God Is the Very Substance of Our Existence - 28th August 2023

It's okay if all of us are sinners to some extent, being that we all, just to clarify if those are not clear about my definition of sin, which is that all of us have moments where we want to do things by our own terms, live with self-will, all of these things. But we may pray to God and say, 'Yes, I am selfish, I am foolish, but please will you grant me the privilege of your presence?' Because nobody really is worthy of God in His magnificence. He is so beyond what we can imagine. So we cannot say that I am entitled, worthy in the sense of entitled to God. We can only pray for His Grace that He blesses us, that His light, that Atma is apparent to us moment to moment as we go through our days. Be living truly in the light of the Satguru presence.

So to be completely selfless is also the highest, most selfish thing we can do for ourselves, you see. It's very, very important to be empty of our false selves, is to empty the lane for God. But to recognize that without God, what is my life? What is my life without God? It's hell. And the mind's attempt is to make it a palatable hell. So we must make sure that our spirituality doesn't become part of the mind's project to make this mental operation palatable. And the mind will give us some chota chota wins here and there to make us seem like the game is still worthwhile. You know, all of us who are parents have played games with their kids, and if you keep winning, you don't let them win even once, within a few games they don't want to play anymore. Even at a very young age, that ego is there. Okay? So that's why as parents we've all let our kids win a few times so that they continue to play the game.

So the wins that we get in the world through worldly means, through the mind, wins like that, the mind also knows that this one will become too dispassionate, this one will become if I don't let them win once in a while. This, we have those small tiny ideas of achievement once in a while to make us keep playing this losing game of mental slavery. Not a moment of being a slave to the mind is worth it, especially because the alternative is so grand, it's so magnificent. Live in the light of this universe, that which is the light of this universe and the light of millions and trillions of universes, that is available to you. Why would you replace that for some of intelligence noise in your head? What do we have to lose? This 'my way', you know? Okay, what do we have to lose? Just you don't get to be Frank Sinatra singing 'My Way'.

If I change the body and that terrifies me and my body is in pain or suffering, that's when I'm keeping the body alive. God is. How many processes are happening in this near one body out of seven billion? There are trillions of processes, you see. Who's running all these processes so intricately, so beautifully? Is it? So God is. So if that very God is the one that I'm talking about, which is running this entire universe with its gazillions of things like this effortlessly, that is one alternative. And the other guy is the one who gets stressed about, 'Should I come to Bangalore or should I stay here?' You see, which one would you pick? Which intelligence do you want to pick? The one that is truly running this, is the creator of all life and that which is beyond life, or that which even two, three variables start to stress it out? To add two variables, you add one more variable, by the fourth variable we are gone, can't deal with two variables so much with customer. But we have no intelligence with the mind. It's very, very thin, lame compared to the true intelligence of God.

So who can do a better job of taking care of the body? And the one who claims to be the custodian of this body is which one? Whose body is this anyway? The one who can say 'my body' is not the body. Who is this one who's saying 'my body'? Same one who says 'my relationship, my money, my bank account, my this thing, my house'. Doesn't exist. Excuse me. So don't fall for any tricks. So what happens is that somehow, although all of you trust me and you have faith, what probably happens after satsang or even in satsang, the mind will come and say, 'It's a bit far-fetched, no? That's, he hedges a little bit, maybe.' Not saying it in those words, you see, but we find a way to hedge it somehow. You see what I'm saying? 'Let me balance it out,' is it? On one hand let's put God, and what will the equal weight we'll put on the other hand to balance it out? This is the favorite thing that everyone says: 'Don't overdo it.' Okay? So God on one hand of its spirituality, what should be on the other hand? Lies, selfishness, pride. How will you balance it out? With what? Doubt. Yeah. About lies, lack of faith is doubt. If you have a sliver of doubt and you're gone. It just says, 'Can it really be like that? Is it really the right path for me?' Yeah, it's really the right path. And how many lives will you spend determining the right path? How long will you spend? Can we not see the mental tricks in there? Postponing getting in the way of a full surrender, full faith.

