October 31st, 2004
“ALL DREAMS ARE ILLUSORY”
OM…OM…OM…
Sai Ram
With Pranams at the Lotus Feet of Bhagavan
Dear Brothers and Sisters,
All Dreams are Illusory
Today, I have two questions which are quite interesting for everyone. Let me try to answer them and then proceed on to the central topic.
The first question is this: Swami said in His recent discourse that all dreams are illusory and imaginary, that all dreams are delusion and false. He said that! This has shaken many people. They came to me, asking for some answers, and an interpretation of His words. Why are people so shaken? The reason is that at other times, Swami has said He does not appear in a dream unless He wills it. Then, why does He now say, “Dreams are only imagination?”
The question has a genuine basis, because in some interviews Baba has said, “Did I not appear in your dream?” There were also instances when people came forward with a question, or to take padnamaskar, and it was reported that Swami said, “I gave you padnamaskar in your dream. So, why now again?” Or, “I answered your question in the dream. Why do you ask Me again?”
Therefore, my friends, these earlier situations confused people. So, people started asking me, “Why, Anil Kumar? Why did Swami say that about dreams?” I humbly tell you, my friends, I am equally confused! (Laughter) But we can think together, delve into it and try to come to an understanding of Swami's statements. By His Grace, I have some thoughts I want to share with you, with which you can agree or disagree. This is a two-way flow of knowledge. It's not a one-way flow of information. I am not an authority. It is just us thinking together and finding an explanation. It is in this regard that I have a few points to share with you.
IT’S PURELY PERSONAL
Point one: People have been talking very much about their dreams in recent years. They have made these dreams a matter of publicity. The sharing of the dream experience has become a matter of vanity and advertisement. They have turned them into an achievement. These are all the evil effects of the dream.
Some people suddenly come to you and say, “You know, last night Swami appeared in my dream! How can I help feeling so honoured?”
“He appeared in your dream? It's purely personal, so why do you want to make it public? Why do you want to advertise? Why do you want to establish the fact that you are a greater devotee because you had a dream? If you like the dream, continue to live in dream-land, which is closer to merry-land!“
We are making such a fuss about these dreams. That's the reason why fellows like me, who don't have ‘Sai’ dreams, feel inferior: “I feel so awful that Swami doesn't appear in my dreams. Sometimes I feel that I am not a devotee because Swami doesn’t come into my dreams.”
So, those who have these dreams become egoistic, while those who do not have these dreams become frustrated. Both groups are equally spoiled; there is a negative effect on them both. Therefore, perhaps Swami might have thought that it is time to caution people.
SPIRITUALITY HAS NOTHING TO DO WITH THE DREAM
You may not believe this next story. I won’t give the details because it would affect the life of this person. I don't want to damage his name and reputation. He is an Indian doctor, a very famous man with a lot of money. He goes to a lady and says to her, “Swami appeared in my dream and He wants me to marry you.”
That woman foolishly said, “Yes.” They got married, and lived together for about ten years. The doctor, who had settled in New York, came back to India and told the sister of his wife, also a doctor, “Swami appeared in my dream and He wants me to marry you.” That foolish woman agreed, and he married her! See the extent to which dreams have taken us. It amounts to cheating others. They have led to the exhibition of one’s ego, self-praise, and self-glorification. These are all negative points on the spiritual path.
I will tell you of another instance. One gentleman came to me, a very important man. Once again, I will not reveal his personal details. Now, I am not joking here; these are just the facts, pakka!
He came and said, “Sir, Swami appeared in my dream and said that I should marry so-and-so. Go and talk to her. She is there - my fiancée.”
I went to the girl and asked, “What have you to tell me?”
She then says, “Yes, Swami appeared in my dream and wants me to marry him.”
“Oh, I see! So Swami has started a marriage bureau!” (Laughter)
Then I brought both of them together. I said, “Young man, I won't question your dream. What authority do I have to judge? It is your dream and your word.”
