Transcription
The first question is, what is the relationship between meditation and witnessing? How do mental modifications and ego dissolve through them? Is surrender possible without achieving complete egolessness? How far are saffron robes and rosaries helpful in meditation and witnessing, and please also explain the difference between witnessed awareness and right mindfulness.
We can divide human life into four parts. The first periphery is that of action. It is the world of doing. Moving a little further inside, we find the world of thought. And moving a little further inside, we find the world of emotion. Of devotion, of love. And moving a little further inside, reaching the center, we find that of witnessing.
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Witnessing is our nature. Because there is no way to go beyond it. No one has ever gone. No one can ever go. It is impossible for witnessing to witness itself. Witnessing is just witnessing. One cannot step back from it. That is our foundation. This building of ours, of emotion, of thought, of action, is on the foundation of witnessing. Therefore, there are three yogas: Karma Yoga, Jnana Yoga, Bhakti Yoga. All three are methods of meditation. Through all three, the attempt is to reach witnessing. Karma Yoga means action plus meditation. The attempt to go directly from action to witnessing is Karma Yoga. So, meditation is the method, and the state of witnessing is the goal.
It has been asked, what is the relationship between meditation and witnessing? Meditation is the path, witnessing is the destination. Witnessing is the perfection of meditation. And meditation is the beginning of the state of witnessing. So, one who imposes meditation upon action, who joins meditation in the world of action – action plus meditation – that person is a Karma Yogi. Then there is the Jnana Yogi, who imposes meditation upon thought. They join meditation in the world of thought. They begin to think meditatively. They add a new process: whatever they do, they will do it consciously. When the state of thought plus meditation is formed, then the journey towards witnessing begins. Meditation is a change of direction. Whatever you join with meditation, that thing will become the vehicle to take you towards witnessing.
Then there is the third path, Bhakti Yoga. The joining of meditation with emotion, the alliance of meditation with knowledge and emotion. To become complete with meditation through emotion. Through these three paths, a person can come towards witnessing. But the method that brings you is meditation. The fundamental thing is meditation. It is like a doctor gives you medicine and says, take it mixed with honey. And you say, I don't take honey. I follow Jainism. Then he says, take it mixed with milk. And you say, I cannot take milk. Because milk is part of blood. I am a Christian. I cannot drink milk. Milk is non-vegetarian. Then the doctor says, take it mixed with water. But the medicine is one. Honey, milk, or water – it doesn't matter. They are just ways to swallow the medicine. So that it goes down the throat. The medicine alone will not go down. Meditation is the medicine.
There are three types of people in the world. Some people cannot live without action. The entire influence of their lives is of activity. If you make them sit idle, they cannot sit. They will do something or the other. There is energy, flowing energy. No harm. Then the true Guru says, then swallow the medicine of meditation along with action. Let it be so. You cannot leave action. You can add meditation, but not action. You say, I cannot sit even for a moment after leaving action. I cannot sit. Sitting is not within my capacity. It is not my nature. Psychologically, what they call extroverts, always engaged, always needing something to do. Until they fall down tired, until they sleep, it is not possible for them to leave action. Action is natural to them. So the true Guru says, fine. Ride on action itself. Make it your horse. Mix the medicine in it and swallow it. The real question is about the medicine. Start doing action meditatively. Whatever you do, do not do it in unconsciousness; do it consciously. Remain awake while doing.
Then there are some who say, action has no effect on us, but great waves of thought arise. They have no interest in action, no curiosity about the external world, but internally, great waves arise. There is great commotion, and they cannot be without thought even for a moment. They say that when we sit quietly, more thoughts come than when we are not sitting quietly. They call prayer, worship, meditation as the invasion of armies of thoughts that drown them. What to do? Then the true Guru says, drink meditation mixed with thought itself. Do not stop thought. If thought comes, observe it. Do not get lost in it. Stand a little away. At a distance. Observing calmly, you will gradually attain the state of witnessing. Join meditation with thought itself.
Then there are some who say, we have no trouble with thought, nor do we have any trouble with action. Emotions erupt, tears flow, the heart becomes overwhelmed, and one dives into love, affection, faith, devotion. The true Guru says, make this your medicine. Join meditation in this. Let the tears flow, but meditatively. Let the thrill be there, but meditatively. But the essence is meditation. These distinctions of devotion, action, and knowledge are not distinctions of medicine. The medicine is one. And this is what you must understand from Ashtavakra. Ashtavakra says, jump directly. The medicine can be swallowed directly. He says, there is no need for these methods. Therefore, Ashtavakra is neither a Jnana Yogi, nor a Bhakti Yogi, nor a Karma Yogi. He says, descend directly into witnessing. There is no need for these excuses. This medicine can be swallowed directly. Leave the excuses, leave the vehicles. You can run directly. You can be directly. Therefore, as far as Ashtavakra is concerned, there is no difference between witnessing and meditation. But as far as other methods are concerned, there is a difference between witnessing and meditation. Meditation is the method, witnessing is the destination. For Ashtavakra, the path and the destination are one. That is why he says, become joyful now. One whose destination and path are different can never say, become joyful now. They will say, come. It is a long journey. Climb. Then you will reach the mountain. Ashtavakra says, open your eyes. You are sitting on the mountain. Where to go, how to go? Therefore, Ashtavakra's sutras are extremely revolutionary. Neither knowledge, nor devotion, nor action – all three do not reach this height. It is a matter of pure witnessing. Understand it as if there is no need to swallow the medicine. Understanding is enough. Mere realization is enough. There is no need for support. You are already there. But it happens that some people are incapable of accepting this.