We have the supreme privilege of endeavoring to live a life full of God's light. We have such a beautiful chance. Don't lose it all in catering to one that doesn't even exist. It's the fiction, it's the made-up set of ideas. Our time we spend protecting the non-existent one. Why don't we instead cater to the light in our heart instead? All of your lives can become pristine temples to God's light. What gets in the way? 'What about me? What's in it for me?' So whatever mantra we choose to chant or not, we must not chant the ego's maha-mantra, which is 'What's in it for me?' See, what's in it for me? What can take God away from you if you are with God in your heart? Tell me, what can come outside in this play of light and sound that can take you away? Anything? Without your permission? 'Oh, this one feels beautiful, I have some...' You consume some spirit and say, 'Yes, I'll have a little bit of chicken,' and say, 'Oh, now you're having non-words.' What's most important is I've given you a way in which I'm not giving you a path to God. Well, in a way it is, but really it's not meant to be a path to God. It is a path as to how to live from God.

That's what you need to clarify, Father, because I feel I'm getting, I'm becoming the image of spiritual, taking a position or image of spiritualness.

Yes. So what I'm saying is that it's not about... I feel the way to God is quite straightforward. We have to be empty of ourselves. Straightforward in terms of what we need to understand about it. It may not seem straightforward to do because we have to let go of all our righteousness, all our pride, all the things we think we know, you see. But my path is to show you how to live from God's light moment to moment, you see. Your mind is carrying you saying, 'If you do this, then you will not find God. If you do this, you will not find God.' All of that. I am telling you that God is here. Find God now and allow God to lead your life then. All of this... so most of our conversation today has been about decision making and multiplicity of paths or how to pick and what is right, what is wrong. Now the only way to determine the goodness or rightness of anything is whether it comes from God or not. Okay? Now if we don't live in God, then how will we ever determine that? Then we just speculate and say, 'It's written like that, God likes this. It's written like that, God won't like this.' That is what ethics is for us. No. But I am changing it for you. I am saying that follow God moment to moment. Follow His guidance moment to moment. That is truly ethical. Why would you have to speculate if God Himself is telling you moment to moment? Why do you have to refer to a reference book if He's there telling you?

First we have to empty ourselves so that He can live through us. So first the courage is... the courage can be that we stay in bed and just stay in bed until the Lord, God, Guru nudges us to do the next thing. Yes. So we have to have the courage to simply wait it out. Okay, let me...

Moment to moment, follow His guidance. Movement to movement, that is truly ethical. Why would you have to speculate if God Himself is telling you moment to moment? Why do you have to refer to a reference book if He's there telling you? First, we have to empty ourselves so that He can live through us. So first, the courage—the courage can be that we stay in bed and just stay in bed until the Lord, God, Guru nudges us to do the next thing. Yes, so we have to have the courage to simply wait it out.

Okay, let me make it even simpler. Suppose you wake up one day—tomorrow you wake up—and if you're like, 'But God, this is flesh and blood, this is the world, what is the talk of God?' A mind can come like that. First thing you know, no more. So whatever I told all of you: don't leave your bed, come what may, till you have not found God's presence, till you don't meet God in the morning, don't leave. It will become more and more natural and easy. It will not seem like it takes a lot of time. But if in that particular day, for the entire day, you do not meet God, why would you want to spend a day with such a person yourself and inflict that person on other people? So don't leave your bed. It's good for you and for the world. Nobody needs another ego in the world.

So it's completely true like this. Like if I woke up one day fully egotistical, why would I want to inflict that on my family and friends and work colleagues and people on the street? Why? The world doesn't need another ego. Rather, just shut up and sit in the bed. It's not that difficult. The mind will prod you, of course, and say, 'Oh, so my time is being wasted so much, you have so much to do,' all of that. Nothing. It's all nonsense. Things are only worthwhile in God's light. Things are only meaningful when God is there. Things are only good and right when God is there. That in whose light in one wave the whole universe can change—we're comparing that with wasting time because we have not sent one email or something? Our mind cannot fathom the immensity of God's light and what I'm saying. So that means I'm free to follow what I'm saying.

