God’s Strength, the Strength of the Truth - 26th January 2026

Ignorance. Yes, ignorance. What would that look like? That would look like that I am believing something false; isn't that something ignorant? You see, so I've fallen into ignorance, meaning that I take myself to be that which I'm not. You see, now we must be very careful if we are under the notion that by falling into the false me and really observing what happens and how I operate, I'll be then able to develop some superpowers not to be able to fall. That can be the premise, isn't it? That if I just admit it, I'll accept the false, give my assent to the false just scientifically so that then I will never do it. You see, so then that has to be done very carefully. You see, because the falling into the false is the deepening of the groove. You see, accepting the truth value of the false is the deepening of the ignorance, avidya.

And we have to be careful of the temptations by which it pulls us in to fall into it. You see, and what is the way to avoid the groove? You see, so you spot the—you see, you don't say, "I'm going to fall in and then see what made me fall in so that next time I don't fall in." You see, you see the ditch and say, "Okay, that could have got me in trouble there. It could have taken me away from God. I may have only a few moments left in this life with God and this could have taken away all those moments." You see, so to notice it in that way, you see, versus then jumping in and saying, "Okay, now I know I fell in because this, this, this." But that is a very dangerous road to travel because by deepening the ditch, we cannot say that now next time I won't fall into it. Let me just deepen it this time.

You see, so the pathway that has been suggested by the sages is you stay with God's presence and remain the observer of all of this condition, but you don't fall into it. So be careful of the premise of how you will undertake your spiritual journey. And if that means that I will have to accept the false over and over again to finally one day come to the truth, that is not the path at least that I would recommend. I would say that moment to moment stay with the truth. Resist the temptation to fall into the false. And that is what gives us the strength, the practice to hold on to the truth because these invitations from the mind, these proposals from the mind, will be stronger and stronger. So in a way we don't even have to say, "Let me dive into this because then I will investigate." There's something coming anyway which will pull us in, you see, for all of us. So that is going to happen anyway. So save your reserves for that. In the meanwhile, hold on to the truth. You cannot increase the truth by falling more into lies.

Now is there a way in which that which proposes to be true but takes us away from God could actually be auspicious or even truth? You see, can God and truth be on opposite sides? What makes truth true? What is the very fact of truth? The truthy nature of truth comes from where? You see, just like the goodness of mercy or kindness or compassion comes from where? God himself. And that is why it is universal. You see, so it comes from within the heart, within the Atma. Even those who are atheists will say that kindness is good. Goodness is good. But what is goodness? Goodness is godness, you see? So at least that is my realization, that though if we try to take goodness or truthness or anything away from God, then it loses its value. Because the very source, the very birthing ground for all that is beautiful, truthful, and good is God himself and truth. See, we had a satsang about Satyam Shivam Sundaram. So truth, beauty, and Shiva are the same. You cannot separate them. Okay.

So if truth and God are the same, then that which takes us away from His presence cannot be leading us to truth. So we can walk on the shoulders of the sages who already warned us against some things, or we can investigate on our own, and that choice is completely left to us. That choice is completely left to us.

I realized that this is a habit for like some at least 13 years I've been doing this and I want to break this habit. I want to just say the name, or saying the name is like that if it is true that it is God himself I'm holding on to by saying the name. I want to do that and I want to break that and I want the Atma's help in that. I commit to this kind of—it's a huge conditioning and that's why the mind is such a deep old because I've been relying on it for—this was truth to me. They say that the truth will set you free, but for years and years, this is huge.

Yes, the freedom can only come from God. You can try, you see, you can try and create the best—what is that Sherlock used to call it? Something mind—I'm the only one who watches all this nonsense. Sherlock, the TV show, they used to have a mind palace or something. So that seemed like the place where he goes and solves all the cases and all of these things, but we realize that these mind constructs are only pathways to more and more attachment, more and more suffering. They don't make us free, you see? So if the truth will set you free, then follow that which makes you free.

That's a good point. So does diving into more and more mental conceptualization, believing thoughts which create identity, does that lead to freedom? And if that doesn't, then what is the truth that is being pointed to over there? What is that truth which will set you free? This pointer is not trivial. If you really take it to heart, the truth will set you free. You see, but how? I mean, it's not like if you confuse "will set you" to be an ultimate outcome, you see, then that's not the way I would follow the pointer. If it is true, it must set you free now. It will set you free now. You see, if you take a good medicine for headache, it'll make the headache go away. You see, not keep taking it and then end of the lifetime.

You see, so what is that which sets you free now? And what is that which binds you now? You see, and it cannot be—it's even absurd to conceptualize like this—that let me bind myself more and more and more and more and more, tie more and more rope, you see, increase the prison bars more and more and more, and then one day as a result of this process of increasing the bounds, I'll be free. It must be free, free, free now. Then free becomes my very nature. Free becomes natural. Nobody can ever say, "Let us make this one free by oppressing him more." That would not be the path to go.

A lot of presidents say that.

No, that's just their marketing. You see, that is just the offering. They say, "No, no, just bear this oppression then one day I will make you free." No, the path to freedom is freedom. The path to oppression is oppression.

Sometimes it feels like in this turning away or in the choosing to be free, to choose truth, there's a battleground which can seem very heavy at the body and the mind. And to a degree, I think I've broken this false belief. But sometimes it's so easy to be stuck there and then to just go with the drift. But just breaking that false notion that this ease of being should always be there—it's you could be in truth, you could be fighting for truth and not experience that ease of being. I don't know.

Good question. So the notion that the ease of being should always be there, you see, is that the truth? But it is always there anyway. See, it is not that it should be there always, but it is always there anyway. I just turn away from it.

Yes.

