, kids will be beaten by the parents. When my mother beats me, I feel the pain. When my teacher fires me, I feel the suffering. How can he say the statement? I went to the house. I wanted to experiment, test what he said. I took a knife and tried to cut myself. I cut my thigh, to see whether I have pain or not. Of course, I had pain. I was taken to the doctor. They put the stitching and first aid and every thing. They did every thing. After a few days, I went to the Swami again. I asked him, "What is this? What did you teach? I went and cut myself. Why did you say all these things, that we don't have pain, we don't have sufferings. I went and tested it on myself." That swami made a beautiful statement: "Don't worry, my son. Do this small meditation technique. When time comes, you will understand what I said. Now, you may not have understood. But when time comes, you will understand and realize what I said. Do this meditation." He taught me a simple technique of searching the source of your thoughts. Just start searching the source of your thoughts. So, I said, "All right, now you are teaching me the meditation, it is O.K. But what about the pain which I am having? What about the suffering which I am having? Now I will do this meditation. This you could have told me earlier itself. What about the sufferings?" He told me a beautiful statement. "Don't bother about this suffering. The courage to experiment the truth, which you have is more than enough. That will liberate you. If there are one or two small mistakes, small things, don't bother about it. It is worth doing. Or this trouble is worth facing. The courage to experiment with the truth, that is the greatest thing anybody can have. You have that. That is enough. That will guide you. That will lead you to the ultimate experience or to the end of the life".

