BOOKS BY ANANTA Welcome to Satsang with Ananta

The Self is Here.

Who else is Here?

Is there a ‘me’?

A Self and ego?

[Silence]

Okay, hear this like a child: Are you aware that you are aware?

If you think about it, it is very confusing.

You say ‘I am aware.’

That means that you are saying ‘I am Aware that I am Aware.’

Is there anything else which is unchanging (unmoving) about You?

Even your very existence comes and goes (or at least we can say your very sense of existence comes and goes). Then this sense of existence comes; then this ‘cat-body’ comes and That which is just pure Awareness, playing as Existence, then starts to play with the notion of being limited (of being the ‘cat’).

But You cannot play like this unless You have a concept.

Play the ‘sufferer’ without a concept.

Play the seeker without a concept.

Just like a character in a theater, you say ‘But what are my lines? How to play it?’ Isn’t it? [Smiles] So, these lines come from the mind. What is that one standing behind the stage that is shouting the lines in case somebody forgets? It’s called something in theater. [Sangha Answers] Prompter. So, the mind is the prompter for this play. You are playing the ‘cat’ and the mind is giving you the lines. But every line is actually the same ‘Me-me-me, Ow-ow-ow.’ [Smiles] Dressed in different clothes, the prompter is just reminding you of what you’re doing as a ‘cat.’

It is not true that You are this limited one.

It is not true that You are this body.

It is not true that You are this mind.

It is not true that You are subject to your thoughts and emotions.

It is not true that You are affected by these sensations of pain and pleasure.

None of this is true.

All of this is Your play.

You are the Light and the Screen and the Witness.

How can this measly world hurt You?

It itself will come and go.

You are going to outlast this universe.

In fact, You already have.

This is how far we’ve come from our Reality, in our belief. In our belief, we are the tiny object and the universe is huge. We are full of time, but the universe has existed forever. This is what we believe. But in Your actuality, You have never been contained in this universe. You have never been an object. You have never been born.

This is what Satsang is showing you.

This is what Satsang is reminding you of.

Whatever you think about YourSelf is not true.

Whatever conclusion you are making (even the spiritual one) is not true.

Whatever position you are taking is not true.

You have no start or end.

You have no reference point.

Leave this body to be free.

Leave your attention to be free.

Allow all sensations and emotions to come and go.

Initially, be like space.

Not resisting anything at all.

Initially, don’t relate to any object.

If you have to relate to something, relate to that space in which all objects come and go.

There is no ‘stickiness’ here.

If something feels ‘sticky’ allow it also to come and go.

This is the end of suffering.

[Reading from chat]: “The sense of being aware seems also to be fading over time. Is this okay?”

But you’re aware of the fading, no? You cannot become unaware no matter what you do because then you would not be able to report this anyway. You see?

So, maybe what you’re talking about is the sense of perception or giving your attention to particular things; something like that, which seems very similar to awareness. But You are aware of the intensity of it or the fading of it.

That which is aware; is that fading away?

So, let’s do an experiment. Don’t be aware.

[Silence]

Don’t be aware.

[Silence]

Who managed it?

See? There is no escaping this Awareness, because even if you were to say ‘I’m not aware’ what you are actually then saying is ‘I am aware that I’m not aware.’ This ‘Aware’ cannot go away because it is You.

So, if something is fading, That which is aware of the fading itself is not fading. It does not have any state like intense or fading.

So, maybe the sense of the question is more of being more attentive or something. But then we’re talking about the functioning of attention, not That which is aware of attention.

Let’s check once again very slowly. It is seen by now that everything in the realm of perception is changing. Therefore, to expect any sort of stability from that which is changing is like expecting that the river should stand still when I step in it. That is a pure folly. It makes no sense. That much is clear. And we also see that everything, at all levels of perception, is subject to time, is subject to change. So, to look for the Timeless, the Eternal, in that which is subject to change, itself is ignorance.

So, where must I look for That Eternal Self? Where must I look? I must look at that (or for that) which Itself is looking …, (the other side of perception). [*Signifies the Awareness side]

[*This hand metaphor holds one hand in the middle signifying the stationary ‘I Am.’ The other hand he moves either behind or in front of the stationary ‘I Am’ hand. He moves the free hand behind the stationary ‘I Am’ hand to signify the unmoving, unchanging ‘Awareness’ or he moves the free hand in front of the stationary ‘I Am’ hand signifying the belief that ‘I am something’ or ‘the changing phenomenal world’]

It is found that everything on this side of perception [*Signifies the changing side] is subject to time and subject to change.

So, one must look at that looking itself.

Where am I looking from?

Who is it the one that is aware?

Then we find that this is I, the Self.

But It-Itself is empty of anything perceivable. This is the most beautiful discovery; That which is unperceivable and yet it is recognized. There is nothing else like this. Everything else needs perception for recognition. But the Self is unperceivable; yet recognized.

We recognize this quality-less, attribute-less Awareness.

This is Your original Self.

We find that everything else is also YourSelf, the dynamic aspect. Everything else is coming and going but Your true Self, Your Original Self, is unchanging.

Then You also recognize that in Your dynamic aspect, You have the power to pretend as if you are something other than this Self. This power to pretend as if ‘I am something else’ is the power of belief.

As we let go of all this baggage of beliefs, this pretense of ego is left behind.

All this is completely true about You Now.

When I say ‘Don’t make anything a thing. Forget about it. This is YourSelf, forget about everything else.’ then you might say ‘But how do I forget?’ It seems so real sometimes; it seems so important, so meaningful. And for this, the Sages have given us two important tools; two important thorns to remove these embedded thorns.

If you see that you are empty Right Now, then there is nothing to be done, then no tools are needed; nothing. But when it seems like ‘No, but this is important, this is ‘me’ and on this I have to take a stand, to make a conclusion [then you can surrender it.] Or are you are completely open, including open for whatever action might be appearing from here?

So, this is what I am talking about. There are two main tools. The first one is surrender, which means that to which you feel that you are devoted to (maybe God, Satguru; it could be the embodiment of the Master) …. you can surrender all to This One.

[Thoughts like] ‘This is happening to me. This is not happening for me. I am finding freedom. I am not finding freedom. What about this relationship? What about my money?’ All of this has the non-existent ‘me’ at the center of it. And that is why it is worth giving it up. Because it is about nobody, so it is worth giving up. And the way to give it up is to say ‘It is my Father’s problem. It is the Satguru’s problem.’ In fact, better than saying that it is a problem, just to say ‘It is my Father’s Grace; it is the Satguru’s Grace.’

But if you don’t feel like this has integrity for us, if it just feels like some sort of make-believe, it just feels good or something, then we can inquire in to it and check. Whatever position you might be taking about yourself, you will find that it is not true in reality about what You are.

The other day Karuna asked me ‘What does it mean to be open?’ I said that openness is to not make a conclusion. He said ‘That’s it.’ [Smiles] So I said ‘Then try it.’

