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h.w.l. poonja | freedom now | remembering | meeting ramana | who is aware of consciousness? | who are you? | words | no practice | final abode | lion's roar
eternal rest | peace is always everywhere | plunge into eternity | i am eternal self | summa iru | wisdom | here and now in lucknow | reject everything
ma anandamayi | words | old tcheng | sayings | siddharameshwar maharaj | beyond nothing | perfection of material science | master key | non-action | self
nisargadatta maharaj | words | a great maharashtrian jnani | self-knowledge and self-realisation | meet the sage | detachment | awareness | who am I?
life | "i am" | all is a dream | guru and disciple | ranjit maharaj | meeting siddharameshwar | everything is nothing | forget everything | death is not true
real and unreal | u.g. krishnamurti | natural state | words | remembering | no separation | nothing to understand | chief joseph | way of the warrior
advaita | vedanta | devikalottara | supreme wisdom | atma sakshatkar | direct awareness of the self | vichara mani mala | jewel garland of enquiry
avadhuta gita | ever-free | ashtavakra gita | purest expression of truth | ribhu gita | heart | wisdom | bhagavad gita | essence | the song celestial
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seng tsan | faith mind | gaudapada | mandukya karika | katha upanishad | death as teacher | yoga vasistha | dispassion | seeker's behaviour | essence
ramakant maharaj | reality has nothing to do with words | lama guendune rinpoché | free and easy | ellam ondre | all is one | william samuel | now

H. W. L.  POONJA

WHO  IS  AWARE  OF  CONSCIOUSNESS ?



Let there be peace and love among all beings of the universe. OM Shanti, Shanti, Shanti.

"Anything that appears and disappears must be a dream."


T  is good to bring the mind back from its wandering tendency by concentrating on an object. It is just like holding the tail of a dog – as long as you hold it, it is straight and when you let it go it becomes curly again [laughter], because it is not the nature of the tail to be straight. So, through concentration, it is good to keep the tail straight.


Dhyana is when the mind has no object and no subject. The rest is concentration, which has to be practised. We should not forget that the mind will be calm as long as you are practising, but it will not destroy itself. The mind will not be destroyed. It will be calm for sometime. So, to keep the mind calm and destroy it forever is the aim and this is absolutely necessary for freedom. When there is no mind, this is freedom. When the mind doesn't function, it is freedom. I don't find any results by concentrating on an object, because it is done with some effort. Some effort is needed between the observer and the object of observation, and this, in between them, this function is effort. When the mind doesn't function and returns to its natural state of calm and peace, this is effortless. This is called "freedom".

To attain this freedom, no effort nor method is necessary. You have not to tread on the beaten track. You have to find your true nature, find out who you are. You have to start there before trying to know anything else. Leave aside all methods, leave aside everything. Sit quiet and do not move. Do not move the mind, do not activate the mind nor the intellect. Then observe the observer itself and this will be your true nature, from where everything else comes. This is your own nature.

If you bring any questions of making an effort, of making it a method, or of trying to achieve something in the distant future, then this will bring you into time, and time is mind. This will be play of mind only, but your original nature is empty. You are all, at every time, empty. That's all! Then, follow what thought arises in your mind. You will find that all thoughts arise from Emptiness, from their Source. When you are aware, when you see that ,"I am that Source Itself", then there is no longer a need to practice anything and there is no longer a need to go anywhere. You will see that you already have been That. This is called "freedom", which you have not to achieve or attain in the distant future. It is already there! So, if there are any questions about this, then we can discuss about this together.





Question: If one is aware that that is one's nature, but when there is any concept of time or movement there, then fear arises and there is hesitation.