So the recognition is different from the notion. You see, what is the highest value that the notion can give us? Can it ever give us truth value? You see, the highest value that the notion can provide to us is to point to the true place. But in itself, it cannot ever become a replacement for truth. Is it? So if the pointer "the truth will set you free" or if the pointer that there is an ease of being or there must always be an ease of being—you see, if that is taken to be the truth in itself, then it'll only bind. It'll only oppress. But if it is taken as "there must be an ease of being always," if that leads us to discover the ease of being in this moment, then that is a useful pointer. You see, what is the difference between pointer and truth?

Totally different.

You see, totally different. Pointers are just incomplete expressions, as every thought is inconclusive, incomplete, but offering completion, offering an idea that I could just hold on to this as if it is the truth. But by God's grace and by His mercy, a pointer can lead us into a deeper looking. But without the deeper looking, it is as much lies as every other statement. You see, and then if you look at it this way, then almost everything in the world becomes a pointer. You see, and if you look at it the other way, that it itself is complete truth, then almost everything, if not everything, can become oppressive. You see, so we don't have to manage the truth value of these statements. We just have to see how much—what is the efficacy on us.

Pointers can lead us into a deeper looking. But without the deeper looking, it is as much lies as every other statement. You see, and then if you look at it this way, then almost everything in the world becomes a pointer. You see, and if you look at it the other way—that it itself is complete truth—then almost everything, or if not almost everything, can become oppressive. You see, so we don't have to manage the truth value of these statements. We just have to see what is the efficacy on us. You see, upon hearing or contemplating this, does it bring me to God's presence? Upon hearing or contemplating this, do I seem to get more selfish, grasping, trying to get? You see, all of those things, then leave it. Even if it is the highest pointer, 'I am that,' there's no shortage of pointers, isn't there? What's happening, you see? So if you're troubled by something, tell you, we can just talk. We can just talk about it, no problem.

So, I was just saying that the mistake we may end up making is to take something to offer a fullness in itself. But what is a good analogy? So if you look at it as just a broad shape, you see, but then that broad shape, I can get into more and more shape-making, or it can pull me out of shape-making. When I recognize the offerings from the head don't offer the full conclusive truths that they claim to, then we fall into a deeper place where it may not be so easily conceptualizable. It may not be so easy to put in words what is the truth that we are finding. But the truth starts to transform our antahkarana, transform our soul from within in the light of the spirit itself. You see, so what is the spiritual process that is happening? We have to become clear about that. What is spirituality? Have to become clear about that. I feel like I'm realizing it after becoming almost 51 years old. Like, what is spirituality?

Now, if you were, if you said you are an auto mechanic, huh? Yes. With me, something seems to be bothering you. Something seems to be preoccupying you. Don't have to struggle very hard. We'll talk about very simple things.

I think it might be my life back there. It's not even this concept. There's a lot of baggage coming.

Don't worry. Take your time. Take your time. So, if you were to say, 'I'm an auto mechanic,' and I said, 'Okay, how many cars have you worked on?' And you say, 'No, I've never seen a car.' You see, what would you say? Let me try again. Okay. You say you're an auto mechanic. Yes. You said you're an auto mechanic. I said, 'How many cars have you worked on?' You said, 'I haven't seen a car.' Now, so then spirituality is just like that. You see, now the problem with spirituality is that most people, many people talk about spirituality, but they don't talk about spirit at all. It's like the auto mechanic saying, 'I know a lot of mechanics, but I don't know cars.' You see, how is that possible? So the mechanics alone will not make us an auto mechanic. So spirituality or spiritual ideas themselves will not make us spiritual. It has to be spirit itself. Have we met the light of spirit?

And spiritual pointers, then the role for them becomes clear. They must lead us to spirit; otherwise, it is not spirituality. So, just I'm stretching the metaphor too far, the analogy. So if I went to auto mechanic school and all they taught me is how to work on airplanes, then you would say, 'What is happening?' isn't it? So if you came to spirituality but you were not given the pathway to the Atma itself, the spirit itself, then that would not be spirituality, isn't it? You see, so everything that we receive in satsang must be to come to the Atma. No other project should be as important. You see, we don't come to satsang for 10 years and say, 'Oh, I wanted to become a chef.' You see, you could go to culinary school or something like that for that. And I'm not saying any, I'm not directing this at any of you. I'm just saying that if we remember that all that we are hearing in satsang must bring us to the light of spirit, and without spirit, spirituality is not possible.

How many of us want to do a spirituality without the spirit, Atma itself? You see, nobody. I mean, now that you've heard all this, you may not see it. You see, how many of you feel like spirit is so unattainable that I have no option but to do spirituality without it? Huh? You see, not even this. Very good. I'm happy if it is true. So then if the train is coming and we can catch it and it takes us to the destination—and we already, I'm bending Bhagwan's statement—but we are already at the station, we can catch the train, it's getting us to the destination. Then why would you want to run to the destination instead? So if the Atma is the one that will carry us to God, because Atma is God himself and that is the only mechanism to go to God, then why are we trying to do it ourselves with our own understanding, with our own strength, with our own struggle? Our only struggle must be, 'I have to catch the train.' You see, so I have to run to catch the train, that's fine. But if I'm running from here to there, then problem. So catch the train or the bus, don't have to run.

Now I've also heard absurd things like, 'I'm not so interested in God, but you know, I'm interested in spirituality.' You see? You see, now a better-sounding variant of that, which maybe I also used to say at the very beginning of my spiritual journey, is that, 'I'm not so religious, but I'm spiritual.' You see, but as I'm getting older, I'm realizing that there is no real distinction. The religious path is not religious unless it is spiritual. And each of us will carve our own spiritual path. But we will be influenced by what the paths of religion have given to us. Even if you say, 'No, I will carve my own independent path,' you will notice that what you have an insight about, sages in whatever we may call different religions have already offered us those insights. You see, so the better approach for me now, as I'm starting to see this thing, is to see what can I learn from every religion, every sage, every tradition. Because if I'm offered a pathway to God, then I'm happy to learn and to grow in that.

