November 27th, 2005
“Head in the Forest, Hands in Society”
OM…OM…OM…
Sai Ram
With Pranams at the Lotus Feet of Bhagavan,
I am so glad to be here amongst you on this morning, so soon after the Birthday Celebrations. Because of the recent cultural programs, it was not possible for us to meet for a couple of Sundays, so I am glad we could all finally meet today.
Having seen the grand celebrations for the 80th Birthday, and having been amongst the big crowd that assembled here, one made up of devotees who have been waiting for this blessed occasion for the past year, we are all certainly left feeling very charged with devotion.
UNIQUENESS OF SATHYA SAI AVATAR
This morning, I would like to draw your attention to certain important features of the present incarnation of the Avatar, and His uniqueness. This Sathya Sai Avatar is unique, and as we think of His uniqueness, certain points come to mind that I would like to share with you.
We have been mistakenly under the impression that living a spiritual life means living one of renunciation. We have been taught over ages that spirituality requires that one retreat from society. We have been taught that a spiritual life is one of solitude or loneliness.
But Bhagavan Sri Sathya Sai Baba has said, “It is not whether you live life in society or within a family, nor if you lead a life alone in the forest that determines the spiritual nature of your life. It does not matter where you live, whether in a family, in a large society or even apart in a forest. Where you are is not what matters.”
Why? Well, it is easy to renounce all that is of this world. I can easily forego money. I can very easily quit my job. These things may even be obsolete anyway for us, if we really decide to forsake them. But to lead a spiritual life, what does Sathya Sai Baba say is to be renounced, to be detached from? According to Sathya Sai Baba, “Leading the spiritual life demands detachment from evil tendencies, detachment from bad qualities and bad thoughts.”
RELIGIOUS LIFE IS NOT LIVING IN SECLUSION
So what is to be given up? Leading a religious life does not require us to go into seclusion. It requires giving up one’s evil-mindedness, one’s own narrow mindedness. That’s the reason why Baba said, “You may live anywhere, but your thoughts should be always centered on God.”
When my thoughts have a singular focus on God, when my mind is unidirectional, it does not matter what I do or where I am.
HEAD IN THE FOREST
There is a famous quote from Bhagavan that we have all heard many times. We must remind ourselves of this saying time and again. What is this quote? It is, “Head in the forest, hands in society.”
This is an often repeated quote of Bhagavan’s. “Head in the forest, hands in society.” What does He mean by this? Shall I chop off my head and put it in the forest? Shall I cut off my hands and leave them at home? What does He mean?
Bhagavan splits ‘forest’ into two words. Forest becomes for rest. Forest becomes for plus rest. This is a new etymology and a new interpretation indeed! Forest now means a place of peace. A place of equanimity! A place of rest! A place where the mind feels lighter and lighter! This is what Baba means by forest.
Therefore ‘head in the forest’ means ‘let the mind be at rest.’ To maintain that peaceful state is to keep one’s “head in the forest.” It is not about where our head is in geographical terms, and we should not go by such a literal meaning.
There are number of people who live in the forest. They are not philosophers. They are not saints. They are not sages. Forest here means to keep the mind at rest. Wherever the mind is at rest, it is in the forest. This is a new interpretation given for the first time by Bhagavan Sri Sathya Sai Baba.
HANDS IN SOCIETY
So when our head is in the forest, how will our hands remain in society? Hands in society! What does this mean? Hands represent action. Hands symbolise service. Hands stand for work. So work in society is what He means. Serve in society. Act in society. Do not run away from society.
As far as running away from our families, it happens at some times for some people. Given a stiff or psychotic housewife, one might run away from the family. This doesn’t mean he is a saint. Or one may accrue debts that he can never clear. One may take loans from everybody, and then run away from home. He has not the quality of a saint.
Therefore my friends, leaving the family is not spiritual. Running away from one’s family is not religious. To lead a spiritual life, only two things are important. The mind should always be filled with Divine thoughts and the hands should be involved constantly in work, in activity, in service to society. “Hands in society, head in forest.” That is what it is.