Papaji: This is the fear of facing the Emptiness, because you are living in so many things, so many concepts, you see. This is the fear of having all your illusions destroyed. You are meant to face the Emptiness, face to face, and you lose everything – all concepts of the past, present and future which you consider to be your life. You're holding on to them because the feeling is that you're living along with them. So, when they leave, you have the fear of dying in the ocean of nectar. The fear of death in the nectar. And what's the meaning of nectar? Eternity, deathlessness. So, we have fear of Eternity, that "I" will become Eternal. This is a fear because we want to cling onto something for our safety. We find that we are already holding on to the body, mind and senses. This is for our safety and we do not know that when we get rid of these things, we will have peace.

When we go from the waking state to the sleep state, we lose everything. What we held onto during the waking state – our relationships with people, our relations – all this will leave. When we enter into the sleep state, we have lost everything. At that time we have no fear. But we are afraid of entering into Emptiness, because we have never heard about it, nor have we experienced it. Sleep, we've experienced and we're not afraid of it. We love to get into sleep, get into the state of conceptlessness. Getting into the state of Emptiness is the same, there is no difference. We cannot experience it because we are already in it. You cannot have an experience of what your true nature is. Therefore, don't get the idea that you have to achieve something by practice at some time later. You have to get rid of this concept. By doing something at a later date, you will enter, or receive or achieve the same thing which you are now. So, why not do it at this very moment? What will be the difference? This moment is available to you right now! Look into this moment, look into this instant of time. Look into it just now and see how you feel. You cannot speak of this instant.

It is a very beautiful subject that we are discussing. It happens, you see. "It happened", this is the experience of everybody. There, we forget that this itself will dissolve. It will find itself, you see. So, that fear will vanish and everything ends there. What will happen is, this "I" will dissolve.

Question: So, all that is needed is to look within?

Papaji: Yes. Turn your sight inside and look behind the retina. In front of the retina, there will appear objects, but try to look within. When you look inside you have solved all your problems – problems of the ego, of jealously, of fear, of everything. You will find no ego inside. Ego, jealousy and fear are all outside. You will feel jealous with someone who is higher than you and hate people who are lower than you. This is the trend of outside looking. It is easier to look inside than to look outside, so for one instant look within and you will see beauty and love, behind the retina itself.

There is no difference between looking within and stillness, quietness and peace. They are all the same. So, look inside and see what happens. Peace will come up by itself, and you will feel that looking inside at the Reality and looking outside at the dream-creation are the same. There is no difference. This cannot be explained. In quietness, in stillness, in silence or on the battlefield – to still be quiet on the battlefield, as on the high peaks of the Himalaya – no associate around you. This is peace itself and is called "equilibrium of the mind".

So, there is no need to meditate and no need to practice. Keep quiet without even a thought of making an effort – as in deep sleep – even only for a second. Here is one's true nature. Trust this! As a leaf falls from a tree, it has got nothing to do. It has no intention that "I must go northward or southward." It flies with the wind and this wind is Grace. Now, you have fallen from the tree of the ego, from where you came. You are falling on the ground, lying. So, whichever direction the wind blows, it will take you. You have no choice. This is how you have to live now. Trust this – nothing ever existed!

Question: How then should one approach the Self?

Papaji: Approaching the Self is like walking the razor's edge: two cannot go there. You cannot bring your mind nor even a thought. The only one who can help you is Self. Anything that touches a flame becomes the flame. Touch a sage and you become a sage. Knowing Self, you see only Self and this Self is your Guru. The Satguru is within! The true Guru is Self. All else is pointing to Self.

Eventually you have to get rid of the name and form of both master and yourself. You have to reject the finger in order to see the moon. Where there is name and form there is falsehood. It is an impediment to freedom because nothing you see will give you freedom. When you are drowning hold only onto Self. Reach for anything else and you will die. Don't cling to anything made from the five elements. The Guru has no body, visible or invisible. Do not depend on any body. Bodies are just fingers pointing to the Truth! Reject the form of the Guru and only the Supreme is left.

Question: What can I do so that my mind stops troubling me?

