Transcript of 7th August 2014 Ananta Satsang: Joy & Laughter Satsang. Thank you, Ananta_/\_ ~~~ [Ananta]: Namaste everyone, a very warm welcome to satsang today. Moojiji ki Jai. Thank you all so very much for joining in. Very happy to see all of you here. If this is your first time here the way to ask questions is through the chat window and I’ll presume that the audio and video are fine. Yes, thank you. Namaste. “ Volume here is way up, even on low.” So should I bring it down a little bit? Is it better now? Ustreamer374 says, “Hi Ananta, from London.” Hello. Okay, Namaste. Atma says, “Both are perfect.” Very warm welcome once again. And let me repeat if this is your first time here the way to ask questions is through the chat window. Aradhana says, “Hi Ananta, missed a few satsangs, but Here Now ….happy.” Very good. Ustreamer218 says, “I love you all.” We love you too. Freedom is already here. Freedom is already here. The Self is already here. Liberation is already here. God is already here. When we stay here, there can be no problem actually. We only pretend to create the problem by giving our imagination too much belief. Whatever might be the event of life, whatever might be the occurrence that seems to be appearing, you’re only the Witnessing of it. You are not even the witness of it. You’re only the witnessing of it. If that is confusing for anyone, we can elaborate. You can just write it, saying that it’s not understood. But I feel that we repeated this so most of you must be understanding this, that there is no witness entity even actually. So even to say that you are the witness would not be very accurate. Because witness would imply that there is a thing which witnessing belongs to. That there is an entity to which the Pure Seeing reports to. But there is no such thing or entity. You are not an object. So the joke is how this Pure Witnessing, Pure Awareness started confusing itself to be this body-mind organism. Namaste…Namaste. Ashg1999 says, “Can you explain further?” Yes, yes. So when we say, it is very commonly said actually, and it is useful also in the beginning we say, ‘Just be the witness of all that is appearing.’ Just be the witness of all that is appearing in the external world which is seemingly perceived through our senses. And also of this internal world; the world of thoughts, the world of imagination, memory, emotion. This internal world is also perceived. So we say, ‘Be a witness to all this appearance whether in the external world or in the internal world.’ We say it’s good to start off saying that ‘I am the witness.’ And once this stabilizes a little bit, then we can even ask the question, ‘Is there the witness entity there? Is there a witness thing there? Is there an object who is a witness?’ And you will find that there is no such object. Only the witnessing alone is here. So you were never a noun actually. You were a verb. This, the mind cannot fathom. This, the mind cannot fathom because it is used to relating you to be an object. And suddenly when you say that you are not a ‘thing’ but you’re just a Pure Witnessing, like a verb. Not even to call it an energy would be accurate, because it is not phenomenal at all. You’re just the Pure Awareness itself. The eternal witnessing to all that appears and disappears. All that happens in our life, this Witnessing is untouched by it. And if you were to look with an open mind, just for a minute, you would see that I am this Awareness itself. There is no effort needed. No spiritual journey is required. No practice also is required. Because this is the Truth. The Truth does not need effort to become true. Only the false needs to work hard to sustain itself. Only a false idea needs to be constantly nourished by our thoughts and our beliefs, to sustain. But what you truly are is beyond all thought. So if for some of you this is seeming like a very intellectual discussion, actually know that it is not meant to be intellectual. It is not meant to be intellectual at all. It is only meant to be a simple, simple seeing of what I Truly Am, without relying on any knowledge, any concepts, any words. Can we simply check on what is here? [daughter arrives with a flag] [Whispers] Say Hi to everyone. I’m in the middle of satsang. Where is Louise? Is she with us? She can completely relate to this situation. Jyoti says, “Hi Sita.” Thankfully she’s left. Did I miss something? Aradhana says, “Independence Day is a week away.” She’s already celebrating, yes. “Rhea seems to have got a head start.” Yes Aradhana says, “Dropping the imaginary ghosts and goblins of fear that seemed to have been arising here. Staying here at your feet now.” Just let go of all the fear. We are only the Untouched One. We are untouched by any phenomena. The appearance cannot harm us in any