LIBERATION FOR HOUSEHOLDER
To be spiritual, we don’t need to be disappointed. We don’t need to be frustrated. We don’t have to be depressed because of our worldly situations involving our families. The scriptures clearly say that a householder or a married person with a family will be able to attain liberation or salvation far more quickly than a celibate or a sanyasi. A celibate or a sanyasi, those who have no family of their own, will find it difficult to attain liberation; but for a householder, it is much easier. Why? How? The celibate or sanyasi may be ready to argue about this with me. They may differ with me, but still this is the fact of the matter.
STORY FROM LORD BUDDHA’S LIFE
I would now like to share an episode from the life of Buddha with you. A householder, a businessman, one busy in amassing wealth in this world, in collecting all that is precious and valuable, suddenly decides to become religious.
He comes to Lord Buddha and says, “Oh Bhagavan, I am tired of the world. I am bored of the world. I want to be a monk. Please make me a monk. Please make me a guru.”
Buddha then said to him, “Wait.”
“No Swami, hit the iron while it is hot. When my mind is ready to renounce things worldly, when my mind is ready to be a guru, make me a monk.” This businessman pestered Buddha, and even threatened to commit suicide if Buddha did not grant his wish to be a monk.
Buddha then said, “Alright, you are a monk from this day forward.”
The businessman then wore ochre robes. Nice! He thought that his ochre robes would keep him special in the eyes of society. All people expect something great of a monk in ochre robes.
After a couple of months, Buddha called him and asked him, “Are you really a monk now?”
The business man replied, “Yes! Sure! Why not?”
Buddha then laughed and said, “Until recently, as a householder, you were collecting money. You were amassing wealth. You were collecting all sorts of valuables as a businessman. As a sannyasi today, you collect books -- scriptural books. You now collect books. You were collecting coins and rupees then, but now you are collecting books.” Buddha clearly saw that this man’s orientation toward collecting and amassing worldly items had not changed.
MENTALITY OF COLLECTION
“You are collecting still. That’s all. Until yesterday, as a householder, you were very busy expanding your house, adding floors, making it air-conditioned, cushioned, well carpeted and filling it with the latest furniture. You were so busy with all this until just yesterday. Now today, you want to establish an ashram. You want to collect your disciples today. You now desire to collect disciples. Your desire for things existed until yesterday, and now that desire to collect has just changed from property to persons.
“You had a desire for property then, and today you have a desire for devotees. Your desire to amass is still in you. Yesterday, you were trying to expand your house, and today you are trying to expand your ashram, so that desire for worldly expansion, that discontent, is still there in you. Whether you desire to collect property or persons does not matter.”
BEING INFLUENTIAL OR POPULAR IS NOT SPIRITUALITY
Then Buddha said, “As a householder, until yesterday, you wanted to be known as a rich man. You wanted to be known as a person with influence. You wanted to be influential. You wanted to be affluent until just yesterday. Yesterday you wanted to be popular as a householder, and today you want to be a popular sanyasi. This desire for popularity is still there in your mind. Only the form of what is desired has changed.”
So my friends, leading a spiritual life does not mean anything other than to remain ordinary, to remain simple, to make ourselves free from our desire to acquire, to possess, to be special, to expand and to dominate. The moment I am free from the spirit of domination, the moment I am free from the thought of being special, then I am a truly a sanyasi.
UNDERSTAND THE IMPLICATION OF SWAMI’S QUOTATION
This is what is meant by “hands in the society, head in the forest.” We like to repeat Swami’s quotations without understanding their implications. Citing quotations may speak of our scholarship, but without understanding the meaning and the implication of His words, we don’t receive their deep wisdom, we don’t understand their profundity, we don’t understand their purpose, we don’t realise their objective. So I want to leave with you with this thought my friends: Head in the forest, hands in society. To successfully commit to leading a spiritual life, this is first point that we must understand and cultivate in our minds.
SPIRITUALITY IS NOT NEGLECTING OUR BODY
The second point regarding spirituality that we must understand is that we must not neglect our bodies.
There are some people who fast all the time. This is a very busy season here, with many people coming from all different parts of the world, and also from neighboring places in the state of Andhra Pradesh, where I have spent four decades of my life. Many people have come to me asking about fasting. They say, “Mr. Anil Kumar, we fast every Thursday. Then we also fast every Sunday. Are we not spiritual?”
I have to say to them, “Certainly not, simply because of this.”
By fasting, the digestive system may improve. By fasting, obesity may be reduced, some fat may be shed. By fasting today, you may also just eat more tomorrow (Laughter), because you will be hungrier.
