The Art of Living

[Guest guest]

The Sunday Talk Given by Anil Kumar

“The Art of Living”

July 11th, 2004

OM…OM…OM…

 

Sai Ram

 

With Pranams at the Lotus Feet of Bhagavan,

Dear Brothers and Sisters,

Bhagavan wants everyone to be independent

Before I get on to the topic for today, I wish to answer a question from a boy,

aged 19, from Brazil. The question seems to be simple, but it is causing him

confusion. He wants some kind of advice. The dilemma which he is facing right

now is the following: his father wants him to take up a job, stand on his own

feet, earn money and share that money with poor and needy people, making

donations to charitable trusts. That is what his father desires for him.

This boy says that he wants to study some psychology (the science of the mind),

and to know his true nature. He wants to know who he is, and he wants to see

himself in everybody. His interests lean towards the spiritual side. “What am I

to do?” That is the question he has put to me.

What are Swami’s views on this? Does Swami say anything about a young person

getting a job? The answer is this: Bhagavan wants everyone to stand on their

own feet. He does not appreciate anybody leading the life of a parasite, the

life of dependence. A number of educational institutions have been started so

that the boys and girls who come out of these institutions will earn their own

living by securing a job. He doesn’t want anybody to depend on anybody else.

The job of a student is to do his studies most sincerely, and then secure a

job, in order to stand on his own two feet. Only after having achieved this,

should he think of anything else.

If psychology is going to make him independent, rather than dependent on his

parents, well and good. The confusion is this, my friends. (I think we

discussed this point some time ago.)

Life is transcendence

There are two extremes in life. One extreme is total indulgence, meaning that

one’s bank account is the aim of life. The flats and the plots, the houses, the

jewellery, cash, and the bank account are the be-all and end-all. Positions of

authority, influence and command are the objective in life. Total indulgence is

one extreme.

But that’s not the end of life after all. There are many people who, although in

high positions, are miserable. There are many people who are rich enough, yet

still miserable. They realise at some point that there is a life beyond what

they have been into till then. In other words, the position, the money, the

influence are not the be-all and end-all in life. That’s what the people of

this extreme of total indulgence should know.

The other extreme is avoidance. “I don’t want life. I don’t want this body. I

don’t want position. I don’t want this job. After all, what is life? After all,

what is food? After all, what is nature?”

This is avoidance. This is also bad because the whole Creation is a

representation of God. The body is a gift of God. Life is a gift of God. Nature

is a manifestation of God. God manifests His nature through Nature. As a result,

we cannot deny Nature. We cannot reject life. We cannot neglect the body. So,

the extreme of avoidance is also wrong. Those who choose avoidance forget the

fact that the whole of experience is Divine.

Spirituality is neither indulgence nor avoidance. Then what is spirituality?

Spirituality is transcendence. It is neither indulgence nor avoidance. It is

transcendence. The spiritual man transcends both indulgence and avoidance by

establishing a sort of balance between the two. He is in life, yet beyond life,

like a boat which is present on the surface of the water; like a lotus flower,

which floats over the surface of water. So we can be in life, but need not be

of life.

The answer I can give to this young man is not to deny himself life and its

opportunities, yet not to be confused by the extreme of avoidance. We should be

able to create a balance between indulgence and avoidance. We are in this world,

yet we need to know that there is something beyond it.

I think that would satisfy him. The immediate thing he should do is to take up a

job. I can tell you what Swami said in this connection. Baba said that we have

to consider this world to be a dream. The world is a dream. How is this

possible? Is this a dream? Yes, it is. If we consider this world as the

reality, if we identify with the world, we become worldly. We are worldly

because of our identification with the world. Bhagavan wants us to consider

this world to be a dream. To explain this line of thought, I will share with

you the following points.

Life is a dream -- realise it

During the night, I had a dream. In the dream, I had a big mansion with palatial

buildings, spacious halls, swimming pools, and a music room. I enjoyed the whole

dream last night; but in the morning, I woke up to find myself in a congested

room, where there is not even enough space to walk. This is reality. When the

dream is over, you come into this reality. When you go into the dream again,

this reality becomes a dream. The day becomes a dream during the night, and the

night becomes a dream during the day. That’s why Baba says, “This is a daydream,

and that is a night dream.”

Baba says, “‘Life is a dream, realise it.” How to know that life is a dream? The

only way is to know that this is a daydream and that is a night dream.

In the night when I dream, I don’t feel that I am a professor in the institute.

I don’t feel that I am in the midst of mosquitoes. I don’t know whether it is

pizza day or not. I live in that dream as if it is reality. We find some people

crying and others smiling when asleep. Why? In the dream they won a big lottery

- they won the jackpot, or they are listening to pop music - Michael Jackson.

They enjoy the music. They feel that this is real. The dream appears to be real

to the dreamer. To the dreamer, the dream appears to be reality. But the same

dreamer, when he comes out of the dream into the waking state, understands that

there is no building, no music, no swimming pool, no jackpot and no Michael

Jackson. ‘Oh I see, that was a dream, ok.’