way. Only our illusions can be attacked and it is Pure Grace if it is attacked because in that way, with that suffering, these illusions are let go of. No fear required at all. Ustreamer218 says, “Yes, yes, yes.” Atma says, “I am a verb, yes so beautiful is this; I am a verb really.” And that was when my daughter came in. Thank you all. Thank you so much. Ustreamer374 says, “Your daughter is very lovely and you are very understanding.” We’re used to this by now, all of us. Rashmi says, “So nice to see you with your kids always.” Zoe says, “Beautiful.” This is reminding me of a funny story actually. So we were having a meeting amongst the Sangha volunteers in Bangalore and we were talking about some things. We were just fooling around and just chatting and I was saying that maybe it’ll be good if we don’t serve food and other distractions in the satsang space. And then this funny joke came saying that…so I said that the next Buddha was going to be formed but we distracted him with a Samoosa. I don’t know if all of you know what a Samoosa is but it’s an Indian snack. So I joked and said that the next Buddha was being born but we distracted him with the Samoosa. Same way…the next Buddha was being born here and my daughter came in with a flag. I’m just kidding. Rashmi says, “Finding it hard to pay attention today…kids with their homework.” Okay, I really struggle with this chat now because it jumps so much. Sindhu says, “At the exact time my mum came in to get my attention. Mum’s like my daughter.” Zoe says, “Hehe Father! Samoosa!” Atma says, “Untouched by any phenomenon. Happy for this recognition.” Yes, untouched by Samoosa also. I don’t know where these jokes are coming from. ‘Untouched by any phenomena. Happy for this recognition’. Very good. So all can appear and disappear but the witnessing remains untouched. Amaya says, “Big smile came when Sita came in with the flag from behind you.” Yes, I didn’t even notice. Atma says, True, Samoosa.” So for the first-timers, we’re not usually so crazy. We’re quite crazy but we’re not talking about Samoosa all the time. Aradhana says, “Love the Buddha and Samoosa story.” Dorthe says, “When a Buddha is born, can anything stop that?” No.. no. We’re just…, when we talk about the practical things, it’s to emphasize some points we have to make jokes like this. Rashmi says, “Hungry now.” Amaya says, “You just said it was a joke a minute ago. This play of Leela…” Ustreamer969, so much love. Shanti, so much love. Good. So does anyone have a burning question? What is the freedom that we are looking for? What is absent in this moment right now? Jyoti says, “No, but I can tell you a story.” Yes, of course. Louise, big hug. Okay so we have a question. Ustreamer374 says, “How about, how to drop the next thought?” We can look at this… Aradhana says, “Today’s satsang theme is fun and laughter” Ustreamer374 says, “A reminder.” So very simple pointing. And although the pointing is very simple I would say it is not a trivial instruction. Sometimes what the mind does is, it sees if something is too simple it says that ‘it is trivial’. It cannot be useful because it is so simple. That’s the mind’s interpretation, isn’t it? But in this simple instruction lies the end of all suffering. The end of all suffering. And this is what all of us want, isn’t it? The great Sages, the Buddha himself wanted the end of suffering. And all his Sadhana, all his exploration was about how to come to the end of suffering. And all the sages came to this same conclusion. And the conclusion is that the problem or the suffering does not lie in the world, or in the appearances which are appearing. The problem only lies in the belief in the interpreter. Belief in the thoughts about the world…belief in the thoughts about the appearance. This is the only cause of suffering. So first let’s be completely clear about this. We cannot suffer without belief in a thought. Therefore drop the idea that the world is making us suffer or our relationships are making us suffer or our bodies are making us suffer. The world is completely innocent. Our bodies are completely innocent. The only thing that makes us suffer, seemingly suffer, is our belief in our thoughts. So let’s be completely clear about this first. So then the simple instruction is, ‘Let go of your next thought’. We don’t even say, ‘Let go of All your thoughts’, because that seems too intimidating sometimes, isn’t it? [with serious voice] ‘So now I must become very serious. Now I must refuse All thoughts’. So we made it even simpler. We said, ‘In the moment, just let go of your next thought’. What does ‘Let go mean’? Let go does not mean that “Don’t let thoughts come’. That seems like a very effortful practice and only very accomplished Yogis can achieve such a feat, if at