Question: We live in a turbulent time in the world and I understand that working on our own inner peace and consciousness is probably the best thing we can do for the world. I wonder if you have any advice so we can remain unaffected by the turbulence that we may be feeling?

Babaji: One simple plain truth is that turbulence always has been there since the beginning of creation. At that time that was the biggest turbulence. Today if the nuclear bomb is the turbulence, fifty years ago whatever weapon was there was a turbulence, a hundred years ago that was the turbulence, thousands of years ago a knife or a sword, everything was a turbulence. It is the human mind that keeps doing. It gets involved into the illusion and keeps playing and playing. The world will be like this only to tell precisely if I have to tell the facts.

Simply you have to overcome the turbulence that is in your mind. You have to realize your real Self and in the remaining time, as long as this body is available, however you can help somebody you help so they can also overcome this turbulence. If anybody comes try to talk to them about what you believe. This means you live for what you believe. For example, wherever I go my efforts will be to maintain peace, that’s what I have lived for, I have loved always, I have believed in. I always work for peace. Suddenly a turbulence happens and we get trapped, we get involved then we work out so there is peace established again. Like that we keep working as long as the body is there. Whoever can learn they can learn. Otherwise people will be into trouble, they get involved.

The sad thing is, people could have lived peaceful together from day one but they don’t learn. I have told hundreds of times, people like us have come to this world from different parts of the world, they have all advised. Even when Jesus came there was a turbulence, people were not understanding and it was much more difficult for Jesus to make people understand the spiritual truths. At least today you are all better educated, I’m able to talk to you all and try to make you understand. In those times He had to work out some other tricks to make people believe, they were all into such superstitious things, so many things, it was not easy for Him to advise them to meditate or Realize the Self. Still He advised. When He tried to advise He got killed. See the turbulence of those times? At least today people cannot trouble us so easily.

Today’s world is better with democratic countries but in those days the priest classes were so powerful. Luckily the religion that we have been born into and brought up with is not that violent. If it becomes powerful it can be dangerous for people like us when we talk the truth, they won’t like it. Even now if we try to go into certain groups which could be fundamental and fanatics it can be dangerous. But we try to talk the truth as much as possible.

Overcome the turbulence that is in the mind first and then you may be able to help somebody better.

    Question: Babaji, this faith that creates Divine manifestation like it did for you and Swamiji, how is that different to someone I know who is mentally ill, who sees angels, people from the past but all very spiritually based. The manifestations they see they are certain are happening. I understand that comes from tremendous faith, but how is that faith different from the faith you had that manifested Swamiji and the faith someone else might have when they believe they are seeing Ramana Mahashi?

    Babaji: You see, always hundreds of people might claim they are seeing a deity or Guru or the Divine but when you get to see the transformation that happens in them, depending on that you can consider whatever experience they had that was really solid. That which I tell is by imagination, mental projection and manifestation. That is the difference.

For hundreds who might be claiming it might be simply their own imagination creating hallucinations. That’s why a transformation in their life might not happen at all. Whereas an ordinary weaver boy of fourteen years old, such a transformation happened. He went into Tapas. He really sat for those twelve years. Based on that only we can consider what a solid experience He must have had. So that is how things happen.

Not everybody who claims to be seeing can be a reality. If they are not really getting that experience then a transformation will not occur. They will simply remain in that illusion and become crazy but nothing changes in their life. That’s what happens. Based on that you can tell this is simply their hallucination, imagination or only a mental projection, not real manifestation. This is all different. If a person claims they have seen Ramana Mahashi, if a real manifestation happens that should change them.

For example, you saw Baba in the physical body two or three years ago, whenever you met Baba. Change has happened within you, right? Some attitude has changed your understanding about philosophy, some transformation has definitely happened in you. So that is the reality of meeting a Yogi. You have met and have understood that Yogi and you have really become devoted. That’s how it is. Otherwise if one person simply says, “I’m seeing Swamiji, Swamiji comes.” There will be hundreds claiming Swamiji is coming to them, talking this to them, but they end up talking peanuts only finally [laughter]. You see this is a highly technical question to understand really. We can all see that, they will all simply talk, other than that no transformation has happened to them at all. If really Swamiji has appeared a transformation must happen. That made us go into Tapas, I was simply moving and looking after the Ashram, I was not ready, I never thought that I could go into such Tapas, I thought I would be singing bhajans and doing service and remain with those devotees, I was attached to those devotees who were all so primitive, talked that type of thing. I was very much attached simply to the name of Swamiji. But then I gave up everything, He made me go into reality, the truth of truths. That is the difference between one seeing Ramana and another seeing Ramana.

    Ambaji: So if there is no evolvement in the human mind that spiritual practice is not a spiritual practice? One has to evolve mentally, love, compassion?

    Babaji: Exactly. The same thing if someone claims, “I have been meditating for forty years.” Some people have seen that person meditating for forty years, they would have seen him sitting like this. You will see me sitting like this, what can you understand is going on inside me? A transformation inside has to happen.

    Ambaji: The technique has to be adopted rightly and the watching over their own personality. We judge the world but we always forget to judge what is going on in our head. If there is no judgement here then the personality never evolves.

    Babaji: Eight or nine of them came when Ambaji came to the Ashram together. They were all born and brought up in the same neighborhood with so much attachment to each other. They all were so attached to me and the Ashram but only one became really mad and stayed back [laughs] They all went back to the world. A change happens, a transformation. This is a thing which cannot be tied with a rope. It has to come from within, that attachment to spirituality.

I cannot tie all of you, your love has to come from within you, then you will come to me. Even if I try to spot you, you will come to me. Banging you head, you will come. You will get it.

    Ambaji: Just to share, Baba, I remember I was once reading about Nisargadatta Maharaj and He used to live in Bombay in very shabby conditions a single room house, that would be the house, kitchen and everything. Just in front of the house there was a public urinal. When it rained the whole area used to get flooded, but people would come from the morning and used to stand there. Someone asked what was it that caused those people to come and stand and what was it that gave them the permission to go upstairs?

    Babaji: The plain truth that He spoke that attracted them.

    Ambaji: They would stand from the morning so they could listen to the Master. Until that determination comes.

    Question: Baba, is it possible awakening doesn’t depend so much on the technique but on the sincerity and devotion to it? There are many who have awoken using different techniques and awakened people will normally say that technique is no good, mine is good.

    Babaji: That is true, sincerity is very important. If there is sincerity you will adopt the Guru’s instructions and do it accordingly. You will not give up, it penetrates your inner layers of the mind. So sincerity is the primary thing that is required.