Now during the daytime, he talks to people and enjoys everything, believing that

to be real. But at night, he goes to bed and starts to dream again, and then the

daytime reality becomes a dream. Therefore at night, day becomes a dream, and

during the day, night remains as a dream. So “Life is a dream, realise it,”

says Bhagavan.

You are the truth of truths

This sort of realisation is absolutely necessary to maintain a balanced state of

mind. The balanced state of mind is absolutely necessary. Bhagavan gave a

beautiful example in the past during one of His discourses. The emperor Janaka

fell asleep while seated on the throne in an open court. (We had one Prime

Minister who always slept in the Parliament. (Laughter) Perhaps he was

imitating Janaka!)

Maybe Janaka was very bored with the proceedings of the court, and for this

reason he slept. Whilst he slept, he had a dream in which the neighbouring

countries attacked his country. They attacked his country and he lost his

kingdom. As a result, he was running along the street in rags. He had lost the

kingdom, the throne, the palace, and all wealth. He was running on the street.

He was very disgusted, very vexed, totally weak and very hungry. What was to be

done?

In his dream, he approached a small hut, and there he begged for a morsel of

food. An old woman came out of the hut and gave him food. When he was about to

eat it, a dog came and took away the food. He started shouting and, in the

meanwhile, he woke up to see all the people around him.

“I am sorry,” he said. “I am the king. I am no longer a beggar. I am lucky!”

Then he saw Vashishtha, a sage and adviser, and he asked him, “Oh Master, that

was my dream and this is what I see now. Which is real?”

Vashishtha said, “Oh king, that was real when you were dreaming, whilst this is

real now that you are awake. But neither that nor this remained permanently.

However, you continued to be then, now and forever. You dreamt then; you are

experiencing this now. You remained the same in both states. In the dreaming

state and in the waking state, you remain the same. You are the Truth of

truths. Understand this: That is the night dream; this is the daydream.”

The art of living is the maintenance of balance

Therefore my friends, we will not be emotional; we will not be sentimental. We

will not be frustrated; we will not be mad at the world. We will not be

depressed; we’ll not have psychological problems. We’ll never be revengeful;

we’ll never be inimical if we learn the art of living.

What is the art of living? The art of living is the maintenance of balance. The

art of living involves the realisation that this life is a dream. The art of

living wants us to know that the day is a daydream and the night is a night

dream. This is the first lesson we have to learn about the world we live in.

Divinity is beyond name, form and action

Bhagavan said that the world we have, has three components. What are they? The

first is name. Everything in this world has a name. Every object in this world

has a name. Second, all that has a name has a definite form.

The third component is action. Everything acts. Everything goes on changing.

Everything is involved in action. Everything is dynamic. Everything is active.

Everything is action-oriented, whether we are aware of this or not. Even the

inanimate objects are active. Because we do not see that which happens within,

we describe an inanimate object as passive, dull, inert. This is nonsense. We

know it is not like that. Even stones are active. The electrons, neutrons and

protons go on revolving in their orbits at high speeds.

This world has three components: name, form and activity. Bhagavan has said,

“When you go beyond the name, form and activity, you will know the basis, you

will know the foundation. You will know the Primordial Principle, the governing

principle, the mechanism, the mechanic and dynamic behind it.

Here is a simple example: A wheel is rotating. A bicycle wheel, or a car tyre,

is rotating, revolving, moving. But the centre pivot is still. If it also

starts moving, the man will end up in the hospital! (Laughter). That which does

not move makes the rest move. Am I clear? That which is motionless is the cause

for the movement of the whole wheel.

Similarly, when we understand what the world is - its constitution, its

components, the name, form and activity -- on further investigation, we will

come to know that there is something beyond, which is changeless, motionless,

and stable. That something is what is called Divinity.

So, the Divinity, which is changeless, the Divinity, which is stable, the

Divinity, which is motionless, is responsible for the wheel of time revolving,

for the wheel of the world to move on and on to eternity. If you think the

wheel is moving, you know only part of the truth. If you know the centre, which

does not move, as well as the wheel, which moves, you know the complete truth.

A non-dual mind thinks of the manifested and the unmanifested

If you know only part of the truth, you know a distorted truth or half-truth,

and experience a dual mind. The one who knows a half-truth has a dual mind. If

he sees only the wheel revolving, he knows only half the truth. But if he sees

the pivot that doesn’t move, as well as the wheel which moves, he knows the

total truth or full truth. The non-dual mind knows the full truth.

So my friends, we have two types of awareness, mentality, or mind. There are

those who say, “Never mind.” I don’t have anything to talk about with them.

(Laughter) If we consider the mind, let us know whether this mind is a dual or

non-dual mind.

A dual mind thinks of that which is apparent, which is conspicuous, which is

seen; whereas, a non-dual mind thinks of the apparent and the non-apparent, the

seen and the unseen, the manifest and the unmanifest, the Creation and the

Creator. Am I clear? This is the non-dual mind.

So Bhagavan wants us to develop a non-dual mind in order to see both levels of

awareness. This is what Bhagavan says about the world. To sum up, (being a

teacher for four decades, I can’t help repeating and summing up) Bhagavan has

made two points about the world:

1.