Papaji: Don't peep into the past because the past of everybody is dark, troublesome, and if you look to it you cannot have peace of mind. So, the only thing to do is not to look to the past. If you say, "It is very difficult", I will not believe you. All past at one time was present, and you enjoyed very well. This enjoyment was a stupid enjoyment because you desired the joy from someone else, didn't you? You are not happy by yourself. You took out somebody, some snake to love and it bit you. All relationships of the past are the cobras. This poison will not keep you alive, keep you happy. Therefore, the best way to keep happy is to not go to the past. Try! Any thought that comes, you have to be watchful.

Life is here to enjoy. God has given so many things in the world. God is so compassionate, merciful, helping his children. He has given a beautiful world to live, full of snow-capped mountains, rivers, forests, trees full of fruit. So, why not enjoy this world? But you must know the technique of how to enjoy, by not having these snakes or scorpions. Look at it and it will vanish. You have not been looking, therefore you are having troubles.

Question: It may sound stupid, but I’m so afraid to die. I also feel that it would be real freedom to be ready to die. Until now, the statement "I’m not the body" is only theoretical for me. It is not practical. So can you please help that it becomes practical?

Papaji: Everybody is afraid to die. There is only one trick to avoid death and that is, "Know thyself now!" Everybody is senseless, sleeping in a coma. They don't know what to do. Therefore, the best way is don't waste time. Do it now! Find out what is the reality of the beings that appear to you. It may not be true what you see. After you wake up from a dream, where is the wife you had in the dream? Like this, for generations you have been having wives and husbands, brothers and sisters. Where are they? If they disappear like in the dream, then let us think that this might be a dream also. Anything that appears and disappears must be a dream. So, whatever does not disappear and does not appear must be real. Find out what it is! Find out within yourself. Find out who is That which has no attachment with the body, mind, ego, senses or objects. You can make this theory into practice whenever you understand closely what is the purpose of that appearance in the world – enjoyment, attachment, or finding freedom? Then your eyes will open and you will not be afraid of death.

A nameless and formless person will not die. And who is that person who has no attachment with the body, mind, ego, senses, objects ? You can make this theory into practice whenever you understand closely what is the purpose of any appearance in the world: enjoyment, attachment, or finding freedom. Then your eyes will open and you will not be afraid of death. But apart from this fear of death, there is fear in your eyes, I do not know what kind of fear it is.

Question: I'm afraid to have to die now!

Papaji: When did this thought come into your mind that you have to die now?

Question: Yesterday.

Papaji: What time?

Question: In the night.

Papaji: So before this fear came, what have you been doing?

Question: Sleeping.

Papaji: And while sleeping there is no fear?

Question: No.

Papaji: In sleep there is no fear. Only in the waking state is there fear. So while awake, you must have been thinking about something so that this fear came to you. It is the thought "I am going to die" that you can't face.

Question: I was thinking about if I’m afraid to stay here. I do not know if I can leave.

Papaji: This fear is genuine fear. This is the death of the mind. So you are attributing the death of the mind to you, but when the mind dies, you will live and you will be free. This mind is giving you fear to run away from here because if you stay here it will die. This is, I agree, the death of mind and of all your desires. Everybody desires and everybody is living because there is a desire to enjoy. That desire vanishes when you sit here. The mind has been living with you for generations and now it will not die so easily. If you persist and understand that "I have got to stay here and free myself from the mind", then you will overcome death. All you have to do is to persuade the mind: "Look, I'm sitting here, if you want to stay with me, stay, otherwise you go and live with someone else. Therefore , I have no company for you. You can go with someone else. I have to stay here." This fear is of the mind only

Question: How do I put an end to suffering once and for all?

