Evergreen, Colorado 13 May 2015

The Truth can be so simple, but it can appear very complicated when we need so many imaginations and judgements.
It all starts from the mind and ends with the mind.

All other objects we are able to identify, but this mind is the most infinite thing. Simply on the thought processes that are in the mind we identify the substance as mind. However, we cannot show its color to anybody, we cannot show its shape, that’s what I always meant infinite means.

But if we keenly observe, by paying perfect attention. So observing, paying attention, are the most important things, then we realize amongst the millions of thoughts that arise in that mind there is a consciousness of our own existence, that we exist. We always feel that we exist.

It’s a different matter when we would have identified ourselves with the different names of things like the physical body, it always appears. That’s because the consciousness is so much sucked into the brain’s reflections and that is the reason we are unable to notice that consciousness itself. And to whichever thing that consciousness is sucked we become aware of that and we start even feeling as if we are that.

It is just like when we are watching a movie, when our consciousness gets so much sucked into it. We identify ourselves and start feeling as if we are in the movie, as if the things are happening to us, as if we are one of the personalities identified and we are likely to forget about the consciousness of our existence that would have been sucked into that movie.

In the same way, while living in this world through this body, this consciousness has been sucked into the brain’s reflections so much and thus whatever happens through that reflection – a good, a bad, happiness or unhappiness, tension, fear, stress, everything – it appears as if it is happening to us.

Now everybody’s looking for peace and happiness. So it is through this consciousness if we keenly observe, then we can know about our Self. That is the practice of meditation which can lead you into this if you pursue on the path. When you practice it is important to understand the words of observing, watching, looking, and gazing. These are some of the terminologies we have tried to use in our talks.

Thinking is totally different from these things. When you are keenly observing all your attention is just there. You’re observing but you are not thinking anything about that. Whereas if you observe any object of this world, including this own physical body or any other object, you are likely to end up imagining what it is. You identify, you give some criteria. So because of that criteria you identify that in that name and that becomes the judgement of the mind that this is a microphone and this is a mango and this is a clock, this is physical body, this is me, like that.

But when you observe yourself, means when the mind is able to observe itself – in meditation this is what you are precisely trying to do. The mind is trying to watch itself. When we tell just keep watching there by focussing the attention and do not repeat any mantra, any name – and do not imagine anything is the third instruction during the meditation instructions that we give. Many of you would have been here with us in these meditation classes.

Do not imagine means when you close the eyes when thoughts or visions or anything might be coming up they are all based on the habits of the mind. Mind has picked up habit to visualize things in a particular way, to think things in a particular way. It always imagines thus.

So when this has become the habit, when you close the eyes, the moment then you get to notice the habits of this mind as thought processes and visions that are coming up constantly. Watching them the mind further thinks about them, means further imagines of what it is. Like this is a good thought, this is bad thing, why is this wrong thing coming to my mind, or anything that has to happen we have to do that. Like this it gets involved. This is what we advocate not to do during meditation. Even if a bad thought had come up, or a wrong vision has come up which could be unpleasant or pleasant. Just watch. Do not analyze why it has come, what it has come. Then this vision or a thought can serve like an anchor for the mind to focus. When you focus like that and just watch then those thoughts and visions also disappear. Then the mind becomes concentrated, recedes, because this mind is made up of consciousness and energy.

Consciousness means here I would say, wherever you apply your mind, your consciousness, you become aware of that existence. Like when I am talking whether I am looking at you or not, if you pay attention, if you observe what I am talking, on that talk, on those words then your mind will be able to absorb the meaning what I am trying to convey through these things.

So if you understand this then meditation becomes very progressive, tasteful and peaceful, enjoyable. That is what we constantly tell, do not imagine during meditation. So that is what is consciousness. Means it has the power to observe, to become aware of. So when you are not applying it on any thought and any vision, you are just watching, this technique enables the thoughts to disappear, visions all to disappear.

