|
Permanent Happiness January 18,
1971 It seems to be
a mistake that we believe in Maya but we haven’t yet seen the higher planes. Maya is defined
as a delusion. What is Maya? It is delusion. You do not see thing in their
perspective, that’s all. Come out of this delusion. You will come out of the
physical delusion when you rise above the astral body into the casual . . . . . . . (break in tape) . . . .
whatever enjoyment you have outside, is it real enjoyment? We are under a
delusion. I will give you an example: if a dig is eating bones but there's
really no taste in bones, his own blood trickles, and in tasting that, he
thinks it is due to the bones, it is not, you see? So long as you ate attached,
you feel joy, but when you are withdrawn, or the thing of enjoyment is
withdrawn from you, then by disengagement, you feel a loss of bliss; do you
follow? But the real bliss is within you. You yourself are all consciousness,
all joy, all bliss. When you are absorbed in something outside, you enjoy your
own bliss by concentration there. Really, there is no joy outside, no happiness
outside as we are a drop of the ocean of all consciousness, all happiness, all
joy. If we engross our whole attention into the over attention, then we enjoy
true bliss, or coming in contact with the over soul. Outside enjoyments are
merely due to your attention here. if you are not engrossed there, you feel no
happiness. no joy. Is it correct
to neutralize the negative thoughts with the positive thoughts? For instance? Some bad thought
comes in, and you just reverse this as nothing, and then you substitute it with
some other thought . . . .? Well look here,
you are changing your center of enjoyment from one place to another. They are
changing. The more they are changing, the more they are missed when you
withdrawn from them. You'll feel grief. There should be complete stillness? That may be
taken as a training ground if you like. Be absorbed in your own work, for work
is worship. It is a kind of training, but by absorbing your whole attention
into the over self or God, you will have a boost of joy. That you cannot get
from outer thing. You may have absorption only for the time begins you are
engaged, and when those things are withdrawn, you feel no joy. We have been
tossing about seeking joy here and there, everywhere. But we are not satisfied
because outer things are not permanent, but are only the temporary, changing,
panorama of life. you must have something to stay with which is eternal. God is
all bliss, al consciousness, all joy, all intellect, and we are a drop of the
ocean of all consciousness. He is ever existent so we think we sill ever die?
We never dream of it. with all this , we know that people leave the body, but
still we feel we cannot die. Even in a child that reflection is there. Because
God is all wisdom, we consider that what we know is also all wisdom, we
consider that what we know is also all wisdom. Even a child will say, “I know
better!” is it not so? This is the reflection of that all wisdom. Everyone is seeking
joy, but the difficulty is where to find permanent joy. So the Master's
advise us to come in contact with something which will never end, which is
everlasting; and that is God. he is already within you, and for this reason he
(the Master) gives you contact with Him. The more you come in contact with Him,
the more joy you will feel, and the more happiness. when you get greater bliss,
naturally you withdraw from outside. You enjoy
these outer things only when you are engaged or absorbed in them, and if
they were permanent, it would be all right, but they are ever changing. But sometimes,
may be after a particular experience, you can see what will happen. That’s a
foreshadow of the coming events, that’s all, and foreshadows of coming events
are not a part spirituality. It is only because of the clearness of your mind
that it can be a reflection of the coming events, that is. whether a thing is
lasting or not, is to be considered. If man wants permanents peace, permanent
peace, permanent joy, never ending, then the soul must be absorb into the over
soul which is eternal, which won't die. You will not feel the separation or
withdrawal from that, as he is the very life of you in this very man body.