I looked at the girl and said, “I don't dispute your dream. Who am I to say it is not so? So, both dreams are correct, and Baba wants you to marry. Fine! Where? Please, follow Him. He said to get married in your dreams. So get married in that dream-land!” (Laughter)
I am telling you this, my friends, because of the extent to which this emphasis on dreams has gone. Too far! Do we consider spirituality a matter of dreaming? No, spirituality has nothing to do with the dream. It has every thing to do with the dreamer.
DREAMS ARE MIND-ORIENTED
The dreamer is more important than the dream. Dreams appear and vanish; dreams come and go; dreams are psychological, mind-prompted, and desire-focussed. Dreams are unfulfilled thoughts that surface for manifestation at a dream level. ‘I want to fight you, but I can't do it in ordinary life. So I completely finish you off in my dream!’ (Laughter) So, unfulfilled desires and tasks have their fulfilment in dreams. Those dreams are psychological, mind-oriented, a result of the day's reflections.
Bhagavan has used, at least half a dozen times, these three words: reaction, reflection, and resound. Reaction, reflection, and resound are nothing but the management, manipulation, and manoeuvring of the mind. So long as there is mind, reaction, reflection, and resound happen. They appear. We cannot dismiss them.
Therefore, when the mind itself is false and questionable, when the very existence of the mind is a hindrance, how can you depend on the dream, which is but the projection of the mind? When the mind itself is non-existent, when the mind itself is an obstacle to the experiencing of Reality, how can I rely on the mind's projection, in the form of a dream? Dreams are mind-oriented. Therefore, Swami said, “All dreams are imaginations. All are illusory. They are not Divine.”
Second point: Think of the dreamer, not the dream. Today's dream says that you are the winner. Tomorrow's dream may say that you have lost. In today's dream, you may be the winner; tomorrow's dream, who knows, I may be the winner. But the dreamer is the same. The dreams go in succession, one after another, like cinema reels, like films. But the dreamer is the Reality.
A VISION AND A DREAM ARE DIFFERENT
Point three: Is Baba appearing in the dream false? Is Baba asking me to do this and that also imagination? Did He not appear in my dream and ask me to come here? Has He not said to me, “You are here because of My direction in your dream?” Has not that dream come true? Why did Baba say that dreams are just imagination? Why did Baba say that dreams are illusory, false?
The answer is that at the behest of His Will, Baba appearing in a dream, unambiguously telling you something, is totally Divine. It is not a dream, but a vision. Let us be very clear about it. Baba appearing in a dream is no longer a dream. It is a vision. A vision and a dream are different. Dreams are worldly. Visions are spiritual. Dreams are the reflection, the reaction, and the resound of the mind. The vision is from the intuition. The vision is the intuitive, while the dream is psychological.
Dreams are confusing. So many things happen in my dream -- one, two, three, four. I cannot tell you about it clearly; I get confused. But the vision is unambiguous; there is no room for confusion.
Fourth Point: Dreams present a choice to accept or reject. In my dream, I may feel like going to a movie. In the waking state, I have the choice to go or not; to do or not. The dream gives you ample scope of choice. Vision is choiceless awareness.
Fifth Point: Next, a dream is based on events in the past, or on events preoccupying you in the present, or on future events based on a past experience. For example, I wanted to be a Collector; I could not. Therefore, I dream I am a Collector. I enjoy that position in the dream – nobody can order me about. Right?
So, a dream may be of the future, or it may be based on past experiences, or it may be a projection of present worries; but the vision is timeless. A vision is not conditioned by past, present or future. The vision is direct.
A simple example: “Come to Puttaparthi.” Shall I come or not? There is no choice.
“Do this!” Shall I do this or not? No choice. It is direct.
”Speak the truth.” That is important to do now, and important for the future also.
So the vision is a command, a directive. The vision is Divine. The vision is spiritual, non-confusing, intuitive and within; while dreams are confusing, ambiguous, and based on the mind with its vagaries, whims, fancies, and choices. Therefore, the psychological dream is different from the intuitive vision.