Never get attracted to any vision or any thoughts. Just watch. Then the mind gains such power to observe itself. Then you are able to observe and come to know of the facts about this mind itself. Not the things that the mind can produce. What it can produce and what are the capabilities of this mind is much more amazing than what the mind produces as a thought or a vision. This is the infinite form what we talk about. Eventually this can lead you into the Real Self that you are what we call as Immortal Soul, beyond the birth and death of this physical body.

You always exist as the Immortal Soul. Through the practice of Samadhi that we experienced we became aware that Self is simply All-Pervading. It is the same Oneness. It is One with the space. Space and this soul are not different. This Truth gets revealed in deeper Samadhi and the Ultimate Truth of this mind, which is consciousness and energy, is what is recognized as Divinity also. Eventually we realize that as the Real Self. So when we Realize these things what we achieve is a Supreme Peace once for all. A Happiness, enjoyable status at all times.

We become so matured and grown up in the mind’s maturity and we’ll be able to live a beautiful life – we can be master of ourselves. Means ourselves, all our emotions, all our thought processes which induces us into a certain type of action. We can restrain ourselves. We can think what we want and we can stop such thoughts which we don’t want. Thus we’ll be able to restrain ourself, lead us towards the right path, behave in a better way, a beautiful way in this world.

This is what can create harmony, peace in this world. We all understand that conflicts are not doing good to any of us. It is making humanity to lose peace and happiness. It is making humanity to lose that secure feeling; everywhere the conflicts, there are human conflicts. Above this, the natural disasters are also there. We have to face them also. Because this universe, this world is impermanent, its nature is like that. Anytime anything can happen, we have to be prepared. At least what we can avoid is immature behavior of humanity. So we can try to love and honor each other, achieve peace and harmony, a non-violent life. This is what would be possible eventually.

So this is why this meditation is recommended. And this technique is one of the highest methods which was practiced in very, very ancient India and also this technique was the one which my Guru obtained by the manifestation of Divine Lord Shiva as a Jangama Sage, who gave Him this technique.

He passed on this technique to us, and helped us to do some Tapas and achieve Samadhi and become aware of this Truth, so that we can create an awareness and we are trying to carry on the legacy of that Great Master who taught this meditation for more than thirty-four years in this world. He moved around. He came to America, He came to Europe, He travelled, He gave Darshan, He blessed people, He taught this meditation.

When He taught He was a unique Master. He did not teach any groupism, any casteism, any specialities, nothing. He tried to see universally all humanity as same. For knowledge and wisdom there need not be any bar of faith, religion, caste, creed, anything. Anybody is welcome to achieve this. Anybody who is willing to, who wants this, who has a yearning. So in that way He initiated anybody who wanted this from Him. He tried to talk to anybody who came to Him. He never asked for any qualification. He never asked, which religion you belong to, which caste you belong to. That was not needed.

The same way we are trying to carry on, that it is for each and everyone. For that you don’t have to be rich or poor. You can be anybody, you just need to have the understanding, an interest that you want to achieve that peace and happiness. Do you want to know the secrets of the mind? You want to know the secret of your own Existence as the Immortal Soul?

Because this is one such rarest of rare, once in a life cycle opportunity having been born as a human being, to be able to ponder over, to be able to discriminate the real and unreal. Like in my talks previously also I have told, spirituality does not prohibit you to live any way of life that you want to. You can be a householder, you can be a monk, it is up to you. But it recommends a sadhana, means an exercise, so that you can control your mind.

When we talk of control of the mind this is what my Master often said, “Meditation for mind control.” One should not misunderstand that somebody else is trying to control your mind. You as the Self and you become the master of that mind. That means thus you are able to control your mind. Control means whenever you want to think you can think, when you want to keep it quiet, at peace. To be at peace you have to keep it quiet. Then you can keep it quiet and at peace. Like I have always told, you want to drive your car you should be able to drive it and once that job is done you should be able to bring it to a halt and keep in the garage peacefully.