You need some fear because some days it'll just rush you. One day: 'No, no, today not the day for this stuff, go finish your work.' Those are the ways especially we must not neglect your ego on yourselves or to anyone else on the world. So that's why I've given all of you the Atma in samadhi also. If it seems like you can't just be by yourself and come to presence naturally, then spend a few minutes. It just takes a few minutes to breathe a little bit, pray a little bit, rather than catching up on our WhatsApp forwards in the morning. When the good morning messages come, let's say good morning to God. Make that investment on yourself, on God, and then the texture of your life will start to change. Start living moment to moment in God's light. Then throughout the day, you can actually be in God's light and you will notice it. You'll seem much more constricted and limited when you are not in presence, okay? It's like you're universal and suddenly with your mind being selfish, something you'll see like that, okay? So something will start smelling that limitedness much more easily. We get accustomed to that smell and use that as the trigger to return to God's light.

Your mind will, with all its might, say, 'Yeah, easy for him to say, easier said than done.' All these stories we've heard for a long, long time. So don't fall for them. This is easier done than said, actually. The more innocent you are, the more humble you are, the more truthful you are, the kinder you are, the more loving you are—and all of these are interrelated. You don't have to make a checklist: 'I should become more humble.' You'll automatically become more caring, loving, faithful; all of that will happen. So it's like a table: you pull one leg, all the whole—all the legs will come, you know? They're looking out: 'Today my humility stuff is done, tomorrow my truthfulness has to happen, day after my loving.' All that stuff—I mean, it's sweet, but you don't have to do that, okay? You become humble, then the rest of it will start to flower by itself. It will dawn. Become faithful, you'll become—it's all one thing.

Just like to follow one thought, we give you all the limitations that the mind has to offer, in the same way, follow the energies of your heart and everything is dissolved in that. If you just took closed eyes and ask yourself, 'What is this for?' We know in our heart. Okay, many times you're reading, reading, reading, reading; we're just collecting, we're not assimilating. No, sometimes we read just one paragraph—enough. So know in the heart what is what. Actually, we know when we are fooling ourselves. There are many spiritual ways to keep away from God, you see, and those are very, very tricky because we feel like, 'Yes, but I'm being spiritual,' but you know in your heart.

So just enjoying the beauty of that moment or the beauty of the words—not always. That's one thing we can't templatize it, you see, because the same thing could be a distraction from Him or could be praise to Him. You must be able to live from God to make that determination. We cannot either beat ourselves up too much or provide ourselves like excuses for bad behavior; either way it goes, no? So how to determine? Only based on where it is coming from. Does it come when you were empty of yourself? And this is very tricky. This is very tricky. And that's why I've given you a three-point formula how to check whether you're really coming from the heart.

So the simplest, really subtle, is whether there is a presence of unconditional love as you're getting guided from your heart. Is there a presence of unconditional love? That's the most gross but beautiful. The second is whether there is a sense of presence which is apparent; that is a little more subtle. And the subtlest is: is my reality apparent to myself? Is who I am apparent to me as this guidance is emerging? Because this reality is apparent to you only intuitively. Easy to recognize the Nirguna as myself can only happen in the heart, only happen intuitively. So if your truth is apparent to you and guidance is being received at that moment, then you can trust that guidance to come from the heart.

Yeah, you know, Father, I wrote to you a message and I said I had this quiet, inner quiet, inner knowing that He was here. Is that presence?

Yes, the 'is-ness' of Him is His presence. We also call that the sense of 'I am'. The Atma and His presence are not two. So the 'I am-ness', which is Atma itself, is actually His presence. The presence of Paramatma is Atma. So that who is here is only Him; nothing else is actually here. He's a living being available to us, or we can say His living being is available to us.

It's a very important question. I've been looking at it the past few weeks: that I am the birthing ground for Consciousness. Consciousness takes birth within myself, but I am also the most foolish servant of God. So all the advice—most of the advice—is for the second one, the one who needs to learn to be in servitude to God. Because if the second one who gets a hold of the notions of the first one—it gets a hold of the first one notionally, like 'I am That'—that's the birth of a new Ravana. 'Aham Brahmasmi' can come from the first place, but that has a fragrance to it, you see? It has a fragrance of God's light. But if it becomes this—what is that dialogue from Sacred Games? That one you have to be careful because what happens to that one later? I don't know if any of you noticed the symmetry. That one later said, 'Aham Brahmasmi.' Once your spiritual ego gets activated to that extent, then suffering is bound to follow. But we don't—the mind doesn't allow the connection to happen. It makes a pattern out of all things, you see, except pride and suffering. It doesn't allow us to easily see that only pride can suffer.

