Living with the Himalayan Masters Book by Swami Rama Excerpt by Johnny Lone [Much more accounts of miracles, philosophies and interesting narratives can be found within the book. I find the book enjoyable as easy reading. This excerpt is made out of the 456 pages of the book] Spiritual Education in the Himalayas The sacred Himalayas …Not having human company or communication brought me great peace and serenity. I realized that nature is very peaceful. She disturbs only those who disturb themselves, but she teaches wisdom to those who admire and appreciate her beauty. This is especially true in the Himalayas. … …As the breeze blew its stem, it shook and then bent toward me, saying, “Do you think I am lonely being all alone? All alone means all in one. … …That was the last day I ever picked a flower. I felt that I had been depriving Mother Nature by snatching her child from her lap. I never picked a flower again. Beauty is to be admired and not to be used, possessed, or destroyed. Aesthetic sense develops when one starts appreciating the beauty of nature. … …A bottle of Ganges water is kept in every home and practically all of the villagers give it to a dying person to drink. When bottled, bacteria do not survive in it, although they do in the water from other rivers. Long ago, sailors learned that drinking water from the Ganges carried by ships travelling from Calcutta to London did not stagnate, but water from the Thames carried by ships travelling from London to India had to be replaced by fresh water along the way. The unique chemical components and minerals of this water have been analyzed by many scientists from all over the world. Dr. Jagdish Chandra Bose, a prominent Indian scientist, analyzed the Ganges water and concluded: “There seems to be no other river water like this anywhere in the world. Its mineral qualities have powers to cure many diseases.” … …The swan is said to have the power of separating and drinking only the milk out of a mixture of milk and water. Similarly, this world is a mixture of two things: the good and the bad. The wise person selects and takes the good and leaves the bad. … My Gurudeva and Parents …A genuine teacher never condemns his student, no matter how bad the student may be. Instead, the teacher gently helps and corrects. However much a child misbehaves, a truly loving mother will continue to tenderly care for him. As a mother raises her child with love, gentleness, and guidance, so a master raises his student. … …My master gave me everything, and he has never expected anything in return, nor had I anything to give. My love for him is immense, for he has done everything for me – educated me, trained me – and so far I have not been able to do anything for him. A master need nothing. True spiritual leaders are like that: they take nothing and they give everything. … My Master and the Prince Swami …Many times the people of India wondered who this great was, but my master preferred to remain unknown, and says that the aspirant who genuinely wishes to follow the path of enlightenment should avoid crowds, publicity and creating large followings. Name and fame are the greatest barriers and downfalls for a spiritual man. … The Master Teaches Crossing a Flooded River … It is said in the scriptures that with the help of sankalpa shakti (the power of determination) nothing is impossible. Behind all the great works done by the great leaders of the world stands this shakti. With this power behind him, such a leader says, “I will do it; I have to do it; I have the means to do it.” When this power of determination is not interrupted, one inevitably attains the desired goal. Maya, The Cosmic Veil ...Many people confuse attachments with love. But in attachment you become selfish, interested in your own pleasure, and you misuse love. You become possessive and try to gain the objects of your desires. Attachment creates bondage, while love bestows freedom. When yogis speak of non-attachment they are not teaching indifference, but are teaching how to genuinely and selflessly love others. Nonattachment, properly understood, means love. Non-attachment or love can be practices by those who live in the world as well as those who are renunciates. Blessings in a Curse … A selfish man always think and talks about himself. His selfishness makes him self-centered and miserable. The shortest cut to self-enlightenment is to cut through the ego; surrender before the Highest One. Satsanga – company of the sages – and constant awareness of the center within help one in going beyond the mire of delusion. The ego is also purified by cultivating selflessness. … …those who try to be constantly aware of their unity with others can remain happy and fearless, enjoying every moment of life. Those who are selfless, humble, and loving are the true benefactors of humanity. … The Path of Direct Experience Direct experience is the Highest of All Ways of Gaining knowledge. All other means are only fragments. Direct experience alone is the Means ...All knowing is in vain if it is not direct. Indirect knowledge is of course informative, but not fulfilling. All wise people throughout history have gone through great pains in order to know truth directly. They were not satisfied by the mere opinions of others. They were not frightened off from this quest by the defenders of orthodoxy and dogma, who prosecuted and sometimes even executed them because their conclusions were different. … … Direct experience alone has access to the real source of real knowledge. Real