But simply fasting does not mean that you are leading a spiritual life. I also know some people who don’t shave, who wear worn-out clothes, who don’t comb their hair and who neglect their bodies, all in the name of religion.
I tell them, “This is foolishness. This is not religious. Neglecting the body is not religious.”
Why? You have not made your body. The body and life itself are a gift of God. Life is a gift of God. Your body is a gift of God. Do not neglect your body.
BODY IS THE GIFT OF GOD
You have asked to borrow my pen, and I give it to you. You will not write on the floor with it, will you? You will not. When anything is entrusted to you, when anything is given to you, do not spoil it; you do not damage it. Therefore, if life is given to me, I should not neglect it. If a body is given to me, I should not mistreat or neglect it. This is why Sathya Sai Baba says, “The body is the temple of God. Deho Devalaya Prosthu Jeeva Deva Sanatanaha.”
The body is the temple of God. That temple must not be neglected. That temple should never be filled with rubbish. That temple should not be full of garbage. No. The temple has got to be kept beautiful, clean and pure. So maintaining the body, considering life precious, is in accordance with the spirit of religion.
Some people tell me, “I am waiting for my death.”
I tell them, “You don’t have to wait. You are sure to die, whether you wait or not.”
But to me, the one who waits for death is already dead. The one who waits for death is already dead and gone. They simply haven’t set the date for their disposal, that’s all.
One doesn’t have to wait for death, because waiting for death, carrying life as a heavy burden, is irreligious. It is non-spiritual and totally ridiculous behavior. Do not do this. Life is an opportunity. Life is a gift from God. Life is a golden opportunity. That’s the reason Baba says, “Life is a dream -- realise it.” Realise that life is a dream, and make the most of it.
The scriptures say, “There are many angels in ethereal form without a body.” Those angels are waiting excitedly to be born as humans so that they can taste life. Life is only possible with this body, and not otherwise. When angels are lining up to be born as humans, as humans we should not curse the life that we have been given. We should not misuse it. Therefore, religion is life-affirming. Religion demands that we consider the body as a temple, and life as the most precious and valuable of gifts from God.
BAD AND GOOD ARE RELATIVE
The third point that I want to present to you today is this: There are some people who are very disgusted with themselves. They disgust and vex themselves.
When I talk to them I ask, “Why are you worried, my brother? Why?”
“I am not able to control my bad qualities.”
“Oh I see. Why are you worried?”
“I am not able to control my anger.”
“Why are you sad?” I ask them.
“I am not able to conquer my desire.”
“Why are you sad?”
“I am not able to give up my bad qualities. I have so many bad qualities. I am very upset with myself because I want to be good, but I am not able to be good. I did not give up any of my bad qualities. Therefore I am very worried.”
My friends, this is the wrong attitude. This is the wrong attitude. Bad and good are relative. An absence of bad qualities does not mean that good qualities are present. I don’t smoke, but I am a miser. I don’t drink, but I wish to prevent anyone from standing in my way. I don’t gamble, but I want to dominate everyone. Therefore my friends, the absence of a bad quality does not necessarily mean the presence of a good quality.
ACCEPTING ONESELF IS RELIGION
Here is a wall. This wall does not hate anybody. This wall does not fight with anybody. This wall does not misunderstand anybody. Shall I salute this wall this morning? No, No, No. Bad and good are relative after all. Let us understand that what is good today may be bad tomorrow. What is bad today may be good tomorrow! It is only a question of time that decides what is good and what is bad.
All the good food that I have eaten today will becomes bad material. It will just be waste matter by tomorrow morning. The newspaper that I read today becomes waste paper by this evening. So what is good and what is bad now?
Who are you to decide what is good and what is bad? My friends, let us not condemn ourselves with these thoughts. This is very important. Even in spiritual fields, people are depressed. Religious people too are frustrated because they are not able to simply accept themselves.
RELIGION IS ORIENTED TO THE INDIVIDUAL
What if I am bad? I must accept myself as I am. This is important. Accepting one’s own self, just as you are, is religious. If I do not accept myself, I cannot accept anyone else. If I cannot pardon myself, I cannot pardon anybody else. If I cannot love myself, I cannot love anybody else. If I do not respect myself, I cannot respect anybody else. Therefore religion begins with the individual. Religion is individualistic. Please understand this. Religion is not a mass movement. Religion is not a political party. Religion is not full of military regimentation. Religion is totally oriented toward the individual.