So, the path of surrender is that all conclusions are surrendered at the Satguru’s feet. And in the path of inquiry, all conclusions are inquired into and it is Seen that they belong to nobody. That is why it is so beautiful as we recognize what we are. I like very much how we just checked so simply this morning. We recognized that I am that Unchanging One with no qualities or attributes. There is no other ‘me.’

This recognition is very helpful because when the mind comes with this story of a limited you, it is not bought so easily. And the other way also; as you surrender or you inquire into these stories, it becomes so straight-forward, this recognition. There is so much space for this recognition. That is why it is a beautiful virtuous cycle in this phenomenal play.

[Reading from chat]: “Father, does complete freedom from all conditioning only happen through Grace? Or through self-effort? Please explain the balance between effort to be aware, to engage in honest Self-inquiry and let go of conditioning (the balance between all of this) and Grace.”

Bhagavan Sri Ramana Maharshi was asked this exact same question, maybe a hundred years ago. And he said that as long as it feels like you have a choice, as long as it feels in your heart that you do have a choice, then you must make the choice to let go this stream of thoughts. So, whether it is surrender or Self-inquiry, if it feels like a choice that a ‘you’ must make then you must make that choice; till one day you see that all of this choice-making was also just Grace.

If it feels like the habit of the ‘me,’ the habit of the ego, the habit of the picking up of the ego is too strong, it feels like in this very moment ‘I can’t help it; I have to pick up the pretense of the personhood’ (this personhood which is just made up of this idea of duality; this concept of doership and the desires of this non-existent person) …, if you believe yourself to be a limited one, then just conceptual Advaita will not help. Just the concept of ‘Oh, but I am always free’ …, if the perspective is always from limitation, it doesn’t really help. Then, it’s better to inquire into ‘What is the reality? Who am I?’

Then you will find that actually, all of this [has always been Grace] because there never has been a ‘me’. It is not that we get rid of an actual person or we get rid of an actual ego; we just see that it was never there. You see that there never was an entity called ego. Then we see that ‘Ah, all of this was just the will of Consciousness. The play of delusion and the stepping out of the play of delusion was also just the will of Consciousness.’ Then we see that everything has always been Grace.

Now, what is the other approach that sometimes we can take in Advaita? Let’s look into that a little closely because many fall into this kind of trap. We get the sense that ‘My Master said that everything is Grace so I am just going to sit around. [Smiles] I’m not going to do anything. I’m just going to sit around.’ But that sitting around is also a doing which you are presuming that you are doing as an individual. You see? So, you are not really seeing that ‘All is Grace.’ You are taking a position that ‘Now I am going to become now anti-inquiry’ (or something like that). But that is also a position; that is also a doing. We are still converting the activity that is perceived in this reality and we are making a false doer of ourselves.

All this can happen because of a sort of mental Advaita, like ‘Why should I do the inquiry? I’m not the doer so I am just going to watch TV instead.’ But that watching TV is also a doing, isn’t it? ‘I am GOING TO watch TV instead.’ …, like you saying ‘God would prefer [Chuckles] to entertain ItSelf with TV.’ (By the way, I am not saying anything about watching TV or not. I also watch quite a bit of TV.) I’m not talking about the activity per se; I am talking about the position of individual doership which can still be taken and applied very conveniently to that which can free us from this false sense of doership itself.

The mind does not fathom neutrality. The mind only says ‘I’m either doing, doing…, or I’m not doing, not doing’ which are both doing. Just like desire and aversion are both desires. ‘Want, want, want’ or ‘Don’t want, don’t want, don’t want’ …, both are desires actually. In the same way ‘Doing, doing, doing’ or ‘Not doing, not doing, not doing’ both take a position of just holding the hands together. [Crosses arms across his chest in defiance] That is also a doing.

Since the mind does not fathom neutrality, it therefore makes the opposite of seeming-doing and says ‘Okay, this is the non-doership.’ It is not that. Non-doership only means ‘I see that there is no person anywhere doing anything; all is happening naturally in the light of my Being.’ It is Seen, as these words are spoken, that there is nobody sitting here speaking them; they are arising on their own. There is no individual doer of them. So, it is not the stopping; not the doing of the stopping of activity. The mind can make this conclusion that ‘The Master said you are not the doer so now I’m just going to stop doing.’ But that is also a doing. The Master is saying that ‘You are not the doer because that which you consider yourself to be does not exist.’ Once you see this (that ‘that one’ does not exist) then you see that all is Grace because the one that was presumably putting the effort in, is the non-existent one.

To come to this recognition is what the inquiry is for. And the inquiry is a very simple thing. With integrity and earnestness, we are just looking at who I am. ‘Who Am I?’ That’s all there is to it. It’s not about coming to some special experience, it’s not about getting to a state (all that can happen, or not; it’s okay). Because I feel like many get attached to the by-products of inquiry and then feel guilty when they don’t have them. There are many also who hardly did any inquiry but spent a lot more time feeling guilty about not doing it. [Chuckles] So it is not even that. It’s just an honest introspection: Who Am I? Not ‘What state I am in? not ‘What experiences I am having?’ It’s just ‘Who Am I?’

Even if it feels like the whole universe has become a firefly in front of you, yet the question remains: ‘Who are You?’ …, if it seems like you are beyond all limitations in space and you can visit any realm you like, yet the question remains: ‘Who are You?’ …, if it feels like you come to a state which is beyond turiya, beyond the false, yet the question still remains: ‘Who are you beyond all these states?’ [Silence]

So, this is what I would suggest to most of you, to see that you are empty of all of this, Right Now, and remain in this notion-less-ness. If it feels like some notion is too strong then use the tools of surrender or inquiry. Then you will find that actually, they are the same.

And this is the main point. In your natural, notionless Existence, the Truth of what You Are is completely apparent. Even though you might not have the notion of it, you might not have a concept of it, the Truth is true. And even when you do have the notion of it, a concept of it, the Truth is true, but you are playing with the mask of that which is false.

This morning I felt I lost my phone. Why? Because it’s the first time I’m wearing this kurta (long shirt) so I’m not used to the pockets of this one. I kept looking for it in my trousers, on my bed; everywhere. Where was it? It was always here; just I was looking for it in the wrong place.

So, this is the same thing. We’re trying to find ourselves and we feel like ‘I’m lost.’ It’s not that you are lost, but you are looking for Your Self in the wrong place. Your Self is Here. Where are you looking for it? A seeker means someone who is looking for the Self, presumably (looking for God, looking for Guru, looking for Self; same thing).

So, all the Sages are ever trying to tell you is this. You are the Self. We are looking for it in the wrong place. Can you find That which is eternal completely in the realm of the ephemeral? Of course, even that which comes and goes is also the Self but that is like the flowing river; it’s the ever-changing flowing river. You’re looking for That which is the stable substratum. You’re looking for That which is beyond birth and death; That which does not have fear or desire.