There is a Sufi story. A fakir went in search of truth. Just outside his own village. The first saint he met was sitting under a tree. He asked him, I have set out to find the true Guru. Will you tell me what are the characteristics of a true Guru? That fakir described the characteristics. The characteristics were very simple. He said, if you find him sitting under such and such a tree, sitting in such and such a posture, with such and such a demeanor, then understand that this is the true Guru. The seeker went in search. It is said that 30 years passed. He roamed the entire earth. He went to many places, but did not find the true Guru. He met many, but none was the true Guru. Tired and dejected, he returned to his village. As he was returning, he was astonished. He could not believe it. That old man was sitting under the same tree. Now he saw that this was the tree the old man had spoken of. Sitting under such and such a tree. And he was sitting in the same posture. But he had been sitting in this posture 30 years ago as well. Was I blind? The expression on his face was the same, the posture was the same. He fell at his feet. He said, why didn't you tell me earlier? Why did you make me wander for 30 years? Why didn't you say, I am the true Guru? That old man said, I did tell you. But you were not ready to listen then. You could not have come home without wandering. Even to come to your own home, you had to knock on a thousand doors. Only then would you come. I had told you everything. I had explained everything, that he was sitting under this very tree, in this very posture. But you were running around. You could not listen properly. You were in a hurry. You were going somewhere to search. The search was important, not the truth. But you have come. I was sitting here, tired, waiting. Thinking that if you came someday, what if I were to depart by then? I waited for you. You have come. You had to wander for 30 years because of yourself. The true Guru was present. Many times in life, what is close is not visible, and what is far seems attractive. Distant drums sound pleasant. Dreams pull us far away.
Ashtavakra says, you are that which you are searching for. And you are that, now and here. What Krishna Murti is telling people is the pure message of Ashtavakra. Neither Ashtavakra was understood by anyone, nor is Krishna Murti understood by anyone. And the so-called saints and ascetics get very angry because Krishna Murti says there is no need for meditation. He says it absolutely correctly. No need for devotion, no need for action, no need for knowledge. Ordinary saints and ascetics get very disturbed, saying, if nothing is needed, you will mislead people. These saints and ascetics are misleading people. Krishna Murti is directly giving the message of Ashtavakra. He is not saying that nothing is needed because need arises only when you have lost something. Just shake off the dust, sprinkle some cold water on your eyes, and what else is there to do? So, in Ashtavakra's philosophy, witnessing and meditation are one because the destination and the path are one. But in all other paths and systems, meditation is the method. Witnessing is its ultimate fruit.
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How do mental modifications and ego dissolve through them? Mental modifications and ego do not dissolve through the state of witnessing. In the state of witnessing, it is realized that they never existed. Dissolution happens only if they existed. Understand it like this: you are sitting in a dark room. You think there is a ghost. Your own coat is hanging there. But in fear, in panic, and in the web of imagination, you have joined hands and feet to it. It is standing and scaring you. Now, if someone says, light a lamp. Then you will ask, how does lighting a lamp remove a ghost? But lighting the lamp removes the ghost. Because the ghost does not exist. If it existed, it would not be removed by lighting the lamp. It does not exist. It is an illusion, hence it is also removed. You suffer from thousands of such illnesses that do not exist. That is why even the ashes of a saint work. Not because your illness has any connection with being removed by ashes. Are you mad? Have illnesses ever been removed by ashes? Then all medical science would be in vain. Illness is not removed by ashes. Only the idea of illness is removed. I heard about a doctor who told me himself. He lived in an tribal area near Bastar. So, an आदिवासी came from a village far from Bastar. He had gone to a village. It was a tribal village. He was ill, so the doctor had no means to write. There was no fountain pen, no pen, no paper in the village. So, with a piece of stone on a nearby cloth, he wrote the name of the medicine and said, just grind this for a month, mix it with milk, and drink it. Everything will be fine. That man came back after a month, completely cured and healthy. The doctor said, the medicine worked. He said, it worked wonderfully. Now give me another cloth and write on it. He said, your cloth is finished. You ground and drank it. But it was a wonderful medicine. Now he has come back cured. Now, what the doctor says is not appropriate. It is not right to say anything now. He said to me, then I said nothing. Since he was cured, whatever cures is medicine. What is the point of misleading him further? To say, we wrote the name of the medicine, but you drank the cloth. But it worked. The illness must have been false, imagined. Psychologists say that 90 out of 100 of our illnesses are imagined, and as understanding increases, it is possible that 99% can be imagined. And one day, such a situation may arise that 100% of illnesses are imagined. That is why so many medical systems work in the world. Take Allopathy, the patient gets cured. Take Ayurveda, they also get cured. Take Homeopathy, they also get cured. Take Unani, they also get cured. Take Naturopathy, they also get cured. And amulets and talismans also work. It is surprising. If the illness is real, then there can be only one specific remedy to remove it. All remedies will not work. The illness does not exist. Whatever you believe in, someone believes in Allopathy, it works. The doctor's name works more than the illness. Have you ever considered? Whenever you return after seeing a big doctor, emptying your pockets, paying a hefty fee, you get half cured just like that. If the same doctor wrote a free prescription, it would have no effect on you. The doctor's medicine works less. The fee paid works more. Once the thought comes that the doctor is very great, the greatest doctor, that is enough.
You ask, how do ego and mental modifications dissolve in the state of witnessing? They do not dissolve. If they existed, they would dissolve. In the state of witnessing, it is realized, "Oh, you were wandering in vain. You spread the net of your own imagination, created mirages, it was all imagination." They do not dissolve. In witnessing, upon waking, it is realized that they never existed.