Knowledge Removes Suffering … A little or partial knowledge is always dangerous, like partial truths. A partial truth is not truth at all … A Mantra for Happiness …At last he said, ”No matter where you live, live cheerfully. This is the mantra. Be cheerful at all times, even if you are behind bars. Anywhere you live, even if you have to go to a hellish place, create heaven there. Remember my boy, cheerfulness is of your own making. It only requires human effort. You have to create cheerfulness for yourself. Remember this mantra of mine.” A Mantra for Bees … He replied, “Do as I say. Talk to the bees. Your lips should be so close you can whisper to them.” I asked, “How do they know Hindi?” He answered, “They know the language of the heart, so they know all the languages – just talk to them.” … I Receive a Beating Among all the methods for training and therapies, the highest of all is that of self-training in which one remains conscious of one’s mind, actions and speech. … A Firethrower Swami … Later I realized that all such siddhis are but mere signs on the path. These powers have nothing to do with spirituality. I later found out, after experiencing and examining, that these psychic powers have little value. To the contrary, they can create serious obstacles on the path. Sometimes psychic powers develop: you start telling the fortunes of others, you start knowing things. These are all distractions. Do not allow them to obstruct your path. Too many people, including swamis, have wasted time and energy on such distractions. Anyone who wants to develop siddhis can do so and can demonstrate certain supernatural feats; but enlightenment is an entirely different matter. An Astounding Mystic Selflessness is one of the prominent signs of a spiritual man … … It is true that some amount of money is one of the necessary means of making oneself comfortable in the world. But it is also true that having more than necessary can be a source of misery. Hoarding money is a sin, for we are depriving others and creating disparity in society … My Mother Teacher … I had many questions I wanted to ask her, but she told me to remain silent. I followed her instruction and received answers to my questions without either of us speaking. This silence was more communicative than any other type of teaching. The most advanced teachers impart their knowledge in silence. Learning Humility My Swollen Ego … I protested, “If I keep on looking at the sky and continue walking, I will stumble and fall down.” He said, “Bow your head and then you will be able to walk without stumbling. For going through this hazardous journey of life, you should learn to be humble. Ego and pride are two stumbling blocks on this journey. If you are not humble, you cannot learn. Your growth will be stunted.” … I Thought I Was Perfect … “For a wise man, there is nothing to be called bad. Any adversity of life provides a step for his growth, provided he knows how to utilize it.” … … We all know what to do and what not to do, but it is very difficult to learn how to be. Real knowledge is found not in knowing but rather in being. … Practice Makes Perfect … Knowing is useless without practice. Knowing is mere information. Practice gives direct experience, which alone is valid knowledge.” The Sage from the Valleys of Flowers … So far the opinions that you have are actually the opinion of others. Those who live on the opinion of others do not ever have the ability to decide and express their own opinions. Boys, this informative knowledge is not considered by us to be real knowledge. … Conquering Fear FEAR is the GREATEST OF ALL FOES. IT IS A DEVIL residing within. Fearlessness is the first rung on the ladder of freedom. The Devil …”A rope in darkness can be mistaken for a snake. A mirage in the distance can be mistaken for water. Lack of light is the main cause of such a vision. Does the evil exist? If there is only one existence, which is omnipresent and omniscient, then where is the place for the existence of the devil? Those who are religiously sick believe in the existence of the devil by forgetting the existence of God. A negative mind is the greatest devil that resides within the human being. Transformation of the negativity leads toward positive or angelic visions. It is the mind which creates hell and heaven. Fear of the devil is a phobia which needs to be eradicated from the human mind.” … My Fear of Snakes … The unconscious fear welled up nevertheless. My mind said, “It is a death that you are holding in your hand.” I believed my master, but my fear was stronger than my belief. He said, “Why do you not love the snake?” “Love?” I cried, “How can you love something when you are under the influence of fear?” This is a familiar situation in the world: if you are afraid of a person, you cannot love him. … … My master said, “Look, it is such a beautiful creature. It roams all over, but look how clean and neat it is. You do not remain clean; you have to take a bath every day. A snake is the cleanest creature in the world.” I said, “It is clean, but it is also dangerous.” He told me, “Man is more unclean and poisonous than a snake. He can kill and injure others. Each day he projects poison in the form of anger and other negative emotions on those with whom he lives. A snake never does that. A snake bites only in defense.” He went on: “When you are fast asleep, does your finger prick your own eyes? Do your teeth bite your tongue? There is an understanding that all your limbs belong to one body. The day