Papaji: If you have arrogance in your mind, ego, then you will continue to suffer. Ego is the source of suffering. When you surrender the ego, then the Reality within you becomes your friend. It will reveal itself to you, at once. But if you cling to the ego, two things cannot meet. You have to merge into Reality, as the river merges into the ocean. Like this, you must merge your ego into the Divinity and become one with It. This is surrender. Maintaining the "I" will not help you. Remove this "I" and you will see how close you are to Reality. "I" and the body are the same thing. How can this body ever see the Reality? It's not possible. When you meditate, don't say, "I am meditating." Don't take the "I" with you. Who is meditating on who? It is the "I" which is always in trouble and causes suffering. People say, "I am suffering, I am dying." It is only the "I" that is troublesome, so just get rid of it. Reality is everywhere, and to find It "you" must first disappear. Then you will see the Reality everywhere. It is not possible to see That when "you" are still here.

Divorce all physical relationship, divorce all names and forms. Whatever stays in the memory of your mind is a form. If it is formless, then you cannot see it. Now, in formlessness you are quite free. All forms will disappear someday, so what's the use of living with any form which will trouble you later on, which will die? This form, this body, will also leave you one day, so why love it? Be careful and only love that one Beloved which you can never divorce. She is called "Miss Peace" and She will never leave you. All other beauties will fade away. But She is hiding because you are looking somewhere else. Stay quiet and stop looking elsewhere, just for one second, and She will reveal herself. One glimpse of Her will give you Eternal happiness.

Question: This samsara [continuous round of birth and death], this duality, how does it arise and how do we end it?

Papaji: It has no beginning, but has an end. This ignorance, this samsara appears and there must be a beginning to it. This beginning is as if you see a snake instead of a rope. Only when you enquire, reason out, then the snake disappears. This ignorance has no basis. Due to ignorance of the rope, the snake appeared. On reasoning out, through enquiry, it disappeared. So, ignorance of the Self gives rise to samsara, and when you enquire into the samsara, then it is going to end. Otherwise, for millions of aeons, it will stay. It's not going to end.

So, how to stop this samsara? Only by stilling the mind. There is no difference between stillness of mind and freedom. When the mind is still, you are free. There is no method to still the mind. Only by reasoning. Only when you enquire, "How did this samsara arise? Where does it begin?" It started from sat-chit-ananda, Truth being in bliss. With the association of prana [vital energy] it became the individual self. "I" arose, then everything arose. So, this ego is beginningless, so it is not going to end. Whatever you do, it will spread more and more. Samsara has become real, but when you still the mind, it stops appearing as real. Reality is only knowledge, existence and bliss.

When the mind is made free of its attachment to what it is holding, then it becomes still. Anything dear to you in your mind is samsara. When you get rid of attachments, the mind is left still. When you look at an ocean or river, you see waves and bubbles on the surface. But waves and bubbles are just water. So, names and forms arise, but when you investigate, "This is water and water has not changed", then you will discover that the waves and bubbles are water. So, with a still mind you have to reason out. Discrimination, clarity, doubtlessness and desire for freedom will arise in a pure mind.

Question: How to still the mind?

Papaji: The mind is no different from the object. Any object is objectified mind only. Do not let your mind abide anywhere. Mind has to abide on an object, and if the object is removed, the mind cannot subsist without abiding to an object. Then, there’ll be no mind. When the mind dies, you will live and be free. Let death come, let it come to cowards, those people who are afraid of death. To them she comes and takes them away. If you invite death yourself and say, "I am not afraid of death", then you become Eternal. Only two choices are there – either you allow the mind to live, or you live without the mind. This is your decision.

Give up everything you are holding. That's all you have to do. Then your mind becomes free of any attachments, vasanas [tendencies] and desires. This is freedom. See that your mind is not running after any object. All objects are past objects. Attachment is an impediment to this wisdom, consciousness and light. When the mind doesn't go anywhere, this is "no-mind", and when the mind goes somewhere, then it becomes "mind". If you can give up all the attachments of the mind until this moment, then just imagine what will happen!