In the same way this mind is also meant that you need to think when you want to think and live in this world, and you should be able to keep it quiet when you don’t want, when you want to sleep, when you want to relax, when you want to rest. So this is what one can achieve. As everybody knowingly or unknowingly are looking for peace and happiness. They want peace and happiness. In the pain also if they enjoy, if there is peace or some happiness is there only that becomes okay. If it is not enjoyable nothing will be okay for us as human beings, for all creatures also perhaps.

That is why religion is taught. Today many people become adverse to the world of religion and we are not religious teachers, we don’t teach any one particular religious doctrine, ‘you do this only then only you get salvation.’ No such thing. Whatever appeals to you. The criteria is you have to control your mind and try to become aware of your Self. For this whichever method appeals to you, you can undertake such an exercise. There is no bar that you have to commit to any particular faith.

Such a unique teaching my Master gave to this world. He was compassionate. He was kind. He went wherever people loved Him, cared for Him, wherever they tried to understand Him. He tried to give this meditation to them without any discrimination.

As I was trying to mention the word religion also means obligation, your duty. For this also my Master said, “Having born as a human being you have triple main responsibilities,” He said. You have a physical body. You need to take care of the physical body. You have to make it alive, to be able to live and its health. Though it may have its own limitation but we must try our best to keep it as healthy as possible. That’s why yoga asanas, exercises and food, all these things recommended.

And using this body you need to take care of the health of your mind. You need to be the master of your mind. The mind should not become master, it should not make you to dance to its tunes. You should be able to control it, use it. And through this mind you should be able to use the brains. The brain should not use you through its reflections. Like, you should verify things in life and you should not take things on face value, or somebody’s trying to fill up your ears by false stories about somebody else. So then you should not listen to that. Like when we try to teach also, my Master said, “For a moment you take it with good faith, but you practice and then know the Truth to yourself. That is the first-hand knowledge.” So that is what He always advocated. Sadhana is so important. Practice is so important. This is why we try to teach meditation.

So I was talking about religion. The second thing is the mind, now you all understand. But in this world easily we all understand about the physical body, its health. We know how to run to a doctor instantly we need something. But often mind gets neglected when we are young. As we grow up we start thinking we are perfectly alright. Only when we are made to face the challenges of life, when they are into a head-on collision with us, when they start giving us stress, fear, tension all these things, then we start pondering, we keep wondering why this is happening. But if we practice these exercises we can be the master.

So, the third one that our Master said – moral values. Moral values also very wide subject, you can go on discussing. It’s very difficult to make a judgement what is right and what is wrong in this world, who is the right person, who is wrong. If two people are fighting it becomes so difficult to decide who is right and who is wrong. Everybody will claim their own things. But however, the criteria should be for this moral values, consideration to each other. We all need each other in this world.

Like I have told, if I want to be happy it is the right of everybody in this world to be happy. And I have also told when in my college long ago, read in a science magazine imagine, not a religious teacher not a spiritual teacher, a scientist telling, “Earth always have had and will have enough resources to meet the need of humanity but not its greed.” That had such a philosophical impact on our mind. How beautiful it is. God has given us everything for our needs.

The same thing in another simple language my Master used to tell about twelve bananas, that I have told. If you have twelve bananas you eat six, you eat eight, how much are you going to eat? At least give one or two, three or four to others also. Then all of you can be happy. If you want all the things to you, that becomes greed and conflict arises.
So this is what we all can overcome and grow up, become mature if everybody practice humanity. We need to put in efforts. Peace doesn’t happen like a waving of hand and miracle, efforts need to be put. These efforts can bring in miracles. When you put in effort, when you practice meditation, when you grow up, when you can vibrate peace to others, that can be a miraculous thing. That peace when you achieve it to yourself it will be so amazing and so peaceful.