“Q: What is your favorite meditation technique and which one do you…”

Q: What is your favorite meditation technique and which one do you practice most often?

A: There’s a beautiful story: One great Zen master, he would constantly teach ‘don’t smoke, don’t smoke’ but, he’s a chain smoker. From morning until night he’d be sitting and smoking. But he’d be teaching everybody, whoever comes, ‘don’t smoke.’ This looks very contradicting. Someone asked him, ‘You are teaching everybody don’t smoke, but you are smoking the whole day. He said very beautifully, ‘I don’t have to follow what I am teaching because I am not in the same plane as the people to whom I am talking.’ Very difficult for a normal person to understand, but the truth he says very beautifully, ‘don’t do what masters do, do what they teach because in your plane what is exactly needed is offered by the…to tell you honestly, whatever I am telling you as a meditation, I’ll be doing opposite.

Usually I tell people when they eat not to be distracted, not to be doing anything. But when they bring food for me they have to bring the daily newspaper also, because if I am not distracted food will not go inside. It’s such a pure awareness, food will never go inside. And, somehow, it’s practically like, in Bharat for kids the mother will take the child in her lap and show the child the moon and then put the food inside. Just like how the kids have to be diverted to swallow the food, somehow I have to be diverted, because my awareness is here and there. However much I am able to divert, only that much food will go inside. The moment I come back to awareness, there is so much of fulfillment, so much feeling overflowing, that nothing will go inside. Actually, after enlightenment not only I don’t do meditation, I do everything opposite to meditation. In your case you have to go up; in my case I have to go down.

It is very difficult to understand with a normal mind; it appears paradoxical, it looks completely opposite. The person, whom is constantly teaching you to meditate, never does any meditation himself rather he does something that is totally different. I’ll never eat silently. Either I’ll have to read the newspaper or in someway change my attention so that the body takes a little food inside; not only food, in every action because constantly the body is staying in samadhi, saraja samadhi, ?(4:04). Constantly the body is staying in the state of (?4:13). To do regular activities a little rajas or tamas has to be added. A little bit of distraction or worldliness has to be added. So I want you to understand not only don’t I practice any meditation but I do something opposite to meditation trying my best to keep the awareness or attention with the world.

Q: I am wholeheartedly grateful (?4:55) bliss. Teach me and help me to clearly open up my third eye like you.

A: There are so many meditation techniques related to the third eye on which Mahadeva spoke. I think we discussed those chapters. Mahadeva gave us the techniques to work through all of the senses, through the eyes, through the ears, through the others, in the first two chapters. You can see those techniques. Surely they’ll guide you.

Q: Dear Swamiji, a lot of people you spoke of have a strong background in worshipping through idols; for instance the farmers of Bharatn villages. These blessed villagers have a family god. It seems to me to be a family tradition. The other example is Ganapa. When he saw the Siva linga he was able to recognize it as God, and he knew exactly what to do. Do we need some training or some background information to learn how to properly worship through idols?

A: Understand, I don’t think you need information or ideas about idol worship. I feel we need respect for everything that exists. In the so-called western civilization which is built on strength, you are constantly taught the idea that you have to be self-centered, to respect only you. But, the civilizations which lived with nature, which existed for thousands of years, they all continuously respect whatever existed. To have a connection, to feel connected to the idol worship, to feel connected to the deity worship, you need to have respect for whatever exists. This means you need to live in the heart. You need to live in the space of compassion. You cannot constantly be living in the space of head. In Bharat you will see the fun; even cars will have puja. When people buy a new car, or TV, or refrigerator, they will do puja to that. But.who can doubt, can a car be God? Can the refrigerator be God? How can the TV be God? How can (?8:40) be God, or even the laptops, the computers? Anything they get, they do puja to it first. You’d be surprised. Even I was wondering, how can all these things receive puja; how can, see deities we can more easily tolerate, but how can we accept the laptop, computer, car, TV? Whatever the people get they do puja for that.

Understand, let me share one of my experiences; and, then you’ll be able to understand and respect whatever exists. After enlightenment, once one ashramite was working on a laptop. Suddenly the laptop stopped working, and this guy brought it to the other enlightened disciple for repair. The enlightened guy decide to touch it, he just touched the laptop. As usual, whenever things come to me I just touch and bless. It’ll become alright. In the same way he put his hand. You can understand this looked very funny. He put his hand on the laptop and said, ‘It’ll start up.’ And it started up. No, you can say it was just a coincidence. Okay. Forget about it. This may be a coincidence. But in another case there was a tree which was practically dead, it had no leaves, and the same fellow said, ‘Swamiji, I repeated your name and put my hand on the tree, and it came to life.’ I said, ‘What are you doing? Even if I put my hand it does not come back. How can you say this?’