Of course, that one statement – the courage to experiment with the truth, that one statement gave me the courage to experiment with all these truths. To reach the being level, we need only one thing – the courage to experiment with the truth, the courage to go behind the truth, wherever it leads us. Not just as a time-passing. Most of the time all these higher ideals are just time-passing for us. I have seen people coming and asking me, "Swamiji, tell me some thing about God, how to realize, how to achieve spirituality? I tell them, "Please be seated, let us talk." They say, "No, no, I have to go for bus urgently. Just tell me some thing within ten minutes. I have only ten more minutes." So, you can't have instant coffee. If it is superficial, if it is very shallow, it will be only time-pass, an entertainment. I have seen. Actually once a person came to me and asked me, "Swamiji, please teach me how to achieve god, how to reach the enlightenment, please teach me. I did not answer. I just started talking some thing else... I just started talking to him, how are you, you are from where, what are you doing, how many kids you have, what is your wife doing. I started talking all these things and he started answering. Then conversation turned to the other side. After that he spent three hours with me and he did not even raise that question again, he forgot the whole question. Then, understand how sincere his question was. Just time-pass, casual question. Just because you got some body, put some question. That's all. If he answers, it is O.K. If he doesn't, well and good. It is not sincere or the real problem. People will tell me, "Swamiji, many times, I think I should ask this question or that question, I come with all preparation, but when I come in front of you, I forget all the questions." If you say this, be very clear, your questions are not worth answering. They are just casual. If they are real questions, how can you forget them? They will haunt you in your dreams, in your sleep, in your day. They will be continuously haunting you. If they are real questions, they will be continuously haunting you. If they are superficial, naturally you will forget. The questions should become quests. Only when the questions become quests, you will be able to grow towards the higher consciousness. Only then, you can reach the flowering of your being, what I call your consciousness or spirit. Take this only one message with you. Have the courage to experiment with the truth, whatever you think as truth. You don't have to go searching for the highest ultimate truth. You can't say, let me first know the ultimate truth, then I will try to experiment with it. No. You will not know which one is the ultimate truth when you start. Whatever you think as truth, try to experiment with it. Have the courage to experiment that truth. That is the one and only way to reach the being. There is no other way. There is no other method. There is no other technique. No meditation technique will help than this one statement. Having courage to experiment with the truth. Actually, even with meditation, you will experiment, you will do meditation technique only when you have the courage to experiment the truth. Meditation is also the truth which you heard. Only if you have the courage, you will experiment with it. Otherwise, what will you do? Oh! Two days, this Swamiji spoke really nicely. He is a good orator or you will say, 'Even though he looks very young, he is a good speaker'. I have seen so many people. After the discourse, they will come near and tell me, "Swamiji, you speak so beautifully, you have spoken such great things". I just catch them and ask, "Tell me what I spoke." They will say, "No, no, don't ask that. You spoke very nicely. You are really a great person. I have never seen such great discourses, I have never heard such discourses, I have never seen such a great person. You spoke really in a nice way". Please understand if people are coming and telling me after the discourse that I spoke beautifully, that means that they have not heard what I spoke. They were just sitting and preparing what they should come and tell me after the discourse. They are just preparing in the mind as to what they should tell me. You see, you praise others just to get other's attention. Let us be very clear. We just praise others to get the attention of the others, or expecting that they will also praise us. We just have to be too polite. We can't say directly, "Please praise me". We have to be a little diplomatic. We have to be a little polite. So, naturally we have to use little courteous words. Good words towards others so that they will tell, "Oh, you are really a great person, very good person; you have such nice words for others". We throw good words at others, expecting that we will get them back. Please be very clear. Don't prepare words. I have seen usually people, when they sit and listen, either they will be preparing the words which are against what I am uttering, arguing with themselves. No, no, no, I don't think this is truth. I don't think this is right. Or, they will start believing and start coining words how to praise me. By doing both, you are missing what is said. Please understand, if you are against, if you are continuously questioning, you are missing the truth which is expressed. If you are trying to praise, if you are trying to create words to praise me or to accept, again you are missing what is expressed. Both the way, you are missing. That is why I tell people whether you have negative attitude or positive attitude, both the way, you are missing. What you need is not faith or doubt, what you need is courage to experiment with the truth. Just have a little courage. I always tell people. The so-called believers or the so-called religious people are the most cunning people. I have seen many different kinds of people. Atheists will be more honest and straight forward. In my experience, I tell you, atheists, non-believers, they will be more honest; they are more straight forward. If they don't feel, they are very clear, straight. They don't care for anybody. But the so-called believers, believing out of fear or greed, without having the courage to go behind the truth, I call only these people as believers. Believing just out of fear or greed, without having the courage to experiment with the truth. This type of believers, first thing, they will be hypocrites. Next thing, egoistic. They will find, design all cunning methods to escape from the truth. They will have every thing except truth. What we really need to reach our being is the courage to experiment with the truth. Vivekananda says beautifully, "Instead of reading libraries, volumes and volumes of books, just have the courage to experiment with simple two, three concepts. Take two, three concepts, have courage to experiment with them." That is enough. Instead of reading volumes and volumes, instead of making yourself a great intellectual, just reading without having the courage to experiment with the truth, will only make our head heavier, because you accumulate too much in the head. If you eat and don't digest, what will you do? You will vomit on others. Same way, if you read and don't have the courage to experiment, you will catch people and start vomiting on them. Whatever we read, we will start vomiting on others. Understand, all we need is only one thing. You forget every thing else. Whatever I have spoken on these four days, it is O.K. Carry this one line as a message viz. "Courage to experiment with the truth, what you think as truth." Whatever you think as the truth of life, have courage to experiment with it. Whatever you know as the truth, just have the courage to play with it, to experiment with that truth. Let us pray to that ultimate energy, the divine cosmic intelligence, cosmic energy. Let it give all of us the courage to experiment with the truth and eternal bliss. Nithyanandam. Thank you.

I will take a few minutes for your question – answer, to analyze these concepts through questions and internalize. We have few more minutes. You can put any questions relating to the subject which I spoke today. By analyzing it, we can internalize it. We will have meditation in the next session. Between 10 and 11, we will be having one more session here. Actually, 9 to 10, Dr. Murali Krishna will be presenting. 10 to 11, I will be presenting one more session, "Prescription for the peace of mind". In that session, we will do a meditation technique. Now, for the next few minutes we will have question – answer.

Qn: Swamiji, could you tell us some thing about "Swaroopa Samadhi"?

