Hunger After God Many of us here live at ashrams or centers or head quarters in the states, and there's a lot of Master's work there, and I know in my case In particular, theirs always typing or filling or books to be mailed out. And you have also told us to put in time regularly for meditation when you suggested at least a minimum of ten percent, two and a half house at minimum, and more would be better. Now after our worldly obligations are meditation, generally I find that there's some time and a half over, a few hours. Now, should this time be devoted to more meditation or putting work, Master's work? What in your
opinion is better of the two? I don’t know. I
really don’t. Master's
foremost work is meditation. Then do other Master's work. This is good work. It
keeps you all along in sweet remembrance of the Master if it's done so [with
remembrance]. Sometimes you go on doing at without any thought of the Master
and that is not as beneficial as if you would do this work seeing you are doing
Master's work, like a slave. All the time you are conscious of that: then is
something substantial. But at the time, you are not to ignore your meditation. How much time should we put when were back there, then? Out of 24
hours, how much time does you required for your job? Nine. Nine hours? Nine yes. All right, that
leaves 15 hours. Then what about your personal self? [laughter] let’s be
business like. How many hours do you
want for your own personal self, physical . . . . . Including
eating? Everything,
breathing, eating, resting, sleeping. Maybe twelve
–sleeping, eating, everything else. Twelve hours.
How many for sleeping? Seven or eight. Seven hours.
All right, one hour for eating? Yes. How much
altogether? Ten. Now what
altogether –three hours for eating? I don’t think it takes more than fifteen or
twenty minutes for eating . . . . do
you think? Yes. Well, come on.
So nine hours for your job. That’s all right . seven hours for sleeping. All
right. Eating . . .leave eight hours. How many hours do you want in all for
your personal self? One hour, two hours, three hours, four hours. Even then
you’ve got four hours. It is a lame excuse me for not doing meditation. Do you
follow me? Would you suggest any number? You want
number! What I have counted in a business like way. Four hours meditation? Four hours are
left to you. Well, do some of Master's work. That doesn’t leave four hours for
eating, I don’t think. [pause, chuckles] but you have to leave today. You have
to leave the body. I'm not leaving in your place or anybody else’s. wake up,
please. If after hard work on Master's work you put in an hour or so, then you
benefit more than if you do three hours of meditation. That will compensate
you. And all the time, while you are working, are you conscious, always in
sweet remembrance of the Master? No. Then? It is
being done in a business like way. Think you are working for the Master but,
“As a slave I am doing Master's work . . . .” that’s all right. So you must
adjust your time during the day to do your meditation first. At the cost of
meditation, don’t do other work. But you’ve got so many hours you can do more
work. Doesn’t mean you shouldn’t do Master's work. Do more. Is it clear to you
now? What have you followed? Well, put in
first time for meditation, and if there's time left over, for working . . . . . If you have to
put in more for Master's work, then take it from your sleep or from your other
program. Meditation should not be sacrificed, mind that. That’s a very
helpful suggestion for me, Master. Everybody. So
reserve like to meditate quite a lot and go inside. But I find that very
difficult. At night, sometimes, I think that I should pray and sit and all
that, but then after a couple of hours, about an hour and half, sleep comes and
I lie down sleep. You must
persevere. Habits from habit from. By doing something regularly, after some
days, trend of the mind may from a habit. Out of twenty four hours, you must
devote some time; you are required to. There are no hard and fast rules of
sitting while doing it. you may sit in any pose you like, that wide awake. If
you feel that way, who will do it? no body else can do this work for you. It is
your work to die, not anyone else . you must learnt how to leave the body. Some
concession can be there; you have done your best, leave the rest to God. some
concession can be there, but all hundred percent concessions cannot be given.