I feel that all of us have enough experience now to be able to say that everything which is perceived is changing. Everyone can admit that by now? Everything which is perceived is changing. So, on this side of perception [the side of the changing] you will not find it if you’re looking for That which is eternal; that which is eternal, that which is not changing. So, this side, we’ve checked. Like me looking for my phone, I checked the bedroom, the bathroom, the living room; everywhere. So, we’ve checked everything on this side and we saw that everything here is changing.

Now, where is still left to look? What about on this side? [the side of Awareness] Who is there on that side of perception?

On this side [the changing side] of perception is all of this world and all of its objects and feelings and emotions and sensations and everything which is perceived.

On the other side of perception, what is there? [Silence]

[Someone in sangha says]: The one who is looking.

A: The one who is looking. Is that changing? Or unchanging?

[Someone in sangha says]: Unchanging.

A: The Unchanging. What is the relationship of this one that is looking, and you?

[Someone in sangha says]: It is Me.

A: It is You. Is there any other You?

[Someone in sangha says]: No.

A: So, I said, ‘The one who is looking, the one who is on that side [Awareness] …, is that changing or unchanging?’ She said ‘Unchanging.’ I said ‘Who is that one?’ She said ‘It is Me.’ I said ‘Is there another one of You?’ She said ‘No.’

Finished! [Laughs and laughter in the room]

You were looking for the unchanging Self. You found it. Now?

[Silence]

Now don’t make anything a ‘thing.’ Especially for you; don’t make that you’re making something a thing into a thing. You see? It’s a subtle thing. Because I say ‘Don’t make anything a thing’ it you can feel like ‘But, Father, I’m making that thing a thing.’ But I can see what is troubling you more than that thing itself is that thing that you’re making into a thing. [Chuckles] You know what I’m saying? That is also not a thing, because it is gone.

Nothing has survived this moment. Unless you make it a thing.

And some of you are new, so you might wonder what I’m talking about. I mean: Don’t make anything a conclusion; don’t make anything a belief, something that has meaning for you. The Truth has meaning. The Truth has meaning but this meaning does not need a concept. This is the only meaning (meaningful) but it is beyond all concept, beyond even all perception. Because we just checked. We saw that I am on this side [Awareness] of perception. I am the Unchanging One. Not only am I the Unchanging One, I am empty of all qualities and attributes. That is why another name for Me is ‘No-thing’. I am that No-thing which is the eternal witness of all things. That is why I am not ‘nothing’ because ‘nothing’ cannot witness.

I am ‘No-thing’ which is the eternal witness of all things. I-Myself, in My original state, am empty of all qualities and attributes and therefore, nothing which has any qualities and attributes has any meaning in reality for Me.

This is the Self, never enhanced or diminished by anything, completely empty of all attributes, neither big nor small, neither old nor young. There is nothing you can truly say about It.

Basically, what I said is that you found this ‘Ananta’ which is subjected to time; this physical one. But this not where we are truly One. If you find the One or you recognize the One which is not subject to time, can we meet there today?

’So, take your ‘time’. [Chuckles] (It looks only funny to me!) [Silence] How will you find this One? Sight; sight can help you? Sight? Anything that you can see through this sight; can you find something which is timeless, that does not come and go with time? Through any other senses? Then? Through inward perception, memory, imagination, dreams, thoughts, emotions?

Not only is it timeless, but also it is unchanging with time. Timeless means that which does not have birth or death. But this One, this Reality, does not even change with time; is neither enhanced nor diminished, no matter what. [Silence]

So, we cannot use our senses. Then, what else have you got? The senses are out. Then, what else do you have? What about intellect? Can you just reason your way to it? You might get the concept of it with your reasoning. If you use your mind and intellect, you might get some concepts of It. But what about It? Through intellect? [Smiles] Yes or no? Maybe? Intellect also no; senses no. What else?

Now comes the tricky one. What about attention? Where all can attention can go? Can it go somewhere outside You at one point? Can it go somewhere which is timeless [Pause] and survive? [Smile] Can it go somewhere which is timeless and survive, in the sense that it is also present when the timeless is present? You know what I mean? Not just present (because it is always present) but the recognition of the timeless is present and there is a movement of attention in this palpable way and therefore, that itself becomes the object of attention. Is that what the situation is?

How many have lost me at this point? [Smiles] Lost me? Okay, let’s see. Where all can attention go? Can go on this world? All the senses we talked about (it can go on this body, all the emotions, sensations, thoughts, all our reasoning, intellect) it can go to all of these.

When I say ‘Go deeper’ then go with me and tell me what happens. Go deeper. Tell me where you are. [Silence]

Then, tell me if this is true or not. You come to this sense of Existence and Being that ‘I just Am.’ And your attention can rest even there, in the sense ‘I Am,’ in the sense of Being. Don’t force yourself to find it. See if you can stop Being …, and naturally your attention will go there.  Make an inner attempt to not exist.

You will see that this Existence is just Here.

So, as you are recognizing the timeless, forget about the timeful. And I’ll tell you how to forget. How to forget? Guru Kripa Kevalam. Simple. Otherwise inquire into: What is Real? What is True? Who are You? (Same thing.)

And you are yearning for This because the yearning is not for something which is going to last for some time only. We’re done with that play. You see that everything in this world passes in some time. You’re done with that. You’ve tasted all of that. You’re done with that. That’s why even to come to two Satsangs means that there must be a yearning somewhere for that which is beyond time. Why I say ‘two Satsangs’ is because the first one you could seem like somebody forced you to come. [Smiles]

[Silence]

The mind has everything upside down. It will say ‘Oh, this is very nice. But Ananta, when I go back to the ‘real’ world…’ [Chuckles] It plays it so well, that ‘This is the Reality you are finding which is beyond time.’ Just with words (with concepts) you have hypnotized YourSelf, deluded YourSelf. This is the power of Your own concepts. [Smiles]

Now you are discovering that This is Your Reality; That which is beyond time.

What can you feed this timeless One?

Does It want something from you? …, from this world?

Does it want even devotion? Trust? Joy?

Does it want?

It doesn’t mean they can’t come; of course, they can come. It can appear. Everything can appear in this world. But you’re not looking for Your Reality, you’re not recognizing this timeless One because something will appear in this realm, because even that will be in time. Suppose nothing happened, nothing changed in this realm, but You just Saw that You are the timeless One. Okay? Or no? Enough? If nothing changed in this realm in the realm of time, nothing changed, but You saw that You are the timeless One. Enough? Or no?

When you say ‘This is enough’ then you can truly say ‘Guru Kripa Kevalam.’ Because You don’t want anything from This. [Gestures Outward] Then, because you don’t want anything from This, you can’t fear anything that happens. You don’t want things only a certain way therefore anything that might happen is okay. So then, you don’t fear ‘Will I have this or not? Will I lose this or not?’ Once you see that You are the timeless One, what is there to desire or fear (which is the same thing ultimately)?