And all of us are proud. There's hardly anyone in the world who feels like they are proud because we have the very stereotypical ideas of pride, like we walk around in a huff, you know, look at everyone like that. Yeah, that is the idea of pride. But pride is to know through our mind when we could know through God. To live with our mind when we could live with God—is that not trying to live on my own terms when God could have guided me? That is pride. To know things for myself thinking I am right, and God could guide me moment to moment—that is pride. So this we don't notice is pride.

We say, 'I don't want to disturb God for this, He's too busy.' So either we may say that—sometimes it's not true. We feel that we are smart enough, we know enough. You don't know a single thing. You don't know how to move a finger. Nobody knows. You know how to move a finger? Nobody knows. If you say, 'Yeah, I can move fingers,' how did you do it? 'Yeah, yeah, supposedly some nervous system gets activated, neurons fire in the brain.' And I promise you, none of you know how to fire a neuron. Nobody has a trigger for a neuron. So if it wasn't for God, all this would not be visible to us anyway. And yet we love to take credit for them: 'Me, me.'

Till that 'me' is being served, our Father is telling me nice, nice things—how I know how to deal with life better, there's less of stress, there is more love—all that feels very nice. Everybody is happy to stick around. But there comes a time for most of us in Satsang where that 'me' comes into spotlight and the Master suddenly becomes very choppy-choppy, choppy-choppy. See, that is the time when we want to run. It's too hot. It's too hot. The heat is inside, okay? And you want to run. You must just be careful of that. Just be careful of that. That when it's time for the mirror to be shown and you see that there is really nobody there, that is the time where the identities really want to take off, you know? Since it feels like it's in big danger, okay? So that's why something like this does not always feel good, because the thorn has to be plucked out and it can seem like it is painful when it's being plucked out.

That's the time where many, many distractions will come in the world. Perfect relationships will start to show up, huge money-making opportunities will start coming up, you see? Many, many things will come. So usually my thing is: just sit down, keep going, sit down. See, and the distractions come when—just when it's about to let go fully, all the distractions will come. It can just feel like a relief for the fear, you see? Why does the distraction seem so appealing? Because the mind is creating fear of dissolution. So because that fear is there, then when the distraction comes and says, 'Oh, this is my soulmate, I have never met a man like this before,' you see, that just feels like, 'Oh, that's it, this is—I could give my life for this.' So what has happened is that the whole play plays out. What happened? It can seem like a relief.

And it can happen in spiritual ways also. Like I've seen it happen so often where in Satsang, if somebody's been told to inquire and don't leave the inquiry till they come to a true recognition, then they go to another person where they have been told, 'You don't need to do anything at all, everything is just as it is meant to be,' which is also true. But then we hear that and then that seems like relief also. 'I don't have to inquire, I'm fine, just happy.' And quickly what happens? Our conditioning starts playing again. We are back into the same mode. So you must just follow your intuition, follow the Satguru within, because that's the only guide that's available to us. Otherwise, this whole Chakravyuha is too complicated. Should I go left or should I go right? We don't know. But your heart knows. The mind can also pose as Shiva or Kali.

A good tip for this is to slow down as much as possible. Live your life in slow motion—not through the bodily movements, but inwardly. Keep things really slow. Then most of the tactics of the mind will not work because the mind always wants to rush you. So if you just make it really slow, really soft, be spacious with yourselves. Yes, yes, yes. Most of the tricks of the mind will fail.

It's complicated. Should I go left or should I go right? We don't know, but your heart knows. The mind can also pose as Shiva or Kali. A good tip for this is to slow down as much as possible. Live your life in slow motion, not through the bodily movements, but inwardly. Keep things really slow; then most of the tactics of the mind will not work because the mind always wants to rush you. So if you just make it really slow, really soft, be spacious with yourselves. Yes, yes, yes. Most of the tricks of the mind work because the mind rushes you. First, we have to do this; now, decide now; okay, finish. Somebody will call you and say, 'You have to decide. What are you waiting for? Do it for us.' So don't get into anything; don't ever be inwardly rushed.