all. So it does not mean stop thoughts from coming. It only means, let the thought come unresisted, but you do not engage with it. Your attention might also go to it because that is the nature of attention. So even if your attention goes to it, it is all right. But you will find that, just even with attention the thought does not have the potential to make you suffer. It is only when we enter the pin number…we joke and say the pin number, which is the Personal Identification Number. That means we give this thought our belief. We say that this is ‘my’ thought. It has meaning for ‘me’. And the instant we assign it some meaning then we are caught in the potential for suffering. Because a thought means it is something needy. It is something attacking or defending. It is something which is referring to you as an individual person who never existed actually. This person never existed actually. It is only a figment of our imagination. It is only a conjured up creation as a result of belief in thoughts itself. So to let go means to divest it from our belief., to divest it of our belief and it’s allowed to just go. So like a cloud in the sky it is allowed to come and go. The sky is unconcerned whether the cloud is white, grey; whether it’s going to rain or not. Is the sky concerned? So you are the vast space in which these clouds are appearing. You stay unconcerned with how these clouds are and let them go. So without belief in the thought then show me how you can suffer. You will find that it is impossible to suffer. That is why we say that the simplest way to come to the end of suffering is to let go of your next thought. In fact it is the only way. All paths only seem to be a preparation to come to this point. All paths are only a preparation for us to come to this point of letting go of our next thought. But there is no path, no true path, which can say that you continue to believe your thoughts and suffering will stop. No path can say this because belief in the false identity equals suffering. So if you want to be free from suffering, it’s very, very simple, just let go of your next thought. I hope it’s clearer now? Okay Jyoti has a story which we will read. Okay before the story there was another, some more input on the chat. So let’s read that. Ckriegel (I’m not sure I’m pronouncing this right) says, “ Nowadays, I find it hard not to follow the addiction of thinking, activity energy. Really crazy scenarios and hard not to follow them. Generally I just notice it after awhile.” If we refer to the past, and if we worry about the future, then our testimonies will be like this. Therefore we say that freedom is now. So now, right now it is possible for you to let go of any thought which comes, isn’t it? You’ll see that it’s possible right now. So now you drop it. And now don’t pick up anything. Now don’t pick up anything. But there will be points…there will be times where you’ve found that you already picked something up. It’s very simple. There will be times, in spite of saying I will never pick up, you will find yourself in the midst of already having picked up something. So the thought could be that I want to go to Antarctica and you picked it up. In that moment when you realized that you picked it up…in that moment you will let go of it. It is that simple, and freedom is here. The only problem with this approach is the mind will say it is too simple. You have to not believe this thought. It is the laziest person’s way to Enlightenment. Just let go of your next thought. Wherever you find yourself just let go of your next thought. It is that simple. Amrit says, “Yes” Rashmi says, “So much fun.” Jyoti says, “All my stories seem to come in dreams.” Zoe says, “Father, I would like to share something. A great resistance came up today. And a sadness. And a resistance to the sadness. Wanting to look for a distraction.” And you were untouched by all of this, isn’t it? You know this now, isn’t it? No matter what came, some thoughts came, some emotions came, some heaviness came, but you were just the untouched witnessing of all of this, isn’t it? So don’t say, “This should not happen and that should not come.” Between these ‘shoulds’ and ‘should nots’…, that is the true distraction actually. Because we are setting conditions for our freedom. We are saying freedom means some states should not come and only some states are allowed to come. It is not true. Freedom means freedom for all states to come, but you are resting unconcerned by any state. That is true freedom. Freedom does not mean that we are fearful of some states. Then that would be a very shaky freedom, isn’t it? It would be freedom only as long as some states are lasting. Yes? So the power that has been given to you now, the power of your own Seeing, is that any state