Those who want permanent peace and joy let them contact something that is
lasting, that’s all, because the worldly things are all changing ; they don’t
last long. After all, man has to leave the body; everyone has to leave
sometimes. If you are attached to outward things, relatives, possessions,
naturally when you withdraw, you feel grief. Do you know
what is at the bottom of this? All bliss, all joy, all happiness, all wisdom,
is within you, and at present you have a reflection of that. As I told you,
even a child says, “I know so much.” Everybody says what I know, nobody else
knows. That is due to the reflection of all wisdom within you. God is eternal,
and nobody believes he will die. But if you really come in contact with that,
then you will have permanent joy, permanent wisdom; everything. These are very
simply facts –common sense. Everybody wants joy –permanent, not temporary, is
that not so? We have been seeking amiss, thinking perhaps each thing will last,
but nothing lasts in this changing panorama. That permanent, lasting abode is
within you, and that is the very controlling Power within your body, but we are
attached to outside to know our self. When we do this, by withdrawal we see
that the Power is controlling us within the body. So the body is the temple of
God, and all this grief, misery and strive is due to ignorance. We’ve been
seeking amiss. That is why the Upanishad ask, “What is that, by having which
you need nothing, to develop body wants permanent peace, do they not? But we
are seeking , we are engaged only in the impermanent. Why not seek that very
seeking, we are is within engaged only in the impermanent. Why not seek that
very controlling Power in the body, permeating all creation. This explains
spirituality in a few words. Everybody wants bliss, happiness, joy, for long,
is it not? Even if you get outside , you have to leave the body. Now these
things are connected with the body. Even then you'll feel grief. Why not come
in contact, become engaged and absorbed in the Power which body? Do you follow
what I am putting before you? We are misfitting our attention. We enjoy a
little outside happiness only for the time we thing is taken away or we are
withdrawn, we feel grief. Furthermore, for outer enjoyments, you have to spend
money, but for the inner bliss and joy, we have to pay nothing. [disciple asks
about being sick and meditating] even the
darkest cloud has a silver longing somewhere. There is bliss even in the form
of disease. You get more time. your household members say, “All right, he is
sick.” They do not detain you. So why not look at the better side of it? other people
are helping you. Instead of sighing and grieving, all right, “God blessed me.”
withdraw your attention from outside to within you. You have got a contact
within you. How blessed you are. So many years
ago, I remember it was perhaps in 1914 , I got a fever for three months, then
six months. I had a very blissful time. nobody was telling me to go to the
office and this and that, and I was served by everybody. So naturally I was in
my meditation much of the time, and once I withdrew from the body; the people
around me said, “Ohm he's dead.: but I was not dead. This is the golden
opportunity that God gives. Our angles of visions is wrong what I'm telling is
it not the truth? When you're sick, do you have to exert for yourself? Others
come to your help and will sympathize with you saying, “All right, have this,
have that.” All these outer things come in a garb to give you an opportunity to
get something higher, but we don’t utilize the chance, that’s the pity. So have you understood
the principle of permanent happiness? you have got the contact within, why not
have it permanently? Out of the 24 hours each day we fritter away at least
twenty hours, and will not find time, even three or four hours, for that most
important purpose. This is really our own work. All other work is connected
with give and take, and when that is
finished, it will leave you or you will have to leave. So the permanent
relationship is there within you, to which
Master unite you. Such a relationship which never ends, even after
death. What a great concession it is I tell you! I do not mean
that you should sit idle and doing nothing. Earn your livelihood by the seat of
your brow; stand on your own legs and help others. We have only to take one or
two loaves, one or two, that’s all, nothing more. How much do you need to earn
for this? One thousand dollars? You need for your own living 20, 30 or 40
dollars and the rest is not your share, mind that. If you don’t share with
others, you will have to leave it all behind, and people will be fighting over
it –“this is our share, this our share.” What has to be taken from you
eventually, why not share it with others now? Is this not wise enough? Your
self will expand. Love God and love all others. God resides in them; love knows
service and sacrifice. Love without service and scarifies if no love, I tell
you. It is selfishness. Love without service and scarifies is no love, I tell
you. It is selfishness. You want to keep everything for your own self and you
can have only a little of it –the rest will be left of it –the rest will be
left behind you. And people fight over it, going to the courts, “this is our
share, this is our share.” Kabir says that
the word “dhe” in Punjabi means body. The word “de” also means to give. So he
says, “As long as you are in the body,
de, de, de.” As long as you are in the body, always give, give, give, and give.
He then asks why. Because when you leave the body, nobody will ask you to give.