Actually, this gave me the interest to study exactly what happened. I told him to heal some inanimate objects like a machine, TV, or the tape-recorder, those kinds of things. And while I asked him to heal these things, I studied the energy flow. Suddenly I understood everything, it was like a revelation, everything that exists is living energy; only in different degree of life. Even the Himalayas are growing. Even hills are living energy. Understand, there are different frequencies of life but whatever exists is life. It’s energy. When you start respecting, when you start living with that respect for life you can experience that whatever exists is energy. Suddenly, you will see the whole nature reciprocates. All of nature lives with you.

In Bharat, there is a tradition of wandering where people walk by foot the length and breadth of the country visiting all of the temples and pilgrim centers. I used to wonder how they were able to do that, especially going through the forest and all that. I saw, after a few weeks or months, they felt connected with nature so nature completely cooperated with them. Whether it was raining or shining or whatever, animals or trees, everything took care of them; even though logically it was difficult to understand. However, once you begin living with a little respect you will see so many ways nature respects you. Nature reciprocates your love.

To do the idol worship I don’t think you need some information or knowledge, you need this feeling connected. This respect for whatever exists. Even in this country I have seen Bharatns, when they get a new vehicle, they’ll bring it to the temple and do (Vahana puja? 13:05) They will do the car puja, which is very strange!

Q: The only part of the Vedic tradition which I have known is meditation. Lately you have introduced worshipping through idols; it sounds very beautiful. How do I make the transition from meditation to worshipping through idols?

A: Understand, there is no need for you to transition. If you close your eyes and meditate with yourself, it is meditation. If you do that same thing with your open eyes with the deity, it is worship. In both, the process is the same. It is like offering different varieties of meditation, different varieties of experience, different intensities. That’s all. There’s no need for you to transition. You can have this and that both. The reason so-called gurus popularize only meditation and some pranayam and yoga, you know, is because it’s very easy to do, very easy to sell, easy to market; no preparation is needed. Nothing much is needed. But with the tradition of worship there is so much of preparation required. So much work needs to be done. It is very physical work, which is very difficult. That’s the reason you will not find much of this tradition brought to life. But, you don’t know, even though it takes time and preparation it really adds so much to your being, so much to your being. The growth will be quantum. You will take a quantum leap. Whatever is said and done, you are in the physical plane. The things related to the physical plane will have a direct impression on your system, a direct influence on your system. So, for beginners or for the normal person who wants to experience the truth, worshipping through the idol just does an amazing transformation.

Q: How do I make worshipping through idols part of my life?

A: In Nithya Dhyaan, the meditation which I prescribe, I’ve already included worship as part. Before doing Nithya Dyhaan, just arrange the puja set, do Nithya Dhyaan, and the last part, four or five minutes is Guru Puja. Do that Guru Puja, that’s all. This program is the essence of everything: essence of yoga, pranayam, kriya, because I did the research. I experimented with practically all of the traditions available. That’s why the other day I told one of the disciples, ‘You know, Swami’s a little crazy.’ To tell you honestly, I was speaking about my personal experiences about my personal spiritual practices to a group of disciples. At that time I was making a comment, ‘Feels like I must have been crazy’ because of the tremendous amount of things I practiced even after achieving the truth, even after achieving enlightenment. After someone achieves enlightenment they have a very sharp super-conscious experience. With that super-conscious awareness it is easy to do analysis, easy to do research, easy to do experiments. Even after that I went on doing so many things, so many practices. I continued these things just to find the proper techniques to offer it to the disciples. Understand, when an enlightened being does spiritual practices it is not just for him. It is to create the right formula for the disciples so that they can reproduce the same experience in the disciples.

Nithya Dhyaan is the essence of yoga, tantra, kriya, Vedanta and visualization, worship, everything. This essence I have given in the form of Nithya Dhyaan; and, Nithya Dhyaan is enough and that path is worship. Just go with that; worship of the idol will become part of you.

Q: There are so many techniques from Siva Sutras. How do I choose the right one for me? Please analyze.

A: I answered this question, but again I will answer. Play with any technique which you feel connected. The moment you hear about the technique, if it brings a ping in your heart, if you feel connected, play with that technique but just two or three days. Suddenly you will see it will click. If it clicks, that is the technique for you. Otherwise, don’t bother, go to the next. Within 24 hours usually the initiation will happen. With any technique, 24 hours is more than enough to have that initiation, the first click. If the click happens then that’s your technique.

Q: You mentioned divine beings whose feet do not touch the ground. Does this also apply to ghostly beings?

A: Surely, this applies to ghostly beings also, but one thing, ghostly beings are not as powerful as you think. Only if you live an unconscious life can ghostly beings possess you or disturb you. It’s as if your body is your home enclosed with a roof, and you are living in only two rooms with ninety-nine rooms empty. Naturally the ghostly beings will ask ‘Can I also stay? Why don’t you allow me little bit of space? I’ll stay in one other part.’ And after you allow them, then they will try to vacate you. That’s all. If you live consciously in the all hundred rooms, naturally neither they’ll ask for two rooms, nor will they be able to enter into your body. All you need is to have a strong awareness about your whole body and you will not have problems with ghosts. Because the ghosts naturally will not bother with you and you don’t have to bother about them.

