Foreword  · Contents  ·  Chapter 2

1. PURIFY THE MIND TO REALIZE DIVINE BLISS

Embodiments of Divine Love,

All names and forms are of the Divine. Every person is an embodiment of the Divine. The human body has been gifted in order to know the Divine.

Everyone wants peace, bliss and happiness; nobody wants misery, worries and problems. What is the nature of real happiness? Man has to make an effort to understand what true happiness is. If you ask anyone he would reply that it is freedom from troubles and anxieties. Sensual pleasure is not true happiness even though man considers it to be so. Sensual pleasure indulged in by man makes him equivalent to a beast and upon examination of the sensual pleasures, one can see that their duration is momentary. The ancient rishis prayed and asked to be shown whether it is worldly pleasures or proximity to the Lord that gives true happiness and discovered that the Divine gives true eternal Bliss.

At one time, Germany defeated France in the Second World War. The French Chief Marshal stated that his country had been defeated because of the excessive sensual pleasures of the people. Since that time they have encouraged control of the senses.

True happiness comes from firm faith in the Divine and the full blossoming of body, mind and intellect. We should not allow our body, mind and intellect to take the wrong path.

Above and more subtle than the body is the mind, and above and more subtle than the thinking mind is the intellect. The intellect is the leader of the body and the mind, and the Master of all these three is the Atma or Spirit. We say "This is my body, my mind, my intellect." But who am I? The Master should see that the instruments are put to proper use so that true happiness which is union with God can be realized. Union with the senses brings about misery.

What is the nature of creation? God's Will transmits into creation. Everyone should have devotion to God, the Creator, so their will would be in harmony with His Will. Sita means the daughter of Mother Earth as well as all Divine qualities such as sacrifice, compassion, mercy, grace, and the Peace that is within one. In the world wherever one looks, one sees only pieces (diversity) but not Peace. Sita (see the Epic Ramayana) was always with Rama. As you are embodiments of Truth, Peace and Love (Rama), there is no need to search for Peace outside.

Napoleon had some spiritual development. In order to conquer the remaining countries during the war, he had to first conquer his sleep and hunger. He trained himself to sleep and wake at any appointed time. Once when Napoleon was wounded with arrows in the war, and the doctors wished to operate, he refused saying that he would first meditate. He allowed the doctors to remove the arrows only during meditation in the evening without an anesthetic. Napoleon had full control over his mind and thus was able to transcend it.

For the body, one's mind is the master; for the mind, one's intellect is the master; for the intellect, Atma is the Master. So the Master of life is the Atma. If we merge the intellect in God, all the senses would be subjugated. Mahatma Gandhi prayed that all should have a good intellect- "Sab ko sanmati do Bhagavan." A purified intellect reflecting the Atmic light confers true wisdom. When the intellect is full of God, naturally one will follow the correct path and experience Peace and Bliss. If the mind follows the senses, one is ruined.

Follow the Master;
Fight to the end;
Face the Devil;
Finish the game.

Who is the Master? Your conscience is the Master, so follow the conscience. To face the devil means to avoid bad company, thoughts and actions. To fight to the end means to work to subdue the unruly senses. Say, "O bad senses, don't go there, go only toward God; eyes, see only God; ears, listen only to God's glories, etc."

See no evil; see what is good.
Hear no evil; hear what is good.
Think no evil; think what is good.
Talk no evil; talk what is good.
Do no evil: do what is good.
This is the way to God.

The word "good" has two zeros. One zero stands for the world. If you remove this one zero (the world), only God will remain. So see good, do good, and be good to merge with God.

Direct all of your actions toward God. In Christianity it is said, "All are One, be alike to everyone."

If you declare that your body belongs to you, then why can't you control it? If you cannot then the body. must not belong to you. How can you offer to God your mind which is also not under your control? If your body is paralysed why can't you make it move? If your body was truly under your control, then surely you would be able to make it move. Take the example of this handkerchief. If you hold it tightly, then it is in your grip. If you drop it, it is out of your control.