Is surrender possible without achieving complete egolessness? This is an important question. The questioner is saying, is surrender possible without achieving complete egolessness? But perhaps the questioner's mind has cleverly tricked him. "Complete" is added to egolessness, but not to surrender. Complete surrender is not possible without complete egolessness. The more ego you shed, the more surrender becomes possible. If you shed 50% ego, then 50% surrender is possible. Shedding ego and surrender are not two separate things. They are two ways of saying the same thing. So, you say that without shedding complete ego, surrender is not possible. Complete surrender is not possible. Do not deceive yourself. So, think, what is the need for surrender? When complete ego is shed, and when will that happen? How will it happen? The more ego is shed, the more surrender becomes possible. Now, do not wait for completeness. Do whatever you can. If you do that much, you will have the opportunity to take further steps. It is like a person going on a journey on a dark night. He has a small lantern in his hand. The light falls for four steps. That person says, how can a 10-mile journey be completed with this? The light falls for four steps. There is darkness for 10 miles. We will get lost. Then we will tell him, do not worry. Walk four steps. When you have walked four steps, the light will start to fall four steps ahead. Is there any need for light for 10 miles? Then you will walk. Four steps are enough. So, as much ego as is shed, even a speck, shed that speck. Upon shedding a speck, the possibility of shedding another speck will arise. You walked four steps, and then the light began to fall for four steps. Do not sit searching for such a trick that when complete ego is shed, then we will surrender. Then you will never do it. You have cleverly saved yourself. As much surrender as is possible, it will happen. This is true: as much ego is shed, so much surrender is possible. So, do as much as you can shed. Earn as much surrender as you can. Perhaps its taste will prepare you further. Its joy, its awe, will give you more courage. Courage comes from taste. Someone says, until we learn to swim completely, we will not enter the water. He is speaking correctly. He is speaking mathematically, logically. If you enter the water without learning and drown, you will not want such trouble. First, we will learn to swim. Completely. Then we will enter. But where will you learn completely? On the cushion. Where will you learn to swim completely? You will have to enter the water. But no one is telling you to jump into the ocean. Enter at the shore. Enter up to your neck. Enter as far as you have courage. Learn to swim there. Gradually, courage will increase. You will move two hands forward. The entire depth of the ocean can then be swum. Once you learn to swim, and to learn to swim, you will have to enter. Enter at the shore. I am not saying that you should jump directly from a mountain into a deep river. Enter at the shore. Make a little friendship with the water. Recognize the water a little. Flail your hands and feet. What is swimming? Skillfully flailing your hands and feet. Everyone knows how to flail. If you throw a person who has never swum into the water, they will also flail. The difference between them and a swimmer is only a little skill. There is no difference in action. They are also flailing their hands and feet. But they do not have faith in the water. They do not have faith in themselves. They are afraid of drowning. That fear itself will drown them. Has water ever drowned anyone? You see dead bodies floating on top. Dead bodies float on water. Ask the dead bodies, what technique do you know? When alive, they drowned. As dead bodies, they are floating. The dead body is not afraid. How can the river drown it now? The nature of water is not to drown. Water lifts. That is why the weight in water decreases. In water, you can lift a person heavier than yourself. You can lift a large rock. In water, the weight of things decreases in water. Just as there is gravity on land. The earth pulls down, water pushes up. Water's buoyancy is its nature. If you drown, you drown because of yourself. Water has never drowned anyone. Never blame water. Water has never drowned anyone so far. Ask a scientist. Even they say it is a miracle how people drown. Because water lifts. You drown in your own panic. You scream, you open your mouth, you drink water. It becomes heavy inside. You drown. You die because of yourself. A swimmer learns just this: "Oh, water lifts." Their faith in water increases. They understand that water reduces weight. We are much lighter in water than we were on land. You must have seen, when you lower a bucket into a well. When the bucket is full and submerged in water, it has no weight. Pull it out of the water, and the weight begins. Water lifts. How will it drown? The learner gradually recognizes this. Faith is born. Trust in water arises. That it is not an enemy, but a friend. It does not drown. Then a skilled swimmer lies on the water without spreading their hands and feet, without moving their hands and feet. Like a lotus. This is the same person as you. No difference. Only faith has been born in them. And they have gained trust in themselves, trust in the water. The friendship of both has been established. Exactly the same happens in surrender. The fear in surrender is that we might drown. So, enter at the shore. No one is asking you to surrender 100 degrees. One degree is fine. Entering, recognition will come. Taste will increase. Joy will awaken. Your life force will be thrilled. You will be amazed at how much you have lost with the ego. How much you have gained with a little surrender. New doors.
Open light doors, new winds, the same life force, new thrill, new enthusiasm, everything fresh, fresh. You will see life for the first time. The fog will lift from your eyes for the first time. The form of the Lord will begin to manifest little by little. Here, surrender; there, the Lord came near. Because as you began to dissolve, the Lord began to manifest. The Lord is not visible to you because of your ringing ego. Your eyes are filled with ego, hence not visible. Empty eyes become capable of seeing. Then, slowly, courage increases. Faith, self-confidence, you do more and more surrender. One day, you take a complete leap. One day you say, "Enough is enough." In trying to save myself, I lost myself. By now, one day the matter will be understood. Now we will drown and by drowning, we will save. Blessed are those who are willing to drown, for no one can drown them again. Unfortunate are those who are being saved, for they are already drowned. Their boat will crash and sink today or tomorrow. Then, in the matter of ego and surrender, one more thing needs to be kept in mind. The mind is very cunning. It finds tricks. The mind says, "So, which one first?" Should ego be dropped first, or surrender? If we surrender, will ego be dropped, or if ego is dropped, will surrender happen? You go to the market to buy eggs, and then you don't ask, "Which comes first, the egg or the hen?" If you ask this, you will never be able to buy eggs and come home. You just buy and leave. You don't ask, "Which one first?" Let's first confirm. Is it the egg first, or the hen first? Egg or hen? Many people have debated. The question of the egg and the hen is very ancient. Who comes first? It is very difficult to find an answer. Because as soon as you say the egg comes first, difficulty begins, because the egg must have come from a hen. So, the hen came first. As soon as you say the hen comes first, a similar difficulty arises, because how will the hen come without an egg? This is a circular loop. The question is flawed. The question is flawed because the rooster and the egg are not two. The rooster and the egg are two states of the same thing. By placing them before and after, by making them two, you are raising the question. The hen is one form of the egg. The fully manifested form. The egg is one form of the hen. The unmanifested form. Like seed and tree. Similarly, it is ego-lessness and surrender. Who comes first? Do not waste time getting caught up in this dispute. If you bring the hen, you also bring the egg. If you bring the egg, you also bring the hen. If one comes, the other has come. Start from anywhere. If you can drop ego, start by dropping ego. If you cannot drop ego, start by surrendering. If you surrender, ego is dropped. Completely dropped. I am not saying this. As much