we have a like understanding that all creatures are one, we will not fear any creature.” … … Animals are instinctively very sensitive and are receptive to both hatred and love. If one has no intention to harm animals, they become passive and friendly. Even wild animals would like to associate with human beings. In the valley of the Himalayas I observed this tendency in animals over several years. … … A human being, with all his selfishness, attachments, and hatred, loses touch with his essential nature and thus frightens the animals, who then attack in self-defense. If a person learns to behave gently with animals, they will not attack him. I often remember the way Valmiki, St.Francis, and Buddha loved animals, and I try to follow their example. … … All of our dreams(read: thought forms) materialize sooner or later. Thus it is really fear that invites danger, though we usually think that danger brings on the fear. Fear is the greatest sickness that arises from our imagination. I have seen that all fears and confusion need only to encounter some practical experience and then they can easily be overcome. The Path of Renunciation My Whole Being Is an Eye … Closing the eyes unconsciously, without having any content in the mind, is sleep. Closing the eyes consciously is a part of meditation. A yogi closes his eyes and withdraws his senses from the sense perceptions. He remains free from the pair of opposites of pain and pleasure. Closing the eyes is for him the opening of the inner eye. Ordinary people see the objects of the world with the help of two small eyes – but do you know that my whole being has become an eye?” My Experience with a Dancing Girl … When awakening comes we can completely transform our personalities, throwing off the past. Some of the greatest sages of the world had been very bad – like Saul who later became St.Paul. Suddenly the day of awakening came for Saul on the way to Damascus, and his personality was transformed. Valmiki, the author of the Ramayana, one of the ancient epics of India had a similar experience. Don’t condemn yourself. No matter how bad or how small you think you have been, you have a chance to transform your whole personality. A true seeker can always realize the reality and attain freedom from all bondage and miseries. In just one second you can enlighten yourself. Transformation of a Murderer …The sadhu, who had nothing in his possession, shared the food with us. We all said grace before taking our meal. The grace is: “This is all Brahman, being offered by Brahman, and taken by Brahman.” Such affirmations are very helpful in maintaining God-consciousness. … Taste the World and Then Renounce … My master replied, “Then why do you desire worldly things- why do you need the world? Being a renunciate and living in the cave and yet thinking of the world means you have a latent desire to fulfill. It is a headache that cannot be cured by any other means than self-discipline. Self-discipline leads to self-training, and self-training leads to direct experience. Through direct experience you expand your awareness. Expansion is the purpose of life.” … Jewels or Fire? My master never insisted that I renounce the world and become a swami. He wanted me to experience and decide things for myself. He always said, “Whatever you want to learn from me, learn – but grow independently. Whenever you need my help, I am here.” If I asked him a question he would say, “Are you tired? Cant you find the answer for yourself? Why should you come to me again and again with questions? I will teach you the method of resolving questions, but I will not simply give you answers.” … Should I Get Married? … The decision was left to me, but after listening to my master I decided to break this tie and go back to the path of renunciation. There are two well-known paths: the path of renunciation, and the path of action in the world. My path was the path of renunciation. One should not compare paths and think one superior and the other inferior. I certainly do not condemn the path which involves living and working in the world while having a family. That path furnishes the means of living, but is also time-consuming. In the path of renunciation there is ample time for spiritual practices, but limited means like food, shelter, and clothing. The renunciate must depend on the householder for fulfilling such needs. It is not important which path one follows. What is important is the honesty, sincerity, truthfulness, and faithfulness which one has in either path. … A Miserable Experiment … He said, “Without asking for money, you get money. This cottage is at your disposal. Drivers come for you. Many people come and sit with you. Why?” I replied, “You know, when I wanted such things, they never came to me. But the day I determined I didn’t want them, I began getting them.” Remember this, as Swami Vivekananda says: “Fortune is like a flirt – she will run away from you when you want her, but if you are not interested in her, she will come chasing you.” Two Naked Renunciates … Renunciation without being aware of the purpose of life creates problems for the renunciates and for the people of the world who look for examples from them. The people of the world think that renunciates are the best examples to be followed. But I have met many householders who are far superior to renunciates. The inner condition is more important than the external way of living. In the World and Yet Above … Decide that no mater what happens, you will do what you set out to do. If