So, don’t put the coconut back into the equation. [Smiles] Because the coconut is also in time. Don’t put this body-mind back in the equation because the body-mind is also in time.

Now what can be taken from You?

What can be taken from You?

What?

So, that which is in time is going to go anyway. Nothing which has come in time stays eternally. This whole planet, this whole universe, has appeared to You in time and will disappear for You in time (in fact, every morning and every night).

What will You take?

What can You take from even This into Your deep sleep?

You can’t even take that.

In fact, it is even possible (even with this so-called ‘play of continuity’) it is completely possible for you to go to sleep tonight and wake up tomorrow like [Looks around Surprised] ‘How did I get here? What happened to my life? My world? My house? My children?’ They could be anywhere. Even if the memory of the so-called ‘continuity’ is there, it is completely possible because You can’t tell what happened in sleep (if there was something like that).

So, then, my next question is, what is aware of even this Being?

What is that or who is that which is aware even of this Being?

Here it will feel like even attention is gone. It might feel like its resting at home, but in this state of rest there is nothing that distinguishes it; That which is Aware.

Here is the Timeless One. This is what You Are, your Unchanging Self.

And if You believe you are something that is subject to time, best way to get out of this misbelief is not to think about anything that is in time. Don’t want anything which is in time, don’t worry about doing anything which is in time, don’t fear anything which comes up in time. I would go so far as to say, forget about that. I know that these words can be spoken only within time, yet, can I just say forget about that. When I say ‘Forget about it’ I mean forget about everything that is in time and space. But even one of them is enough, it’s the same thing.

How to not worry about anything in time? Say ‘it is Guru Kripa Kevalam’. It is my Master’s Grace. Whatever is in time is my Master’s Grace.

All the great Sages actually had said that besides this Unchanging Reality, nothing has ever happened anyway. If you listen to their last interview, be it Maharaj [Nisargadatta] be it Bhagavan [Ramana Maharishi] or any of the great sages, all of them have said ‘If I leave you with one understanding, is that nothing which appears to have happened in this time and space has ever happened.’

So, a beautiful tip to get to this insight is just surrender. Everything in time, I leave up-to my Master’s Grace. Everything. Everything that is in time happens with the Will of my Master.

Guru Kripa Kevalam.

But even if your temperament is not like this, if it’s not devotional, it’s always resisting this expression, Master’s Grace, then inquire (like we started with) ‘What is it that you truly are?’ Everything comes and goes. Are you also a coming and going? Everything comes and goes, are you also an appearance that comes and goes? Or are you That, that Witnesses, That is Aware of all appearances yet Itself does not come and go? And You come to the same point as with the surrender. You see that You are not subject to time anyway so why be concerned about that which is?

That’s why I’ve often said that surrender and self-inquiry are actually the same.

The first question is [Reading from chat]: “What is Self-Realization? What is Liberation?’

We’ll go with the long answer. There are two aspects to that which we call Self-Realization. The first aspect is the recognition about what is True about You, the recognition of the Truth of Your Reality, of the Self. Self-realization.

So, the first is Self-recognition.

What is It that I truly Am?

All this inquiry, all this we go through in Satsang every day, is so that You can come to this Seeing of That which is beyond time and space, That which is the pure Self, untouched by any appearance; That which is the Source of all appearances and yet no appearance can harm It in any way, can affect It in any way; That which is Your Reality, which is beyond all the states (waking, dream, sleep states); That which is the primal Witnessing of all that comes and goes, but It ItSelf does not come and go; That which is Ever Present prior to time, never enhanced nor diminished. It is Unchanging. For that we can never say ‘It is not.’ For everything else, we can say it is not because everything else comes and goes but It does not.

All of these various aspects which we speak of in Satsang and that which is discovered by the Grace of the Satguru; this Self. This aspect is called Recognition of the Self. And it can happen sometimes in a very sudden way. It can feel like [Snaps Fingers] ‘Oh, something happened! It’s clear. This is what I Am. I cannot this ‘me’ but this is what I Am.’ Or it can be a slow and steady, sober recognition of the unchanging Self. This is the first part. The first part makes the second part easier.

The second part is the letting go of that false conditioning, letting go of ideas about OurSelf. Why I make this distinction is because many times you could have a clear moment of Awakening (of Self Recognition) and yet, even that adds to your conditioning. Even that can become part of conditioning where some specialness can come or some feeling of having to hold on to it can come. That is why it is also important to allow all these notions to come and go.

The liberated One is one (I would say) who is clear about their Reality, who is clear about who they really Are and for Whom this voice of limitation (identity) at best has become comedic or laughable. So, this I would say, is Self-realization.

[Reading from Chat]: “Is it a gradual process of being established in the Self?”

Yes, it can be; or it can seem very sudden. The first part (the recognition part) for some it can seem like it is sudden and for some it can seem like it is gradual. But usually it is the letting go of conditioning part seems to take some time in this play. But what is important is to see that the dropping of the conditioning also has to happen Now. So, we can say certain things which are temporal, which are based on our experience of seeing such Beings. But when I say this to you, I have to say to you that we can only drop it Now; or that it is already gone Now. Right Now, You are empty of all of this. Yet, in Your worldly play (the play of the coconut) which is the outward representation of You, it might seem like it was a journey. But what you’re finding about YourSelf is That which is outside of time. The gradual process (or the outward process) belongs to just the outer shell, not to Your Reality.

[Reading from Chat]: “Does Father find it easy to always be as the ‘real’ Self free from identification?”

[Smiles Nods] There are two clarifications in this. So, when all of you say ‘Father’ [Smiles] this ‘Father’ is not this ‘Ananta’. This ‘Father’ is the Satguru Presence who is using the body of this one to communicate, to share. So, Father or Maharaj or Bhagavan or Guruji is all referring to that same Holy Presence. It’s not referring to a particular body. So, this ‘Father’ is always Free.

‘Ananta’ is another matter. It is an important distinction. So, for Ananta I can say (because I feel like that is what your question was) that he is mostly taking what this voice is saying to be comedy or just allowing it to come and go. There can come a moment once in a while where momentarily it can seem like what the mind is saying has some meaning but this momentariness is also reducing as time is going along.

I have to say this honestly with you because otherwise what can happen is you can have a sense of ‘one-hundred percent’ idea. [Gestures towards Head] But there is nobody, nobody, who has appeared in this realm who has been ‘one-hundred percent’ because the conditioning, the design of this realm, is so engrossing, it’s so immersive, that everyone who has come here (be it Krishna or Ram or Jesus) they’ve always had a few moments here and there where the identification seems to be here. And that is the same here.

Although when I look back at the life of this one, I look back in some amazement sometimes and say ‘Wow, there was a time where this life was seemingly-led completely in the oppression of the mind.’ And it seems like an alien life now, so driven by desire and doership. Now it seems like a completely different life by the Grace of my Master [Sri Mooji] that this oppression hardly ever rears its head.