Ans: Oh nice. Two big words. In Pathanjali, there are different kinds of Samadhis explained. Savikalpa Samadhi, Nirvikalpa Samadhi. In Swaroopa Samadhi, word is used in four places. Let me give you the brief explanation where all the word "Swaroopa Samadhi" is used. If you meditate on some roopa (form) of God, and just become one with it, you don't have any other thought except that form, you reach that state of "Swaroopa Samadhi". In Swaroopa Samadhi, there are four, I can say, types. When you become part of that energy or you become one with that energy, then it is called, in Sanskrit, they say beautifully, "Saaroopya Samadhi"; "Saayujya Samadhi"; "Saalokya Samadhi"; and "Saameepya Samadhi". Saalokya means, for example, if you are meditating on Vishnu, if you are given the state, or, if you are given the place in Vishnuloka, it is called Saalokya; if you are given the nearness, it is called "Saameepya"; if you are given his own form, it is called "Saaroopya"; if you have just become one with him, it is called "Saayujya". Of course, these are deeper levels. There is no need for us to do research in all these things. Just follow any one method; simply you will reach the goal. Instead of analyzing too much about the goal, if you work on the path, that will be really helpful for us. Next.

Qn: What are your suggestions for dealing with the truth?

Ans: Dealing with the truth is what I call "experimenting with the truth". First thing, we are not so matured to deal with the truth directly. Always we need buffer springs. In the car we have buffer springs so that we will not have the shock of the road. Just like that, in the life also, continuously we keep the buffers. The fantasies are the buffers. Hopes are the buffer springs. Continuously we keep ourselves away from the truths. We don't directly face the truths face to face. We don't deal the truths face to face. We say, "No, no, it may be like this; tomorrow it will change; day after tomorrow, it will change. Only kids need time to dream to cope up with reality. Even after becoming matured persons, still if we have the habit of dreaming, to cope up with the reality, please be very clear, we are childish. We are not child-like but childish. I use the word 'mature person' to a person who can directly deal with the reality, who can directly deal with the truth without having fantasies or truths. If you can, if you are matured enough, to face the truth, as it is, without trying to gear the sugar coat, or without trying to postpone, saying, "No, no, no; tomorrow things will change; no, no, after some time, things will change, I think there is some hope. If you are continuously postponing, with your fantasies and hopes, we are immature people. Maturity is nothing but the ability to face the truth as it is. It is to deal the truth as it is, without any hopes, without any fantasies. See, continuously people fantasize about heaven, just because they are not able to face the truth of the present moment. Just because you are not happy with the present moment, the reality, the truth of this moment, you fantasize. No, no, I will have heaven, I will have this, I will have that. No. The ability to face, the ability to respond spontaneously is what I call 'responsibility'. If you can respond spontaneously to this moment, without having any buffer between you and the truth, you are responsible person. Only then, we can be called as mature persons. Maturity is no way related to 21 years. It is some way related to our being. How much we are able to respond spontaneously to the present moment, how much we are able to respond to the truth as it is, without having our own hopes, without having our own fantasies. So, whether you accept or not, whether you want it or not, you have to deal with the truth. Am I right? You have to deal. So, deal with mature consciousness. Why do deal grudging, grumbling? Or, why try to escape from it? Just face it. Directly start living with it. And one more thing. Truth is like a diamond. It will polish. It will mould you. It will make you a different person. It will transform you. I always tell people. Whenever you feel insecure, or totally shaken, facing the truth, some reality, some incidence which happens in your life, if it shakes your being, allow the shaking to happen. Let the truth shake you. Let the truth penetrate you. It will transform you. Truth is always intelligent. The truth will give you enough intelligence and energy to face the life. Only thing, when you try to protect yourself, when you carry some shield, to escape from the truth, then you miss the whole thing. If you hide yourself through some entertainment programme, some way turning yourself away from the reality, then you miss. You miss the whole thing. Whenever your being is depressed, whenever you face low mood, face it. Don't escape from it. If you try to escape through some entertainment, partying or drinking, or TV or some media or magazine or some other way, continuously it will be running behind you. The depression will not leave you. It will be waiting. It will chase you. When you sit with yourself, it will come up. Don't try to escape from your being. Whatever it is, whether it is guilt, low mood or depression, or whatever is reality, face it. Let us see. Who else can face if you are not ready to face it? If you don't want to be with your being, nobody else will want to be with you. So, be very clear, only you face the reality of your being; you will be able to be with yourself. So, you have to face. You have to be with the reality. You have to seek the truth. Whether today or tomorrow, the earlier you seek, the better for yourself.