Let us be clear, friends, so that things heard or experienced by us cease to be contradictory. “Swami said that then, Swami says this now; which can I say is right?” We don't have to say anything. Just let us go deeply into the subject. A dream concerns something in which you are totally engrossed, encompassed, and deeply involved.
A simple example: Being away from my mother, I think of her often throughout the day. I dream, and in my dream she appears and talks to me. So, this dream is based on my thoughts. It is thought-based, whereas the vision is beyond thought.
Now, when there is no thought about Bhagavan during the day, being totally busy with our work, suddenly Swami appears in our dream at night and says something. When He is not in our thoughts while we go about our daily activity, not thinking of Him at all, suddenly He appears in our dream and starts talking to us. It is not a dream. It is a vision. So a vision is something, which is not anticipated, which is not planned.
Therefore my friends, there is no contradiction or confusion. When Baba says dreams are false, it is only means mind-based dreams are false; mind-projected dreams are false. But Baba appearing in a dream is not a dream, but a vision! Visions are true; visions are spiritual. That is the answer I can give you in this context.
Sai's philosophy is not a separate religion
I have a second question to which a friend expects an answer to as soon as possible, as he may leave today or tomorrow. So I have chosen to answer the second question as well.
He says this: “I am a devotee of Lord Rama. How do I have Sathya Sai Baba now? I repeat ‘Sri Ram, Sri Ram, Sri Ram.’ Should I say instead, ‘Om Sri Sai Ram’? Or is it enough if I say ‘Sri Ram, Sri Ram, Sri Ram’ which is what I have been doing?”
A genuine question, but the answer is so simple, my friends. These issues should be known to devotees all over the world because today we, the contemporaries of Bhagavan Sri Sathya Sai Baba, are witnessing a peculiar phenomenon, a mysterious state of affairs.
Point one: Sai's philosophy is not a ‘conversion’ philosophy. Be sure of it. It has nothing to do with conversion. Christians can continue to be Christians. Muslims can continue to be Muslims. Buddhists can continue to be Buddhists. Parsees can continue to be Parsees. The Sathya Sai philosophy does not involve a conversion from one’s beliefs or religion. Be convinced of it - be sure.
Second: the teachings of Sathya Sai do not formulate a separate religion. Be 100% sure of it. It is not a new religion. It is not as if this is a religion that is new or strange to me, and I have to convert, adopt and follow it. Baba ignores religions. That's the second point.
Three: “I believe in Rama sincerely. I repeat a Name, the mantra of Rama devotees -- Om Sri Ram, Sri Ram, Sri Ram; Sri Rama, Jaya Ram, Jaya Jaya Ram.” All right, repeat it! One day, you will find Baba appearing in Rama. You will see Baba walking in front of you, and you will see Sri Ramachandra in Him. You will see Baba in Rama and you will see Rama in Baba, showing you that He and Rama are One, the same.
This happened to a devotee, ninety years of age, who wrote a hundred books on Ramachandra. He never accepted Baba. He is a follower of Lord Rama. Hare Ram! Hare Ram! Sri Ram! He wears clothes bearing the Name of Rama. He takes food, reciting the holy Name of Rama. As he drinks water, he utters the Name of Rama. His life is full of Rama.
Having been forced by his friends to come here, he saw not Sai Baba, but his own chosen God, Ramachandra! Ramachandra is a very tall person, seven or eight feet, as the description goes. He was a very tall, well built, hefty, handsome personality, “Pumsam Mohana Rupaaya.” Even men love Him; even they are attracted by His beauty and handsomeness. And this gentleman, who came here reluctantly to see Baba, saw not Baba, but Lord Ramachandra. Then he wrote a book, “Baba and Rama Are One” which is widely circulated. I have the address, photographs, everything.