So, forget about ‘one-hundred percent.’ You will find that life becomes more full of ease and comfort, no matter what the external seeming-circumstances might be because the oppression of the mind is reduced to such an extent that we start to see that all things are just the Grace of the Master himself.

You know what the best new is? That even if you don’t come to a full stop, even if there is a ‘but’ or an ‘and’ …, [it’s always] God Now. There is no escaping it. I know that what some of you are doing when you hear something like ‘God Now’ or ‘me-ow’…, that that is the moment when the ‘me’ is picked up again and suffering comes (‘ow, ow’). Then you pick up more ‘me-ow’ saying ‘I should not have done that! I should have just stayed with God Now.’ That is more and more ‘me-ow, me-ow, me-ow.’ [Chuckles] That is why I have to keep reminding you: It is okay. Whatever has happened is okay. God Now. There is no point in ‘Why do I do that? Father had told me just to drop this. I keep doing it. I must be lost. When will I get to this stability?’ All of this is more and more ‘me-ow, me-ow, me- ow.’

If you are hearing me, just the first part is important: God Now. Whatever would have happened; it’s fine. You have not lost any time. Time is a toy for You. Throw away this idea that ‘I have lost all this time. I have been at this for so long.’ It’s all rubbish. It means nothing to You. There is no reason to beat yourself up about anything or feel proud about anything. It is just the simplest Truth hidden in plain sight, which is why it has seemed so difficult to find and yet it can seem like ‘It can’t be this. This has always been here.’ ‘I Am’ is ‘God Now’.

I’m very happy also because these days when I say ‘God Now’ or ‘God is Here’ I can see that more and more that it is becoming a struggle for you to be able to say ‘But…, (something).’ Earlier when we used to do this exercise, everybody was so quick to say ‘But, but…’ Now it’s like ‘But….’ and then you have to start looking up. [Makes a gesture of thinking] [Chuckles] That’s it. This ability to make yourself play with this game of suffering…, now to suffer you need to make more and more effort (unless you add the concepts of Satsang itself to yourself individually, personally). That’s why so often I have been talking about this ‘ocean and the coconut’ because I have seen over the years how much some of you have suffered because of this idea that ‘I have found the Truth therefore now my coconut should only dance like this.’ God is Here Now and You are It. [Silence] Who is Here Now? [Chuckles] Whether you say ‘God’ or you say ‘I Am’ makes no difference to me. For me, it is One.

What is that ad? [Asks Sangha]: The advertisement in India which says ‘Something is on; something is gone.’? God is on; the problem is gone. [Chuckles] Both cannot be True.

From the depths of all the jnana, from the depths of all the knowledge, you can say this. And from the depth of all the bhakti, from the depths of all the devotion; you can say this. We See that there is only One Being who is beyond all births and deaths, beyond all suffering, desire, aversion, beyond all limitations. We can say: ‘I Am’ is this Being. More often, as we feel devoted to this Holy Presence in our Heart and our head automatically bows down to It, we can say that ‘God is Here Now. There is nothing for ‘me’ to do.’ So, whatever approach we might take to spirituality, we come to this Holy surrender which is the same as the Holy recognition.

It is so beautiful. I was sharing yesterday with someone that it takes less than a moment to leave this Universe of time and space. We seem like we are so caught up. It can seem like (the mind can say that) you are so caught up in this world of time and space. But it takes less than a moment.

First I was saying: Okay, just in that moment when you close your eyes, it is so clear; you are gone. Because this realm where your Presence IS is beyond any time, beyond any space. It is not a physical thing. It is not a phenomenal thing. Where is Your Existence? That is so clear for You Now that it is not in this Universe. And then I said: Actually, even with eyes open it is completely clear that Your Existence is just Here. But this ‘Here’ is not here in space or time. That is why you can always say it. That is why you can always say that Your Existence is always Here’ You can always say it. Because unlike other objects in time and space which are always coming and going, you can never ever say ‘It is always here.’ But Existence always IS. Because It Itself is the father of time and space. It is the mother of time and space. Without You there never is time or space.

You are discovering the Source of all of this, with no selfishness. You are discovering the Source of all of this, not for the benefits that coming to the Source can give you. But just for the Truth itself. As this Truth is revealing Itself to you, all these mysterious-seeming insights about this world will seem very normal. It’s a very normal thing.

First don’t try to make a very clear conceptual framework using your mind about any of these things. These things are beyond the mind. If you give it to the mind, then only specialness or unworthiness can arise. Don’t make concepts out of any of these. Just remain with your truest insight and all that has to reveal itself to you is going to reveal itself to you.

My point about saying all of this is also not so much to give you any ideas or notions about these things; it is just to shake up your concept of reality for a bit. We seem to get caught up our notion of who we are and what this world is and what time is and what space is. So, when I share these ideas with you from my insight, it truly shakes up the our version of the Universe and our place in it. One of the most common notions that we have is that ‘I am an object in this Universe.’ But I like to shake this one off a bit quite often. And I know many of you struggle with this (many times) when I say ‘You are not an object in this world. At best, the world is an object in You.’ There’s something in this which the mind just cannot handle. So, it takes you to a deeper quietness. Like, this is just obvious.

I am comfortable to say these things because I know that in Your deepest insight, this is already true. It can be a bit shaky for the mind until we start to lose our reliance on this minor instrument.

[Reads from Chat]: “We see people in the world undergoing severe suffering, living in difficult circumstances. How does Consciousness allow extreme suffering in the play, to make it a nightmare?”

So, (like I’ve said often these days) that this is a ‘why’ question. ‘Why do these things happen? Why do bad things happen to good people? Why does this happen in Consciousness?’ But this ‘why’ is based on an idea of limitation.

So, sometimes these answers (for some, at a particular stage) might seem like they are too strong or it is just not resonating, and that is fine. But this is the way I have to speak at the moment.

Once you clarify what You really Are, who You really Are, then You will See that in this realm of appearances, all the contrasts are always available about everything. This is the realm of duality. This is the realm of duality and the opposites are completely here. Once you clarify Your true position, then the opposites will not bother you. You would See; just like we go to see a movie in which there is all kinds of drama, all the opposites are there. And in fact, if only one side was there it would be very terrible as a movie. Either the move is completely oppressive from start to end, it would not be very well liked; or it is completely happy, only happy, then in fact it would not be very well liked. That itself shows us that there is something in Consciousness that wants to experience the contrast. And it is the same for our life as well. We want to experience the opposites. We don’t always want sweet, sweet, sweet, sweet. We want a change in taste. We don’t always want to hear the same music. We want some variety, we want some change in taste. And it is the contrast which makes things very sweet sometimes. So, that is one aspect of it.

The second aspect of it is that even if you do consider that this world is suffering in this way and it is unfair, what is the best gift you can give to this world? Even if you were to suppose that this world is unfair and it has got a lot of things which should not happen, then even from this limited perspective, what is the best gift that can be given to this world?

It is the gift of Your own Freedom.