Let’s enter into the sutras.

‘Here is the sphere of change, change, change. Change through change, consume change.’ Another one new and clear form Shiva is throwing (?21:13). With every sutra that I read, I feel that joy is flowing through my whole body because every line has the potential to liberate. All we need is an intense thinking and the search for the reality. Usually we do not understand the reason for feeling a lack of fulfillment. And, suffering follows because we are not seeking the truth. We constantly think: this is reason, that is the reason and that is reason. We are constantly blaming the leaves and branches of the tree for our problems. We do not blame the root. The root is the problem. The root is responsible for the branches and the leaves, but we are constantly thinking that the leaves are causing the difficulty, that the leaves are the problem so we try to cut the leaves, to cut the branches. We don’t understand the science; the more we cut the branches the more they grow. Actually, if we cut more it will grow much better. That is what we are doing. Constantly, for all of our problems we are identifying small, small reasons. We don’t understand that ‘we’ are the problem. We shouldn’t think that we are ‘having’ a problem.

We are the problem. Realization that we are the problem is what I call seeking. Once we realize this, then we can start seeking the complete solution, the right answer. If you have a problem due to some reason, I encourage you talk to others during the break. You will understand what I am saying. For instance, somebody comes and tells me, ‘Swamiji, I have a son; that is the problem.’ The other guy says, ‘I don’t have a son; that is the problem.’ Third case is, ‘I have two sons; that is a big problem.’ Whatever you may think is the problem, you will see in the other person the same reasoning but in the opposite way. That will be the problem. So there is nothing like you having a problem, you ‘are’ a problem. There is no ‘having’ a problem. You need to understand very clearly the very existence about you. You need to analyze, you need to make yourself understand that simply seeking the truth will burn whatever you call as problems. The whole thing will disappear. Just, if you have a simple, intense seeking every line from Mahadeva can liberate. There are very strong sutras contained in his words.

‘Here is the sphere of change, change, change. Through change, consume change.’ He’s uttering the word change five times in this sutra. ‘Here is the sphere of change. Change, change through change, consume change.’

There are two different traditions. There are some traditions which teach that nothing needs to be changed in the outer world, we only need to change something in the inner world. There are some other traditions that say, no, neither you need to change the outer world nor you need to change the inner world because the inner world exits as a subtle part of the outer world. And, here Mahadeva is totally different. He’s looking from a totally different point. He says that the outer world is constantly changing and the inner world is constantly changing, so consume the outer world through the inner world. Consume the change through this change. This means, he’s asking us to realize the liquidity of our fear, greed, worry, depression, problems, pleasure, pain, everything. He’s telling us, continuously everything is changing. Continuously everything is flowing. Continuously everything is disappearing. Realize, I tell you, this one understanding can bring so much inner healing into you, so much rest into you; one click. Whenever you try and plan your life and properly arrange everything, then suddenly the desire to have and enjoy all of these things has changed. It’s like from inside you get the command, ‘let me have this car and this and that house and that arrangement.’

By the time you do all of the things that you planned, your whole idea your entire concept about the plan has changed. Now you are in big difficulty. You feel like you wasted six years. You planned totally the next 12 years of your life. And now suddenly your ideas about that have all changed. And you feel like six years of your life you’ve wasted. So, now you generate a new plan, project plan. And start tuk, tuk, tuk, tuk, tuk one by one. By the time 33% is completed, again something has changed in you. And now you say, no, no, no, I think I wasted a little more time. You are trying to solidify the inside or the outside. That is what is struggle in life.

Samsara means trying to make juiceless things into a strong base of your life. So many things, even after knowing they are juiceless, you try to make them into a strong base in your life. Every time after the hunger disappears, after eating the hunger disappears, the same food which has created so much interest and enthusiasm suddenly feels like nothing and you try to move away from it. The same person who was giving so much joy and pleasure, suddenly you try to move away from that person. The same object which really meant so much to your life suddenly you see it’s not there anymore in your inner space. Understand, all you need is a proper understanding of this one sutra. It can straight away liberate you this moment. Even if you have so many disturbances, depression, so many ideas about your inner space, this is right, that is wrong, this is the way it should be done, that is the way, understand you are changing.

Every day you are changing. Every moment you are changing, not only mentally, even physically. Even physically, continuously you are changing. Continuously our hair is growing. Continuously our nails are growing. Continuously our skin is aging. Continuously our system is going through some change. Understand, Mahadeva says, ‘consume the change through the change.’ This means, realize the whole thing is a causeless, auspicious chaos. We can even understand the other way. We can understand the whole thing is changing and feel depressed because nothing is in our control. ‘Oh, I know that tomorrow I am going to be in depression, let me be in depression now itself.’ We can look in that way also or ‘oh tomorrow I am going to be in joyful state, let me be in that joyful state now itself.’