Therefore I have to decide for myself, and learn to accept for myself that I am what I am. Who are you to judge whether I am good or bad? Who am I to say whether I am good or bad? I am what I am. It is very important that we accept ourselves just as we are, my friends.
Often we cannot accept ourselves as we are in the outer world. I work in a low position at my office. I cannot accept my position, my low position, and therefore I fight with my boss. I have money but you are richer than me. You have more money than I have, so I compete with you.
DO NOT CONDEMN YOURSELF
Non-acceptance of myself, an unpreparedness to reconcile with who and what I am, is the cause for my worry, for my anxiety in the outer world. There is a man, who meditates everyday; but I am not able to meditate, and therefore I am unhappy. Here is a man who works both morning and evening in the canteen. Well, I work there once a week. Am I bad? What is all this? Why this comparison? Why this competition?
Alright, he works more because he has got more time on his hands. He loves to work. Good. It doesn’t mean that I should condemn myself. So, self-condemnation is a sin. Let us understand that. When we do not condemn ourselves, we never condemn others. Let us understand that.
“Condemn not, lest thou shall be condemned.”
“Judge not, lest thou shall be judged,” says the Holy Bible.
Let me learn to accept myself so that I will be peaceful, so that my mind will be at rest.
In the eyes of God, you are neither good nor bad because God is non-dual. I say you are bad because I consider myself to be good. It is only a personal complex of mine. To call another person bad, feeling within oneself that one is better, is only cruelty. It is sin. Let us not do it. Let us accept everyone, including ourselves, for what we are, Embodiments of Love.
LIFE IS EVOLUTION, NOT REVOLUTION
Life is so beautiful. Life is a process of evolution. Life is not a process of revolution. Life is a process of evolution from one stage to another stage. I enjoy my body. I understand what my body means. I maintain my body. Then I rise above my body and examine my mind. When I do this, I will understand that it is not the body that is the culprit, causing my misery. You starve your body, you punish your body, you neglect your body; but that is a wrong choice. In doing that, you have judged wrongly.
Suppose I committed a theft or a bank robbery. Then I will be kept behind bars. I will be kept in jail. Who is in jail? My body is in jail. But who wanted me to commit the theft? Who wanted me to commit the bank robbery? It was my mind. I don’t punish my mind, even though my mind was the culprit. I punish my body. This is a gross injustice. I have ignored the culprit and punished another wrongly.
MIND IS THE CAUSE, NOT THE BODY
If I understand that the mind is the culprit and the cause, that the mind is at the center, then I evolve from the physical to the psychological plane. When I evolve to the psychological domain, when I get into the psychological horizon, I can then understand the game of life. I say that I am good and you are bad. This is entirely a game of the mind.
If I say that you are spiritual and I am less spiritual, this is the mind at work. Good, bad, more, less -- these are all the nonsense of the mind, the games of the mind. It is the mind which makes me feel superior. It is the mind which makes me feel inferior. It is my mind which makes me feel humble. It is the mind which makes me feel egotistical. All my temperaments, all my attitudes, all my habits, all my actions, are all of products of my mind. This is what I come to understand at the second level, at the psychological level.
What does Baba have to say about this? After all, I have not come here to think on my own. I have not come here to imagine, to interpret, and I shall not do it. I can only repeat like a parrot what Baba says. I make no false claim of having experience about that which I am discussing. I am not that foolish yet. I am not superior to anybody. In fact, many of you, many of you or all of you, may be far superior to me. As a teacher, my job is to read, to understand and to share, like a spoon that distributes honey. This spoon does not know the taste. Those that taste the honey will know the sweetness, but not the spoon. Anil Kumar is just a spoon here. Never consider me greater than anyone of you. Certainly not!
Why do I do all this? I consider this process as sadhana. I consider these talks as my spiritual practice, more important than meditation, more important than prayer, more important than service. I consider this sharing of Sai’s message a spiritual sadhana, designed for my temperament, for my profession, for my vocation, for my avocation, if not for provocation! (Laughter)
MIND IS THE CAUSE FOR BONDAGE OR LIBERATION
So my friends, what does Baba say about the mind? “The mind is an iron curtain. It is the mind that makes you liberated. It is the mind that binds you. Either for bondage or liberation, it is the mind that is responsible. Manam eva Manushyanam Karanam Bandha Mokshayo.”