you are determined, possible distractions will still be there – but you will continue on you path and remain undisturbed. Sankalpa (determination is very important. You cannot change your circumstances, the world, or your society to suit you. But if you have strength and determination you can go through this procession of life very successfully. Experiences on Various Paths A Renowned Lady Sage ...In his ignorance this student was very adamant that his path was the only one. Our discussion soon led to an argument, and Anandamayi Ma intervened by saying to her follower, “Don’t argue with these two young renunciates. One should try to understand one’s one inner worth and then follow the path best suited to him. … Karma Is the Maker … Actually it is not necessary to renounce the objects of the world, because a human being does not actually own or possess anything. Therefore it is not necessary to renounce anything – but the sense of possessiveness should be renounced. … … Again the baba spoke: “The law of karma is applicable to all equally. Our past samskaras are deeply rooted in the unconscious. These latent samskaras, or impressions, create various bubbles and express themselves through our speech and actions. It is possible for the aspirant to get freedom from these samskaras. These memories have a stronghold in the bed of our samskaras. Those who can burn these samskaras in the fire of non-attachment are free from the bondage created by them. It is like a burnt rope, which loses its binding power though it still looks like a rope. When the latent impressions, though still in the unconscious, are burned by the fire of knowledge and lose the power of germination, they never grow. They are like roasted coffee beans. You can use them to brew a cup of coffee, but they have no power to grow. … …”Non attachment is like a fire that burns the binding power of past samskaras. The benefits which are derived by the renunciate by renouncing the world are derived by the householder by the practice of non-attachment. The renunciate attains enlightenment outside the world, and the householder in the world.” … In the Ashram of Mahatma Gandhi …Hatred is not overcome by hatred, but rather by love. This is an unalterable law. … …Gandhi believed in the art of living without concern for the fruits of one’s action. He practiced not worrying about success or failure, but paid attention to the work at hand without feeling the slightest anxiety or fatigue… …In order to enjoy life one should not be selfishly attached to anything. Non-attachment means to have a pure motive and a correct means without any worry or desired result. He who gives up actions falls, but he who gives up the reward rises and is liberated. … Setting History Straight …My master said, “You are from the cosmos and a citizen of the world. Why identify with the people of India only? Your concern should be for the whole humanity.” … …Culture and civilization are two inseparable aspects of the lifestyle of a community, country or nation. A man may be considered cultured if he dresses nicely and then presents himself before others – but this does not necessarily make him a civilized person. Civilization refers to the way a nation thinks and feels; to its development of ideals such as non-killing, compassion, sincerity, and faithfulness. Culture is an external way of life. Culture is a flower, while civilization is like the fragrance of the flower. … …Culture is external, civilization is internal. … Maharshi Raman … According to Maharshi Raman, contemplating on the single query, “Who am I?” can lead the aspirant to the state of self-realization. … … By knowing oneself, one knows the self of all. … Meeting with Sri Aurobindo … The philosophy of tantra consistently maintains that one can advance spiritually by awakening the latent primal force called the kundalini. When this spiritual potential is systematically channeled along higher levels, living becomes effortless, spontaneous, and attuned to the ultimate goal of existence. … The Wave of Bliss … The body is seen as a temple and the inner dweller, Atman, as God. A human being is like a miniature universe, and by understanding this, one can understand the whole of the universe and ultimately realize the absolute One. … … The chakras are wheels of life which form our spiritual body and connect the entire flow of consciousness … … The heart chakra (anahata) separates the upper hemisphere from the lower hemisphere and is accepted as the center of divine tranquility. … Beyond the Great Religions A Christian Sage of the Himalaya … He said, “As long as you remain conscious, be with God consciously by remembering Him. When your conscious mind starts fading as you fall asleep, surrender yourself. The last thought before you go to bed should be, ‘O Lord, be with me. I am Thine and Thou art mine.’ The whole night the Lord will remain with you. You can always remain together.” … My Meeting with a Jesuit Sadhu … This Jesuit swami was a very humble man and talked to me about walking with the Christ. I asked him, “How can you walk with someone who lived two thousand years ago?” He laughed and said, “What ignorance. Christ is a state of perfection, a state of oneness, and a state of truth. Truth is everlasting reality and is not subject to death. I live with Christ-consciousness. Follow his footprints. “ I said, “Where are those footprints?” And he again laughed and said, “Anywhere I go toward any direction I move, I find Him guiding me. They are everywhere – but you will have to see with the eye of your faith. Do you have that?” … Jesus in the Himalayas … A Kashmiri pandit who was a learned man was my guide on this journey. He started telling me a story about Jesus Christ, claiming that Jesus had lived in Kashmir practicing meditation. The pandit referred to a manuscript written in the Tibetian language that is preserved in a monastery situated at the height of 14,000 feet in the Himalayas. It was later translated by a Russian writer and then into English and published as The Unknown Life of Jesus Christ. In this part of Himalayas many people believe in this story, and you dare not disagree with it. There is a nearby mount which is famous because Jesus lived practicing meditation there. My guide have me three reasons to support this statement: first, the garb which Jesus wore was a traditional Kashmiri garb; second, his hairstyle was also Kashmiri; and third, the miracles that he performed are well-known yogic miracles. The pandit claimed that Jesus Christ left Asia Minor for the unknown period of his life when he was thirteen years of age, and that he lived in the valleys of Kashmir until he was thirty. I did not know whether to believe him, but I certainly didn’t want to dismiss this idea. His love for Jesus Christ was immense. I did not want to argue with him. … … All this – whatever you see in the world – is unreal because of its constantly changing nature. Reality is hidden beneath all these changes. “ … A Vision of Christ … This sadhu would say, “I love Christianity, but not ‘Churchianity’.” … … He believed that the kingdom of God is within every human being and that Jesus, after being anointed, became Christ. He held that Christ is universal consciousness and that no one can reach the ultimate reality without reaching Christ-consciousness. This is rarely understood by Christians in general, although the mystics of Christianity understood it well. … … Truth always existed. The founders and great messengers of the religions of the world were only narrators, but actually the sages, and not the reincarnations of God, are the founders of the noble truths. This itself is proof that great incarnations of God only modified the message given by the sages. The reincarnation of God are the messengers of the sages. They only change the baskets, and the eggs are the same.” … … Worshipping the leaders and founders of religions is just like creating a dogma and cult without any solid philosophy behind it. There is no hero worship in following the path of the sages, for their teachings are universal and for all times. … … Love alone has the power to change. … I Belong to None but God … This was the fourth hour after his death – but suddenly he got up and said, “Look, I have decided not to die because you are fighting!” The magistrate and all the people looked at him with awe. The sage said, “Get out of my sight, you Hindus, you Christians, and Muslims; you are all foolish people. I belong to God and no one else. “ Then he looked at me and said, “My son, don’t worry. Now I will stay with you and teach you for three days, and on the fourth day I will cast off my body quietly.” … … The great sages do not identify themselves with any particular religion or creed. They are above all such distinctions. They belong to the whole of humanity. Divine Protection An Appointment with Death … I repeated all the mantras I knew. I even repeated Christian and Buddhist mantras. I had been to many monasteries and had learned mantras from all faiths – but no mantra worked. I remembered many deities: I said, “O bright Being such-and-such, please help me.” But no help was forthcoming. There was only one thing which I had not tested: my courage! When I started testing my courage I suddenly remembered: “I am not going to die, for there is no death for my soul. And death for this body is inevitable but unimportant. I am eternal. Why am I afraid? I have been identifying myself with my body – what a poor fool I have been.“ … Powers of the Mind Lessons on the Sands If you look at someone with full attention by focusing your conscious mind, it can immediately influence him. A swami taught me this when I was young. … … … Thought power is known all over the world. A one-pointed mind can do wonders, … … I said, “Swamiji, you can change the course of the world.” He said, “I don’t claim to do that; that is not my purpose. I am demonstrating this so that you can understand how a man can influence the mind of another from any part of the world if it is for good reason. Helping others is possible from a distance.” I asked him to give me the secret of this power. He said, “I will give you the secret, but you wont want to practice it. “ I did practice the method for some time and it helped me, but later I discontinued it because it was distracting and time-consuming. … … The last day of his teaching was enchanting. He said, “Now make a zero first, then put one afterwards: 01. Every zero has value if one is put first, but zero has no value if the one is not put first. All the things in the world are like zeros, and without being conscious of the one Reality they have no value at all. When we remember the one Reality, then life becomes worthwhile. Otherwise it is burdensome.” … Transmutation of Matter … Aghor is a path which has been described in the Atharva Veda, but in none of the scriptures have I ever read that flesh should be eaten. I asked him, Why do you live like this, eating the flesh of dead bodies? He replied, Why do you call it a dead body? It’s