So there is nobody, maybe just a very few handful, who can really say that this pathway to living in God's presence constantly is an easy job. Very few. So we need all the help we can get. But let the help not become that which we think we have to do and we forget about what the project itself is. You getting what I'm saying? Like I say, let's keep the same metaphor. I'm catching the train to the destination, you see. So then I go to a beautiful ticket seller and then the ticket seller says, 'Ah, you look like a very nice person, why don't you work at the ticket booth?' You see, then I say, 'Okay, what will I get working at the ticket booth?' You see, 'You get all the free tickets you want, you throw all the free everything,' you see, 'but you can't leave this place.' You see, so many times it may sound absurd what I'm saying, but if you observe, you see many times these kind of things happen—that many things pose as if they are spirituality but they never let us come to spirit.

The train, you mean Atma in your kind of...

Yes, I have forgotten but most likely...

Presence of God is what it...

Presence of God or that which brings you to the presence of God. I have forgotten which way I started, but one of these. The point is that God is central and the minute we forget the project and it becomes about just, 'Is it this road goes to there?' so then we say, 'Okay, is this concrete or charcoal or what is it made up of?' and we spend all our time just examining the road. You see, now the average time all of us have spent in spirituality must be at least 10 years in this room and on this Zoom, average if you take, maybe more. No? So how much of that time has gone in examining the road and the construct of the road rather than trying to come to the destination? Or if I was to be fancier, like I used to be when I was younger, I would say to realize that we never left the destination. Don't do that.

So we have to be very careful of the turns we take on this path. Because just because everybody is just examining the road thinking that they're walking on it, and that seems to be the popular way of doing it, doesn't mean that that is the actual path to God. So we have to be careful of Maya's disguise as spirituality. Ravana came to kidnap Sita Ma as a... not at all attacking anything. I'm just saying that in the guise of spirituality, Maya can play, you see. So our eyes have to be God, God, God, God, God, God, God, God, God. Is this leading me to God? Is this construct a pointer for me to God, or is it offering the truth value in itself? You see, so discard anything which offers you truth value in itself because remember truth and God are same. Satya and Shivam are the same. Is our mind full of Godfulness? Then it is full of truthfulness. Can it be? It can only point at best.

And what I'm attempting to do as a result of Majid's question is that I'm attempting to remove any sort of spiritual oppression, okay? Many times after coming into spirituality, we get oppressed by spirituality itself. You see, so if somebody new heard his question, they won't lie. 'I have trouble in my relationship. I have trouble with my money situation. I have trouble with my body. I have trouble because I can't understand most things in the world. But I don't have this trouble, which is that I'm trying to constantly be in the ease of my being and I realize that what a struggle it is.' Yeah. And I have been told that there must always be ease of being. They would say, 'No, I have enough trouble of my own. I don't need this new trouble now. Why am I coming to satsang?' You see, so what is happening in that is that the spiritual thoughts by themselves can be very oppressive if you forget the intention behind them is to lead us to spirit and not to offer the truth.

So let me put this another way. Only prideful things offer us the truth without God. So if a thought offers us a truth which is independent of the Atma, then it will only make us proud. So if the pointer was 'God now, God now,' you see, now you may say that this cannot be mistaken as a complete truth, it must always be remembered as a pointer. It's not true; you could just take it and make it like a conceptual thing. 'God now, God now, God now.' But 'God now' brings us to the remembrance, the presence, the light, the love of God's presence as a pointer. Not just like, 'God now, God now. Where are we going for dinner? God now. God now.' You see, it can just become just a conceptual idea. But the one who is caught up in that may think that they're saying the truth. It's very subtle, but I don't know if I'm putting it across well.

You see, many times we mistake our spiritual pointer encyclopedia to be an encyclopedia of truth. And we're trying to then put it all like Lego—not Lego, maybe more like the jigsaw. So that one day when I have it all settled, you see, my mind palace—it came to me what it was. So when I have the mind palace all settled, then this will be the truth that I can just look at, maybe live in. That's not it. That's not it. Yeah. So you put Eno antacid in this, you drink it, it must offer relief. You see, you follow a pointer, it must bring you to the present. A pointer must bring you to the heart. So remember it is to be followed and not understood or just told conceptually. Just by looking at the bottle of antacid, you won't find relief. No? Suppose you have an antacid drawer and you fill it with all the best ones, you see. Will you say, 'Now I have no trouble. My stomach situation is completely fine because I have a drawer full of antacids'? Somebody says, 'Which one do you take?' Take. What's that? Yeah. So which is the pointer that we take?

Yes.

But take. The point is take. And if you start taking, then you realize that you don't have to collect so much. Then collection is just joy because you enjoy the taste of the taking.

You have an antacid drawer and you fill it with all the best ones, you see. Will you say, 'Now I have no trouble. My stomach situation is completely fine because I have a drawer full of antacids'? Somebody says, 'Which one do you take?' Take? Take what? So which is the pointer that we take? Yes. But the point is to take. And if you start taking, then you realize that you don't have to collect so much. Then collection is just joy because you enjoy the taste of the taking. So what would be to take the pointer? Would it be to collect it in your belief system? These are the very basics of spirituality we are talking about today. But just because they're the very basics doesn't mean that everybody who's a beginner needs to hear them. A pointer is not to be collected but to be taken. So what is the pointer that you're taking?

And when we take it, it takes us to God's presence.

That's it. This is only that's it. And they say, 'This medicine really works for me,' you see, but you can't tell if it's just on the shelf. The packaging may be very nice. So many times we fall into just what the packaging is looking like rather than the effectiveness of the medicine. Do you feel like Maya does not know how to disguise itself as God? Maya knows very well. So it's a very meta thing, like God disguised as Maya not disguising itself as God. So then obviously it knows. So remember, knowing the truth is different from knowing the truth. And let me put it another way: knowing the truth is very different from recognizing the truth, coming to the truth. What we take to be knowing is just putting it on the shelving in our heads.