Buddhi (subtle intellect) has the power of discrimination. Discrimination is of two types: individual and fundamental. Fundamental discrimination has a universal nature as that indicated in the prayer "Loka samastha sukhino bhavantu" (May all the worlds be happy). Individual discrimination is only individually inclined; one thinks only of 'my body, my friend, my relative, etc. Individual discrimination is very limited, narrow, selfish, and represents untruth, whereas fundamental discrimination is based on Truth. The intellect should follow the path of fundamental discrimination having feelings of good will to all in order to reach God or oneness.

One's so called individual Atma is identical to everyone else's Atma. There are many tube lights here in this room, but the current flowing through them all is only 'One'. All of our bodies can be compared to light bulbs. The capacities of each body or bulb may be different, but the Spirit or Atma is only One in all of them. "Eka Prabhu Eka Naam " means there is only one God; so one Divinity is present in all.

One should always be charitable. The culture of Bharat (India) teaches giving and sacrifice. We must always discriminate what and how much we should give. Discriminate when you see the beggar on the street with his hand outstretched for money. Give him clothes or food but do not give him money because he may misuse the money to buy alcohol and cause fights. Your money would have been wasted, unity destroyed, and would be responsible for these problems. Encourage the needy to find employment and to develop unity as one's body has been given to do work. If, however, you see a handicapped person whom you can help through giving money, charity should be given with full knowledge of the consequences to avoid harm. "Help ever, hurt never," and in every aspect discriminate carefully.

Spiritual aspirants should not move about here and there but should keep the body still and spend time concentrating in solitude to experience Bliss. Bliss which comes through the experience of the unity of the Atma will redeem your life. Here is a handkerchief consisting of numerous threads. The unity of the woven threads gives the cloth its strength. Likewise, the unity of the body, mind, intellect and senses will confer strength and power.

Swadharma is the true dharma. Dharma is not only that which is related to a religion or faith. 'Swa' means Self or Atma. Dharma means conscience or witness. Sath and Chit mean eternal, total Being and Awareness, not fragmentary knowledge. Being or Sath may be compared to pure sugar which is always sweet; Chit to the pure water which goes on changing (moving, flowing). If you mix them you get syrup which may be compared to Bliss or Ananda. This is not the Bliss found in the material world. The material world can give you only impermanent happiness, not Bliss.

There are five types of knowledge to be found in the world. The first is bookish knowledge, the second superficial knowledge, the third general knowledge, the fourth discriminatory knowledge, and the fifth practical knowledge. Worldly happiness is termed santosha, which means only some happiness. For example, when you are hungry you eat two chapatis and after two hours you are again hungry; so the happiness you derived from eating was only temporary. The head has responsibilities; it is not a source of Bliss. Ananda (Bliss) comes only from the heart and is permanent. The highest goal of life lies in deriving happiness from the heart. The word for heart is hrudaya meaning heart (hru) and compassion (daya).

The proper study of mankind is man. Kindness should grow and fully blossom from man's heart. God has the quality of attraction and attracts to Himself whatever is good. Gold has value and attracts but brass does not attract. Iron alone attracts the magnet because of its relationship with the magnet. The magnet can be compared to Paramatma (Supreme Soul) and iron can be compared to the individual soul. The attraction between them is due to the unity of the individual soul and God. God is one. We should understand our own Divine nature. Sometimes when the magnet is unable to attract the iron many ignorant people may say that the magnet has no power. But this lack of attraction is due to the dust and rust accumulated on the iron. Similarly, bad company, bad talk, bad deeds are like dust and cause rust and do not attract Grace. God gives tests and punishes as well. We must welcome and pass a series of tests as they are the means for promotion. In order to pass examinations, one has to prepare for tests. Today from first class to tenth class there are no tests. Unfortunately today we don't want any tests due to laziness. Even if one wishes to apply for a job as a clerk he must have an interview. One should face with fortitude all tests in life.

Life is a challenge, meet it.
Life is a game, play it.
Life is a dream, realize it.
Life is Love, enjoy it.

We are lucky to have this life; to be born a human being is very sacred. Make use of life in a sacred way after purifying the heart and eradicating anger. Lack of control over anger ruins discrimination and causes one to do wrong things. Anger is an animal quality not a human quality. When you become angry, go to a quiet place and repeat, "I am not a dog, I am a man." When confusion comes, repeat, "I am a man, not a monkey" ten times. Many people cheat, then repeat, "I am not a cheater, I am man"; "I am not a jackal, I am a man." The foreigners who have come here are all good devotees, but have a few weaknesses. They spend a lot of money on unnecessary things, have too many associations and do too much visiting from house to house.