Everybody wants to understand intellectually, but the intellect cannot carry you across to the other shore. So, be free of the mind and intellect, and then you will see that you are your Self, being-knowledge-bliss. Somehow, you have forgotten it, therefore in satsang you are reminded, "You are being-knowledge-bliss." Whatever you are doing, you are doing from within consciousness. "You" are not doing, "It" is doing. Put the responsibility of action on consciousness, and be free! "It" is doing, that's all!

Question: Can you help me to see the Emptiness?

Papaji: Find out who this Seer is. Find out who wants to see the Emptiness and whether the Seer is different from Emptiness? When you let go of all concepts, what is left? Yes, Emptiness!

The dress that we wear is not "me", is not "we". The indweller, the person who wears the dress is more important. Likewise, the bodies are also like dresses. Who is wearing the body, who is wearing the bodies? And, "That" is One. 'That is one's essence, and at the same time "That" wears millions of bodies and has millions of tongues to speak. If you identify yourself with That, that One, from where time, mind and personal consciousness arise, then you feel oneness with all beings. So, from there you can recognise that "It" is speaking all the languages that others speak – the birds are chirping and the tigers are roaring, the water falls and the breeze whispers into the ears of the plants.

He finds himself to be identified with "It", and he doesn't find any separation. So, if you go to that essence, that substratum from where everything arises, then you can speak and do whatever you want. All the activities rise from there and you feel that it is you who is speaking through all the mouths, and it is you who is active through all the activity of the world. It is not difficult, you can do it here and now. How? Just by searching. Where does the physicality arise from? Go on towards it, to where this thought takes you.

Follow from where does the wave rise and where does it dissolve, and you will discover something vast, from where the waves come. So, all these manifestations are just the waves which are rising from within, from a very secret, sacred cave of you own Heart, and you are This. When you hold something else, your mind takes hold of an object, a name and a form. Then you forget who you have been and who you are. Therefore, once again, return back to your original status, your own kingdom, and don't beg. Throw away the begging bowl. Begging bowl is desire, intention, hope. So, if you get rid of desire and hope, you are back home. Instantly, you are back home. Instantly, we become One. All is One, and "It" is all. There is no doubt about it. In not going anywhere, I am everywhere.

From wherever you are, return to the centre. You can do it in this moment. Postponement is suffering, mind and time. Get rid of this and arrive at Eternity, Happiness, Beauty and Love. You've got nothing to do, only give up your old habits of desire and hope. That's all. Desire has taken you out of the kingdom and this desire itself is a begging bowl, which is never full, which can never be full at all. So, once you throw it away, instantly you are emperor. Any wanting, even wanting peace, joy or happiness is obscuring the simplicity of who I am, and that simplicity is revealed in not wanting any of them.

What is the difference in what you speak and what another speaks? Nothing! It's very simple and very easy to follow. Look into "who" is looking, that's all. The one who looks, the looking and the looked at are the very same.

Question: You say "Go within and find freedom", but where is "within"? How do I go "within" and what is freedom?

Papaji: Wonderful! You do not know what freedom is and do not know where "within" is. When you say "within" it means that you already know "without". Otherwise, how can you even say "within"? Suppose you are standing outside in front of this hall. Only then can you say, "People are sitting within this hall and are meditating and listening." You are not in the hall, you are outside. And the people sitting inside the hall say, "There is a man standing outside." Why do you say that people are sitting within? What is this "within" and "without"? You tell me now.

Question: Just words.

Papaji: If there is no hall, then where is the "within" and where is the "without"? The only thing that makes a difference is the 9 inch wall. And when you stand at the open door there is no difference between "inside" and "outside". Therefore, to be free you only need to remove the wall from your mind. What is this wall? Ego. This wall is ego, the "I am the body" concept. So saying, "I have to go within" means that I have not to care for the body, the mind, the senses or any object.

What we see outside are objects. For example, you see this flower pot and table. From an object, turn your attention toward the senses that perceive any object. Eyes see, nose smells, ears hear, tongue tastes and hands touch. These are the senses and without them you cannot perceive anything. So what are the senses? They come from the mind. If there is no mind then there are no senses and no objects.