Why this is the best gift?  Because as You are free of this oppressive mind, then God’s light, the Holy Presence uncontaminated by ego, shines in the world. So, all the Sages, irrespective of whether their expression was this way or that way, have been the best gift in the world.

Satsang is your opportunity to give yourself and the world this gift of Your Holy Presence. And to shine this light as you become free of your suffering.

As you become free of your suffering, you give light to others to become free of their suffering.

Sometimes, the chocolate doughnut will come on the conveyor belt of your mind. [Pretends to be interested in passing doughnut] [Chuckles] And you pick it up. Some belief will go there. But the good news is that in the next moment, you are calorie free. What more can you want than that? [Chuckles] Even all the calories you consumed a moment ago, you are Now calorie free. What more beautiful gift can there be?

You might consider yourself the greatest sinner in the world; the most guilty one. Or you might consider yourself the most special and the most worthy one. It doesn’t make a difference.

Now. Now. Now.

God is Here as ‘I Am’.

[Silence]

And for a while, it will play like this ‘Clarity. Ah.’ [Pretends to pick up a donut passing by on the food conveyor belt] Something goes by. [Pretends to eat it then pretends to find peace then starts to look at conveyor belt again. [Quickly snatches food from conveyor belt] [Chuckles] It’s just a habit. Just a habit. We’ve gotten so used to [picking things up like this] that, for a bit, this oscillation can happen. Don’t be too hard on yourself. All this goes on. I’ve often said that ‘A normal thought is like the salad or starter. But if you pick up thoughts of guilt and unworthiness, that is the dessert.’ If you pick up an idea, it’s natural. Everybody does. Even Sages pick up an idea or two once in a while. It is not a big deal. But the Sage is not beating himself up, saying [Covers his eyes with hand] ‘I picked up that idea. I’m so unworthy.’ You know? [Chuckles] It’s come and it has gone, you see?

So, now, this is a true democracy. Whether you were a Sage or a sinner in the last moment, it doesn’t matter. In this moment you’re all as Free (as One actually). In This moment (this very moment) You are as Free as Bhagavan [Sri Ramana Maharshi] was. The most Enlightened Being is Here Now.

Are you more concerned about the certificate? Or Being Now? That’s the only question, isn’t it? The Being is Here but the one saying ‘I want the certificate’ is the non-existent one. ‘The most Enlightened Being. Can I get it in writing from him?’ [Chuckles] This kind of thing. Or [Wrinkles his nose] ‘This can’t be true. I’m not there yet really, you know? We have to give it some more time; a few more Satsangs.’ Again, this is the notional one, the made-up one. [Smiles]

[Chuckles looking at Sangha] Why do we sometimes we have this expression? ‘But, No! It can’t be true for me.’ [Chuckles]

It is true for You! Just check with what You See, really See about YourSelf. Not what the mind is saying about You. Not what the mind is saying about You. But what do You really See about YourSelf? Your Presence is Here Now.

Can You stop Being?

You cannot stop Being.

Because Being is what?

Is It something personal?

Is It a personal Being?

Is It an individual that has needs and desires?

This Being, does It want Freedom?

Being has no concept of it; either bondage or freedom.

You just Are.

It is just ‘Am-ing’ away.

[Chuckles]

It is just ‘Am-ing: I Am’. I Am. I Am.

(It’s not doing it like that but you know what I mean.)

God-Is. God-Is. I Am.

Now, which version of yourself are you going to pick up now? Which version? Which mask? Seeker, finder, confused, almost there? What is the benefit of that mask? I am saying ‘You are All there Is.’ You are saying ‘There is a benefit to taking a particular position.’ How does that make sense?

You are All-There-Is. And if you were to check, you would see that this is so simply true (but not in the way that my mind imagined it to be). Because the mind can give you various expectations like you’ll start feeling like [holds arms wide] ‘My body contains this entire Universe.’ The Universe Itself is Your body already; naturally. But the mind creates this expectation because you attach this childish notion of ‘me’ so much to this body that you feel like ‘Only when I can feel like my body (this body) contains all things then I will say that I am Free.’ But that’s not what I am saying. That’s again trying to fill the ocean into the coconut.

You are finding that You are All there Is. (Or you show me where Your Being stops.) Does Your attention move outside of You?

I know that these kinds of contemplations don’t appeal to everyone. But for the few to whom they might appeal, I can ask you a simple question like this: ‘Does your attention move outside of You?’ Then you will see that it only moves within My Being. All these objects that I consider to be outside ‘me’ are only because I was making a notional boundary to me, saying ‘It is this body.’

Show me the one that wants freedom. Produce that one. Produce it. Produce just an aspect of it, like five molecules of it. [Smiles] It’s just not there.

So, just like a play, where you’ve rehearsed and rehearsed and rehearsed so much that you’ve started to believe you’re this fictional character; this is that play. [Silence]

But…? [Looks around the room at Sangha] But ‘me.’ Once Clare told me something very beautiful. I said ‘What is it? When we have come to the recognition of this ‘I’, this ‘I’ which is beyond time and space, beyond all limitations…, what is the ‘ But ‘ that gets to you? (When we say ‘But this, but that.’) She said ‘I. But…, ‘I’ [Closes arms and makes fists] ‘But I.’ [Hugging himself] Very beautiful. What she meant was ‘I’…, but ‘me’. You see? ‘I see that I Am That, This [Pointing towards his heart] but how does that help me?’

And I can’t tell you how many times this one has happened to me where I’ve said: So beautifully in Satsang we’ve come to this recognition where you See you are this Unchanging Awareness. Then the next day or next week you come and say ‘But, you know Ananta, this happened and then this happened. I’m like this now and I feel like this.’ And I say ‘But you found That.’ And you say ‘Oh, yeah, nothing happened to that Awareness, but can we talk about ‘me’ today?’ [Chuckling]

You see the dichotomy?  We found that I Am That and there is no other Me, all appearances are just aspects of That which are moving on their own. We found that there is no ‘me’ and yet there is this habit of ‘Yes, I saw that, but now what about me?’ Like the cat saw there is no cat. Now, what about the cat? How to solve this problem? It’s unsolvable isn’t it? It’s a mind trick. So, as a cat, as a pretend cat ‘I came looking for freedom so that I could have an unlimited bowl of milk.’ Now you find that you are not a cat at all. But something in you still says (the same guy, the same voice still says) ‘But where is my unlimited bowl?’

Is there any benefit in considering YourSelf limited? It’s a consideration. First, do we agree that it’s a consideration? That’s the first thing. Like naturally, in this moment, the idea of our limitation has not survived. First can we see that? If it is not clear, then take a moment and just see that for YourSelf.

I’ve not entered into this moment as a somebody. I’m here now as Presence Itself. [Silence]

Now, as this Presence, is there any advantage of picking up this idea of limitation? [Silence]

Now again, when you’re crossing the street, you will see that hundred rupee note [Refers to an April Fool’s joke incident he talked about earlier] If you bend down, you’ll get something worthwhile. Now, what is worthwhile for This Presence to have? What gift can the world give to God? What can you give from here, from this objective world? What will you give that God will enjoy forever? Something here that lasts forever?