no longer human. Its just matter that is not being used. You are associating it with human beings. No one else will use that body, so I will. Im a scientist doing experiments, trying to discover the underlying principles of matter and energy. I’m changing one form of matter to another form of matter. My teacher is Mother Nature; she makes many forms, and I am only following her law to change the forms around. … ... His external behavior was very crude, but he told me that he was behaving that way knowingly so that no one would disturb him as he studied and so that he would not become dependent on the villagers for food and other necessities. He was not imbalanced, but to avoid people he behaved as though he were. … …He had the power to transform matter into different forms, like changing a rock into a sugar cube. One after another the next morning he did many such things. He told me to touch the sand-and the grains of sand turned into almonds and cashews. I had heard of this science before and knew its basic principles, but I had hardly believed such stories. I did not explore this field, but I am fully acquainted with the governing laws of the science. At noon the aghori insisted that I eat something before leaving. This time he took out a different sweet from the same earthen jar. He was very gentle with me, all the time discussing the tantra scriptures. He said, This science is dying. Learned people do not want to practice it, so there will be a time when this knowledge will be forgotten. I asked, What is the use of doing all this? He said, What do you mean by use? This is a science, and a scientist of this knowledge should use it for healing purposes, and should tell other scientists that matter can be changed into energy and energy into matter. The law that governs matter and energy is one and the same. Beneath all names and forms there lies one unifying principle, which; is still not known in entirety by modern scientists. Vedanta and the ancient sciences described this underlying principle of life. There is only one life-force, and all the forms and names in this universe are but varieties of that One. It is not difficult to understand the relationship between two forms of matter, because the source is one and the same. When water becomes solid, it is called ice; when it starts evaporating, it is called vapor. Young children do not know that these three are forms of the same matter, and that essentially there is no difference in their composition. The difference is only in the form it takes. The scientists today are like children. They do not realize the unity behind all matter, nor the principles for changing it from one form to another. … Healing Power My First Exposure to the Power of Healing … Human history has provided many instances of spiritual leaders who suffered for others. Such sages become examples, and many people even today follow in the footsteps of such great people. When individual consciousness expands itself to cosmic consciousness, it becomes easy to feel delight in suffering for the sake of others. For them it is not suffering, though the ordinary people think that they are suffering. When one’s consciousness remains limited to the individual boundaries only, then the individual suffers. … … All such healing powers flow through the human being from the one source of consciousness. The moment the healer becomes conscious of his individuality, that spontaneous flow of healing power stops. Healing is a natural power in man. The healing of others is possible through that willpower which is not interrupted by the lower mind. My Master Sends Me to Heal Somebody … I asked, “What shall I do?” “Just give him a love pat on the cheek. Don’t consider yourself a healer. Think that you are an instrument and go there, for I have promised him and his wife that we will always help them. Go as quickly as you can.” … … One who is free from the conditioning of the mind knows past, present, and future alike. These conditionings are called time, space and causation. The ordinary mind cannot fathom these conditionings, but great men do. It becomes difficult for ordinary men to understand this science, but it does not take extraordinary ability for those who are on the path … Grace of the Master Guru Is a Stream and a Channel of Knowledge … Don’t believe anyone who comes to you and demands, “Worship me.” Even Christ and Buddha did not ask that. Never forget that guru is not the goal. Guru is like a boat for crossing the river. It is very important to have a good boat, and it is very dangerous to have a boat that is leaking. But after you have crossed the river you don’t need to hang on to your boat, and you certainly don’t worship the boat. Many fanatics think they should worship a guru. A guru should receive your love and respect – that is different from worship. If my guru and the Lord come together, I will go to my guru first and say, “Thank you very much. You have introduced me to the Lord.” I will not go to the Lord and say, “Thank you very much, Lord. You have given me my guru.” My Master’s Photograph On three or four other occasions I attempted to get a picture of my master, but he always said, “A picture of the mortal body might obstruct your vision of the light within me. You should not be attached to my mortal body; be aware of our divine link.” Who Can Kill the Eternal Once in the mountains a landslide started rumbling toward us. I cried, We are going to die! My master said, Who can kill the eternal? I said, The mountain is coming down and you say, Who can kill the eternal? Look at the mountain! He shouted, Stop! Let us cross!