If the mind is responsible for bondage and liberation, then I must try to understand my mind. We try to understand others’ minds. What is the fun of understanding the minds of others when I do not understand my own mind?
Never mind others’ minds. Mind yourself. Mind your own self. Let me know my own mind. Let me understand my own mind. All scriptures say this. All gurus say this! The only thing between you and God is your mind. The only curtain between you and God is your mind. Once the curtain drops, you are God. When the curtain of the mind drops, you are God.
It is the mind that makes you feel that you are suffering at the hands of God, that you are apart from God, that God is somewhere else, in the Vatican or in Tirupati or in Benares. To feel that God is somewhere else is only a game of the mind. To feel that I am different from God is only due to the magic and mischief of my mind. Developing complexes of superiority or inferiority, whatever they may be, is only due to the weakness of the mind.
WATCHING THE MIND IS MEDITATION
Therefore, once I understand the game that the mind is playing, what a fool it makes of me, then I will be careful. I will be watchful. Watch your mind! If you are watching everybody else, let me encourage you to watch your own mind instead. Watching one’s own mind is meditation.
Meditation is not a posture. Meditation is not a gesture. Meditation is not mechanical. Meditation is not the repeating of a name. If I go on repeating “Sai Ram, Sai Ram, Sai Ram,” I go into a state of sleep or samadhi and snore, disturbing everybody around me. That is a tragedy. So meditation is the observance of one’s own mind.
Why do I say that? I have identified myself with my mind because I think I am the mind. I feel I am special because I think that I am the mind, or that I am superior. This identification with the mind is tragic. Identification with the mind is the cause for all calamities. Identification with the mind is the real tragedy of life. That is the only observation that matters.
At the physical level, at the level of the body, it is action that is important. Action. At the psychological level, self-analysis is important. Let me analyse what my mind is.
MANAGE THE THOUGHTS THAT COME TO THE MIND
How do I analyse my mind? Baba has also been clear on this, my friends. A thought comes to my mind right now: whether you are interested in my talk or not. Another thought then comes to my mind now: I think now that my audience yesterday evening must have appreciated my talk much more than this morning’s audience. Then another thought comes about the waiting line: (Laughter) ‘People must be waiting for me to complete my talk so that they can run to the foreigners’ canteen where pie and doughnuts and pizzas are waiting for them (Laughter).’ Another thought is comes now: ‘Is the store going closing now or will it be opened till 1 o’clock?’ (Laughter)
So I now see my thoughts. I become aware of my thoughts. If anyone says he doesn’t know his own thoughts, he should be put in a mental hospital. (Laughter) The man who does not know his own thoughts is psychotic. Everyone knows one’s own thoughts. When a thought comes to me, I know it. I know that my thoughts flow from this thought to that thought, something like an army moving on -- saluting and leaving, saluting and leaving. I know the flow of my thoughts. I know what thoughts are coming to me.
This awareness, this watchfulness, this analysis of one’s own thought process is meditation. Yes, it is. And what happens when we observe our own thoughts? We learn to manage the mind.
BE WATCHFUL OF YOUR THOUGHTS
Mind management demands that we watch our own thought processes. What happens when we do this? When you watch your own thoughts, the pace of thoughts will slow down gradually. Thoughts flow with the terrific speed, like the supersonic Concorde (Laughter). They are very fast and never stop. Once I watch my thoughts flow, however, their speed decreases slowly, very slowly. They are no longer like an aircraft now, but like a train. Watch them further and eventually they stop.
In other words my friends, analysis of our own mind, awareness of our own thought process, will help us to withdraw from thoughts totally. Withdrawal from thoughts is what is called annihilation of the mind, withdrawal of the mind or “Manolaya” or “Manonashana” in Vedantic parlance.
MEDITATION IS TO BE WATCHFUL OF ONE’S OWN MIND
The annihilation of the mind, this withdrawal of the mind, is possible by observing one’s own thoughts. ‘What a stupid thought has come to me!’ ‘What a puerile thought has come to me!’ ‘What a harmful thought has come to me!’ ‘What a dangerous thought has come to me!’ ‘What nice thoughts are coming to me!’