can emerge but you are unconcerned. There is truly, truly no fear here about any state arising. All states are welcome. And you will see this to be true about yourself. There is no fear here about any state arising, it could be the most angry state or the most depressed state, any state is welcome to arise. But I will only be the witnessing of it. Nothing can make me the person who is fighting with such a state. I can only imagine myself to be that. But here, the imagining has stopped. Atma says, “I love it, today’s satsang.” Yes. Ok, so Jyoti’s story starts. She says, “Once upon a time I had a dream where I knew I was dreaming. So it occurred to me to prove it to myself. So I said ok I am dreaming so I cannot die.” Yes. And Zoe said, “But no sadness here now.” Very good. So she said, Jyoti had said, “I am dreaming so I cannot die.” Then she says, “So, there was a road with cars going up and down. So I decided to jump in front of a car to prove to myself that I could not die. One car came and flew by and I didn’t jump. Then another car came and this time I jumped in front of it. It was quite joyous because all of a sudden I was back on the side of the road. Not dead of course, and still wide awake within the dream. Then I saw a fire across the street and it was suggested within me that I jump into the fire. I said yes and went toward to fire. I then came into the waking state. But maybe this fire was a visual symbol for this fire of satsang.” Very good. Jyoti said, “Something you said just reminded me of this. Thank you for suggesting I jump in this fire.” Very good. Yes, often there is lucid dreaming here also and usually what happens is to get out of those dreams, if there is a sense that it is not being enjoyed. I usually find a high place and jump. [Laughs.] And in the dream before the landing happens the waking state is already here. So I’m not suggesting this to anyone, not suggesting this to anyone at all. Because you will put two and two together somewhere and say Ananta said this life is also a dream so I’m not enjoying this dream so let me find a high place and jump. [Laughs]. So would not want you to do that although ultimately nothing would be touched even in that experience. But we are enjoying each other too much in this way to want to end any of this leela, or play. Atma says, “Father, today, now is a special moment. Now I know, not only thinking about it but I know I am untouched by anybody. Also untouched by any feelings, by anything. I know it, Father. Thank you.” Very beautiful. That is the power of satsang. That is the power of the Avadhuta Gita which you read earlier in the day. Just one line from such a beautiful scripture, just one line of the Satguru’s words openly heard, can demolish the concept of personhood. And you will find that no intellectual understanding compares with the true seeing of what you are. Yes, very good. Ustreamer374 says, “Thank you very much.” Very welcome. CKriegel says, “Thank you.” Very welcome. Jyoti says, “Haha, that’s funny. But just kept falling for what seemed like a long time. But of course I woke up eventually.” Zoe says, “Yes, yes, too much peace, too much joy, to end this.” Yes, yes. Whatever can end is not real anyway, isn’t it? Peace, joy, love, are in service to my true self. They are in service to me. But once we pick up the idea of being a person and decide to chase this happiness, this same happiness, this very joy, this peace which is here now this one seems so elusive, isn’t it? Wearing a person’s clothes, all of this runs from us. In the naked reality of our true Self, all of this is in service to us. Love is in service to Me. I am not in service to love. Alma says, “Yes, Father, those Satguru’s words. What a magic.” Exactly. Kapil says, “Can you please say something about witnessing itself. Witness what? Is it a doing? Or just witness witnessing? The internet is slow, my now reply to your question in time…might not reply to your question in time if any.” Yes. This question is can you please say something about the witnessing itself. [Laughs.] That’s the trouble isn’t it? Because this one, you cannot say anything about. At best you can point to it. All words spoken about it are not precise. They are not true, they are at best a pointing to it. So to say Awareness, or to say a pure Seeing or a pure Witnessing are the words which come close in the form of a pointing. But to find it for yourself rather than to explain it in words is the real thing. So we can ask a very simple question, asking are you aware now? I want to give you a taste of your own true Self rather than keep explaining the taste to you. I can keep talking about a great chocolate, a great Belgian chocolate which I had, I can either keep describing that it was like this, it tasted like