as you surrender, that much is dropped. If dropping ego, or surrendering, seems difficult, then drop ego. As much ego is dropped, that much surrender will happen. There are two types of religions in the world. One is the religion of ego-lessness, and one is the religion of surrender. One is the religion that emphasizes the hen. One is the religion that emphasizes the egg. Both are correct, because if one comes, the other comes automatically. Like the religion of Mahavir, Jainism. The religion of Buddha, Buddhism. In them, there is no place for surrender. Just drop ego. Where will you surrender? There is no God to surrender to. Mahavir says, "There is no refuge to go to for refuge." Become shelterless. But drop ego. Hindus, Muslims, Christians. They are religions of surrender. They do not talk much about dropping ego. They say, surrender to God. Find some feet. Some feet where you can bow your head. Ego will leave on its own. Both are correct. Because both events are two sides of the same coin. You bring home the head side of the coin, or the tail side. What difference does it make? The coin will come home. Both are aspects of the same coin. But you have to start somewhere. Don't just sit and do mathematics. How much are saffron clothes and a mala helpful in meditation and witnessing practice? If you wish, everything is helpful. If you wish, you can make a path from small things. It is said that when Ram built the bridge to connect to Lanka, when he built the sea bridge, squirrels brought small grains of sand and pebbles. They also played a part. They also helped in building the bridge. There were people who brought big rocks. There were also small squirrels. Whatever they could do, they did. Do not expect too much from changing clothes, because if everything changed by changing clothes, the matter would be very easy. Do not think that much will happen just by putting a mala around your neck. A revolution will happen. It is not such a cheap revolution. But do not think that this squirrel's method, what will it do? Ram also thanked the squirrels. These small measures are also effective. They are effective levels. Suddenly, you will go back to your village in saffron clothes. The whole village will look at you in surprise. You will not be able to sit in that village in the same way as before. You will not be able to hide in that village in the same way as before. You have brought a separateness to that village. Everyone will ask, "What happened?" Everyone will remind you that something has happened. Everyone will ask you questions. Everyone will awaken your memory. Everyone will give you an opportunity to repeatedly become a witness. A friend took sannyas. While taking sannyas, he started crying. A simple person, and said, "There is just one obstacle. I have a habit of drinking alcohol. And you will surely say, 'Leave it.'" I said, "I don't tell anyone to leave anything. If you drink, drink mindfully." He said, "What do you mean? Even as a renunciate, I am in a liquor shop." "It's your wish. I have given you sannyas. Now you understand." About a month later, he came and said, "You played a trick. A man was standing in the liquor shop. Someone came and fell at my feet and said, 'Swami ji, where are you from?' I ran away from there. I said, 'Swami ji, in the liquor shop.' That man said, 'You played a trick.' Now I am afraid to go towards the liquor shop, lest someone touches my feet or bows to me." For 15 days, I haven't gone. A memory has been formed. An awareness has awakened. You will not be able to get angry in these saffron clothes in the same way as you did until yesterday. Something will hurt. Something will say, "Now leave it. Now it looks very absurd in these saffron clothes." I am only creating a little obstacle for you by giving you saffron clothes, nothing else. If you are a thief, you will not be able to remain a thief with the same ease. If you are madly devoted to money, greedy, then your greed will not have the same strength. If you are running in politics, concerned with the prestige of position, you will suddenly find there is no substance. These small clothes will become very symbolic. They have no value in themselves. But by associating with them, you will gradually find. The thought was small, the idea was small. Gradually it became big. Gradually it changed everything. Your actions will change. Your habits will change. Your way of sitting and standing will change. A new grace in your life. People's expectations of you will change. People's eyes towards you will change. The change of name will bring a separation from the old name. The change of clothes will bring liberation from your old outline. This mala around your neck will keep reminding you of me. It will become a bridge between me and you. You will not be able to forget me so easily, and people will start to differentiate you, and their differentiation will be very helpful for you in witnessing. But I am not saying that doing this much will complete everything. That just wearing clothes, putting on a mala, and thinking the journey is complete. It depends on you. These are like signs, like milestones on the road, where it is written that 12 miles, 50 miles, 100 miles to Delhi. There is no great meaning in the stone itself. Whether the stone is there or not, Delhi is 100 miles away. But the line written on the stone, the arrow, lightens the traveler's burden. It says, "Only 100 miles left." "25 miles left," "50 miles left." In Switzerland, instead of milestones, there are minute stones. If your car stops somewhere in a hilly area, you will be surprised to see on a pole outside, "Previous station: how far? 30 minutes away. Next station: how far? 15 minutes away." A very important symbol. So, it is not surprising if the Swiss are skilled in making good watches. Their sense of time is very profound. They don't write miles, they write time. 15 minutes away. News is received that this race has a profound sense of time. You are wearing saffron clothes. Some news is received about you. How you sit, how you get up, how you look. Everything gives news. We do not give loose clothes to soldiers. No race in the world does. If they do, they will lose. Giving loose clothes to a soldier can prove dangerous. We give soldiers tight clothes. Such tight clothes that they always feel restricted and wish to jump out of them. Tight clothes create quarrelsome habits. A person sitting in tight clothes is ready to fight. A person in loose clothes is in a state of rest. Only emperors wore loose clothes, or ascetics or fakirs? Have you ever seen that if you climb stairs wearing loose clothes, you will climb one step at a time? If you climb wearing tight clothes, you will climb two steps at once. If you are wearing tight clothes, you are filled with anger. If someone says even a small thing, restlessness will arise. If you are wearing loose clothes, you will be in a state of rest. Small things make a difference. Life is made of small things. The small pebbles brought by squirrels build the bridge of life. What you eat, what you wear, how you sit and stand. It is the final result of everything. You are the sum of everything. Now, a man is walking by, wearing bright, flashy, colorful clothes. It gives some news. A woman is walking by, wearing clothes that reveal the body indecently and obscenely. It gives some news. A man is wearing simple, loose clothes, full of rest. It gives some news. Psychologists say that if you watch a man quietly for half an hour to an hour, how he wears clothes, how he gets up, how he sits, how he looks, you will learn so many things about that man that you will not be able to believe. Every activity, every gesture is ours. We change by changing our gestures. Our gestures change by our changing. So, these are just symbols. They will help you. They will remain as hints for you. They are a little support to keep you aware. And please also explain the difference between witnessing awareness and right mindfulness. There is no difference. They are all synonyms. Different traditions have used them. Awareness is used by Krishnamurti. Right mindfulness is used by Buddha. Witnessing is used by Ashtavakra, the Upanishads, the Gita. The only difference is of different traditions. But what they point to is the same. Second question: During your first discourse on Mahagita, many people were crying with tears. What does that mean? Are the crying people weak-minded, or is it the effect of your words? Please shed some light on this. One thing is certain, the questioner is a hard-hearted