We can look at it in both ways. That is the big difficulty with these great truths. These great truths, either we can understand everything is going to be in chaos, let me be in chaos now itself, or everything is going to go, flow, let me be in that flowing mood now itself. He says, ‘people are the traditions which are teaching you to change the outer world.’ Those traditions only end up in materialistic decisions. So many examples can be given, whether it’s communism, democracy or capitalism, all political structures. All political structures are the spiritual traditions which are trying to change the outer world. These traditions constantly give us the hope that by changing the outer world the whole thing will be solved. This is a huge tradition; I think 80% of the people believe in that tradition. Not only do they believe it, they preach it in full speed. They believe that change in the outer world will bring change in the whole life. The whole life will be solved. They believe that we can have life solution by changing the outer world. There’s another one tradition. This tradition does not accept the need in changing the outer world, but instead they are promoting change in the inner world. This is what I call religious tradition, faith based traditions. Many religions can be classified as that. They say there is no need to change the outer world but we need to change the inner world. But, Mahadeva is going one step deeper. He’s taking us a little deeper. He says, ‘neither you need to change the outer world nor you need to change the inner world, just understand that both of them are continuously changing, that’s enough.’ What can we do to something which is already going to be changing? What are we going to do by changing something which is already going to be changing? For example, we try to put the chair here, in one spot, as if the chair is going to be here forever. But if we know the chair is going to walk by itself during the next few minutes and its going to go and sit where it wants, will we try and put that chair here? No.

All we need to understand is that continuously inside things are also changing. Fortunately, our inner space can not be occupied, possessed by two thoughts, or two ideas at the same time. This is fortunate because if at all we could be possessed by two or more thoughts at the same time there would be no way for salvation, no way for liberation, no way for enlightenment.

People come and ask me, ‘Swamiji, I am possessed by lust. I am possessed by sex. I am filled with sexual thoughts. Please give me some technique, method to free myself.’ I tell them, ‘Just sit for next one hour and meditate on sex. Visualize, contemplate, or concentrate on whatever you think as fantasies. Sit and do.’ After ten minutes they come and tell me, ‘No Swamiji I am not able to concentrate, my mind is wandering, going somewhere else.’ Understand. The person who comes and tells me that he is filled with sexual thoughts, in ten minutes he comes and tells me I am not able to concentrate on those thoughts. This means, no thought can fill you. No thought can take over you. No thought can possess you. I asked him, ‘What was the thought which was distracting?’ He said, ‘Just to have a cup of coffee.’ I said, ‘Then understand, to have a cup of coffee is a stronger thought than your so-called sexual possessiveness or the fantasies.’ It means what? A simple thought of having a cup of coffee can replace the earlier thought. Understand: Only a thought which is more powerful than the earlier thought can replace it.

If there is no powerful thought after it, the present thought will continue to possess our inner space. This means a cup of coffee can replace our fantasies. Same way, the cup of coffee can replace the fear of death. People come and tell me, ‘I am constantly afraid of death or disease. What should I do? I am possessed by these thoughts. I am afraid how to get out of this fear?’ I tell them, ‘Just have a thought of having a cup of coffee, that’s all.’ You may be laughing. What do I mean by it? Understand, the moment we decide to have a thought of having a cup of coffee, at the moment we decide, ‘let me have a cup of water’ it means what? That very thought has replaced our fear.

Fortunately we can not have two thoughts at the same time. We can only have a new thought if the old thought is leaving or it has left our system. The moment we get a thought to stand up we renounce the thought of sitting. At this moment we are having the thought, ‘let me sit and listen.’ The moment we get the thought, ‘no, let me stand up and go out.’ we have already renounced the thought of sitting and listening. Understand, continuously our thoughts are renounced by us. The new thoughts are replacing the old thoughts. But, we are frightened about our own thoughts. Many of our own thoughts are frightening us. Before even a fantasy starts we have a very strong decision, ‘this fantasy is so powerful it will make me do what it wants.’ We don’t understand this is one more thought. It can just be replaced with a simple thought of a cup of coffee. You come to me and say, ‘No, no, it comes back. What to do Swamiji? After a cup of coffee it comes back.’ Then have one more cup of coffee, that’s all! They say, ‘No, no, after one more cup of coffee it comes back.’ Then just have cup of water, that’s all! Understand, we are only remembering, we are only thinking about this thought coming back; we are not thinking that first this thought went out. It can come back only if it first goes out.

The next sutra is a very powerful sutra. With this technique, Mahadeva takes us to a deeper level. He says, ‘As a hen mothers her chicks, mother particular knowings, particular doings, in reality.’ The word ‘reality’ is the key. You see, like the man described earlier with sexual fantasies that kept coming back, we are also mothering the thought of our fantasies coming back. But, we are not mothering the thought of our fantasies going out. We are not mothering the purification which is happening continuously inside us, we are only mothering the act of impurity which is continuously happening in us. We are mothering our dreams; we are not mothering the reality.