There is one way out. if you’ve got
full devotion to the Master, you have surrender yourself to the Master,
the love in the Master is most in your
heart, then you may be saved from coming back, you need not come back. You'll
have to continue this further, but it will take longer time there as compared
with here. you please. How does faith
in the Master Power develop? By regular
practice. Faith is, I would say, the
root cause of religion. For faith you
must have something to stand on. Some people are
in the make already, they have that grow already. theirs have to form faith in
due course, not all at once. So it's better when you see you are helped by
Master in all your affairs; when you see some improvement in your inner way.
First, when you see quite impossible things are made very softened down,
naturally faith arises. Faith is the root cause of all religion. If there is no
ground, where will the building stand? First, you have
to take it as an hypothesis, then you must benefit regularly by seeing or by
experiencing your faith. The Master say: don’t believe unless you see for your
own self what is what. The more you come in contract with Master, and the more
you become receptive, the more faith you will have Him. [question in
Hindi] they asked,
“Should we love only our brothers in faith or others as well?” I told them,
those who come in contact with you, those are dearer that anything. understand
my point. Those who are not yet on the way, after all they have got the same
soul in them, the same God is in them. Many suffering, and dying; let us pray
for them. There was a
story about one day Saint who went along with others going for a pilgrimage to Mecca . On the way, there was
a well. Every body was given water to drink.
But she also saw a dog, which was thirsty, very thirsty; his tongue was
hanging out of his mouth. She stopped; left the party and went to the well.
There was nothing to bring the water up so she tore up all her cloths and made
a robe of them; even that could not reach the level of water. Then she cut her
hair and made rope from it. and let the cloths soak in water. She then gave the
water to the dog. When she Sit in meditation, God said: “Your pilgrimage have
been accepted.” Your pilgrimage has been accepted. Man is man. leave all narrow
–mindedness. I will tell you
the story of the tenth Guru. Some fighting was growing on in the Mohammedan region,
there was one man whose duty was to give water to al who asked for it –those
who were been killed and those who were killing others. He was giving water to
all. Those people who were not fully following the theory came and reported to
the tenth Guru. “Our own men is joining with the enemy and giving them water.”
Guru called for Him. “What are you doing?” “sir , I am giving water to you.
Guru has said, you are in everybody” and Guru told Him, “You have understood my
teaching rightly.” Then he gave him
some gift also, some spiritual food. The man who is
really making after progress, but cannot progress; what should he do? He wants
to put in time, but cannot put in much time. Regularly pays –sit at the door
with full devotion, whether he hears or not. Hafiz says, “ Sit at the door!
Don’t be anxious whether your prayer has been heard or not.” You have done your
duty. Such a man you will see has got full love for the Master and God. he
takes sitting at the door as a sacred duty, thinking all the while of the
Master. so in that way a man develops love for the Master, for the God in Him.
If he in that was a man develops love
for the Master, for the God in Him. If he has not done much; well, each man
does something; he has a concession. If he full love for the Master, he is not
to return, but he has to make progress on the other side. How can we
develop hunger for God in others? Develop hunger
in others? All are not ready, or don’t want God . do you remember what Christ
said in that parable of the thistle,
the one fell on quite ready ground. Those who are ready, you duty is to tell
them from the housetop: “this is the truth,” like that. But everybody won't
accept. Only those will accept who are ready. Some people will take up, just
like the grains on the roads side, which are elated up by the sparrows. Those
sown in the bushes will not grow any further. Those involved in the formalities
of the world will say, “What will people say?” what fell on bare ground, very
set, bore fruit. So first: example is better than precept. Even by radiation,
you will be of help to others. How can we develop hanger in others? If we are
hungry, (for God) our words will be changed you see. They will go to the heart
of others. But only those who are ready will receive. That is why Christ said,
“don’t throw pearls before swine.” Live it. example is better than precept.
Live it your yourself . . . . . . wanted: reformers not of others but of
themselves. An example is better than precept. If you are really hungry, people
will come in touch by radiation. I tell you,
when I was in office . . . . . . I was a superintendent, in one section many
long years ago. And there were so many other sections. One superintendent came to me, “Look here .