person. In tears, they only saw weakness. One thing is certain. The questioner's eyes have dried up. The eyes have become barren, like a desert. Flowers do not bloom in them. Tears are the flowers of the eye. The questioner's emotion has died. The questioner's heart has become blocked. The questioner must be living only by intellect. They must have abandoned emotion. They must be living by thought and consideration. They must have denied the possibility of love, compassion, attachment to life, joy. No stream of juice must be flowing. The mind has become like a dry, barren desert. Therefore, the first thought that came to mind was that those who cry must have weak minds. Who told you that crying is a sign of weakness? Meera cried a lot. Tears flowed profusely from Chaitanya's eyes. Not signs of weakness. Signs of emotion, signs of the strength of emotion. And remember, emotion is a deeper matter than thought. I said, first the line of action, then the line of thought, then the line of emotion, then the center of witnessing. Emotion is closest to witnessing. Devotion is closest to God. Action is very far. The journey from there is very long. Thought is also quite far. The journey from there is also quite long. Devotion is very close. Remember, tears are not necessarily caused by sadness. Although people are familiar with only one type of tears, those of sadness. Tears also flow in compassion. Tears also flow in joy. Tears also flow in awe. Tears also flow in gratitude. Tears are just a symbol that some event is happening within that is difficult to handle. Sadness or happiness. Some event is happening within that is so much that it starts to flow out. Then, whether it is sadness, if the sadness is so much that it is difficult to handle within, then it will flow through tears. Tears are an outlet. Or if joy becomes dense, then joy also flows through tears. Tears are not necessarily connected to sadness or happiness. They are connected to excess. Whatever becomes excessive, tears will flow with it. So, those who cried must have had some excess within them. Some wound must have struck their heart. They must have heard some murmur from the unknown. A ray from the distant unknown must have touched their heart. Something must have descended into their darkness. Some arrow must have filled their heart with pain and joy. They could not stop their tears. It has nothing to do with the effect of my speaking, because you were also listening. If it were only the effect of my speaking, then you would have also cried. Everyone would have cried. No, it has more to do with the sincerity of the listener than with my speaking. Those who could cry, cried, and crying is great strength. Humanity has lost a very unique direction. Especially men have lost it. Women have preserved a little. Women are blessed. Men and women have the same tear glands in their eyes. Nature has made tear glands equal. Therefore, nature's instruction is clear that both eyes are made for crying. But man's ego has gradually controlled itself. Gradually, man started thinking that crying is feminine. Only women cry. Because of this, man has lost a lot. He has lost devotion, emotion. Because of this, man has lost joy, awe. Because of this, man has lost the glory of sadness, because sadness also refines, cleanses. Because of this, a great accident has happened in man's life. You will be surprised. Twice as many men go mad in the world as women. And this number will increase greatly if wars stop, because a lot of men's madness comes out in wars. It comes out in large quantities. If wars completely stop for 100 years, there is a fear that 90% of men will go mad. Men commit suicide twice as much as women. Usually, you will have a different notion. You think women commit suicide more. Women talk about it, they don't commit suicide. They lie down after taking pills, etc. But they also take pills carefully. So, women try more to commit suicide, but do not succeed. Even in that attempt, there is calculation. Actually, women do not want to commit suicide. Suicide for them is just a request, a complaint. They are saying that life is not worth living. They wanted some other life. They are just informing you that you have become so stone-hearted that unless we are ready to die, perhaps you will not even pay attention to us. They are just attracting your attention. It is a very ungraceful thing that one has to resort to dying to attract attention. Man must have become very hard. He must have become stony. Women do not want to die. They want to live. When they find so many obstacles on the path of living. No one is listening. No one is paying attention. Then only you can pay attention. That's why they resort to dying. But men, when they commit suicide, they succeed. Men commit suicide in madness. More men are mentally ill. What could be the reason? There are many reasons. But one reason is also tears. Psychologists say men need to learn to cry again. This is not strength, which you call strength. This is great hardness. Strength is not so hard. Strength belongs to the soft. You have seen a waterfall falling from a mountain. Waterfalls. Soft water, hard rocks. The rocks must have thought, "We are strong. This stream of water is weak." But ultimately, the stream of water wins. The rock turns into sand and flows away. God is with the soft. The weak have strength. A flower has bloomed. A rock lies nearby. The rock looks strong, the flower weak. But have you ever seen the strength of a flower? The strength of life. Who bows its head to the rock? You don't want to offer a stone at the feet of God. You think, "It's a big rock, let's offer it to my beloved." You don't do that. You pick a flower and take it. The flower has strength. The flower has dignity. Its softness is its strength. Its blooming is its strength. Its music, its fragrance, its strength. Its strength is in its weakness. It blooms in the morning, wilts in the evening. This is its strength. But it has bloomed. The rock never blooms. It just is. The rock is dead. The flower is alive. It will die because it has lived. The rock never dies because it has never lived. Become soft. Call back your tears. Let your eyes be filled with song and poetry. Otherwise, you will be deprived of many things. Then your God will also be a web of logic, not an experience of the heart. Only a theory, not the taste of truth and the realization of truth. Those who shed tears are fortunate, they are strong. They did not care what you would say. They also care about what people will say. When a person starts crying profusely, they also care about what people will say. It takes strength to cry, to let go of the worry of what people will say. Let them say what they want. Let me cry to my heart's content. When a person cries like a small child, wailing, think a little. That strength is because they did not care about everyone. They did not care that "I am a professor at the university and I am crying." "Some student might see me." "I am such a big shopkeeper and I am crying." "Some customer might see me." "I am such a strong husband and I am crying, and my wife is sitting nearby." "There will be trouble at home." "I am a father and I am crying, and my son might see me." Little children might see. Control yourselves. Ego keeps control. The ego-less cried. Ego always keeps itself under control. The ego-less flows. There is a flow in it. Those that burn, extinguish. Those that extinguish, do not burn again. Love burns, extinguishes and ignites. Embers burn. Those that burned, extinguished. But there comes a time when they extinguish, and you cannot light them again. Has anyone ever succeeded in making ashes into embers again? Those that burned, extinguished. Those that extinguished, do not burn again. Once extinguished, they never ignite again. Rahiman, the arrow of love. But what about those whose hearts have been struck by the arrow of love? Rahim, the arrow of love burns, extinguishes, and ignites again and again. They burn again and again. They extinguish again and again. Then they ignite again and again. The fire of love is eternal. It is sanatana. Those who listened to me with love, they will be able to cry. Those who listened to me only with intellect will go away with some conclusions, some knowledge. They will take ashes. Not the embers of love. They will take such ashes that will never ignite again. Remember, they are extinguished. They were extinguished when I spoke them to you. If you took them into your intellect, they are ashes. If you took them into your heart.