This beautiful sutra says, ‘As a hen mothers her chicks, mother particular knowings, particular doings, in reality.’ The other day in energy darshan one disciple asked, ‘Swamiji, when I am here in front of you whatever you say makes so much sense I feel like I should stay with you. But the moment I go back to my house and see my spouse whatever she says makes sense, and I feel like staying there. What should I do?’ I told him, ‘As long as you have this problem, better stay there so that I’ll have less of a problem. Actually, you are mothering the dreams. You are mothering the non-real things. Start mothering exact real things which lead you to more and more bliss.’ You may ask, ‘How do I know what you are saying is reality and what she is saying is not reality?’ Scale to find out which is real and which is unreal and favor whichever adds more and more awareness, clarity and bliss to you. Awareness, sat, clarity, chit, bliss, ananda; satchitananda is the scale. Whatever action, thought or doing adds these three into you more and more mother those thoughts, those doings. Mother them. Care for them. Keep them in your heart, let them grow. Let you expect them. Let you be centered on them. Whatever reduces your awareness, clarity, and bliss adds confusion, depression and disturbance, try to move away from them.

When Mahadeva says, ‘As a hen mothers her chicks, mother particular knowings, particular doings, in reality.’ Whatever leads you to more and more authentic reality, mother them. When I say, ‘Have a cup of coffee,’ you laugh because you always mother fantasies more than having a cup of water. There’s a beautiful teaching of Jai Krishnamurtie, a little strong but truth, so I wanted all of you to understand. Somebody asked Jai Krishnamurtie, ‘I am obsessed with sexual fantasies. Please give me some method.’ Krishnamurtie’s a very wonderful teacher. Even though he was completely against all the traditions he really contributed to tradition. In many ways he contributed to tradition.

In our Vedic tradition we have two group, dvaita and advaita from the time immemorial. Dvaitic means people who support and accept the vedic tradition and express the truth. And the other group, people who don’t support the words or the techniques given by vedic tradition but who express the truth. We have both masters and we give equal respect to both of them. You will see in our temple the buddha who did not, not only who did not accept the knowledge of the Vedas, but who condemned the Vedas. Yet, he’s equally respected to Shiva. Both of them are respected and worshipped equally. All we care, we bother about is can this guy lead me to reality? Concerning whatever he says and his methods, we don’t bother. We are completely open. He can take me to the higher reality. If he can lead me even one step farther, accept him. Whatever he says, follow. Here we are, available. So we have both the traditions, always, from time immemorial. We have people who accept the Vedas and people who don’t accept the Vedas. But both of them are expressing the ultimate truth.

See, sometime in course of time some customs which were created for particular situations, became tradition. This caused the truth to be dilated or dangerous. And at these points, new masters appeared and said, ‘No, drop everything. Drop the whole thing. Listen to the truth in its purest form again. Now, lets start, ‘a for apple.’ Sometimes this is needed. Sometime this is needed. That is why we accept even them as masters. And we respect them. Very beautifully Jai Krishnamurtie answers the question, ‘I’m obsessed with sexual fantasies, please give me the solution.’ Krishnamurtie asks, ‘How much time per day do you spend in sexual activities?’ The guy replies, ‘Maybe an hour.’ Then, Jai Krishnamurtie asks, ‘How much time do you spent in eating?’ He says, ‘Three times I eat. Again, that is also maybe an hour, one hour or a little more than one hour because half an hour, half an hour, half an hour three times. That equals a little more than one hour.’ Beautifully Krishnmurtie asks, ‘Is eating taking over your inner space; are you constantly thinking about it? Do you have problem about it?’ The guy said, ‘No.’ ‘Then, why are sexual fantasies filling your inner space? Why do you have such a problem with it?’ The guy suddenly had a click; it’s truth. Why am I having problem? Why am I constantly filled with that idea? Filled with those thoughts?

The reason is that we are mothering those fantasies. We are mothering those acts, those fantasies, those doings. Understand, whatever we mother will become our reality. Mother the things which add more truth, awareness and ananda, bliss, in you. Here, mother the truth, everything is changing. Everything is changing. I’ve seen, sometime, people will have a strong spiritual experience and I tell them, ‘Please pen down, write it down in your diary or make a poster and hang it in your bedroom. This will help train us to mother the great spiritual openings or happenings in our life instead of mothering the wrong experiences.

Whatever negative things happen to us we constantly mother them, remember them; we are trained to mother them. But, whenever something great happens to us we say, ‘This is a coincidence, forget about it.’ We don’t know how to mother the right doings and right thoughts. For instance, if the thought of water can replace the fear of death that means in reality the thought of a cup of water is as powerful, or more powerful, than the fear of death. The whole problem is our mothering that, that’s all. When we have the thought of having a cup of water we do not mother the thought or believe the thought will come back, but when we have the thought of the fear of death we believe that even if we replace it, it will come back. Our strong belief or mothering that it will come back is the problem, not the actual thought.