So that's why the last few weeks I've just been asking: what is the pointer that you're using to stay with God? Or what is your mechanism or practice to stay with God? Because what happens is that many times what I hear in the response is, 'Yeah, I have this also in my shelf. I have this also in my shelf. I have all this in my shelf.' Then, but what did you do today? Which medicine did you take? So we must always be completing the question finally. We must always be in the ease of being. On the shelf is very oppressive. On the shelf is very oppressive. When taken, it could really blow something up inside.

In the heat of bearing the cross, in the heat of not following these impulses to find relief, to go with the person, the voice—the devil's voice, I don't want to label it, but the voice that tricks me—is related to this question. Because it comes in, you know, when it's really, really hot: 'Take this route, let the steam come out of your ear,' or do something to just find some kind of... it shouldn't be so intense. Something is, you know, the devil's voice trying to fool. And at one level, you know, I don't want to speak on behalf of truth because I'm not sure, but that ease is always there. But when there's identification, sometimes it does seem to be so intense.

Yes. This is very intense. There are times where it will not seem like a battle, you see, but we must not fool ourselves in those times that there is no battle. Many times it happens like this where we'll talk about the Mahabharat, which is the big metaphor for the spiritual battle. All the traditions have this notion where it can seem like, 'But what's so difficult? God is here. Where is the fight? What are you talking about?' It can seem like that, you see. So we have to be careful of pride in those moments, you see, because the denial of Maya is a very big invitation, especially if it is coming not from God-confidence but from a sort of spiritual self-confidence, you see, which is basically ego-confidence. If it is coming from God-confidence, it's good. That's good. But if it's coming from, 'Yeah, I've transcended Maya,' then that can... pride is a huge invitation to Maya to catch us.

So the question always is: am I relying on my own strength to transcend the false, or have I gone in innocence to my heart temple begging for His protection and His mercy and His kindness, and having full confidence that my Father, my heavenly Father, will not let anything untoward happen? That's very different. So then what will happen is—what is the difference in these situations? If you've taken the medicine or shelved them, you see, then when these troublesome situations come, if they're just on the shelf, you'll visit the shelf and start taking the names. You see, 'I have this also, I have that also, God is here, I am that, nothing is happening, nothing ever happened.' All that is in your shelf. You'll start, you see. But you won't have that courage. It's coming from fear. It's coming from a denial, like nothing is happening to you. Nothing. But you're not carrying that fragrance. You're not carrying that light. You're not carrying that presence. You're just putting up defenses for the world to see. But when you're alone by yourself, then fear is catching up with you.

So we must not get caught up in that kind of spirituality. I prefer, since he talked in a Christian way, I prefer a King David style spirituality. It will say, 'I'm surrounded everywhere. I am full of fear and my enemies are fully attacking me. Please, please, please help me,' in humility. And then to quickly realize He is here. He has saved me. I will not bow down to the false. So God's strength, the strength of the truth—are you seeing the difference between the false offering of strength that a conceptual spirituality offers us versus a true godly strength that God's presence offers us? That is important. That lip-service spirituality can sound very full of bravado but doesn't have depth. Just pushed a little more, poked a little more, and that starts to collapse. You see, and it's in just a conceptual mode.

Have you seen that? Initially, the concepts are all coming out, the reading of the labels on the shelf is all coming out, but just life has to poke a little more, little more, little more, and it all starts coming down. But a God-led spirituality, you may find yourself in the midst of fear, in the midst of worry, but as you deepen, as you deepen, as you deepen, then you find yourself in that faith, in that love, in that light. So what is the medicine that you're taking? Not the medicine that you're thinking, not the medicine that you're knowing—what is the medicine that you're taking? You go to a doctor, the doctor gives you a prescription. The doctor's handwriting is very difficult to understand usually. So it can seem like an achievement that I understood what the doctor said. It is an achievement. Well, that's not going to help your health, you see? So we have to understand the prescription to know what medicine to take. But then you have to take the medicine. That's important, isn't it?

Are you taking the medicine of God's name? Are you taking the medicine of inquiry? Are you taking the medicine of being in His presence? Are you taking the medicine of being empty of yourselves? Taking the medicine of being humble, taking the medicine of being kind, loving, compassionate? So you have to take all this medicine. Two of these have been told to us that if you take these... so like you have vitamin B1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 10 till 12, I don't know. So you were given a B-complex and it says, 'Okay, now this has everything you need.' It may not be true, but this has everything you need for the day. So two of these have been told to us: have these medicines and everything else is included if you take this medicine. You see, that is taking God's name and doing the inquiry. If you do either of these or both of these, the rest—your kindness, your love, your compassion—will grow, your faith will grow, your humility will grow, all these things will grow, your openness will grow, your emptiness will grow, and egotism will reduce. What is emptiness? Egotism is reduced. Empty of the 'me'.

So Satsang more should become like a doctor's consultation. What is the medicine you're taking? What was prescribed? What is it you're taking and how is that, what is the effect you're finding, right? So if it just becomes about, 'Oh, this would be good, this would be a good medicine to have, what do you feel about this, I heard that this one really works,' we spent too much time on that already, some 13, 14 years. So what is it that we are taking? Father, I want to say it, Lord. What is it? Also on Zoom, also here.

There's a fear looking at your eyes that maybe you will see all the faults in me, or I don't know what is it. What is this fear? Or the fear of getting disappearing or annihilation, how you say is it? I don't know just, but I want to say it's all.