So, the ember is an ember of love. Whoever has it born within them will burn, then extinguish, then burn again. It will make you suffer greatly. It will refine you. It will bring about complete transformation in your life. If you can cry with an open heart, the ember has reached your heart. If you couldn't cry, it reached your intellect. A little ash will gather. You will become a little knowledgeable. You will become a little skilled at explaining to others. You will become a little adept at debates and arguments. But the main point was missed. You returned with only ash from where you could have brought embers. Then, whether you call that ash vibhuti or not, it makes no difference. Ash is ash. The fire of pain ignited, the songs of pain from the heart became a testament to your sorrow. By the grace of fortune, we remained on the path, scattered like caravans. The fire of pain ignited, the songs of pain from the heart. Those tears were tears of fire. When you see someone crying, sit beside them. That moment is of satsang, that moment is not to be missed. If you cannot cry, at least sit beside the person who is crying. Hold their hand. Perhaps the illness will infect you too. The fire of pain ignited, the songs of pain from the heart. Fire igniting is a symbol of a non-self, a symbol of the fire of love. We became a testament to your sorrow. And when pain arises within your heart, when the feeling of separation arises, when fire begins to manifest in your every breath, a testament to your sorrow. We became a testament to your sorrow. By the grace of fortune, we remained on the path. By the grace of intellect, we wandered on the path. By the grace of fortune, we remained on the path, scattered like caravans. And due to intellect, our condition gradually became like the dust that flies behind a passing caravan. We became dust. Nothing but dust was ever in the hands of intellect. By the grace of fortune, we remained on the path, scattered like caravans. The heart that was illuminated by Krishna Mohan, boundaries dissolved, we became restless. The heart that was illuminated by Krishna Mohan. If one falls in love, a wound strikes the heart, a wound blossoms there, an ember of fire. The heart that was illuminated by Krishna Mohan, boundaries dissolved, we became restless. At that moment, boundaries break, you become limitless. Your first step towards the limitless is tears. Tears are proof that you melted. Your rigid boundaries melted a little. You softened a little. You became a little warm. You left your cold intellect a little. A little fire ignited. A little heat was generated. These tears are not cold. These tears are very hot. And these tears bring the news of your melting. Just as ice melts, so when your inner self begins to melt, tears flow. We were full of desires, full of passions. When love came, we became speechless. When we were full of intellect, full of desires, full of thoughts, we spoke a lot. Our tongue was very sharp. We were full of desires, full of passions. When love came, we became speechless. Those tears are signals of a speechless state. When something happens that cannot be expressed, what else can one do but cry? When the tongue is unable to speak, the eyes speak with tears. When the intellect is unable to speak, someone dances and expresses it. Meera danced. Something happened that words could not express. She danced, tying ghungroos, crying four times, crying four times. Something happened that it was not possible to express in words. Words seemed very limited. Only tears could speak. Tears spoke. Do not take these kinds of feelings to heart, thinking those people are weak. They are powerful. Their strength is in gentleness, not in struggle and violence. Their strength is in heartfulness. Because if you think they are weak, then you will never cry. That is why I am repeatedly emphasizing. Do not consider them weak. Be envious of them. Think again and again, what happened that I cannot cry? A person filled with emotion is closest to their own center. And the more a person filled with emotion is close to themselves, the more they experience pain. The farther you are from home, the easier it is to forget home. As home gets closer, the memory of home also begins to arise. You have forgotten God. The word God falls on your ears, but there is no stir. You just hear a word. God is not just a word. It is not just about hearing it. Whoever still has a little fire of life within them, God will shake them. The word alone will shake them. If you want me with all your heart, then why do you make me cry? Devotees have always said to God: If you want me with all your heart, then why do you make me cry? Why do you hide your eyes from mine in the dense darkness of light? You do not come near, and even when you come near, you do not call me close. Why do you stay around? Why do you come around? You do not come near, and even when you come near, you do not call me close. If you want me with all your heart, then why do you make me cry? Why do you hide your eyes from mine in the dense darkness of light? The person who is descending into emotion is so close to God that they begin to feel God's warmth. Their eyes begin to meet. Boundaries begin to overlap each other. There is an encroachment into each other's boundaries. What is being said here is not just for the sake of saying it. It is to transform you. It is to change you completely from the root. The third question: Religion, wealth, belief, or belief, wealth, religion. Culture is built from religion, and society and its traditions are formed from culture. The revered one said that religion is against everyone. If religion is against everyone, is it impossible for any kind of chaos to occur? Please enlighten us. The meaning you understand from religion is not the meaning of belief. Religion is not a concept. The word religion is derived from a root whose meaning is that which has held everything, that which is the holder of everything, that which has sustained everything. Not belief, but that which has held everything. This vast existence, spread across the moon, stars, birds, humans, and infinitely, that which sustains it is religion. Religion has nothing to do with belief. Your belief is Hindu. Someone's is Muslim. Someone's is Christian. Religion has nothing to do with this. These are beliefs, beliefs of the intellect. Religion is the name of that fundamental truth that has supported everything, without which everything would fall apart. That which holds everything together, that which is the totality of everything, that which is the bridge of everything. Just as we make a garland of flowers. If a garland is kept, what is the difference? It is a chaotic pile. There is no connection from one flower to another. All flowers are unrelated. A thread is woven through the flowers. That thread is not visible. It is hidden within the flowers. But one flower is connected to another. The name of that which is woven like a thread throughout this existence is religion. That which connects us to trees, to the moon and stars, that which connects pebbles and stones to the sun, that which connects everything, that which is the connection of everything, that is religion. Culture is not built from religion. It is built from sanskaras (impressions/tendencies). Religion is known only when we renounce all sanskaras. Sannyas means renunciation of sanskaras. Hindu culture is