The body may be compared to a house, the senses to windows, and the mouth the main door; keep it clean and sacred. Let the animal qualities go out; don't allow them into the residence. Don't follow other people, seeking sensual pleasures, but instead follow God. Unfortunately, we welcome bad qualities, and do not follow God's commands. When chanting Rama, as we say 'Ra' we open the mouth and bad qualities should go out and when we say 'm', God should enter to remain permanently. Why visit palm readers on the street who tell others' futures when they cannot tell their own. Devotees should use common sense. What is devotion? It is pure Love. Devotion to God develops from pure Love. Love between a husband and wife is attachment. Spiritual Love comes and grows whereas worldly love comes and goes. So follow God's commands until the end.

Once there was a young cowherd boy named Madhukar. One day as he was grazing his cows beside a river, he saw a brahmin repeating, "Om Narayana Namaha" while doing pranayama in order to control his mind. After some time the boy went up to him and asked him what he was doing. The brahmin explained that when one utters "Soham," he is declaring, "I am God." "So" (God) is uttered during inhalation and "ham " (I am) is uttered during exhalation. This is done in order to control the mind. The boy had full faith in the brahmin and because he wanted to experience God he immediately put into practice the teaching. He put the cows on one side and sat down to begin pranayama (breathing exercises). He wondered, "How does God really look? In paintings I have seen Lord Shiva on a bull, and Lord Vishnu on an eagle."

The boy had full faith in the words of the brahmin and began repeating the mantra, "Soham." He was ready to shed even his body for God. Where there is steady faith, there is success. One should care only for God. As the boy had this attitude, Narayana manifested Himself. The boy asked Him, "Who are You?" He replied, "I am Vishnu." The boy said, "I am not certain as I have never seen You before. I'll ask the brahmin to come to identify You." This boy was very innocent. He feared that Vishnu might run away so he tied Him up and went to fetch the brahmin. The Lord was very pleased with this boy's devotion. However the brahmin could not believe the boy's story as he doubted how Vishnu could appear to a mere boy. The brahmin's faith was artificial whereas the boy's was heartful. Both went to the spot where Vishnu was tied up whereupon the boy exclaimed, "See, there He is." Unfortunately only the boy could see Lord Vishnu, not the brahmin. The boy asked Vishnu, "Why can he not see the Lord?" The Lord replied that the brahmin's inability to see was due to his polluted mind and impure heart. The boy then requested the Lord, "At least for my sake, appear to the brahmin. " As God was pleased with his selfless attitude. He also manifested to the brahmin. This story illustrates the role of the Gum to show the way to God, and the effort of the devotee to develop faith and devotion.

In the culture of Bharat, the sacred axioms are:
Matru devo bhava. The mother is God.
Pitru devo bhava. The father is God.
Acharya devo bhava. The guru is God.

Mother, father and preceptor or teacher are the physical forms of God for us. We say that we have come from our parents, but this is not correct. We have come from God through our parents is correct. When you have God what more do you need? Please God by performing all actions for Him. Dedicate mind, body, senses and intellect to Him. If you have faith God will manifest in front of you.

Pray wherever you go by chanting His name. Work is worship; duty is God. God is present in all beings as Sath (Being), Chit (Awareness), Ananda (Bliss). You sit and say 'Sai Ram, Sai Ram', but your mind wanders to the dhobi's (washerman's) house, wondering whether he will bring your clothes today. Japa or meditation with an uncontrolled mind is a waste of time. Truth, Goodness and Beauty, three attributes of God, are all present in one's own heart. Pray wholeheartedly from your heart; have both compassion and Love. If you pray with Love but do not have compassion, it is useless. Coffee powder and water must both be present to make coffee. Speak softly, think of God constantly and avoid bad company and any other disturbances.

Swami concluded His Discourse by singing, "Hari bhajana bina sukh shanti nahi."

April 5, 1996; Good Friday.

Chapter 2