I have seen with my own inner space before enlightenment that every time I got into any vehicle or some of the friends or family would get into a vehicle, there would be one thought crossing the mind, ‘Oh, maybe they’ll be some accident.’ Many of you will be experiencing, the moment you get into a vehicle, ‘Oh, maybe some accident.’ Immediately we will say, ‘No, no, no Swamiji’s there, nothing will happen. God is there, nothing will happen. Divine will take care.’ You’ll replace the thought. But, if you start mothering that thought, that is what is called a phobia. Everybody experiences random thoughts. But, be aware, what we start mothering, that will become our life. Here Mahadeva says, ‘As a hen mothers her chicks, mother particular knowings, particular doings, in reality.’ Mother your initiations. The clicks which happen with an enlightened master, mother them. Any teachings which you heard which has really made a click, you think, ‘Oh God, this is what I have always wondering. This is what I want to discover.’ Then, mother it. Discover exactly what you want to know and mother these truths.

A small story about discovering: One Hindu, Jew, and a Christian. All three were on a cruise ship. Somehow the ship got in an accident and sank. All these three guys landed on a remote island, no mans land. The Hindu immediately started doing his japa, Rama, Krishna, Govinda, all the gods names he’s calling, ‘Please anyone of you come and take care of me, save me, rescue me.’ The Christian also started his prayer, ‘Oh God, send some help and save us.’ The Jew says, ‘Don’t bother. Two years ago I gave one million dollars to the Jewish Federation, last year I gave two million dollars, this year I pledged three million dollars, they will find me wherever I am. They will discover me wherever I am.’

Understand discovering. Discover and mother it. Mother the thought continuously. Have this one understanding: everything is changing. Fortunately, our inner space is so pure whatever comes into it is less powerful than the inner space itself. That is why everything else leaves and our inner space stays. This reminds me of the scene which appears on a movie screen, it is surely less powerful than the screen itself. That is because the screen is permanent and the scenes are changing. The changing scenes can not be more powerful than the screen itself. The change which is happening in our inner space cannot be more powerful than our inner space itself. This respect is what I call respect for the truth. Respect for our self. It is trust that our inner self is stronger than any change happening. Trusting that our consciousness is more powerful than anything happening inside and outside; that is what is meant by the ultimate trust. Understand, if we understand this one truth: whatever is happening outside and inside, our consciousness is stronger than that. We are liberated in this moment. Even death fear will disappear because our life and death are two different changing scenes happening in our inner space. In our pure empty inner space just one more scene is happening.

Somebody asked Socrates before he was given poison, ‘Sir, are you not afraid tomorrow morning you are to be given poison? You are going to die.’ He said a wonderful truth. Surely Socrates was an enlightened master. No doubt. There are some traditional aakashik records which Augustia, the great master, downloaded. These were records of major incidents recorded from the ‘time shaft.’ Please do not compare these records with Nostradamos, no, these are clear and precise. I had the fortune of experiencing it by myself personally, that’s why I’m telling you. Not only did I experience this personally, at least 20 of our disciples also experienced this. I can tell you just two stories about this aakashik record and then this sutra can be understood in a much deeper way.

When I was 14 years old I was taken to the temple where the aakashik records are preserved in the form of palm leaves, something like a 300,000 palm leaves are preserved there, in writing. The temple is called Sri Vaideeeswaran Temple, The Temple of Healing. It’s a huge granite structure. And the priests who are the guardians of the temple of the leaves sit on the front side. The moment you go, whoever you are, wherever you may be from, they will not ask you your country, language, background, they won’t even talk to you. To understand which language you speak or your background or your area, all they will do is silently show you a small paper where you need to put your thumb impression, that’s all. And then you have to sit. You can even go there with a mask to cover your face so they will not even be able to find out if you are male or female. They’ll just take the thumb impression inside and in two minutes they’ll bring you your leaf. The same thing they did for me. They brought the leaf and started reading.

Understand, now I can tell you that whatever I am uttering is the honest truth. I can tell you an oath, because it’s beyond logic. In fact, they not only started telling me my name, at that time I was 14 years old, so the name was given by the parents name, the father’s and mother’s. And, the next thing, the next line they said was, ‘This person is going to become a sannyasi so we cannot read his horoscope further.’ Because after sannyas, after liberation, sannyas means liberation, not the initiation sannyas the experience sannyas. They said that this person is going to be liberated. The sannyasi. So his horoscope ends by 17. They said that after 17 there was no horoscope. After enlightenment he decides his future. He has complete freedom in front of him.

So the record in the aakashik record was clearly written in the palm leaf at least 100 years ago because we know that the artist who engraved the leaves disappeared at least 50 years ago. And not only that, you can not write on the palm leaf which is already dried. You can only write on a fresh leaf and you have to dry it. The drying alone takes at least one year. Only then will you be able to keep roll the leaf into bundles. These are bundled palm leaves. There’s no way the priest could write at the moment of a person’s request and bring it and show them a prepared leaf. Not only is preparing the leaf impossible, but there wouldn’t be time to do it. And another one beautiful thing is it is written in a poetic Tamil. The very form of that poetry has disappeared now. Nobody can write that kind of poetry now. It’s completely written in poetic Tamil. This whole thing is very difficult to understand, impossible to understand logically.