There is a story where we're walking on Kanapa Temple, close to Kanapa Temple. And here, by then, he had become a recognizable face in Thiru. So like ten or fifteen of these sadhus came to him asking for money, and he said that, 'No, I'm going to slow down and follow my heart.' So he told me later, after that whole thing was over, that it can happen, you know? That when you're rushed in the world, then suddenly the mind can come and say, 'Okay, what now? Okay, it's like this, like this, like this.' We can become, you know... if this is slow, then your heart can just guide you. Just slowly, inwardly slow. Outwardly, that could look like furious movement, but inner space should be open, slow, fresh, soft. Maybe we add this: just soften every position you have. You'll be fine. Inwardly, just soften every position.

So, name a position. Like anything. What is this report? Okay, so let's say I get confused about what to do. Should I do this mantra? Should I do that mantra? So that's also a position: 'I'm confused.' So soften that up. That is super soft. 'I'm a little bit confused about this.' Soften it up a little more. Oh yes, sometimes very slight confusion, you see? Okay, this becomes even more soft, then it usually just dissolves. That which we take to be so big and important and strong, that is the way of the heart. It is not so conclusive: 'This one is like this; you must always do like this.' The way of the heart is very slow and steady, not rushing. Usually, even stop giving ourselves so much importance. 'What's better for me? What works for me? What doesn't work for me?' This 'me.' And all our life we go making a perfect life for 'me,' and then we die. Nobody ever achieves it.

It won't be that I'm truly longing for God in my heart and I'm not able to listen to my heart yet because it takes time, and it's time for us to settle into our heart, but God will not provide the right Master to us, or what we need to hear, or what we need to experience will not show up in our life. I don't feel like it can happen that way. It's more a problem of our being unable to follow, our being unable to let go of our own terms, our own knowledge. So to be empty is the biggest, other than the availability of guidance.

So am I right in saying that to be empty is to be free of all concepts?

Yes. With the conceptual emptiness, you first have to recognize the concept. Every thing from your head is a concept. Every thought from your mind is a concept. Mind occupies things like something that's happened in the morning, something you plan to say to someone next day, or it's just nothing.

Yes, mostly it is all not even nothing; it's just everything. But what it tries to sell you in most of these even innocuous, harmless-seeming things is the sense of personal identity.

Yes. And as long as we hold on to the sense of personal identity, that is the 'me' that has to be cleared up from the growth. Even the most innocuous meaning...

But you know, Father, 'me,' 'me'... cutting out 'me,' that's tough. Yeah, that's why I've given you the way. Well, I'm seeing quite a lot of ads. You knew that I've seen a lot of... I'm seeing a lot of ads, you know, Father. And yes, they're having wonderful, wonderful things that are happening to me, but again, it's a concept. 'Me cutting off me' sounds like big trouble. Sounds like trouble or sounds difficult.

Sounds difficult. It's actually, if you're doing ads or anything wholeheartedly, then all that is needed is to just allow these thoughts to come and go. Now, not every thought is tempting for everyone. A few thoughts may seem like they get more belief from us, you see? So that gives you an insight into your deepest attachments, you see? So for example, it could be thoughts of our children. We are able to let thoughts of our money come and go; we are over it. But something says, 'Oh, what about my children? What about my child?' See? So if that gets your belief, then that is your attachment. Then when we use that as an opportunity to surrender that attachment to God's feet and say, 'I noticed that I am empty except for when the mind triggers me about my children or about something particular. So I surrender this to You, God, and please make me empty within this. Let them be in Your care, and let me recognize that Your grace is taking care of everything, and may I not be so tempted to pick up my individuality when my thoughts are on this topic.'