This Presence that you found…, is it an object? [Silence]

Nobody else is Here.

I’m randomly going to look at some questions. [Reads from chat]: “That there is no ‘me’ just feels like an inference.”

Actually the ‘me’ is an inference. Just this; if you notice just this minor point in the whole of Satsang today, it is enough.

Naturally ‘What Is’ is not a ‘me.’ To say that It is a ‘me’ you need a notion, an inference. In fact, it’s worth like ten days of Satsang if you just see this point, that naturally ‘What Is’ is Pure Presence and the witnessing of all these appearances. It is just naturally present. There is no differentiation, no distinction, no ‘me and you,’ no separation Here.

But the mind will come and say ‘But I still see this body.’ And this notion, this inference, makes you believe ‘Therefore, there must be a ‘me.’ So, don’t accept this circumstantial evidence. Where? Where is the ‘me’ who is the owner of this body, who wants freedom, who wants this kind of life and that kind of life? Where is this me?

[Silence]

Now, if you could even spot it, and then you would have to say ‘This one is not me’…, that is okay. But it’s clear to you that even this body doesn’t want freedom. That [body] doesn’t have the notion of freedom. This notional one that wants freedom, that wants anything at all, the presumed sufferer, that is not found. So, it is just an inference.

The ‘I Am’ naturally Is. But for ‘I am something’ it needs an inference, it needs a notion.

It’s really as simple as that.

Your Notionless Existence is empty of any sense of separation. That’s why Bankei said ‘All problems are perfectly resolved in the Unborn.’ If you don’t give birth to this mind, you don’t give importance, value, meaning to what it is saying, You Are. You just Are. This Am-ness, this Being, is just Here.

The mind is a one trick wonder. Just one trick. [Smiles] It seems so tricky. We say ‘This mind is so tricky.’ Actually, it has only one trick up its sleeve; to convince this unlimited Being that it is limited.

Most you know this story that one time we were in Delhi; all of us. Guruji [Sri Mooji] was there; some other friends were there. And it was April Fool’s day, first of April. So, what happened is that we were walking and somebody saw that a fifty rupee or hundred rupee note was lying on the floor. One of us we went down to get it and the minute we went down, the note started moving away, just started moving away. For a second, we were like ‘What happened here? How could it?’ Then we saw some people were sitting up on the wall and they had tied a string to this note. They just pulled it off and said ‘Fooled you’ or whatever we say on April Fool’s day.

So, the trick is only one. But it seems like most of our life has been April Fool’s day, so far. Because nobody has ever found this limited one. Nobody has found this ego. Even the spiritual seekers trying to get rid of the ego have not been able to produce the ego that they want to get rid of. It just isn’t there. What is there is Your Presence, Your Being. You just Are.

Who is the one that says ‘But’? Is that your natural, authentic voice? Why do you need a voice to communicate with yourself anyway? Our authentic voice is this one: [Chuckles and looks at the baby cooing in the room happily] So, I say that You are the unlimited one. End of Satsang? Or is there a ‘But’? [Smiles] So, everything in Satsang is just in response to this ‘But, but, no, but then…’ This is all there is, actually. And so far, this past couple of days we clarified what we wanted and we saw that This is what we really want.

So, if God is really what you want, if Self is really what you want, if Satguru is what you really want then you don’t have to take a step. This voice is will come and whisper in your ear ‘Come on, run, run; it’s right there. Go there, go here, go there. This is when you find it. You are almost there, almost there. Just this once, just jump.’ You know, this kind of thing. ‘Just jump. Take the final jump. Don’t miss that.’ [Smiles]

You are still projecting an idea of future; still projecting an idea of incompletion. It’s still giving you this notion that ‘I am the incomplete, limited one. But I have hope.’ [Smiles] But even the hope is not for You. You are the Source of hope. You are That from which everything comes.

And You are Here Now.

So, then you might have a ‘But’ which says ‘But why does it seem so difficult? Why does it seem so difficult?’ And that is just the power of habit; that habit to feel like ‘I am not complete and I need that which the mind is offering to make myself complete.’ This has been taught to us may be lifetime over lifetime. But definitely, in this lifetime itself, it has been taught to us over and over, by most voices we have met. It is actually the same words, but in most forms, we have met this voice saying ‘Yeah, what you need is a good relationship then you will be complete. All you need to do is to have lots of money then you will be done. All you need to do is make sure that your body is healthy then everything will take care of itself. And then by the way, when you saw that none of this has any sense of stability, then you say ‘Ah, no, no. Now you are ready for the final thing. If you get That then you are really done.’ And what is That? This freedom, liberation, enlightenment. So, we go from place to place looking for this final ‘Moksha.’ Actually, all that has to be done to get this Moksha is to see what You already Are Now.

Mind will come and say that because all these objects are here, that’s why this Being is here; because this body is here, that’s why the Being is here. But look at the true position. Even the light of the sun is not there unless You are. The great sky with billions of planets is not there unless You are. Even time and space are not present unless You are.

This ‘I Am’ is naturally Here.

Who has produced it?

Did you make your Existence?

What raw material did you use?

It is the Immaculate Conception. Everything else is made up of This. But it itself is made up of just the Self, which is empty of all phenomenon.

You Being, that light, the light in which ‘everything’ appears; when this light used to rest within YourSelf, everything disappears. It can come back and yet, the appearance might be of a completely different world, a completely different universe; you might call it a dream later but in that appearance also, there is a sun and a moon, stars and the sky, unlimited space. Where is all of this?

So, you don’t have to believe anything I am saying. That is the best part of Satsang. [Smiles] We are not creating a new belief system. We are just checking on ‘What Is’ and remaining with our direct insight about it; without any conception, without any inference.

So, after seeing this, after bringing you to this point, the Sages would say ‘Now keep quiet.’ Why keep quiet now? Because after this, there is only going to be ‘But, if, and, when, where, how.’ [Chuckles] All these doubts will start coming.

So, for me, silence is not so much about keeping quiet with words. For me, true silence is the absence of egoic belief. See that you are God and rest in That.

Sometimes I want to kiss the feet of those who invented language because they would say something like ‘Oh, be with God,’ Such a simple thing, just Be with God.  But as you just ‘Be’ with God, as you just ‘Be’ you are with God. You are Being as God actually.

To just ‘Be’ …, without condition, without judgment, without interpretation, is ‘game over’.

Nothing needs to be added to This. Nothing here needs to be dropped; nothing has to be picked up.