Thank you for sharing. Thank you for sharing that. I want to tell you one thing: that I've never looked into anyone's eyes and seen any fault, okay? So don't worry about that. God has not given me any such power. I don't see, so nothing for you to worry at all. The fear can be the fear of dissolution; it can be there sometimes because what happens—and this has nothing to do with this man sitting here—but the whole point of Satsang is that it gives us a glimpse as to what can happen when we go to God's presence in our heart. If that doesn't happen in Satsang, then it's not Satsang, you see? So I don't do it. There's no Ananta to have this kind of power to do any of it. But you must get a taste of something which is not in this universe. You must get a taste of something which is out of this world, so to speak.

And coming to Satsang gives us that. And because that happens, the mind is very scared of that, you see, because that could seem like death. It could seem like, 'I'll have to leave my constructs. I'll have to leave my life as I know it,' you see? So because it suddenly... you know, suddenly if you imagine like a black hole or something opens up in this room, like a portal opens up in this room and we look at that, it's going to be scary. Even if it comes with the promise of God, it is going to be scary at some level. So by God's grace, in Satsang we find a glimpse of that dissolution, and that is going to be scary at some level, but it's also exciting and very joyful at some other level, you see.

So we must turn towards the fragrance of that which feels the light, which feels the love, which feels the joy of that discovery, that wonder, that mystery, you see? Like, what is happening? How can coming into just this house in the middle of a crowded city, how can that coming to an environment because we gather and we talk about God and we praise God—how can by God's mercy an environment like that be energized with something which is out of this world? So at the same level it is very beautiful and at the same level it is very scary. So that means something is working. It's very good because it did not seem mysterious. If it did just seem like run-of-the-mill, 'I'm just hearing another discourse,' you see, we spoke about that, then that would be a discourse. It would not be Satsang.

Satsang means we get a glimpse of that dissolution. We get a glimpse of that dazzling darkness. We get a glimpse of that light of the Atma which is beyond perception, you see, which seeds, which plants the fragrance in us that we can recognize the same within ourselves and we can follow that fragrance to the same, the true Satguru, the true Atma within ourselves. So by God's grace, He gives us a taste of that, a very tiny replica of that taste when we come to an outer environment. Because if He gave us the full taste of it in the outer environment, then we'd get attached to the outer, you see. But He gives us the seed which then has to grow when you water yourself on the inside, when you nourish yourselves on the inside, when you nourish your godliness on the inside. So there's nothing to be scared of. Imagine if I just looked at everyone and I was just like, 'This is the bad, this is the bad, he is the bad,' you see? That would make me very judgmental and distracted away from the task. So God doesn't give us this kind. Yeah.

If we focus on the outer environment, then we get attached to the outer, you see? But He gives us the seed which then has to grow when you water yourself on the inside, when you nourish yourselves on the inside, when you nourish your godliness on the inside. So there's nothing to be scared of. Imagine if I just looked at everyone and I was just like, 'This is the bad, this is the bad, he is the bad,' you see? That would make me very judgmental and distracted away from the task. So God doesn't give us this kind.

Yeah. Yeah. Hi. Thank you so much. I'm working like my breath is my sadhana and I used to as I am, but I'm also inquiring like if I try to stay in the presence—

Just one minute, let me just mute you once and then unmute you again once. Let's try. Now you're in. Can you hear me? Your sadhana, you said this?

My sadhana is to stay as I am on the little understanding of Nisargadatta Maharaj I have. And I also self-inquire, like, and I'm using here the guidance from Ramana Maharshi. So when I try to stay as I am, and if thoughts come, I would just guide myself back to the 'I am,' I guess. For whom is this thought arising? And I would try to keep the mind, I guess, in the 'I am' in this way. The reason I actually put my hand up was not necessarily to share my sadhana, but if you feel to share something, I would be very happy to take it on.

I'm very happy. I'm very happy you share your sadhana because that's what I want to hear most from all of you, like what is the medicine you're taking. So you told me, 'I'm taking this medicine.' So I'm very happy.

And I'm also praying from time to time, but I feel somehow, now the reason I put my hand up is because I wanted to look with you. There was something that brought some tension since I joined satsang and I'd like to look with you into that. Because if I hear this guidance, this tension is not what I am. And also if I hear Guruji, this tension is not what I am. And also when I look and when I stay as I am, I also use this guidance from you, but also from Guruji, like 'What you see is not what you are.' And then you said that Maya is also very tricky and kind, and it can—I put sunglasses because my eyesight is not so great. But you said that Maya is very tricky. So I feel this guidance, 'What you see is not what you are,' is very important to be remembered. So I wanted to look with you basically.

Yes. Yes. Yes. So I told this story. You told me also what medicine you want to use. So you want to use the medicine 'You are not what you see' or 'What you see is not what you are.' Okay. So now you have this in your shelf. How will you take it in this very moment?

Like what I see, I see there is some energy. One is mind and one is heart, let's say.

Okay.

But they are both visible. You know, when you say you feel God's presence and you feel love, and this I feel.

Yes.

And when I feel God's presence, I also feel the mind's presence.

You also feel—

I sense both.

Okay. Simultaneously?

Let me check on this. Yes. Now my attention—so when I say I feel and I sense—

Yeah.

There is this function of attention. Correct.

Yeah. Okay.

That is going to go. I can't even say if it's simultaneously or if it's one after the other in a way.

Yes. But it's important to check that.

Yeah, let me... Yeah, in a way they are there simultaneously. They are in the same time.

Yes. Or let's say, let's for a moment say that. And then do you feel like—we'll get into the nature of will and agency and volition after some time—but does it feel in this moment I have the choice to get deeper into one and lighter into the other? Does it feel like that? Is it that we notice both of these at equidistance and simultaneously and then we have no say in the matter?

We have what? Ah, no say in the matter. We have nothing to do with it. Is it too much to say that maybe it's a higher choice to go above these senses in a way?

Yes. So if you go above the senses, what do you find?

For a moment I found that the mind gets stronger.

Okay. Let's clarify one thing before we try again. So—

But I'm not bothered by that.