Qn: All of these are steps or exercises to strengthen the body, yogic discipline, yogic exercises are primarily meant to provide you means and techniques to take you to the state of connectiveness, the state of bliss or Ananda, which, I am not here to discuss same, stating my question. I just want some clarification, to help us achieve that level. These are the various disciplines, we have so many different schools, Swamiji has pointed out, there are so many masters that we search for, come across, some times things go well, some times things don't go well and we take all of these different experiences; my question in simple words, is, are all of these different paths meant to take you to the same state of awareness or bliss or connectiveness; the main purpose of all these yogic disciplines, meditation techniques etc. The second thing I wanted to ask you, if I can get your permission, is to also explain the state of connectiveness and levels of consciousness in terms of waking consciousness, sleeping consciousness, because you have mentioned this in your very first lecture about the dreams and the projections and of the energies in terms of waking consciousness, sleeping consciousness, and dreamless sleep and because you mentioned about that today and how these four states of consciousness are symbolically expressed in the Omkara sabdam, that is my question.

Ans: Actually, too big question. But the beauty is, he is able to repeat it exactly. Usually, when I ask people to repeat the question, they just forget. Too big question. Especially about the four states. In the next session, I will speak about the four states. The first question which you have asked: "Are these steps to put us in the bliss?" They are not steps actually. They are techniques. When you use the word 'steps', it is like a 'you do them and then reach the bliss.' but when I say the word 'technique', I mean by doing it itself, it will reach, put you in the bliss. Not that you will do, master it and then reach the bliss. No. The very doing will put you in the bliss. It is like, the earth will open and you will fall into the bliss. Not that you will walk and reach the bliss. Just the earth will open and you will dissolve into the bliss. That's why I say these are techniques. Pathanjali uses the right word – "Ashtanga Yoga". Not eight steps of yoga but eight parts of yoga. Anga means part, not step. All these, almost all translations, they say 'eight steps' to yoga. The Sanskrit and English translations, there they miss the whole thing. It is not eight steps to yoga. It is eight parts of yoga. So, these things are also techniques. They are not steps. They straightaway put you into the bliss. That is the first thing. One more thing is asked about – "We see many masters and many techniques; are they all helping us to reach the same bliss? Here I have to say honestly, I don't know. I know only one thing about what I am speaking and the techniques which I am giving. I do not know. I have not experimented with all the systems, with all the techniques. Of course, there are so many masters, so many techniques; any thing which suits you, which suits your system, you can follow it. How to find out whether it suits you or not? Some thing beyond your intellect will act. You will feel connected. Just like some thing has happened in you. You will feel connected. People ask me, "Swamiji, should I accept you as guru? Should I remember you continuously? Should I meditate on you?" I tell them "Never do that mistake. If I am your master, you can't forget me. Simply you will not be able to forget me. I will be there in your dreams. I will be there in your sleeping times. I will be there in your mind continuously. You will not be able to get me out of your consciousness. You will not be able to do any thing. Simply you will see that continuously you are remembering me. The remembering or accepting the master or following the system, all these things should happen. Should never be done. All you can do is try to have the courage to experiment with the truth. Try to experiment with some techniques, or some thing which you think as truth. Do that; that much is enough. More than this, every thing should happen. If you do it, it will not be having the same result. It will not be beautiful like this happening. The other things, the higher things, should happen. So, just search, continue to search; at some point, with somebody, some thing will click. You will feel deeply connected and you will simply feel that he is the person for you. You will simply follow him. Some thing will say from your being beyond your intellect. That is right, he is the right person, the right technique for you. Till then whatever you think as truth, whatever you know as truth, according to your logic, work with it. Just try to experiment with it. Go beyond the logic, you will end in intuition. Actually, intuition is not some thing against the intellect. It is the peak of intellect. You will use your intellect as much as possible. You will put your intellect to the maximum use. Then automatically, you will experience the space beyond intellect, what I call intuition. I think it is time for us to leave because around 9 ‘o clock in the class room, we have the next session, so thank you; let us gather for next session.

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