Watch them, whether good or bad, and they will slow down initially and finally stop. Absence of thought is the annihilation of the mind. Absence of thought is withdrawal of the mind. Absence of the thought is the state where I can say that the mind has been killed. This is good because the mind is nothing but a bundle of thoughts.
“So many threads, so many threads that are closely interwoven, make a kerchief,” Baba said the other day in his Divine Discourse. “If you try to remove the threads, there is no kerchief left. The threads are the thoughts. The threads are the desires. When they are stopped, the kerchief of the mind is lost.”
This is meditation. The process of meditation is to watch one’s own mind, to be mindful, and to slow down the thought process until finally the thoughts withdraw, so that the mind becomes passive, inactive. Then you are not the mind any longer. Then you become the witness.
You are the witness. This mike is the witness. I may speak sense or nonsense or no sense or senselessly (Laughter). This mike is only a witness, that’s all. It does not clap. It does not smile. It does not cry. It just witnesses. Therefore, meditation is a state of mind. Meditation culminates, meditation reaches its goal, and meditation realises its purpose, when I understand that I am the witness.
I AM THE WITNESS
One or two thoughts now about this, my friends: I know what thought has come to me now. This thought leads to the next thought, from my childhood, about all the gifts I received, and of all the gifts I did not receive. Thoughts of my friends are followed by thoughts of my enemies and then by thoughts of the money I should receive, my friends -- but not of the loans I have to clear (Laughter)! Then I might think of all the harm done by others to me, but not of the harm that I have done to others!
As these thoughts are coming to me in an incessant flow, I now observe them. Then who am I? Who is observing these thoughts? Who is watchful these thoughts?
“Sir, a thought has come to me.”
Oh, I see. Then who are you? Who is watching your thoughts? I know this thought has come. I know this thought is there. Then who am I? Then you are no longer the mind, but rather the witness. Meditation is a state that will make you experience that you are the witness and not the mind. The difference between the witness and mind is that the mind is active, while the witness silent.
WITNESS IS DIVINE
The mind is emotional; the witness is transcendental. The mind is physical; the witness is spiritual. The mind is worldly; the witness is Divine. The mind changes; the witness is changeless.
The mind may be lost, active or inactive. It may swing like a pendulum. I sleep at night. I don’t fight with anybody because I am sleeping. In deep sleep, the mind is inactive. The moment I get up, however, it becomes active. ‘Has my wife prepared my coffee? Has the milkmaid brought the milk yet?’
While in deep sleep, you do not shout, do not command and demand. Why are you not commanding and demanding while in sleep? Because during sleep, the mind is inactive. You are the witness then. In the waking state, the mind is active. So the mind is active and inactive, but the witness is eternal. The witness is eternal, while the mind is always dual.
EGO AFFECTS YOU
When Swami looks at me, I think, “Wow, I am on top of the world.” I will then stop traffic to tell people that I am very special, all because Swami looked at me. “Oh sir, Swami gave me this flower.” Why do you want to know that He gave me this flower? (Laughter) I don’t know.
And if Swami ignores you, if He doesn’t look at you, then you don’t want to hear any good news from anybody because you are not happy. You feel tired and you feel weak. You want to get out. Sometimes you feel highly repentant for having come. “Is this what I came for?”
Long ago, Baba, You gave us door darshan, or ‘DD’. Today You are giving us ‘CD’, or car darshan. (Laughter) So my life has gone from DD to CD. (Laughter) What does that say about my life? What does it say about me? My friend, nothing has happened to us. What has been affected is only our ego. What has been affected is our mind.
When I go back to my Sai center, should I tell them that He looked at me? Should I publicise that Swami specially came only for me and looked only at me? Should I then tell them that my life then went from DD to CD? (Laughter) This weakness of the mind or the ego is all that has been wounded as I cry about having been demoted to CD. That’s all. Nothing has happened to me. Once this ego of ours is neutralised, whether He looks at you or not, whether He looks at you from the door or just passes by in the car, you will remain peaceful. You will be very happy.