. . . . . in your section we find everything going on quite calmly, very
sweetly, no discussions, no quarrels. Why is it?” I told him, “Well, please
concentrate within your own self.” I told him what to do: “All right, go on,
concentrate, starts.” This was long before I went to my Master. He was a practical
man. after two more months he came to me:” I sit, but I hear all the things
going on around me.” “All right, put in more single minded attention.” Then after two more months, “now
in the beginning I hear the sounds of outside; then I don’t hear them.” After two months again he came, “now do you
hear?” he replied, “While I am sitting there's no noise.” Regularity
pays; regularity pays. You are not regular.
Sometimes you run. Sometimes you lie down, sometimes you sleep.
Regularity pays –at a tortoise rate of speed: regular. Sometimes you go ahead
of a hare that runs, then sleeps. So life affects, you see. If you see a
wrestler, then? Are you not affected by seeing? Naturally you see a wrestler,
then? Are you not affected by seeing? Naturally you receive radiation. If you
are really hungry, have hunger after God, naturally by radiation, others will
come up. All are not
ready. Then you cant
anything. those who are not ready , then what can you do? If you want the seed
to surround forth, that must take time. we are in the make. Those who are
ready, they can have it. I see. Will
everybody be ready? In due course.
But that will be quickened by a Master. If the fruit laded tree is left to
itself, it will take seven years, six, seven years. If by good fortune, he
comes in contact with other scientific means, then they will give fruit in two
or three years. So society, company radiates to all. That is why, true prayer
should be as the Sikhs do: “God let us meet a man who is really hungering after
you.” What should one do when one is not true to oneself, and in other words, knows better, knows what you should do, but doesn’t do it? That’s all
right. Diary is meant for that. Keep your diary, I mean sincerely –be true to
your own self. Don’t deceive your own self. Everything comes up. If a man
having a lamp in hand falls down in the ditch, then? Knowing is not sufficient.
You must live up to it. An ounce of practice is worth more than tons of
theories. We must live up to what he says. Diaries are for that purpose. Well, I feel we, I mean myself, and we have a lack of receptivity towards the Master and the Master Power. I was wondering if it comes from a lack of effort or is it limited by their karmas? Karma, you say,
karma? Well, it is in the man body that we are bound to some extent and free to
some extent. All others [other forms of creation] are bound: they are not free.
So according to reactions of the past: five six things will come, life and
death, riches and poverty, good name or bad name. These are bound to come. That
you cannot change. The railroad line is set, and the engine must run on that
track. For fortune you are bound to some extent and we are free within certain
limits. We must make a profit. This is the reaction of the past. I wonder about how to rise above the ego. Ego? How to
lose the ego? So long as we are the doer, whether we do good, right or wrong,
we have to bear the fruit of it. Good and bad action comes up, just like chains
of iron or have gold. You will lose your ego only when you become conscious co
work of the divine plan. You see he is doing –you are not the doer. You are
merely a puppet in his hands. So this is the only way ego is lost. “I” and
“mine” are lost only when you sit at the door of the Guru or the Master, when
you are receptive and you come in contact with the Light of God and sound
principle. In due course, by regularly practice you'll see some higher Power.
You are merely a puppet in his hands. That is the only way of losing the ego.
You, please? Why so I feel depressed sometimes when I sit? This is the
reaction of your own past; day-to-day thoughts. That is why you should weed out
all imperfection within you. The reactions, depression, of good or bad. At
times you'll have boost, you will be joyful, at
other times, not. Sometimes the society of others affects. If you come in the
society of a very learned man, naturally you will feel that effect. If you come
in contact with an ignorant person, then? Become strong; you should not be affected by others. You must develop
strength to affect others. That is why I say, never look into the eyes of others. Eyes are the windows of the soul. Out of the abundance of
whatever is there, that radiates there through the eyes. If the other man is
good, good radiation will come. |