That's fine. So the mind's presence we notice in the presence of thought and maybe we sense some sort of energy system like that over there. But God's presence, would you also label it in the same category of sensing? To make it simpler, the mind we can notice as a thought. So that is clearly an energy construct that we are able to perceive. But what about God's presence? How is that confirmed?

I feel God's presence overtake.

No, that's why take a bit of time. Yeah, as I'm looking. No, we just first, I'm examining the premise that both these were sensory perceptions. And then to go beyond sensory perception would take us beyond the presence of God. So first let's confirm whether our premise is correct that both of these were sensory perception.

They are both—I wouldn't say sensory, but I would say maybe intuitive perception. I don't... but go and see, my focus moved into sensory now and you pointed earlier something, like how is God's presence?

Yes. How is that? Is it in the same category of perception that we confirm the mind, which is thought, versus God's presence? Is it in the same category of knowledge?

No.

So what is the difference in them?

God's presence is above all this that I have identified before or labeled before as mind or heart.

What does 'above' mean in this case?

More subtle.

What instrument are we using to recognize this?

There is no instrument as such.

So when we are in this 'no instrument,' how palpable is the mind?

There was an experience, or in the experience just before it disappeared, but then it kind of—it's still palpable now. But as I, maybe if I can say, as I deepen into it, these other experiences... I wanted to say vanish. This question came because it seems to be like a fight and not a—it seems to be like an opposing energy. And this question is: Is this real? And can this be real?

Yeah. So you have all this medicine, you have to just take one. So if you want, take this one. I don't mind this one. Very nice. So you say, 'Is this real?' It's very good medicine. Take it.

It is, yeah, it's a fair point for me at least.

Okay, take this medicine. What is the effect of the medicine?

It's good. It has to be administered continuously.

Okay. So this is new medicine. Okay. Take it. Sorry, can you say again?

This is also new medicine. It has to be administered continuously.

Okay. Take this medicine. But this is dosage, no?

Yeah, it is dosage instruction.

Yeah. Okay. Good. We can do everything. We can check which medicine you're taking. You can talk about the effect it has on you. You can confirm the dosage. Today the doctor is in the house.

Yeah. I would question—

You would question the medicine?

I would question if I find there is an effect on me, I would probably apply the medicine again.

Yes. Yes. This is like I've been taking some anti-allergy medicine. So when the symptoms start to show up again, then you take the medicine again.

Yeah. The symptom is being high. Okay. This is another medicine you're taking. I need a stronger dosage for this one.

Which one you want? So you said, 'I'm staying with the sense I am. I'm doing the self-inquiry.' And then you said, 'What you see is not real or not you.' Then you said that—what was the last medicine?

If there is an effect, I would question—

No, there was one before this also. 'What is real?' 'What is real?' was one medicine.

Is this fight real? Is this fight real?

Is this the final, final one? Just take one of these. All are good medicine is all I can tell you. Take one of these.

Do you think it's a problem that I have too many medicines?

What do you feel? It's not... I also have lots of medicine. Okay? So there's no problem in that. But if you have lots of medicine but are not taking any, then that's a problem. Yeah. And I'm not saying that you're not. But if having too many medicines confuses you about which one to take, then I would say simplify. If it's all right, you know which one to take and you take it, then it's no problem. But the medicine should be taken until the effect of mind is neutralized or you know when to stop.

Yeah. Very good. Thank you so much.

Very good. Very good. Thank you.

Thank you. I follow the medicine while I'm sitting here with you in the satsang.

That's it. Please. Thank you. Very good. Problem if you have many medicine, it's not a problem. Only problem is if when Maya attacks, then it'll also attack with confusion. And if we notice that in that moment we fall into Maya because we are confused what is our medicine that we are supposed to take, then that is the time we need to simplify.

Father, because yeah, I do have a question actually, or something that comes in my practice about this confusion. Because somehow it feels like I have not integrated maybe something between prayer and self-inquiry.

Yes, but whatever diagnosis... Both are prayer, both are self-inquiry. It's okay.

Yeah. I just invite your light in this because I don't know how to—

When our project is clear that it is about God and being in His presence, then the different medicines which are available, then they are not in the way. When we want to become an expert at one of the paths, then the others could be problematic. So if say Maya is attacking you, you got a message that you didn't like, you see? And then instead of just reverting naturally to your natural medicine to remain with God, you get stuck in this Maya situation because the mind has confused you. 'Should I take God's name? Should I inquire? Should I remain empty? Should I stay with the sense I am? Should I notice what is real? Should I do this?' Then if it confuses you like that, you see, then I would say simplify. But if you have, like we were saying the other day, a baseline which is that every time something fearful comes I just remember Ram, then that's fine. And then throughout the day I remember Ram, and then during some moments of focused prayer I ask myself 'Who am I?' and just stay in silence, allowing God to speak, allowing myself to be open and receptive and listening—that part shows us that the medicine is working. Yeah. So we have to be vigilant about this, like what happens with us when Maya attacks, when Maya tries to pull us in. Are we usually just pulled in because we have too much on our cabinet? So we don't know in that moment which medicine to pick up, or is it clear: 'Just pick up this, take it, take it, take it till you feel that you're back in the right place'?

Somehow it feels like when fear comes, I see God as external and it's easier to pray. When I inquire, there is a confusion maybe about—

There is—sorry my child, but to see God as external could be the beginning of prayer, but the end of prayer is the same end as the end of inquiry. So it is not... prayer is not an external process. Inquiry is not an external process. Both start externally. One starts with a thought. The other may start as remembrance of a name or remembrance of an image. Both start externally and end internally.

Yeah. There is a fear of accepting maybe my true reality.

Yes. But whatever diagnosis you have, you have the medicine for it. So when this fear comes, do you know which medicine to take? That's the only question.

Yeah. Thank you.