And the funny thing was that the leaf said, ‘If this person comes to study the leaves, he should be honored with fruits, flowers and money, because he’s a sannyasi. Usually only the priests accept money and fruits and flowers. And they said, ‘No, he is a step higher than a priest.’ So whatever that day’s collection they give it to me, including money. They gave me all of the money, plus the fruits and flowers. It was very strange, but true. Anyhow, after we left, my parents had for the first time, the shock; they knew I would become a swami. But they were trying their best to hide it from me. This was the first time I came to know the way of my destiny, what my life was going to be.

Anyhow, after enlightenment, just one year ago one of my disciples, he was in confusion. He said, ‘Should I take sannyas or should I marry?’ But somehow he was not convinced by my answer. I told him, ‘In that case go and see that palm leaf, the aakashik records, Augustia. Maybe he’ll guide you.’ The moment this guy went, first word Augustia started, the record started with, ‘Fool, you missed the Master’s words and you come here sitting asking my word. He’s talking to you in the very language that you understand, directly in the present moment and you are missing that and coming and sitting here and asking what I am saying.’ And he gave the whole background of that person. And the whole background history of me. And then very clearly the leaf was written, ‘He is your Master, go and ask sannyas.’ And actually, he copied and published the whole leaf in a Tamil magazine. Just few months ago in a Tamil magazine, the whole leaf that he photocopied was published.

Not one, at least 20 of our disciples went there after this incident happened. And another one funny, very funny important thing, 12 years ago one of our present disciples, 12 years ago he went to that same temple and asked the same guys, ‘Will I have a master? Will I have enlightenment?’ The leaf at the temple clearly showed my name and my ashram place and said that he would meet me and everything. One important thing you should know, 12 years ago I was not even using this name ‘Nithyananda.’ But the priest gave my name and the ashram place, where he was going to meet me. The leaf gave the whole detail. The record which he took out of that aakashik record 12 years ago he showed me and published it. This reading happened twelve years ago. With that event dated there’s a complete, clear record; logically impossible.

Logically we can’t relate at all. How is it happening? How can it be done? Understand, this perception of Augustia’s can only happen to a person who understands that consciousness is the screen in which all the changes happen, past, present and future. Our ability, if at all we are able to understand the truth of some possibility to look into the past, present and future, we have to realize that is truth beyond these three; and what exists is consciousness. I told you this incident not to prove this ability of our masters about reading the future, past, present and future, no. Just to tell you, beyond the changes of the past, present and future, consciousness exists. Understand, now logically you have to see the truth, because not once or twice, at least 20 times this has happened in my life, personally.

I also sent some of the western disciples including one person from Guadalupe. I sent him to go and get that record. The moment he went and sat not only did he receive the record, the record came in French. That priest was not able to read it because he didn’t know French, so he had to have a translator. Or, he actually gave the list to that person directly. ‘You also read and see.’ And that person read the leaf and wrote complete notes of whatever was written. And he was shocked. Of course, whether we understand logically or not, truth is truth. It is truth. Understand, the very proof someone’s able to see past, present, future means that beyond these three, something exists. I want you to understand that. Now don’t start planning a trip to Bharat to the temple. Of course, you can plan, there’s nothing wrong. If you have any major things to be decided you can plan. Actually, I invited those priests to come here, with their recordings.

And, there are separate recordings for every year. One nice thing, sometimes the priests will go to different cities and give the recordings. For that day whoever will come, Augustia has clearly recorded their life from the aakashik record. Because of this, the priests only need to carry the records for that day, for the city they are visiting. Even if a 100 people come there to read, the priest said that not a single leaf would be missing. They study according to the panjanga, the (1:04:59) traditional calendar. Today’s purnima means, this month, this purnima diti (?1:05:05)leaves, they will pack up those leaves and go. I invited them. I told them, ‘Please come and give a demo in our western temples.’ Let the westerners see, the people who have not seen this, even Bharatns, many of you wouldn’t have seen or wouldn’t have heard about it. I invited them. They agreed to come maybe in March at Shivaratri time. They may stay here for one week. I told them just to bring that one weeks’ worth of leaves and just see the fun. It is fun to watch, actually.

This is such fun to watch. It is such an amazing thing. Only thing, they will not keep your privacy. That’s the only problem. They will read out and tell whatever is written. I always tell people before sending them to understand that the priest will read out whatever is written. You have to agree to that, only then you can go and read. Because they’ll be seven parts, each leaf has got seven parts. They will read out and tell you the whole past. What you want to hide, that they will tell first! That only they will tell first! Whatever is recorded they will read out because, one more thing, when they read they can’t edit. They take a vow. They take the vow of the satya. They will not alter or manipulate, rearrange or abuse the record which is written. They take the satya vow.

Traditionally for the last 2-3000 years they worshipped Augustia. They worshipped Augustia rishi and they followed him. It’s like a family tradition. Basically, they believed they are from the family of Augustia (?1:06:55), his descendents. Even their body stature and all looks like Augustia’s description, the same way. They are very short and fat, that kind of complexion, with that kind of figure. This is all very interesting to watch. I have seen these guys bring out so many wonderful things. You can watch all these things, understand and everything, and that is okay. But the difference, the main understanding which needs to happen in you through this incident or through this thing, is to realize that there is something beyond the past, present, and future.