-and the landslide stopped! Then we passed that place and he said, Now you can fall down, and the landslide continued. … … The power of will-force is very little known among modern man. There are three channels of power: one is called kriya shakti another is called ichchha shakti and the third is called jnana shakti. Shakti is that force which manifests itself through these three channels. This power may be either latent or active. With the help of kriya shakti we do our actions; with ichchha shakti we will to act; and with jnana shakti we decide to act. One can cultivate one or another aspect of this force. Some yogis learn to perform their actions skillfully and become successful in the world. Others develop their willpower and then direct their speech and actions in accord with their will. Some sharpen buddhi, the faculty of discrimination, and atttain a state of prajna - a unified state of tranquility. The discipline undertaken differs according to the aspect of shakti which is being developed, though discipline is necessary in each case. Developing ichchha shakti strengthens willpower, and with the help of willpower one can have command over the phenomenal world exactly as one has command over his limbs. It was through this power that my master was able to control the forces of nature. Half “Here,” Half “There” … I told him, “It’s been almost one hour now. You have had enough bath!” “Have I?” “Yes!” Finally after a long time I convinced him to come out. Everyday he would take a bath, but his mind would be somewhere else. I would say, “Now you have taken your bath. Come out.” He lived most of the time “there,” in a constant state of bliss, and very little of the time “here,” conscious of the mundane world. Shaktipata – Bestowing Bliss … I did not know if he really mean it, but I thought, “I can at least wait a minute to see.” I sat down in my meditation posture and he came and touched me on the forehead. I remained in that position for nine hours, and did not have a single worldly thought. The experience was indescribable. When I returned to normal consciousness I thought it was still nine o’clock in the morning, for Samadhi annihilates time. I begged, “Sir, please forgive me.” The first thing that I lost with that touch was fear, and I also found that I was no longer selfish. My life was transformed. After that I started understanding life properly. Later I questioned my master. I asked, “Was it my effort, or your effort?” He replied, “Grace.” What does grace mean? People think that by the grace of God alone they will be enlightened. That is not the case. My master said, “A human being should make all possible sincere efforts. When he has become exhausted, and then cries out in despair in the highest state of devotional emotion, he will attain ecstasy. That is the grace of God. Grace is the fruit that you receive from your faithful and sincere efforts.” … Preparing to Tear the Veil .. How will you find the right master? There is a saying in the scriptures: “When the disciple is prepared the master appears.” If you are not prepared he will be there, but you wont notice or respond. If you do not know what a diamond is, the diamond may be there, but you ignore it and pass it by, taking it to be just a piece of glass. Further, if you do not know the difference, you may acquire a piece of glass, think it is a diamond, and cherish it your whole life. … … We should not worry about who will guide us. The important question is: Am I prepared to be guided? Jesus had only twelve close disciples. He helped many, but he imparted the secret wisdom only to those few who were prepared. The Sermon on the Mount is comprehended by only a few, not the multitudes. … … You do need one who can guide and help you. You need an external guru as a means to attain the guru within you. … … You will never meet a bad guru if you are a good student. But the reverse is also true: if you are a bad student, you wont meet a good guru. … … Once when I complained to my master that he was not teaching me, he said, “Come one, I will become your disciple for the time being. You become the teacher. Act exactly as I have.” I told him, “Sir, I do not know what to do.” He said, “Don’t worry, you will know.” So he came to me with his eyes closed, carrying a bowl which had a big hole in it, and he said, “Teacher, give me something.” I asked, “How is it possible for me to give you anything? Your bowl has a hole in it.” Then he opened his eyes and said, “You have a hole in your head, and you want something from me.” Increase your capacity. Purify yourself. Acquire that gentle strength within. God will come and say to you, “I want to enter this living temple that you are.” Prepare yourself for that situation. Remove the impurities – and you will find that he who wants to know reality is himself the source of reality. … Mastery over Life and Death Birth and Death Are but Two Commas … I asked, “How does one feel existing without a body?” He replied, “How do you feel when you go without a shirt? It’s nothing.” … Journey to the West Ways of East and West “To get freedom from all fears is the first message of the Himalayan sages. The second message is to be aware of the reality within. Be spontaneous and let yourself become the instrument to teach pure spirituality without any religion and culture.”
Posted on: Wed, 24 Dec 2014 17:53:31 +0000
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