Then another situation: A Catholic came here to attend a conference as a heart specialist. Catholics are highly orthodox and uncompromising. Being a disciplined, sincere, 100% Catholic, he got ready to pray in the evening. He was saying his prayers in the Round Block, where he was given accommodation. While he was in deep meditation, sitting all alone in his room with the door bolted from the inside, suddenly he felt a gentle touch. He turned around and there was Sathya Sai Baba!
“How could You come in, my Lord? I bolted the door! I am sure I did.”
“A bolt is no bar to stop Me from coming in. And even if you open the door, I might not come in.” (Laughter)
Then suddenly while he was talking, he saw Christ; it was no longer Sathya Sai Baba.
My friends, this was narrated by an Italian doctor in the presence of Bhagavan Sri Sathya Sai Baba, at the time of the International Conference. This was a cardio-thoracic surgeon, speaking in the open auditorium on the dais. What can you say about that?
He was so convinced that he declared: “At the risk of my reputation and membership in the Catholic Church, and at the risk of persecution by fellow Catholics, I declare that Baba is the second coming of Jesus Christ! I declare that Baba is the Cosmic Christ.” That's what he said!
In the book Jesus and Baba, Reverend Pipes, (who wrote three books), clearly establishes that all that Jesus said is very much the same as Baba. And he said, “Even if I lose my position, it doesn’t matter. I declare that Jesus and Baba are One.”
Sathya Sai strengthens our chosen path
Therefore my friends, we don't have to give up our path. No, you may follow your own path. You may continue to say Sri Ram, Sri Ram, Sri Ram, and you will experience Sri Ram everywhere. If you go to a church, you will find Sri Ram there. If you come to Puttaparthi, you will find Sri Ram here. If you look at Sai Baba, you will find Sri Ram in Him! In other words, you will be a fully successful devotee of Sri Ram after coming to Swami. So there is no question of accepting Him, or rejecting Him, or converting to another religion. Instead, you will find fulfilment of your life-long mission.
“Oh, Baba, I have been a devotee of Rama for the past forty years. I wrote a hundred books,” said that elderly man. And he wrote in his books, “I saw Ramachandra only after coming to Sai Baba, although I had been praying to Him for forty years!”
This only means that Sai Baba helps you to fulfil your aim in life. He answers your prayer in the form of your chosen God. He will see to it that your prayers are sincere and genuine. He will see to it that you act according to the word of your chosen deity, religion or God.
So, in order to have our thoughts supported and our ambition fulfilled, in order to reach the goal of life and to realistically experience our religious wishes, we come to Baba. Put briefly, all Christians have not become Hindus; all Muslims have not become Hindus; all Hindus have not become Muslims; all Hindus have not become Christians. In Puttaparthi, Christians are better Christians; Muslims are better Muslims; Hindus are better Hindus; Buddhists are 100% Buddhists. So Sathya Sai strengthens and deepens our own chosen path and there is no contradiction.
These are the questions brought to my attention this morning. I could answer them in more detail, if you want to have a discussion later.
Liberation is the cure!
I am very hungry now, my friends. How to be free from hunger? Food is the solution. Food is the remedy for hunger. I feel very sleepy, very tired. What is the remedy? Come on, go to sleep! I am suffering from malaria, influenza or some complaint. What is the remedy? Go to a doctor and get medicine; then you will be free from illness and be healthy.
All of us are suffering from another complaint which is unknown to us. We know fever, hunger, thirst. We know more than enough of worries (Laughter) because we keep adding to the list. To be without worries for some people is another worry! (Laughter)
“I have no worries, Anil Kumar. That is my worry.”
“Oh, very good.”
Therefore my friends, we know all these things. But there is another thing of which we are not aware. What is it? We are caught in the cycle of birth and death.
Punarapi Jananama, Punarapi Maranam,
Punarapi Janane Jathare Sayanam.