You see, the moment we are able to read the future this means there is something that is beyond the future. Because our consciousness is more powerful than the future itself we are able to read the future. Because our consciousness is more powerful than the past we are able to read the past. So understand the truth. Here, the important lesson we need to understand from this incident is to realize that our consciousness is more powerful than our past, present, and future. If we try to see our record, your aakashik record, it’s perfectly alright, there’s nothing wrong. It’s fun. But, that is not the end. That is not what Augustia wanted. All he wanted was for us to understand that we have something which is beyond the past, present and future. We have something inside of us, consciousness, on which the past, present and future are written. That is why he was able to download and write down these records. He said beautifully, ‘I am downloading and writing the scenes, not the seer.’

The very scenes prove that the seer exists. Turn your attention, turn your awareness, and turn your energy towards the seer. That is the essence of this whole sutra. Mother the experiences which you had with the consciousness. Understand everything is changing. Actually, I experienced a great relief in me after seeing that palm leaf, that aakashik record, a big relief happened in me and even to our disciples; that is why I constantly promote the experience. I say, ‘Go and see the priests; there’s nothing wrong with that.’ Why you should know, not only does the record say many things about your near future, it also says many things accurately about your past. That will give you trust in that leaf. Not only that, once you study what the leaves are saying about your past life incidence and future life incidence, you will suddenly come to an understanding that the problems you are having in the present life are very small. You will see that you have lived this same foolish life with this same kind of nonsensical pain and pleasure millions of times. Again and again and again you happen. We are like a small wave raising and falling, raising and falling, raising and falling. The importance which we give to this small wave which is our, this life, will reduce. When that reduces, the amount of suffering suddenly drops. Then we start seeing our life from a bigger perspective; from the perspective of many janmas. This brings a big relief when the importance in turned and is given to the consciousness in which our lives and deaths are happening. Our life becomes like a different scenes on the screen of consciousness.

Someone asked Ramana Maharishi, ‘Bhagavan, is there a past life?’ He said, ‘Yes, you’ve had many janmas in the past and future. Realize the unchanging consciousness in you that is the reality.’ When Bhagavan said that we have had many lives in the past and will have many lives in the future it is not just a fact, a truth, it is a technique also. He said for us to realize this and go into the space which is non-changing. That is why all religions based on enlightenment, based on spiritual experience, accept the many lives the reincarnation theory. Because only by accepting and understanding the reincarnation theory will we be tired of these foolish changes constantly happening, constantly happening, constantly changing.

Understand the change that is happening and consume the change through the change. It’s like you are constantly changing eternal energy. Let you consume the constantly changing external world. Let the changing internal world swallow the changing external world. Let the chaos swallow the chaos. Let the chaos be covered by chaos. Let the chaos be filled by chaos. And you become centered in the peaceful, deep, restful awareness. It’s a very powerful two sutras. The understanding, the big problem is this moment you understand, now you feel like ‘yes, what he says is right!’ until you get into your car. Now let’s decide, I am going to mother this understanding within me.

That’s why Mahadeva gives immediately next sloka, next sutra, ‘As a hen mothers her chicks, mother particular knowings, particular doings, in reality.’ Decide, I’ll mother this understanding. Visualize constantly your internal changing mind swallowing, grabbing the external changing world. Whatever you do, trusting your internal world or external world is going to be again complete chaos. You will think, “I need this beautiful flowering plant in the corner of my house and you do all your best things to take this flower plant in the house. By the time you put the plant in position and started enjoying it your whole state of mind has changed. You are in a different state. You are transferred. Or, another example, you decided to move. Your mind has changed. Then by the time you buy the house or car suddenly you realize that you don’t want to have a house or a car, you wanted to live in an apartment or in the ashram.

Everything is constantly changing. Realize the internal changing attitude and let it grab, swallow, the external changing life. Then nothing will touch you. Now you are trying to fix this or that. That is like trying to travel in two boats. You put one foot in one boat, another foot in another boat. You are trying to balance between these two boats. Start flowing, start swimming. No boats will work. No boats will work. Start swimming. When you understand both internal and external are changing, consume the change through the change and mother this understanding in your heart. You will see the unchanging consciousness is the ultimate reality. The unchanging consciousness, when you mother this understanding you will experience so much strength. You will find that sincerity and intensity will be added to your life, to your being. That sincerity, that intensity when it gets added to you it means that you are living enlightenment. Living enlightenment means living authentically. Living enlightenment means mothering authentic experiences, mothering authentic knowings and doings. If you are mothering authentic knowings and doings, you are living enlightenment. Understand this one sutra and carry it in your inner space and mother it. You will live enlightenment.

Let’s have a small break and gather after the break for next sutra. Let’s gather for next session. Thank you.