different. Muslim culture is different. Buddhist culture is different. Jain culture is different. There are thousands of cultures in the world because there are thousands of types of sanskaras. Some pray facing east. Some pray facing west. These are sanskaras. Some wear clothes like this. Some wear clothes like that. I would not want there to be only one culture in the world. It would be very foolish, dull, and boring. There should be Hindu culture, Muslim culture, Christian culture, Buddhist culture, Jain culture, Chinese culture, Russian culture, thousands of cultures. Because diversity makes life beautiful. There should be many types of flowers in a garden. Only one type of flower will fill the garden with boredom. There should be many cultures, there are many, and there will be many. But religion should be one. Because religion is one, and there is no other way. So I call Hinduism culture, I call Islam culture, not religion. Okay. Cultures are beautiful. Build different kinds of mosques, different kinds of temples. Temples are beautiful, mosques are beautiful. I would not want only temples to remain in the world and mosques to disappear. The beauty would be greatly diminished. I would not want only Arabic culture to remain and Hindi to disappear. The beauty would be greatly diminished. I would not want only the Quran to remain in the world, and the Vedas, the Gita, the Upanishads to disappear. The world would become very poor. The Quran is beautiful. It is a unique work of literature. It is a profound piece of poetry. The Vedas are beloved. They are unique proclamations. They are the aspirations of the earth to touch the sky. The Upanishads are extremely sweet. Never have sweeter statements been made. They should not be lost. They should all remain. But like culture. Religion is one. Religion is that which has sustained us all. Both Hindus and Muslims, Christians. Religion is that which has sustained animals, humans, plants, everything. That which flows like a green current in plants, that which flows like a stream of blood in humans. That which moves within you like breath. Do not equate it with your culture. Culture has nothing to do with religion. That is why there can be Russian culture. There is no religion there. There is Chinese culture. There is no religion there now. There can be the culture of an atheist. There can be the culture of a theist. Culture has nothing to do with religion. Religion has nothing to do with your living and behaving. Religion has to do with your being. Religion is your pure nature, your essence. Culture is related to your external covering, conduct, behavior, and all these things. How to get up, how to speak, what to say. No tradition is formed. Religion is not tradition. Religion is eternal truth. Traditions are made by humans. Religion is. Traditions are created by humans. Religion is before humans. Humans were created by religion. Keep this difference in mind. Therefore, never mistake tradition for religion. And a religious person is never traditional. That is why Jesus had to be crucified. Mansoor had to be killed. Socrates had to be poisoned. Because a religious person is never traditional. Those who proclaim the eternal truth become very agitated by tradition, by the beaten path. They become very restless. They say this will lead to chaos. Chaos is already here, what you call order is chaos. What kind of order is that? The whole of life is filled with conflict. The whole of life is filled with countless sins. And the whole of life is filled with suffering. Yet you are afraid. Chaos will occur. What is there in your life except hell? What flute plays in your life? It is a heap of ash. Yet you say chaos will occur. A religious person is a rebel, not chaotic. Understand this. A religious person is truly a kingly person because they have connected with the infinite. They have connected with the ultimate root of life. How can they be chaotic? Yes, they have broken ties with you, with your structured system. They have moved a little outside. They have connected with the ultimate. They have broken ties with the borrowed. They have connected with the immediate. They have broken ties with the superficial. And the superficial is like plastic flowers. The life of a religious person is like real flowers. Plastic flowers look like flowers. In reality, they are not flowers. They appear to be. They are just visible from a distance. It is a deception. If you speak the truth only because you have been instilled with the संस्कार of speaking the truth, then your truth is worthless. If you do not eat meat only because you were born into a Jain family and were taught that eating meat is a sin. Such a long संस्कार was instilled that today, seeing meat, you feel nauseous. Do not think that you have become religious. This is just संस्कार. This person, born into a Jain family and afraid of eating meat, feels nauseous seeing it. They get nauseous even at the sight of anything resembling meat. They are afraid of tomatoes. This is just संस्कार. If this person had been born into a meat-eating family, they would have eaten meat equally, because there the संस्कार of eating meat would be present. The feeling within them, like that within Mahavir, was not संस्कार. It was their own experience. That causing pain to another is ultimately causing pain to oneself, because we are all one, connected. It is like slapping one's own cheek. Sooner or later, what we do to others will return to us. This realization became so deep for Mahavir. This understanding became so concrete that he stopped causing pain to others. He stopped eating meat not because he was taught from childhood that eating meat is a sin. He stopped eating meat through his state of witness. He sees meat-eating happening all around. First, he is afraid. First, he recoils, his nose and mouth contorting. Then, gradually, he becomes accustomed to it. Then, on the same table, seeing others eat meat, gradually his nose, his nostrils, become pleased with the smell of meat. Then the influence of another culture. Everyone says that without eating meat, you will become weak. Look at your performance in the Olympics. Without eating meat, you cannot even win a bronze medal, let alone a gold medal. You see your condition. You have been enslaved for a thousand years. What strength do you have? What is your average lifespan? How many diseases have afflicted you? Certainly, the average lifespan in meat-eating countries has reached over 80 years. The average lifespan will soon be 80-85, and then 100 years. Here we are stuck around 30-35. How many Nobel Prizes would you have received? If pure vegetarianism purifies the intellect, then all the Nobel Prizes should have gone to you. Only a few Jains have received Nobel Prizes. What is the matter? You have been vegetarian for 2000 years. In 2000 years, your intellect has not yet been purified. So the meat-eater has arguments. He says your intellect becomes weak because you don't get proper protein, proper vitamins, proper strength. Your body becomes weak. Your lifespan decreases. Your strength decreases. You see it every day in America. You hear news in the newspaper that a 90-year-old man got married. You are surprised. You say, what is this madness? But 90 years is like someone going to the West, hearing these arguments, seeing the evidence, and seeing the splendor of their vast culture, gradually forgetting Mahavir. If Mahavir