The mind is thinking. Who thinks? Something beyond the mind thinks and that is the ego. Now, how do you know about the ego? Through consciousness you know whether this is the ego or is not the ego. So consciousness is the source of the ego, the mind, the senses and all objects. Now within this consciousness ask yourself, "Who am I?" This will take you even further, from consciousness to awareness. Something which you do not know is seated in the centre of your body and is aware of being conscious or not being conscious. Who is aware of consciousness? This question has to be asked and it will end all confusion between "within" and "without". This has to be practised.

Question: You also say that to be free everything has to be forgotten.

Papaji: Everything has to be forgotten, even God. To be free even God has to be renounced. If you don't forget everything, including God, then it means that you create duality, and there cannot be two realities. Either you are real or the other thing is real. But the other thing appears within your reality. Let the concept of God arise, but understand that it is you who speaks of Him. If you were not there, then there would be no God.

During sleep you have no relations and there is no God. There is only your own happiness and bliss. There is not even a body. Everything disappears. This is the highest experience. So, forgetting and remembering belong to the mind. Without the mind you cannot say, "I have my Guru, I have my relations, I have my country." To forget everything you only need to stop thinking that "I am so and so." Forgetting means not thinking. When you do not think, you see everything as equal. When you do not think, duality returns to oneness. When there is no feeling, no remembrance, no mind, that is the blissful essence which is who you are. Forget about yourself by asking, "Who am I?" One who has tasted That cannot speak and one who speaks has not tasted That.

You are not the body. Every night you forget your body when you sleep. That which you cannot forget is some essence which you do not know. Find out what that essence is which does not disappear. Beingness depends on nothing. Very few will have the consciousness of being, where there is no desire and no relation. Love, Truth, freedom exalts a holy person who asks for nothing. You have to be holy to win freedom. Everything has to be given up for good. You stand alone and need not be concerned for the result of any action. It is a divine gift to know who you are. You have not to worry. It will come to you by itself. Just stay quiet without any desire. It will reveal itself to itself by itself.

You're in Manhattan and somebody has slapped you on the street. Then, you go to your house in New Jersey and sleep. During the night, will you not remember this place where you have been slapped and insulted? New Jersey is where your house is. It has got nothing to do with where you got slapped. Here you are kissed by your friend. When you think of grief, it belongs to somewhere else, and that somewhere else is in the past. When you go back to grief, you have to go back to Manhattan, to be slapped again. That is the habit of most people. They can't avoid it. A slap on this side, a slap on that side. Repeating it, yet not learning a lesson. Go your way! Don't go to areas where you are insulted. Stay at home and you will be happy. I don't mean stay in your apartment. Staying at home means staying within your own Self. And if you stay there, nobody will harm you, everybody will love you.

Question: I have experienced moments of inner peace, but my tendencies and desires re-emerge and keep me occupied with so many things. They prevent me from accepting that I am this inner peace and make me feel that I have so many faults.

Papaji: When you are overwhelmed by inner peace, at the time, where are the tendencies of the mind? They are dead. When the tendencies of the old habits of the mind take you to enjoy external objects, at that time, you cannot enjoy inner peace. Once you have enjoyed inner peace, these tendencies have no energy to take you away from here, from peace. When you are so absorbed in peace, you have no tendency to look at any other object. Once you have tasted this peace, you can never forget It. It has brought you here.

When you were young, you experienced many good times, but you no longer remember them. These experiences can easily be forgotten and you don't even mind forgetting them. In fact, you are happy to forget all past experiences and all your tendencies. But once you have tasted the most beautiful peace and love in your mind, you can never forget It and It will never forget you. One instant is quite enough. If your tendencies return, then let them come, but they will not affect you. If you are very keen to remain here, you won't care for what is happening elsewhere. You won't even care for what is happening here. Your tendencies may take you to a fish market, but you will not smell the fish. You are always here in peace and you have no faults. To enjoy peace, even for a fraction of a second, means that you are faultless. No fault can enter this place of peace, wisdom and love.