WE HAVE COME TO LOOK AT HIM
We want Him to look at us when we are here; but truly, we have all come here to look at Him. After all, He has been looking at us all along, whether we were here or not. Swami always looks at you, whether you are here at darshan or comfortably at home in America or Argentina. Perhaps you cannot see Him from your home in Washington, so you have come here to see him. But let us remember from now on to say that we have seen Swami, that we have looked upon Him. Let us not say, “He has looked at me,” as if I am Ravana, the wicked number one. God has come down for Ravana. Do you want to be Ravana?
Therefore my friends, meditation is a state in which we remain as a witness, where we can observe and study the events of the mind, the flow of thoughts, the processes of the mind and its desires and wants.
‘DIE MIND’ IS THE REAL DIAMOND
A diamond is very precious thing, but after all, a diamond is only a stone. A ‘die mind’, however, is something much more valuable. When the mind ‘dies’, meaning the power of thoughts has been nullified and all desires are gone, meaning that I am in the position of the witness and my mind has been rendered passive and dormant, then we have attained the state of die-mind. This is what Bhagavan has told us, and often when He materialises a diamond for a devotee, it is “Die mind” that He says to them, for it is die mind that is truly the gift of value.
LESS LUGGAGE, MORE COMFORT
Bhagavan has also put this in another way for us. Baba has often said, “Less luggage, more comfort, makes travel a pleasure.” All of us repeat this quotation, but what does it really mean? ‘Less luggage’ means let us have fewer desires, let us have fewer thoughts. We will have ‘more comfort’ when we lessen our load of desires and thoughts. In this way, we can make the travels of our journey through life more of a pleasure, a journey more filled with bliss. That’s what He means by this. He is not saying that I should carry less luggage during my return journey. That’s not what He meant. So let the mind be light!
IN THE FACE WE SEE THE MIND
The mind is so heavy. Why do I say that the mind is so heavy? It is often said that in the face one can see the state of the mind. The face reveals the inner state of the mind. Look at people’s faces! Each looks so serious. What is the reason for their seriousness? We don’t know. For no reason! We are not born to cry. We are not born to be serious.
The whole of nature dances. Flowers blossom beautifully. Sunrise welcomes you majestically. Sunset says goodbye in a most beautiful way. The child smiles, making us remember what innocence is. We may also smile, but often our smiles are so sarcastic. Our smiles are often diplomatic. Our smiles are often self-centered. Our smiles are so often selfish that it is not a true smile at all. We are miles and miles away from true smiles.
The true smile is in the face of a small baby. It is so fresh and fragrant. It is full of innocence and the perfume of Divinity. Why can’t our faces be like that? It is because our minds are so heavy.
TO KNOW MY IDENTITY IS RELIGION
Our minds are heavy because we are not enjoying life as it should be enjoyed. We are not enjoying life. We are not enjoying the thrill of life. We are after plastic flowers, and not after real flowers. We are after the sounds of coins, and not after sounds of music. We are after people and paraphernalia. We are not after our own real self. I want a community without unity; I want a community full of enmity.
But I should want a community full of amity. Let me live in amity, as an Embodiment of Love. Let me know my true identity. That is true religion. To know my true identity as Self, as Divine awareness, as a witness, is to know the spiritual life. We must strive to live in a state of detached awareness, observing our thoughts rather than being affected by them. In that way, we can get beyond the pitfalls of the psychological plane.
Still, however, there is a third level that we must get beyond, and that is the level of the intellect. Intellect, after all, is rubbish. Intellect is just artificial.
INTELLECT AND INTELLECTUAL
Sometimes I receive invitations from the Sri Sathya Sai Seva Samithi which organises a meeting for intellectuals. I wonder what an intellectual is. You can be intellectual if you are cunning enough. You are an intellectual if you are a successful diplomat. You are an intellectual if you are a politician. You are an intellectual if you can defend your own mistakes. You are an intellectual when you can project yourself as a great man. You are an intellectual if you are a hypocrite. So this is all artificial.
So let us not be intellectual, but let us do be intelligent. Let us be intelligent, not intellectual. An intellectual is something you become. Intelligent is something that you are. Intellectualism is an acquired feature. Intelligence is something you are born with. Intellectualism shows off. Intelligence is simple, humble, a state of innocence. Intellectualism is pompous and egotistical. Intelligence is awareness. So let us be intelligent, not intellectuals.