this, this was the wrapping, this is what it looks like, or say here, why don’t you have it, it’s available right here. So you would prefer to try it, isn’t it? What is the way to try it? Just the simple question: Am I aware now? And you will see that it is Awareness itself that knows about awareness. This Awareness knowing awareness, Awareness being aware of awareness. I know to the mind it will seem slippery initially, but stay with this question. And if you want, I can give you a simpler version. If the question was too slippery, let me know and I can attempt to give you a simpler version, a less abstract version. But if this question takes a hold in your heart: Am I aware now? then you will see that the one who is aware now is not a person is not an idea, is not an imagined entity, It is Awareness itself which is aware. It is not a body which is aware. It is not our senses which are aware. Am I aware now? What knows this? What knows this? [Laughs.] Dorthe says, “I also jumped off a huge cliff in a lucid dream: what happened then is that I fly like an eagle.” Yes. Very joyful.” And the rest of you should not get any expectations like why does everyone else seem to have lucid dreams but not me, doe that mean I have not understood something, does that mean I am not as accomplished. It has nothing to do with your true nature. They are all just games in the leela, all just games of maya. It is the same consciousness which is projecting itself in this so-called waking state, it is the same consciousness in the dream state, it is all the projection of the same being itself. For any world to exist, first you must exist as being. And in the light of your own being, the world comes into play. Atma is enjoying the chocolate. [Smiling.] Today is a fun satsang, eh? I don’t want any of you to go to Amazon and buy books on lucid dreaming. First be completely clear about who you are and then let everything unfold as it is meant to. [Laughs.] Jtoyi says, “I am so suggestible it seems like I ate some chocolate after you said that.” Yeah, I wouldn’t mind some Belgian chocolate right now, actually. It’s very good, very good we can have a satsang like this, full of so much joy and laughter. Cause sometimes we make it too serious, isn’t it? We make it too serious: “I must get to freedom!” This ‘I’ is fake, this I that says, “I must get to Freedom” is fake. Ustreamer374 says, “Please pass the chocolate thought around.” [Laughs.] Yes. It’s already infecting all of you, no, the chocolate thought. Now it has already become a desire because you believe the thought of Belgian chocolate , you must have it, it has already become a desire. Jayani says, “Father, lots being burped up today, especially physically. The body is giving some trouble I give it all to you.” Very welcome to give all of this to me. Very good, very good. Prema says, “I can send you some very good Swiss chocolate!” Oh, so sweet, no, no, I am just joking, don’t worry. Ustreamer540 says, “This satsang is creating uncontrollable smiling in me.” Yes, same same. Jyoti says, “There is chocolate favorite milk her in Ireland called Mooju” Yes, yes. And is South East Asia there are also these stores, chocolate stores, maybe they are Japanese chocolate stores called Mugi, M. U. G. I. Padmashreeramananda says, (sorry I’m having difficulty pronouncing your name), Padmashreeramananda says, “Hi Ananta, I have a question please.” Yes. “I always get a very clear message before any accidents or illness I am going to have. Is this because Consciousness is giving me the opportunity to protect the body?” So let’s look at what is happening. There is a pure Awareness which is here in all states including the deep sleep state. Pure Awareness is here. Pure Seeing is here. Then for some unexplained reason – although you can put lots of theories to it – for some unexplained reason the sense of Beingness, the sense I Am takes birth in this pure Awareness. So we say that Consciousness is now born. And in the light of this Consciousness comes the so-called waking state or the dream states. But this Consciousness is the one doer and the one experiencer. Like in India we say ‘thom katar, thom botar’ which means You are the doer and You are the experiencer, and we are addressing the God or the guru. We can say ‘thom katar, thom botar’ which means Consciousness is the one doer and one experiencer. And this Consciousness can play in a myriad of ways. Every play, every expression of this consciousness is unique. So in all the six and a half billion or seven billion so-called human beings in the world, every one is a unique expression. And their bodies are different, the way their mind works is different, everything is a unique expression. Even every leaf is unique compares to another leaf. So it seems to be