In that, in the finding of this, you become completely invisible, where nobody else recognizes that you found something. You are not experiencing any new objective feelings; that objective peace, that objective love, that objective bliss…, supposing that is not tasted? Just the Self as the Self, empty of any qualitative benefit. Empty of even the proclamation that ‘I am in this just for the truth.’ Not even that. No notion about anything at all. No oneness, no duality; no dissolving, no merging; no distinction; no getting, no losing; no seeker, no finder; nothing sacred nor impure; no left, no right; no up, no down; no peace, no love, no joy; no guilt, no unworthiness, no regret, no grievances; no hell, no heaven; no earth, nowhere to go. It is That which has no opposites. This Truth is not the truth which has the opposite, which has the lie. [Silence] Empty of the concepts of desire or aversion. No checking, no last state and saying ‘This is what I Am.’ No proclamation about the non-existent one. No position of any sort. Everything that is going to die, consider it dead.

Now what is left?

These thoughts that we value so much, these feelings that we value so much, this body that we value so much, where is all of this going?

My master says ‘Wake up in the waking state, wake up even from the waking state. Find that which is the unchanging Self.’ No state touches It. That which is beyond me and you; beyond anything that I can have or not have. That which is not an object of your desire or aversion. Anything that death can have, let death have it now (not in a physical action but in your inner attitude). Look beyond this merry-go-round of lights and sounds. Find the Source of all this. Look beyond the hands that bear the gifts.

The One that is the Source of all of this light, in which all of this appears and disappears; give yourself this gift today. The Gift of God, Gift of the Self, Gift of the Satguru. And if this what you truly want in your heart, recognize that everything is this gift. That is the meaning of Guru Kripa Kevalam: all is the Master’s grace. If the Master is what you truly want in your heart, then ‘What Is’ has to be his grace.

Suppose one day Guruji [Sri Mooji] came to you but suddenly and Guruji was looking like one of these Indian Gods with a thousand hands [Chuckles] and in each hand, he had a gift for you. In one hand he had the gift that you will have endless comfort (material comfort). In another hand he had the gift that you now are the owner of the power of love. Anybody that you meet falls in love with you. In the other hand he has the gift that every piece of knowledge in the world you are able to recall; all the scriptures, everything. In another hand he has a gift that as soon as you take that gift, you are recognized as the messiah of this world; everybody is bowing down to your feet and you are the messiah (next messiah) of this world. Thousands of hands are there and each of these hands has one gift. And he says to you ‘Amongst everything that you see, you have to pick one thing.’

What will you pick?

[Reads responses in the chat silently. Smiles and asks someone in the room]

Q: [Inaudible]

A: [Laughs] But you can pick only one thing. What I didn’t say also is that from everything that you see, you can pick only one thing.

Q: I will pick Him. [Laughter]

A: So, a few of you said that you will pick Him. [Laughter] So, although I am putting it in a funny way, it’s somewhat similar to what I have been provoking since yesterday. I have been saying ‘What do you really want?’ And I know that I have been saying ‘Truth for Truth sake.’ I am saying it because when we speak often about the ‘three-D ego’ we speak often about duality and doership. We rarely speak so much about desire. And what I notice sometimes is that even in Satsang, sometimes we have these notions about why we are in Satsang. ‘Oh, I like to come to Satsang with Ananta because he is very nice.’ [Chuckles] So, do you want nice-ness? Or do you want that which is being pointed to or pointed at?

‘I come to Satsang because the Sangha is very nice and they take care of everyone very nicely.’ These kinds of things. Sometimes we create a new belief system around our spirituality itself. But there comes a time where we become naked, empty of all these things also; because hidden behind even these expectations is a sense of duality. Just like in the sense of doership, there is a sense of duality. Just like duality means there is sense of desire and doership, in the same way desire means duality and doership. These three legs are like three legs of one table. If you pull at any of them, the whole idea of ‘me’ is back, is here.

Since yesterday, some of you have been saying that ‘You are provoking us a bit.’ [Chuckles] So, I said ‘Yes.’ There is a feeling since yesterday to come in and shake this up a bit and really shine Your own light into what is Here. I was joking with some of them earlier that suppose you came tomorrow to Satsang and this one [Ananta] has an expression that is completely different. It didn’t sound like one bit of caring is there. [Chuckles] He’s just very rude and very rough.  And yet, you could get a sense that something is pointing to the unchanging Truth, Here. But all the so-called nice characteristics of this [Ananta] expression are no longer there. So, will you quickly then start logging on to Facebook [Chuckles] and checking who else is there right now sharing Satsang?

All our preconditions about this Truth, all our ideas about ‘I should get Truth in this way and not that way’ is what I am provoking that you shine your light on a bit. So, the conditions for Truth and your expectations from it; suppose none of them are met? If your conditions for getting the Truth and your expectations from receiving the Truth, if none of them are met …, are you still Here?

(I can see the participant’s column. [on the Zoom online screen] It says number of participants. Let’s see if reduces down.) [Chuckles]

Let’s finish the example. So, Guruji is the embodiment of Truth. Now, very well some of you answered that you will pick Him. Suppose that after you picked Him, you hugged Him, then all these gifts actually became like fire. They start burning everything. Would you still keep hugging this Truth?

And I know when I say it like this (yesterday also I was saying this) [Chuckles] that it sounds like bit of a challenge, like [Raises both hands to show a passion to respond] ‘Yes! I’m in this for the Truth.’ But I want this to be a more like a sober contemplation, rather than a ‘rah, rah, rah’ [Chuckles] sort of thing.

Let’s just take this within ourselves and shine our light on it in the solitude of our hearts where we don’t have to expose it to anyone. And just look:

If all ‘that’ was not available, if even the promise of spirituality was not available because you found the Truth? …, if there was no benefit to you; no reward, no benefit; nothing special, nothing changes about your image; nobody likes you any more than they did before; nothing?

Because as we are coming to our notionless Existence, along the way you find hiding these notions of rewards, benefits, of getting something; even of victory that ‘One day I will achieve this victory of finding the Self.’ So, even this notion of victory; suppose even this was also made up and that there is no victory in this?

Is the Truth worth it for Itself?

Is your Self worth it for Itself?

Is the recognition of Self worth it for Itself?

There is no scope for your selfishness. In fact, the entire spiritual journey is the journey of the dissolution of our selfishness. We call it ‘ego-ishenss’ as selfishness. [Smiles] There is no scope for the ‘me’.

I said the other day that the great Indian Sage Rahim said ‘My Beloved, this lane is very narrow. Only One can go through.’

If God is, there is no ‘me’.

And if there is ‘me’, there is no God.

So, even behind Advaita concepts we cannot hide. You can’t say ‘Oh, but the ‘me’ is also just an expression of God itself, so you know, it’s okay.’ [Smiles] This meekness we can throw away.

[Silence]

Now, You are empty.

Now, You are free.

Don’t pick up any co-passengers now.

No ideas are required Now.

Nothing has to happen.

Nothing has happened.

[Silence]

Forget about it.

All approximations are nonsense.

Forget about it.

How long will you let this stand-up comedian decide the quality of our existence? How long will we take this comedy seriously? …, rushing to positions; speaking jokes as if they are the truth?