When you are in the ocean of nectar, bliss and love, you only see waves of nectar, bliss and love. At that moment, how could you speak of anything else? When you have a drop of nectar on the tip of your tongue, you are Eternal and do not have to face death. So, why do you leave this ocean to return to the shore of the past concepts? Concepts are of the mind and will always deceive you. Don't believe any concept. Whenever your mind says, "You are in darkness", just look at that "darkness". Just look at anything that doesn't give you love. When you look at it, it will be converted into love, because apart from love, nothing else exists. All the rest is just concepts of the mind, that's all. The mind produces concepts to annoy you and put you in unhappy situations. The mind pulls you in all directions, but just keep bringing it back to the ocean of nectar. Fix it here. You may have to fight like this for some time, but there's no problem, just fight. Bring it back each time and remain in the nectar of bliss. You have to do this. To remain empty is much better than feeling anything else. There cannot be anything easier than this. Asking yourself "Who am I?" is the most easiest and direct way back to your Self. You have not to make any effort. Remain in the Self and ignore everything else.

Question: When I came here I was expecting to be in a peaceful state, but instead there is a state of deep sadness that has welled up in me. Together with this sadness comes a deep fear that I am too old to realise my true Self. I feel completely lost.

Papaji: It is a good sign when sadness wells up in you. It was lying below, untouched, and you were accumulating more and more of it. You didn't know what was lying on the bottom of your heart. This sadness is from your childhood, or perhaps even previous to that. It has become one with your body and you have never thought about throwing it out. More and more will be added through your wrong activities and behaviour. As you pour sand into a glass of water, it will settle on the bottom of the glass. When you stir the water, the sand rises to the surface, where it can easily be removed. You can't get to it when it's on the bottom. So when you come to satsang, what happens? In satsang everybody's mind is stirred so that this sadness, which you were unaware of, can rise to the surface. Everybody's sadness wells up here. You couldn't deal with it before so that is why you are here.

Once your sadness has risen to the surface, it cannot remain because it is very shy [laughter]. So, it comes to tell you, "Goodbye". Therefore, you must be very happy and thankful to this sadness because it has brought you here. By coming here you have won your goal. That is the most important point. Nothing else matters apart from this goal. Why care for anything else? Through wisdom you have arrived at the destination and now you will forget everything that has previously happened to you. That is the beauty of knowing your own Self. It is quite enough that you are here in satsang. Being here is not for everyone. To enjoy the happiness of your own Self is only for the rare ones, like Ramana Maharshi and the Buddha. There are not many who seek abiding happiness. Out of six billion people on this planet, there are only a handful. So, you are very lucky and you must thank your stars! They are happy for you. Sadness will no longer come in your way because you will no longer care for it.

It is always possible to live in freedom, quietness and happiness. It is not difficult, but you mistrust freedom and even misuse it. Are you not happy when you sleep? If you are, then what practice did you do to be happy? You just forgot everything and returned to your natural quietness. In the morning, people are unhappy and fight with each other, and so the doctor gives them sleeping pills. This helps them to stop shouting at each other for awhile. Quietness is the best cure for unhappiness. For how long can you shout? The more you shout, the more you get annoyed. The best medication is to keep quiet. It will not only bring you quietness, it will also make others quiet. Buddha was a very quiet person. When people shouted at him and abused him, he remained quiet. His peace quietened those around him. If a troubled person slaps your face, and if you shout back, then you are also in trouble. Just offer him your other cheek to slap. For how long can he slap you? Eventually, his hands will become too painful [laughter]. So, to keep quiet just stay as you are. You need not do anything, like when you sleep. Don't shout and don't even abuse the people who trouble you. Wish your enemies and those who trouble you only well. Wish that they find happiness. Then you will always be happy in this world, knowing that you are the source of happiness.

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