Thank you. Thank you, Father. This is it, no? This is the spiritual process. You go to a teacher who makes a prescription for you. Then you just have to take the medicine. Okay, let's go to Samya.

Hi Father, can you hear me well?

Yes. Yes.

Okay. Thank you.

Very welcome.

Be my true reality. Yes. But whatever diagnosis you have, you have the medicine for it. So when this fear comes, do you know which medicine to take? That's the only question.

Yeah. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you, Father.

This is it. No, this is the spiritual process. You go to a teacher who makes a prescription for you. Then you just have to take the medicine. Okay, let's go to Samya.

Hi Father, can you hear me well?

Yes. Yes.

Okay. Thank you. Very welcome. Waiting for my heartbeats to settle a bit, Father. Settle first of all, I heard that Zay is there. I'm so happy that—I was going to—very good.

Yeah, it was a surprise for me. I'm so happy that—for me also, I was looking at her when I entered the hall.

Okay. I didn't know this. She's very—I'm very happy to see her. Yeah. All out to her. Yeah. I miss seeing her on Zoom. Yeah. I was also wondering. Yeah. So when I look at the Zoom screen, it looks like something is missing there. Yeah. Same for me. Yeah. Um, I felt to speak with you today about some things. Um, first thing, I think it's just a—it's not a big deal, but I feel like I need to bring this to you. Just recently, I feel so full, Father. I don't know exactly what is that, but maybe what you talk with Karuna may also apply to me. I feel so confused recently, but also it can be related with that I don't have any free time. I'm working, I'm always doing something. I'm joining satsang with you while I'm working because working is kind of a burden to me. I don't know how this happens, but any kind of work outside of joining satsang, outside of any spiritual work, even just working for five minutes, it's just taking me out of this natural state, whatever it is. Father, I'm working at home, but still, I don't know how it does this, but it's happening. But anyway, I'm listening to spiritual talks and then at night always we have spiritual gatherings, I go there, but I'm just so full recently. And I don't know how to get out from this now. Like, I need to work, I cannot do without going to those gatherings. I don't know, I'm just so full. I cannot find—I don't know, Father, just if you have something to tell, I'm open. But so much spiritual work also is too much. And also work.

I struggle with the same thing. I struggle with the same thing. Like when there's too much work, then I just feel like um, I have to listen to Adrien and return to the center. You listen to what? To Adrien? Adrien reminded me to return to the center. No, because my screen was a bit little lopsided. So that's a good pointer. But I notice also it's very challenging during full-on work, and a lot of work has been happening here, and it's not easy to always stay with God's presence in that. So I try to use God's name mostly. That's what I'm trying to use, the name of Ram and the Ardas prayer to return to His presence whenever I see that I may be getting distracted. Um, yes, sometimes it seems inevitable that we have to do the work which life has given to us. So rather than lamenting our situation and saying, 'Why am I in this?' it's usually better to say, 'God, God, God, God, God, God' during that time so that we return to Him. So if I was done with the struggle, then I could have given you some good advice, but I also struggle with the same.

Okay, maybe because I feel also just so, so—I feel so much pressure and all this. Normally I don't feel so confused about joining satsang with you. Um, I have Amma mantra, I have Ardas, I have Guruji, I have my Sufi rings, and normally somehow I can handle with all these things, but recently—

Huh? What are you—

I'm taking, I'm taking all of this, but recently it feels too much, Father. Recently, just I feel so full.

Yeah, so Maya attacks. Suppose you get a message. It doesn't attack? That's good. But suppose it did. So suppose it said somebody sent you a message, something. It's coming. Huh? Then what do you take?

Um, I take many things, but I use—

That's very good. Then I said it's very good, and it's not a comparison of the medicine. We are not judging the medicine. All medicine is very good. As long as Maya doesn't confuse us in that moment. And because we are confused about which medicine to take because we have so many, you see, we don't actually take any of them, then that is when Maya wins. But if you have so many medicines that you just—so it makes life so easy for you. You just pick up and you don't fall into the trap of getting personal, getting into grasping, suffering, all of these things because you are in God's presence because you took the medicine, then that's very good.

Um, I think I still take—what do you mean by taking a medicine? Because I feel like I take all of them, but what gives us that we are really taking one fully?

No, it's just that one fully in the moment. So if you, for example—which may not happen—you say something which I find very hurtful, suppose, and I'm starting to get into anger and sadness and, you know, all of these things, then if I remember, 'He's here, Ram,' then it takes me out of the magnetism of this personality and, you know, cause and effect and all of those things and returns me to my home, then that is taking the medicine, you see. But if I have too many things—'Okay, now she said this, I'm okay, but I don't know, should I do this or should I inquire, is this real, is this happening?'—you see, and then it's getting me more and more confused and more aggravated, then we need to simplify. So we just have to see what it's playing out like in our life. And if it is simple like that, if you're able to face the temptations of Maya very simply because you have your medicine cabinet, then that is fine. But because there are too many things in the medicine cabinet and you don't know which medicine to take at that point, then you need to make it simpler. That's that's it about it.