The life cycle is repeated again and again. Time and again, we must have taken on countless number of lives. This is the problem now. We should get out of this cycle. Just as food is the remedy for hunger, and medicine is the remedy for any ailment, what is the remedy, what is the cure to get away from this cycle of birth and rebirth? Liberation is the cure. Liberation is the remedy to release us from the cycle of birth and death.
spirituality based on desire is not permanent
Let us analyse this for some time, in accordance with what Baba has to say on the matter. Most of us run after Him, my brothers; at least it is so with me. I can confess to it, because I am highly conscious that I am speaking in His Divine Presence. If you ask what brought me to Baba, the answer is, “His message and His mission brought me to Him.” Yes, it was not simply desires or needs or demands. I never had a memorandum or a ‘please’ or a request…no! What drew me close to Him? It was His mission and His message.
All of you would agree when I say this: if our faith is based on need or desire, it will not survive. The desire is fulfilled now, but tomorrow the desire may not be fulfilled. One prayer may be answered today; tomorrow another prayer may not be answered. Shall I then change my party? Shall I change my devotion? Shall I change my deity? Shall I change my mantra? All right, this party is not helping me, so let me join some other political party. Why not? Let the gods also have parties. Then we can change parties at will. Why not?
My friends, it is not the case! Any deity worship, any spirituality based on desire, is not permanent. You can take it from me. But the good God keeps desire-fulfilment as the bait to draw us closer. It is a trap, that’s all. Once you are trapped, finished! Bhagavan Baba has a beautiful, magnetic, highly attractive, spiritual, Divine trap, in which we are all caught by the bait of desire.
“I did not have a job. Swami gave me a job. Therefore I am His devotee.” You are trapped! (Laughter)
“I have a problem in my office; Swami solved my problem. So I believe in Him.” You are trapped!
“I was suffering from a serious problem. Many doctors gave up hope, and there was no chance of survival. But after coming to Swami, I am now fine, hale and healthy.” You are trapped!
“I have a personal family problem that has been bothering me very much. There was no one to help. But after coming to Swami, the problem is nicely solved.” Like the wind that vanishes, like the cloud that passes, the problem simply goes. You are trapped!
Having been trapped, you cannot get out of the trap. Tonight you can try this. Put out a trap, and trap a rat. Watch how it struggles to get out. (Laughter) It cannot! So, our dear God, out of His kindness, by fulfilling the desire, which was the bait, has trapped us. You cannot get out of it, because the door is closed. Why? He has drawn you and trapped you, out of His compassion, out of His desire to uplift you and make your life spiritual. It is with the view to make our life Divine, to take us beyond the mind, to make us free from desire.
So we enter the trap with a desire, and we live in the trap to be desire-less. We enter the trap with a need and we are in the trap with no further needs. We go into the trap with a kind of hope to eat the bait there. Having got into the trap, we have no hopes.
Let me define ‘hopeless’. Having no hope is different from hopelessness. Hopelessness is to be condemned; no hope is the spiritual life. I have no hopes…surrender. I am hope-less…a gone case! (Laughter) So let us have this distinction.
IT IS LEFT TO you
Somebody asked me this morning, “Mr. Anil Kumar, when everything is Divine, when everything is spiritual, when there is nothing to ask for, if life is now, 'Swami, You don't have to take my letter, thank You. You don't have to grant me an interview, thank You' -- then am I correct in feeling this way?” This was asked by a senior devotee, senior by virtue of age, and by the number of trips he has made to this place.
I said, “My friend, I can understand the 'You don't have to take my letter,’ as being said out of frustration because, ‘I carry that letter every day and You avoid me. You don't have to take my letter.’ Sour grapes! (Laughter) ‘Let Him choose not to take my letter’ – words said in disgust and depression.
‘If You don't want to look at me, all right. Swami, You don't have to call me for an interview. I waited one month! You never cared. I must go; I have cancelled my tickets twice. The visa expiry date is fast approaching. So it is better to forget about it.’ (Laughter)
So my friends, these things said out of disgust, through frustration, from depression or disappointment, they are invalid. They are imperfect; they are totally wrong.