ANIMALS AND PLANTS ARE INTELLIGENT
An ant can separate sugar from sand. An ant is not an intellectual with a Ph.D. No. An ant has not read hundreds of books. The ant has not heard any intellectual talks, but it is born intelligent. Your pet dog, when you go back home, will come closer and closer to you. It doesn’t treat you as a foreigner. The dog knows the master and the friends of the master clearly. In fact, a dog is more intelligent than all of us. Why do I say that?
When a stranger comes, the dog barks and waves his tail. Both happen simultaneously. Watch. It goes on waving it tail. It goes on barking. When the master says, “Hey Jimmy, keep quiet,” it stops barking, but the tail keeps wagging. It knows intelligently to surrender because it is prepared for both. Barking to fight, and waving the tail to surrender. Well, I am not that intelligent. It takes me time to compromise. It takes me time to adjust. The dog can change immediately. When the master says ‘keep quiet’, it is ready. (Laughter) See that.
A honey bee lands on a real flower, never on a plastic flower. The honey bee is intelligent, as the dog is intelligent, as the ant is intelligent. And suppose you plant a tree here. The roots go deep into the soil. If there is a water pipe some 40 feet away, the roots will grow toward these pipes. Experiments have proven that the roots will travel towards the pipe and curl around the pipe, break the pipe and drink the water, like Coca Cola (Laughter)! Yes, these roots can travel 40 feet away to get to the source of the water, twist around the pipe and take the water. This plant has no PhD or B.Sc. no academic degrees. It has never attended Oxford University or Cambridge or Harvard University. It is born intelligent.
Go to a tree and stand in front of it with all your love. Go to a plant and gaze at it with all your love. Experiments have proven that the loved plants grow faster than other plants which have been neglected. Experiments have proven that those plants to which you show your tender loving care and concern will flower earlier and more plentifully than the neglected plants.
Conversely, if someone goes with an axe to cut the branches off of a tree, the tree is able to feel their intent, their destructive vibration. If we attach an electrocardiogram to this tree, the needle will suddenly start jumping when the man who intends to harm this tree approaches. The tree knows that this bloody fellow is coming closer to it, and that he is going to cut off its branches, and the cardiogram attached to this tree demonstrates what the tree knows beyond a doubt. Now if this same fellow goes toward this plant full of love for it, full of positive vibrations, appreciating its foliage, then the needle on the cardiogram is steady and calm. When this fellow smiles lovingly at the tree, the tree is put at rest.
Plants and trees have no eyes to see. Plants respond because they are born intelligent, my friends. So intelligence is pragnyana, while intellect is medha. Medha, the intellect, will make you powerful, prestigious, knowledgeable, and respectable, but it will also make your life miserable. Intelligence, awareness of intelligence, pragnya, will make you peaceful, blissful, and equanimous, and you will find life enjoyable.
More next Sunday, thank you.
Before we leave, my friends, I offer my grateful Pranams with a heart full of thankfulness and gratitude to our most beloved Bhagavan Sri Sathya Sai Baba, who has released my fifth book. The title of the book is “Rays of Radiance”. This is the fifth book of mine that Baba has released on His Birthday. This book is published by the Trust. It is a Trust Publication.
I am saying this because some people may think that this man is doing some kind of propaganda or publicity, expecting some money in return. The trust may give a complimentary copy, or they may not. It is not my business to think of that business. The trust has published the book and Baba has released it.
The title of book is “Rays of Radiance” and it talks about SAI:
S for Service.
A for Adoration.
I for Illumination.
What is it all about? For three years, Swami conversed with students. Every day He talked with the boys. Every day He spoke with teachers. We were extremely fortunate to have the chance to put some questions to Him, and Baba was compassionate to give us answers.
All the questions put to Swami, all the details so mercifully responded to by Bhagavan, are classified under three headings: “Service, Adoration and Illumination: SAI”. The book is a catalogue of service, adoration and illumination. Each topic covered has been indexed. If you want to know anything, you can look at the index and then find the answers within. The answers are all directly from Swami.
I have no copyright on God’s word. I have no copyright on air. I have no copyright on fire. I have no copyright on water. I cannot have copyright on Baba’s gospel and Baba’s Divine teachings. This book is dedicated to Bhagavan and is for the benefit of all devotees. Incidentally, I am happy to inform you that the first volume covering our Sunday talks will also be ready soon.
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
Om Shanti Shanti Shanti