a play of unique expressions. But the one doer is running all of this. He is making all the hearts beat, all the planets move, all the flow of gravity, electricity, all these primal forces are running, running. Some beings, again for some unexplained reason, also some sadhana, yogic siddhis, whatever, get access to what seems like the future. They get access to this kind of intuitive energy or the ability to foretell things. But the fact of the matter is that it is not helpful in our discovery of who we are to focus too much on these. Because usually what has happened is that we get attached to these kind of siddhis or these kind of experiences. And again we perpetuate the belief in the personhood which now seems to carry these energetic strengths as well. So first come to the point of true self–discovery, find out that you are the witnessing of all of this and completely untouched by any of these events, be it a future illness, be it a future accident, you are in reality completely untouched by all of this. And then you will see that there is no decision-maker person there anyway. The person was always a figment of our imagination. So Consciousness itself is doing, Consciousness is playing in this way of foretelling the future and Consciousness itself is pretending to be a decision-maker, pretending to make a change in the decision or keep the decision the same. So you keep the imagined person out of this equation and moment to moment let life unfold in exactly the way it is meant to. It is already this way, actually. Already it is happening only in this way. Because the person is just conjured up, it is only a figment of our imagination. So don’t decide that now I must treat my intuition in this way, this is what I must do, because again it is perpetuating the ‘I’ idea. This ‘I’, you are not. So just what you do is let go of all thoughts. Let go of all thoughts and let life unfold moment to moment. Let God, or guru if you believe in guru, guide your every step, guide your every action. Consciousness itself is doing all of this. I hope I explained your question. It’s good to see you in satsang. You’re very welcome here. Atma says, “Yes Father.” Zoe says, “So happy Father, I know I am Home.” Very good. Yes, you are. Yes you are, my child. “That I am the Home itself.” Yes. “And any little bits of mind-nonsense are floating away effortlessly.” Very good. [Smiles.] Louise says, “Sorry, Ustreamer, I ate it all.” [Laughs.] Cheeky, cheeky. Amaya says, “Can Witnessing also be called Experiencing? Aware of perceptions of all senses equals witnessing?” Aware of everything, perception of the senses as well as the internal witnessing which is beyond our senses, isn’t it? We don’t use our senses to perceive a thought, we don’t use our senses to perceive a memory, we don’t use our senses to perceive our emotions. But the perceiving is the same, or the witnessing or the experiencing is the same, yes. The words can be used interchangeably. In fact none of the words fully capture the essence of what we are. But we have to keep using these words, isn’t it? So yes, experiencing also can be used. Atma says, “So clearly and beautifully explained, Father.” Thank you. Padmashreeramananda says, “Thanks! I witnessed my accident and broke my ankle and had my awakening!” Yes. All is Grace. All that appears to be suffering, in the root of the suffering, as a fruit of the suffering actually you will find the realization of the Self. Therefore we must not resist any suffering which is coming. Because suffering is Grace which slaps us out of our misidentification with personhood and brings us to our realization of our own Self. It’s the mechanics with which Consciousness comes back to the realization that it is Consciousness itself. Ian says, “Much love, Ananta.” Much love, Ian. [Smiles.] Good. Amaya says, “See experiencing happens within witnessing… mostly asleep here (body is).” Yes. Please get your rest, beloved one. The experiencing through our senses is also witnessed, isn’t it? There’s a witnessing that this experiencing is happening, that’s what she’s saying. Yes. It’s very true. Thank you, thank you… the thank you’s are coming, that means it is time to leave. Thank you all so very much for joining us in satsang today. Moojiji ki jai! Jayani says, “I am untouched by these strong physical energies, they cannot affect this.” Very good. Just say that they are Ananta’s problems now. Hand them over to me. [Ananta’s son peeks from behind his shoulder.] Thank you. Om Namah Shivayah. Thank you so much everyone. [Reads chat.] My son is behind me. [Turns to look.] He says, “Whassup?” [Laughs.] Children’s day today in satsang, no? Thank you. [Sangha]: Moojiji ki Jai ! Anantaji ki Jai ! Thank you. Love you.
Posted on: Wed, 13 Aug 2014 00:35:48 +0000