Then that elderly gentleman said, “No, no, Mr. Anil Kumar, I am not saying them because of depression. I really feel that I don't want them.”
Oh, I see! A step further.
Then I said, “My friend, with all respect, I give you this answer. If I were you, I should like to feel like this:
“Swami, if You think that I deserve or need an interview, it is up to You. If you think an interview is not necessary at this moment, as my lifestyle is being managed in the best way, You choose. You decide what is in my own interest, my God. Whether I need an interview or not, is in Your hands. I leave it to You. If You feel that You should take my letter to encourage me, I am happy, my Lord! If You don't take my letter, I am equally happy, my Lord…because You feel that You don't have to take it. You have Your own way to answer what I have written in the letter. Oh, God, taking the letter or not, is in Your hands. Granting an interview or not, is left to You. I have no choice.” This should be our approach.
To desire is as wrong as denying a desire. With “I don't want,” equally the I-ness is there. “I don't want my letter to be taken. I don't want the interview.” Ego is there. So, in “I want” or “I don't want”, ‘I’ is common in both. This is ego once again. “Want or don't want, no, I am beyond them. It is left to You. You select.” This is spiritual.
This is what I told that old man. He seems to be satisfied. But I might meet him again this evening. He may think, ‘Why should I accept whatever he says? I’ll put him on the spot with more questions.’ I am ready. No problem. (Laughter)
So, my friends, the present problem now is that we are caught in the cycle of birth and death. We have to come out of this cycle.
Baba speaks in His own beautiful style. I do not tire of quoting (to the best of my knowledge) Bhagavan, who can talk to our heart, who can convincingly speak to us, based on illustrations drawn from daily life. According to the pages of history, to the best of my memory, I can say there is only one other who had this ability, Jesus Christ. He could draw parables from daily life situations, talk to the masses, to fishermen, and people of all cadres. It is not an easy thing to do.
There are no standards in spirituality
There are some people who say, “I can only speak to people who have a high standard in spirituality.” There are no standards in spirituality. To say that I am in possession of a standard is tantamount to saying that you are a first-class fool. In spirituality, the only standard is one common to all. Standards are relative and that relativity is of the world. The theory of relativity prevails in this world.
Some people may say, “I am in a higher state of spirituality, sir.”
“Oh, higher…you will pass off. (Laughter) Please, go higher and higher.”
There is nothing like higher or lower in spirituality because it is common to all. The Self is the same. The Self in me is the same within you. How can I be more than you? How can you be less than me? If I think I am superior, I am ignorant. If you think you are inferior, you are innocent of the Truth. Both are wrong.
It was Ramana Maharishi who said, “If I truly think I am a Jnani, a man of wisdom, I don't need to speak of spiritual Truth to others, because the Self is in everybody – there is only One-without-a-second.” Self is the One-without-a-second. Who are you speaking to? All are the Self.
I don't talk to myself. People would put a ticket on me if I started talking to myself. “This gentleman was perfectly sane a year ago. We are so sorry to see him now quite mad.” (Laughter)
Baba opened ophthalmology, cardiology, and neurology sections in the hospital. He did not start a psychiatric department. Why? There is a reason. There will be patients with a heart complaint, and a few neurological and dental cases. But the mental - all are cases! (Laughter) The whole of Kulwant Hall would have to be converted into the department of psychiatry! But He has not started a separate wing, as He Himself is the Psychiatrist. He is the greatest Psychiatrist, and we are the psychotic cases. (Laughter)
Why do I say ‘psychotic?’ We are full of hope in the morning, and hopeless by the evening. We feel life is highly promising at one time, and then we are totally frustrated at another time. We are highly devoted at one time and totally agnostic later. At one stage, we have no desires; later we develop a chain of desires. This is the psychotic case.
So, my friends, the problem is we do not realise what is the cycle of birth and death. Baba tells it in His own style: “Birth is the appearance of the body; death is the disappearance of the body. But you are neither born nor do you ever die.” You are never born, so to celebrate your birthday is foolish. If you celebrate your birthday, then after you have gone, the people will celebrate your death day. (Laughter) They will keep a ‘death anniversary’.
