Are You Anywhere Else but Right Now (Guided Enquiry) - 12th November 2021

Yeah, I don't, I don't know. I don't have anything to say.

That's so beautiful actually, and maybe you don't realize the immensity of that. But what happens is for a moment when we are open and empty, a natural being is just allowed to be. And love, peace, joy, happiness—everything that we want—is actually in service to that being. But when we take on the position of chasing those things—love, peace, joy, happiness—then we are not in our natural being and they seem to be constantly elusive. It's just a simple switch in perspective because what happens is that the highest being in the universe, in fact the light of all of this creation, is your very presence, you see. There is no difference between Atma and Brahman; it is the same being. It is. So just allowing that to just be like that without any expectation, judgment, rushing, boredom—none of those interpretations for just a moment. And you saw that in just a moment there was a natural smile on your face and that is happiness. But if you make happiness into something in time—if you insert, for example, an 'always,' like 'I should always be like that'—you see, then it is the best way to be rid of that because you take that emotional time to be too real then.

So let's look again right now. Right here and now, anything making you unhappy besides your thoughts? Which I'm aware will make you unhappy. You're so disappointed, it calls for happiness? No?

There's nothing. Yeah, there's nothing right now which is making me unhappy.

Yes. Are you anywhere else but right now? I know this question can sound too spiritual and strange or not, but I'm simply asking: right now you're here and right now there's nothing making you unhappy. So that's what we wanted.

Yeah, but but this mind, you know, this... the thoughts and then expectations, the world and everything...

Can we try it slowly? No, this is your first time in Satsang, so what we should do is just say, okay, now 33 years you said you've tried it that way with expectations and taking the narratives to be true and actually missing, like you said, missing a large part of your life and trying to play relationships well and trying to do that well and that well, and none of that has panned out. So are you willing to invest maybe a few days? Just try it my way. Okay? Yeah, I got 33 years already gone, so I'm just saying a few days. Okay?

So now till the next time we meet, which is next Friday, just do it like right now. There's nothing making you unhappy. Be happy. Don't worry about 'where is my life going?' or 'am I doing well?' or 'look at these people, how they are.' Some of those moments will come and you suffer those moments; it's fine. But the other moments, don't suffer from those moments. Are you able to hear what I'm saying? So there will be some moments where somebody will push your buttons in school or something like that. So those get pushed, it's okay. Suffer from those, but don't beat yourself up about those moments when those are not happening. Okay?

Just like here and now, we've tried twice. You really looked. The second time you were really looking: 'There must be something making me unhappy right now,' and you saw nothing. And I can guarantee you that every moment is like this, except when you go to your thoughts. The thoughts are the delivery guy for... they're the Zomato and Swiggy for unhappiness, you see. So if you take delivery from them, it is not going to feel like happiness. Okay? So as much as possible, just like this till next Friday, just remember my click. Okay? Record this, review this. Any clicking anytime like that, just nothing. So actually, nothing survives this click. Nothing actually survives this click. You could just bring your attention to right now. This brings your attention to the 'now,' and right now there's never a problem. There's nothing to really suffer from, you see.

Even if the body is in pain, which you may say is a perceptual experience, or you notice something which you don't feel like is pleasurable or something like that, but actually those perceptions in themselves can never harm us. It needs the layer of our interpretation and our perspective which can cause that suffering or unhappiness. So the assignment in a way for a week is just to not value the notions and the narrative too much.

So when I'm being judged, yes, in college for instance, when I'm looked at in weird ways and they are, you know, horrible ways... yeah, that moment is very strong and I just want to run away.

Yes, yes, yes. So let's presume that this conversation is like that. So there's a bundle of perceptions in front of you which is acting a certain way. Like that is doing all of that. Now, what is actually happening to you because this guy is dancing like this? I didn't understand. Suppose it's somebody who's judging you in college or something, and I'm playing that one right now and I'm going 'bam' like that. It's just a set of perceptions in front of you that you're perceiving. What is it actually hurting? When these perceptions are being witnessed in this moment, in that moment, unless you insert a narrative about it or a set of emotions about it, what is actually happening? Some mad person doing something in front of you.

I just... I feel angry. I feel 'leave me alone,' you know? Just... then I have a logical statement to bring my model up. Then, you know, 'you're the one who is stupid, not me,' you know?

And just for this week, don't have a counter-narrative. Even if they find you being strange, like 'what's happened to her?' you know? Just one week, it's okay. They don't seem to be the best friends anyway to have, so what's the worst that can happen? So just for a week, don't try to present your counter-narrative. Don't even believe your counter-narrative. Just stay with my click. This right here, right now. Some things are happening in the what I call the 'dance of perceptions,' you see, but it's not really hurting the witnessing in any way—that which is aware of the perceptions. So just don't go with any story about it. Whether they're wrong or right, it doesn't matter for a week. Okay?

So I just... I didn't... that we can give it to them properly? So anything is happening, I bring my attention to right now?

Yes, bring your attention to right now. That is more than enough. That is... is anything making me unhappy right now?

Yes, exactly. Exactly. But at that moment, that thing is making me unhappy.

Don't presume that. Try it out. Tell me if it happened and scream at me and say, 'Ananta, you are wrong!' See if something coming in front of you and judging you or something can just naturally make you unhappy without any interpretation or notions from your own head. See if it can happen that way. So even if anger comes like a natural reaction, or fear comes or something—if you see a tiger or a snake, then naturally some fear can come, you see—but don't judge yourself based on that also. Just notice that in the acceptance of that emotion, is there any suffering or is there any unhappiness as you've been calling it? Did that become too much? We can save that for next time if you want.

Yeah, but I mean, at that moment anger will come, I will feel like crying, I will feel like all the emotions will come at the same time.

Let them come. Don't apply any 'shoulds' or 'should-nots.' Don't say they should not come, they should not be here, 'I have to be in the moment.' That's not the idea. When the emotion is coming, just accept it fully in the moment. Accept everything. Anger is coming? Accept it fully in the moment. Just pure acceptance, pure openness. Okay? Let's try this one.

Okay, I will try this. I hope to see you next Friday. Thank you so much.

Very good. And I want to tell all of you that although this may have sounded to you advanced because it's like a beginner instruction, that's it. That's all I'm saying in all the words, in all different ways. That's all I'm saying: just meet your perception purely. Don't put your narrative, don't put your 'should-nots,' all of these stories into it. See what happens right now. You can see what happened so sweetly. You saw him just hear somebody saying, 'I have not felt one moment of happiness.' And just in that moment, if you just leave being alone, just let yourself be, because God's presence is here. Your presence is whose?