Okay. Then it's easy, Father, and it's happening in that way what you say. And yeah, it's just so—I want to bring something more, one more thing. Even the examples you give just really fit that. As I told you, like, I don't feel like there is any Maya attack here. I feel—I don't know, Father, I'm bringing this to you, but I also said this before a lot of times, like, I'm in such a state, such a period of my life that everything, I don't know, it's just I'm flowing in God's grace, you know? I'm just living in the answered prayers. Just something happened which touched my button and shook me a little bit, but even this shaking is nothing at all. And yesterday I felt a little bit like challenged by this, and it's something actually I want to bring into God's light, and I offer it to Guruji's light, to your Father. And it is like an ongoing issue with my local Mooji sangha. Years back something happened, and it was related with my old personality also, which was—I accept that—which was not easy because so many energies were working through me and it was a very big challenge for people. I can understand that, but I don't even remember that by your grace because all is transformed and I can see this in my life. I don't even want to say this, Father, it's no more for me by your grace, totally. I'm just so grateful for this. But my local Mooji sangha, some people still remember me as that, and we don't speak for such a long time, but they still take me as that and they are so close to me, they don't want to speak even. One said that, 'I don't want to speak with you,' and after that I still was like—because they are sister, brother from Mooji, you know—so I was like apologetic, but something—but they are not open, so you cannot even explain yourself. So I left it. But because they don't even let me—sorry, I will become like a child and say these things to you—but they don't even share the news about Guruji because they are the head of SA, and even like about Guruji's birthday, they don't even share this to me. But we are just three of us, you know, like who took a name from Guruji, and they just they reject me basically and they see me very like in a low space. And I'm just so tired about this and there is no space to talk because they don't want to talk. They don't give me a space basically, and I cannot fix it. But the role that you throw on me is just unbearable. I don't know what to do about this, and as I said, there is no space because they don't give a space to me. This is the thing. And this thing I just experienced it with them and with someone else also. Maybe this is another topic. Uh, this is also something I don't like so much. Yeah. So I just wanted to bring this to God's light. Like, I cannot find any space for years and years. I prayed to Guruji for it to dissolve, but no response magically came. So I just had to bring this to you because, yeah, like this karmic stuff, whatever it is between us, stays there. I want to solve it. They don't want to, they just blame, 'Oh, it's about her,' but it's not. Yeah. I just wanted to bring this to you. Thank you. Yeah, whatever remains, may God dissolve all of this. And I'm sorry, yesterday I cursed them. Even it's my way of talking with God, Father. I became angry and I talked to God like a curse. And then moments came I just blessed them, and then another time came I cursed them. But with talking, like I need to burp out these feelings also within me. So I wanted to share, but yeah, I just want to leave all these things now.

I can just bless you. I can just pray for this. Obviously, I have no power over those people. I don't know who they are also. So I just pray for God's grace in this situation. And may all of you be blessed and live in love, kindness, compassion. That is my blessing.

Yeah. Today I came across one video of Guruji, Father, and it was like—maybe you also know this and I feel like it applies so much. He was saying that if some people gather around the plants and say that, 'We don't want you here, we hate you,' and then he says that the plants will die. And I feel like this is how my situation is with them.

This is not your situation. You will not die. Don't worry.

Of course, but I just want to say how it feels. It's easy to blame people.

Don't worry. Those who love God and live in God's light, they will be the light of the world and they will not die.

Thank you, Father.

I feel like I have a lot more things to share, but maybe someone else is going to share. I'm sorry. Yeah, you just saved one person's life. Anyway, she will come and she will tell what happened. She was just someone who came to me through you, through me, three years ago and we just met recently and she just told me that, 'I just need to meet with him again because he saved my life.' And I even saw that at that moment after you told, everything has changed for her and she just wants to talk with you and she will give feedback to you hopefully the next time.

Yeah. It's all this God's grace. This God's grace. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you for playing this part in bringing your friend to God. It's good. It's very God's grace. Good.

Yeah. Thank you, Father. She told that, 'I was about to suicide and he just saved me.' So, yeah, she will explain. Thank you.

God's grace. Thank you God for this opportunity to bless a child, to help a child. Thank you. Shivani is saying audio is great today, Father. See, now this has not happened in 10, 11 years or maybe longer, 13, 14 years that she has said like that. So let's note down these settings and save them because it's Republic Day. That's a very Zen connection. So just a few minutes to recap what we discussed. All of us are afflicted by Maya to some level. Only God Himself is called the Maya Rahitan, which is free from Maya. So what is the medicine for Maya is what our teachers have told us: God's name, self-inquiry, to just be in God's presence, to be open and empty to whatever our practice may be. So we must never presume that the medicine doesn't apply to us and we must continue to take it.

Because it's Republic Day. That's a very Zen connection. So, just a few minutes to recap what we discussed. All of us are afflicted by Maya to some level. Only God himself is called the Maya-rahit, which is free from Maya. So, what is the medicine for Maya is what our teachers have told us: God's name, self-inquiry, to just be in God's presence, to be open and empty to whatever our practice may be. So, we must never presume that the medicine doesn't apply to us and we must continue to take it.

We must not just think about taking a medicine or for years and years deciding which path to follow, deciding a label for yourself whether you're a Bhakta or a seeker. Don't waste too much time on that. Grace will take care of those things. You start taking the medicine whichever appeals to you. It's all fine. It's very, very open. It's very democratic. You want to do the inquiry, do the inquiry. You want to take God's name, take any name among the thousand names of God; there's no problem. You want to just remain with the sense 'I am', do it. You want to just be, do it. You see, but don't lie to yourself.

And don't pick your practice from ego. If you say, 'I will just stay with the sense I am,' you see, then for the next week if you try to stay with the sense 'I am' but it happened for two hours, you see, then no, you're not ready for that, or your temperament is not for that. Maybe something in your mind is getting attracted to that. You see, you have to take the medicine which keeps you with God for much of the day, much of the day. So, we must not allow our pride to play a role in this. It doesn't matter. Whichever pathway you follow to God, God is not going to say, 'Oh, you got here by taking my name. No, no, no. I have higher ones to look at first; they just were so naturally open and empty.' You feel God will say that? Not say that.

As long as you come to God's presence more and more throughout your day, that is your practice. So use it, take the medicine, and let us in Satsang really come to the point about this more and more: are we just understanding the process of diagnosis? Are we just understanding the process of prescription? Are we just researching the medicines we should take for many, many years? Or have we come to the point where we are actually taking this medicine? Because we don't have an infinite amount of time. Nobody does. We need to get healed from Maya's affliction and learn to live in God's presence. We need to come to the truth of who we are and remain in that. Abide in that. Okay. Thank you.