You are never born! The one who is born must die. The One who is never born, can never die. The one who has a beginning will have an ending. The One with no beginning has no ending. So, I AM, this ‘I,’ the Self, this ‘I’, the Consciousness, this 'I‘, the Divinity, this 'I', the Spirit, this 'I' is eternal. This is what Baba has said.
The body is temporary -- comes and goes. Coming is birth; going is death. But 'I AM' is eternal, immortal. So, once this feeling is established, then there is no such thing as the celebration of a birthday. There is no fear of death either.
People are afraid of death. Why? Nobody wants to die. Even a person, who has decided on suicide, will start crying at the last moment; and the fellow who jumps into the well to end his life, struggles to survive up to the last minute. This is often reported in the newspapers. I have not seen anybody committing suicide, thank God! Not yet! No one wants to die! Why? Because that feeling of eternity, that feeling of immortality, is within him. That's why he doesn't want to die. He thinks that he is the body. Therefore, he doesn't want to die. I think I am clear.
No one wants to be unhappy. Why? There is a feeling of bliss within him. He is the very source of bliss. He is the very core of bliss. He is the very metaphor and personification of bliss. He is bliss itself. So, I don't want to be unhappy because I am happiness embodied, encased and encompassed. I am happiness. So I don't want to be unhappy. I think I am clear. Being blissful within, I don't want to be unhappy, which is expressed externally. Being eternal within, I don't want to die externally.
Sat means existence, Sat means being. As I am Sat within, I don't want to be asat, false or subject to death. I don't want to be a non-being; I don't want to be a non-entity; I don't want non-existence, because basically I am existence… Sat.
Chit is awareness. Everyone wants to be active; everyone wants to be dynamic; everyone wants to be the knower. I am the Knower. Knowing or not knowing - that is external. Knowing is different from Knower. Knowing is a process which sometimes may happen, and sometimes may not happen; the Knower is existence. I may try to know now; I may not try to know later. But the Knower remains. A teacher may teach in the classroom. He may not teach outside the classroom. But a teacher is a teacher. Similarly, I am the Knower. It is like the cinema screen. During the movie, films are projected. After the cinema closes, films are not projected. But during, before, and after, the screen continues to exist. Therefore, I am the Knower. That is called Chit or awareness.
Ananda is bliss. No one wants to be miserable; no one wants to be sad, because he is bliss within. That's Ananda. Sat is existence, Chit is awareness, and Ananda is the bliss which is our very core, which is our very Being. Therefore, we don't like anything which is opposite to this Divine nature. When I am Existence, I don’t want to die; when I am Awareness, I don't want to be unaware; when I am Bliss, I don't want to be miserable. Whether we know of this or not, this happens.
How to get out of the Cycle of Birth and Death?
Therefore, my friends, what can be done to break the cycle of birth and death? If I eat, hunger is satiated; if I sleep, tiredness goes; if I take medicine, the illness goes. But how to get out of the cycle of birth and death?
Before I give you the answer, this is what Baba gave as an example: “I get today's newspaper; tomorrow it is waste paper.” So, life is a newspaper, which will not be read again. Suppose I were to read yesterday's paper. Somebody would say, “What happened to you, Prof. Anil Kumar? Professors are absent-minded. You seem to be a good professor -- 100% absent minded!” I don't read yesterday's paper. Similarly, life is not to be lived once again. So I live not to live again. I die so that I do not have to die once again. How is it possible?
We will continue the talk next Sunday also. You can bring questions if you have them, perhaps some supplementary points, which can enlighten me and give me more information, because I don't regard myself as the sole authority on the subject. No one can be. If any one says, “I am totally knowledgeable on this subject” understand that there is something wrong with him! (Laughter) So, you can add your own knowledge next time.