When you share with others, you own self expands, does it not? For the love of
God you love others. So share with others because God is within them. We are
all brothers and sisters if God. your self expands, otherwise it remains
congealed, and with the result that you take nothing along with you when you
leave the body; even so, how can you take outer things? That is why Christ said
that it is easier for a camel to pass through the eye of a needle than for a
rich man to enter the Kingdom of heaven. The whole
perspective is changed, do you see? The Godman who come here give right
understanding. Right understanding. This is right understanding, you see. The
personal work is therefore to withdraw from outside and rise within your own
self, know yourself, that’s all. You are all bliss, you are all wisdom, all
happiness. outward happiness comes only on account of yourself when you are
engaged or absorbed in various things. You have frittered away your own bliss
and enjoyed the outer happiness. if you come in contact with that higher
happiness, then . . . . . . . . ? Go on with your
meditation and all outward things will become very clear. I mean we are wearing
colored glasses, but with clear understanding, the glasses become clear. If it
is dark glass, you will see darkness. If it is blue, you will see blue, but
right understanding gives you right thoughts, right thoughts results in right
speech and action. Why is all the wrangling and lighting going on? Because
there's no right understanding. Once my Father
was involved in a court case with some relatives on account of some land
dispute. It was I think in 1915, many years back. Previously those who were now
fighting in the court lived together as cousins. They ate together, yet in the court they could fills suit. Anyway, my
Father won the case. I was there, and when the other party came to my Father,
they met all right and he welcomed them. I asked them, “Why have you come?” and
they said, “We have lost the case of course but have come to see if you have
got some share for us.” I then asked my Father. “Well dear Father, have they
really any right to anything. although you have won?” old people were very wise
in those days, and with all that he
said, “truly speaking I have to die. They will have some share, even though I
have won.” Then I asked, “How much do you really consider they have to get?” he
said something like nine “bighas.” A bigha is about one forth of an acre. Then
I asked him, “Well then, how much do you think had you lost the case, would you
like to have considered your share?” he replied “fifteen bighas.” So I said,
“All right, add half of that and it makes twelve.” So even after the case was
won, my Father gave them twelve bighas of land. This is
truthfulness. Don’t deceive yourself. Sometimes in the outward court cases you
see, you may win, but that is not your true share. Christ was very strong in
advising people not to leave house for the court. If you have left your house,
and are on the way, don’t go further; return. Even if you reach the door of the
court, don’t step inside. If you step in, then you are no longer true to
yourself, you will have to say one hundred false things to prove you are right,
and all your time will be engaged in nothing practical. All the time you will
be thinking. “He is such and such a man, “ and so on. When consulting with one
man, then another, ones whole mind is disturbed. Added to this, you have to
spend money. Why not keeping the half share and stay at home? In Punjabi we
have go through a saying –it is better to have half a loaf of Bread rather than
the whole by fighting. Would it not seem that if you are true to yourself, then
there is no need of these courts? The reason for these courts is due to us, you
see. If there are two brothers, then whatever the Father has left should be
shared. Everybody wants to be exorbitant, wants to get more. It is only the angle of vision that should
be changed. Nearly all that trouble is on account of ourselves; I think ninety
percent. Ten percent might be due to reaction of the past. We squeeze the blood
of others. The stain of blood on a cloth can be washed away by water but when
you squeeze the blood of others, you will have to reap the result of that. So
your earning should be fair and honest, first
of all. The other things are it should pass through the hands of someone
who has a good life, or that infection will be there. Even from the one who
cooks. Those who serve food also have an effect. We don’t feel it because we
are already overlade with filth. These are simply different ways of living. No
philosophy is required, just command sense; every day experience you see at
work in life. so all outward enjoyment are not really enjoyment, because of
your own self, you are absorbed in something and are enjoying your own blood .
why not attach it to the higher self which is all wisdom and thereby enjoy more
. . . .? You have to
learn these things. Having one social regions or the other makes no difference.
That school is better from which many students come out successful, that’s all.
When you're attending a certain class in which there may be Hindus,
Mohammedans, Christians, all are reading in the same classroom. And the teacher
is a man, the same as you, who is enlightened, who has solved the mystery of
life. which student is most dear to the teacher? Whoever lives up to what the
teacher says, surely, thought he may be a Christian, Sikh, Mohammedan, or
Hindu. All are dear to Him, but he is more dear who lives up to his words. So I say, make
the best use of the advice you are given. You have nothing to pay, nothing to
worry about, and this is nothing new –just stand on your own legs. It is a
golden opportunity whereby you can go back to your home. Make the best of all
other things to enable you to reach God. |