Yes, so those thoughts which we have nurtured with our belief, often those can seem very magnetic to us still, or those areas, those themes. So we can inquire into those things or we can surrender them. You'll come to a point, all of you, where for me, like solitary confinement doesn't seem like a prison sentence at all. It seems just fine. It's supposed to be the most difficult prison sentence because of your bad behavior; you'll be in solitary confinement. It seems fine. And God is in your heart and nothing to worry about. So it's very important to learn to rely only on God. And if you can start living like that moment to moment, then even death is not such a fearful thing. And even how you die is not such a fearful thing. Because mostly I've heard from many of you, you say, 'I'm okay to die, but I don't want to die painfully or in some way.' I mean, that'll be okay if you learn to rely on God for everything; then that becomes your inner anchor in life.

Sometimes the same thing, like you said, something keeps coming up. Yeah, and that just seems to block, you know? That this taking shape and coming out and taking shape and coming out, it's so tiring and so, yeah, like so exhausting, you know? At the same time, it's such a joy to meet what you're saying. And the thing is, I was just going to say, and in some ways this may be like an answer, but I was just going to say that even in this satsang, still in even in these words, we're still taking God to be a sort of fiction. Not... I don't know how to communicate. Yeah, rather it feels like if you realize that God is the very substance of our existence, is the highest being, then all the concern about what happens, all of that like ice, it becomes a fiction when I take I have it. And then, how do we break the molds of spirituality? The mold of spirituality then puts God also in sort of a limited container, you know? Given words are so inadequate to really convey what I want to tell all of you. And sometimes I feel very happy with what comes out, but sometimes I just feel like it's so timid, you know? So timid compared to God's life and magnificence. Like how did this thing that I... oh, I see there's no one, and still I take myself to be someone. That... and this dialogue is also... yes, this is... this is what I don't know. I'm not... I don't know, actually.

Seeing that there's no one is quite simple. Yeah, seeing that there is no one takes a moment or two of inquiry, and we all see there's no one. This is the 'taking which' setup; that is the main thing. So when we are taking the limited self to be true, then it may be a useful reminder to see who is it, and we see that there is no one. So that may help in some way. But usually, when we are doing the taking ourselves to be something, we don't want to look. You don't want to see that there is no one because actually somewhere we know that it'll go away. With certain things I feel I know.

Huh, certain certain things, yeah. I feel like I know, you know, about how you... what you're doing, where you're looking, how I'm being, you know? And if I am like this, then this... like these kind of things are so silly. Why am I even like buying it? Sometimes I'm just surprised that, you know, this disease... that it's like a disease to have.

Yes, you know, it's very good. So that mode of knowledge, that mode of knowledge remains completely let go of. What do you know? Okay, let's look at it another way. That which we know conceptually, how much do we really know it? Look at any belief that we have. I don't know if it was exactly... and if it was that true, then a Byron Katie could not just ask, 'Are you certain it's true? Are you absolutely certain it's true?' and these longest beliefs, they start to shake, you see? That is the state of our mental knowing. Like, 'I know this.' 'Are you sure? Are you absolutely sure?' And these two questions, most of the things are gone. So this mode of knowledge cannot be relied on for any true knowledge. But what can? The true Self and self-knowledge, heart knowledge, intuitive insight.

I want to say something, I don't know how to say it. Start off like... it's like a comfortable hell zone to go into, and that... I don't want to go into it anymore, and I don't care what the reason is. It doesn't matter to me. It gets triggered over everything. Yes, main thing is insecurity. I don't feel secure in that moment, and then I want to be included as a person. I want to be included as someone, and that hurts even more, you know? More than the initial problem. I don't know what I'm going on with, Father.

No, it's good. I hear what you're saying. So first the mind punches you one way, yeah, which is that 'I want to be.' And then when you notice that you're buying into the 'I want to be' because you're spiritual, that spiritual identity can come and punch you and say, 'Oh, you still want to be?' Suppose it's a one-two punch in that way. In that time, the mind, that checker guy, saw everything because it'll say that, 'Oh, you self-concern, be empty,' and it'll go ranting with like one after another point-wise solutions, and they don't work. And you... 'I don't want to enter it,' and I don't know... this is from a... this one... are these also from that word? Now there is an attempt to solve it. Like, be empty of that also now. How it should be. So that's happening in the playground of the head. Is there another playground? Which is that His presence. I'll build a house there and don't play in the other one. Thank you.