The answer I will tell you now is this. It is very simple. Good and bad, pleasure and pain, profit and loss, victory or defeat, felicitation or humiliation, praise or blame - they all happen to the body according to our vasanas or karmas. If I keep my hand in the fire, it gets burned. If I study well, I get through the examination. If I don't study, I have to appear for the supplementary examination. So, for every action, there is a reaction; for every sound, there is resound; for every object, there is a reflection. So, the reactions, reflections, and resound happen according to our vasanas; and the body has to experience the consequences of the actions, be it good or bad, profit or loss.
But, the real Self has nothing to do with the experiences, whether they are positive or negative. Experience is dual but the Experiencer is not dual. I think you have it. Experiences are dual -- good and bad, positive and negative. Sometimes blame, sometimes praise; sometimes honour, sometimes dishonour. Sometimes there is total appreciation for you; sometimes you are totally put down. These are all the things that the body/mind experiences. So experiences are dual, while the Experiencer is non-dual.
I cry, good! I laugh, fine! I pass in the examination, good! I successfully fail, good! (Laughter) So, failure and success happen; they come and go. But the Experiencer remains as the Experiencer. The Anil Kumar who cries is the same Anil Kumar who is laughing now. Anil Kumar was praised at one time. He is the same fellow that is insulted now. But he is the same.
Therefore, Baba tells you, know the Experiencer, who is non-dual, who is Sat-Chit-Ananda, who is existence, awareness, bliss, immortal, nectarine, permanent, blemish-less, who is neither born nor dies. That is the best way to get out of the cycle of birth and death.
Once you know the Experiencer, experiences are gone. If I see a tiger is approaching me, ready to kill me, I am afraid. If I understand that it is not a true tiger, but a man dressed in the form of a tiger, I am not afraid. Am I clear? So, once I know the play, once I know the depth and profundity, once I know the Reality, I am not carried away. That is the way to get out of the cycle of birth and death.
There will be more details on this next Sunday when I will gather together all your questions and contributions on the subject.
the inner meaning of the present Avatara
I take leave with a note for you, my friends. I beg of you, we should think more about the spiritual inner meaning of the present Avatara, the lifetime of an Avatar. The present Avatar, highest manifestation of God in human form, Bhagavan Baba, has come down on earth to mould our lives so that they are 100% spiritual. All the experiences, miracles, leelas (God’s plays), are only baits or excuses, plays to take us into the mansion of spirituality. The main entrance is an experience; the main gate is a leela. It is only a mahima, a miracle. But there are dishes inside. There are beautiful halls and beautiful things inside.
Let us get into the mansion. Let our journey not stop at the entrance. Let us not be satisfied by the beauty of the gate. No, no! Open the gate; go in! Therein lay beautiful things to follow in this mansion of Divinity and spirituality. As Baba says, the miracles are mosquitoes, but the Divinity is the size of an elephant. How long can we run after mosquitoes?
At night, we know how painful they are. In the evening after 6:30 pm, I find people sprayed with ‘Odomos’ (a mosquito repellent); in the daytime, it is scent spray! (Laughter) So, let us not be carried away by the mass use of ‘Odomos’ due to mosquito bites. Let us use the spray, the fragrance of spirituality, the aroma and smell of Divinity, not ‘Odomos’. That is the miracle.
There will be more things next week. Thank you so much! (Applause)
(Anil Kumar finished his talk by chanting the bhajan, “Vibhuthi Sundara Sai Ram”.)
OM…OM…OM
Asato Maa Sad Gamaya
Tamaso Maa Jyotir Gamaya
Mrtyormaa Amrtam Gamaya
Om Loka Samastha Sukhino Bhavantu
Loka Samastha Sukhino Bhavantu
Loka Samastha Sukhino Bhavantu
Jai Bolo Bhagavan Sri Sathya Sai Babaji ki!
Jai Bolo Bhagavan Sri Sathya Sai Babaji ki!
Jai Bolo Bhagavan Sri Sathya Sai Babaji ki!