had to go to the West, he would not eat meat. It was natural for him. He would say, "So what if I live 4, 10 years less? What is the harm in living longer? What will you do by living longer? And eat a few more animals, what else?" If someone had said this to Mahavir, he would have said, "Just look back. If you live 100 years, and you have eaten so many animals and birds, you would have piled up their bones around you." The amount of meat one person eats in a lifetime. Thousands, millions of animals and birds would be piled up. If you just think that you have destroyed so many lives. For what? Just to live. And to live for what? To destroy more animals. If someone were to say to Mahavir that you become weak, he would say, "What good is strength? To harm someone, to kill someone, to fight a war?" If someone told Mahavir, "Look, you have been enslaved for 1000 years," Mahavir would say, "There are two situations: either be a master of someone or a slave. Mahavir would say, it is better to become a slave than to become a master. Better to become a victim of theft than to become a thief." If someone told Mahavir, "Look, you don't get Nobel Prizes," he would say, "What will we do with Nobel Prizes? These are games, toys. Good for children to play with. What will we do with them? We are going to receive some other reward. That reward is only from God, and from no one else. That reward is of the joy of witness. It is of Sachchidananda. Take care of your Nobel Prizes. Give them to the children, let them play. These are toys. No reward in this world can compare to the reward of inner joy. It comes corrupted because it was corrupt. Not so. It was a paper flower. It was a false statement. It was संस्कार. Understand the difference between culture and religion. Religion is your self-experience. And culture is things taught by others. No matter how much someone teaches you with system, what is taught by others does not free you; it binds you. So when I say religion is rebellion, it is rebellion against tradition, rebellion against संस्कार. It is the pursuit of the spiritual in a different way. It comes from within to without. It is not imposed by anyone. It is spontaneous. It is like a waterfall erupting from inner energy. It is like a river flowing from the energy of water. No one is pushing. You are like someone who has a rope tied around their neck and is being dragged. Someone is whipping you from behind, so you have to walk. A person living by संस्कार is being dragged by force. They are being dragged unwillingly. A religious person goes dancing. Even if they go towards death, they go dancing. You who sing. They say, "We are simple, innocent sadhus and saints. Great injustice is happening in the world. Dishonest people are enjoying themselves. Thieves and rogues are enjoying themselves." I tell them, the very thought that they are enjoying themselves tells me that you are neither a sadhu, nor a saint, nor simple. You are like them, only your courage is weak. If you want, you can also enjoy like them, but you are afraid to pay the price for that enjoyment. So you are also a thief. But it takes courage to steal. That courage is lost. You also want to amass wealth by being dishonest. But you are afraid of getting caught, of being apprehended in dishonesty. That is why you have stopped. If you were given a firm assurance that no one would catch you, that no one would apprehend you, that there would be no fear of being caught, you would immediately become a thief. A religious person pities those who are dishonest. Because they say, "These poor souls are deprived of the ultimate joy that we are experiencing." A religious person does not envy. A religious person pities. They weep inwardly, thinking, "These poor souls, because they have something vast, and because of that vastness, there is discipline in their lives. There is no discipline above that discipline. A religious person is a rebel. But not undisciplined. Their discipline is spiritual. Internal. Self-discipline. And what you call chaos, what you call order, what has this order given? It has given wars, violence, sins, hatred, enmity. What has it given? Sinners have always saved us. We have committed sins for the righteous. Questions: Whenever we meet, we wear masks. Life has been given to us for complications. We have always sown crowds of dreams for the cities of nomads, for the desolate. Into the world of which robbers, which robbers have we come? For the hands that are cut here, for the bangles. Life has squeezed us so much that we have sold our eyes for the sake of seeing. What is here? Even eyes have been sold in the hope of seeing. Even the soul has been sold in the hope of finding God. Such is birth. No one is anyone's friend. Everyone seems to be an enemy. Nothing is found here. What do you call order? Order can only exist when there is joy in life. Joy brings order. Order follows like a shadow behind joy. Remember, a sad person is chaotic. A happy person cannot be chaotic. A sad person inevitably becomes chaotic. What have they received? So they become eager to break and destroy. The person whose life has received nothing. They break this system in anger. Do not consider this deceptive system as order. It is the trickery of politicians. And those whom you consider your leaders, whom you consider your guides, they are robbers. They are the ones who rob you. Let us rely on someone else now. O shores, you have become very selfish. Now even relying on the shore does not seem right. Let us rely on someone else now. O shores, you have become very selfish. O oarsmen, we have gone blind with reliance. Who knows what will happen to the ship. O oarsmen, we have gone blind with reliance. Thousands of helpless souls are buried here. These are not just piles of stones, O graves. Here, O oarsmen, we have gone blind with reliance. Those whom you consider your support are your exploiters. And those whom you consider administrators are merely riding on your chest. Have you ever considered that whoever is in power starts talking about order? And the person outside of power, in politics, talks about rebellion. There is a need for discipline. It has always been so in this entire world. Politicians are only attached to power. They have no concern with order or disorder. Yes, when they are not in charge of order, when they do not have power in their hands, then they say everything is wrong. Then there is a need for revolution. And as soon as they come to power, there is absolutely no need for revolution. Because the work of revolution was complete. That work was only to bring them to power. That work is done. Then, whoever talks about revolution is an enemy. And he who is talking about revolution also has nothing to do with revolution. This is a big chair. Get down from the chair. Revolution is now in your interest. A religious person is concerned neither with order nor with revolution. A religious person is concerned with self-discipline. A religious person wants to rely on external support, but has found no order in the world. Now wake up, find your own support. Light your own lamp. You have walked and wandered for a long time relying on external lamps. You have only wandered, fallen into ruins, and become bloody. Now light your own lamp and walk with your own support. No, no one outside can give you order. You yourself must give your own order. That is all for today. Hari Om Tat Sat.