This world has three components: name, form and activity.

2.

We have to consider our life on this earth as a dream.

the Body is given for our use by God

Now we pass on to the next aspect. In this world, how do we move about? How do

we function? We move about in this world with the help of this body. Does

anybody move without the body? (Laughter) If anyone would move without a body,

we would fear him. We would call him a devil or an evil spirit. We move and

function with the use of this body. Whether it is efficient or inefficient,

competent or incompetent, is a different matter. So, in this world, we are a

functional being in a body.

The body is a vehicle. The body is an instrument. The body is an expression of

the life principle behind it. The bulb is an expression of the underlying

current. Sound is an expression of the underlying amplifier. Similarly, the

body is an expression of the underlying life principle - the Divine principle.

“I don’t care for the body.” “I don’t dress my body properly.” “I don’t maintain

my body.” “I don’t care for my body.” These are expressions of carelessness, not

religion. This is negligence, not religion. One has to maintain the body in

perfect condition. You are not the owner of the body, and therefore do not have

the right to spoil it. This body is given to you for your use by God.

the Body is God’s gift and must be maintained properly

God wants you to maintain your body properly. He doesn’t want your body to be in

pieces, as the result of an accident or other such unfortunate incidents. That’s

why Swami will never want anybody to fast too severely. Swami tells those who go

on a fast to eat well. Bhagavan is just as considerate as the previous Avatar,

Shirdi Sai. “First eat, and then come to Me,” said Shirdi Sai. “First eat,

because I am in you. I am hungry.”

(Laughter)

This Avatar, Sathya Sai, says, “Time for petrol. Go and fill up, and come back.

Time for petrol.” Why? This body is His gift. We have to maintain it – keep it

clean, keep it trim, slim, hale, healthy, and looking good. This is absolutely

necessary. The maintenance of the body in perfect condition is an aspect of

yoga. It is one of the objectives of yoga. People do so many yogic exercises

and processes to maintain the body in its perfect condition. What does Baba say

about the body? He says so many things. We will study these things one after the

other. Every thought of His is so beautiful.

Body is the moving temple of God

The first point Swami makes about the body is: “Body is the moving temple of

God.” Wow! No saint ever said that until now. No prophet ever said it until

now. “Body is the moving temple of God.” The Bhagavad Gita said that the body

is the temple of God.

Yes, that is there; but Swami added the word ‘moving’. The Bhagavad Gita said

that the body is the temple of God. Baba said that it is the moving temple of

God, because we are moving, you know. So this temple, which is in movement,

cannot be neglected. If you want to travel in your car, the tyres must have

enough air. You cannot travel in a car with a punctured tyre, can you? You

cannot travel without lights, can you? You cannot travel with the brakes out of

order, can you? The car should be in perfect condition.

The lights must be clear. Our eyes are like the lights of the car. They should

be perfect. We should be able to see well. The four tyres, like the two legs

and two arms of the human body, should be in perfect condition. If this or that

is fractured, you cannot move freely. So the four tyres should be perfect.

The horn should be in good condition also. Speech is like the sound of the car

horn. “Sir, I can’t talk.”

“All right, don’t talk. The other fellows will talk on your behalf.” So, the

horn also should be in working condition.

The brakes should be in working condition also. “Sir, I’ve got to check the

brakes. Better you don’t start yet.” Brakes provide the control, the self

control. I should be able to control my body. I should be able to control my

mind. The accelerator that would speed things up is my mind, which goes on

thinking, running at terrific speed, faster than light!

The gift of God, the human body, has to be maintained in a perfect way, just as

one maintains one’s car wherever possible. That’s the reason why Swami wants

students either to do yogasanas or go for a morning jog; do exercise drills or

play a sport. Every fellow must participate in physical exercise. No student

can sleep in. The teacher will wake him up to go jogging. I think most of you

know that there are marks for jogging in the Sathya Sai Institute of Higher

Learning. There is a component in the assessments for physical exercise. That

component is comprised of yogasanas, exercise drills, sports and games. Marks

are given for each component and these are added up to make a grade.

Bhagavan believes in total personality development, not merely intellectual

development. Some people have a very good mind. They can think well. They can

do research, but have never played a game in their life. They have lost the

ability to have fun in life. They have lost the most valuable part of life. The

body should be taken care of. Bhagavan has said, “The body is the moving temple

of God.”

The body is like a water bubble

The second point that Baba has made is: “The body is a water bubble.”

What does this mean? A water bubble is so beautiful. It is so transparent,

translucent, thin, filmy, nylon, and white. But such a beautiful water bubble

may go at any moment. Finished! So when Baba says that the body is a water

bubble, He speaks of its uncertainty. He doesn’t mean that you should think,

‘Oh, it’s just a water bubble, so I don’t have to care for it.’ No. You have to

care for it, but in full awareness that the water bubble may vanish at any time.

One example: There was a very rich man. He had so much property that he did not

know how much he owned. The end of his life was approaching. He did not want to

die. Who is prepared to die, after all? We all die unwillingly, not by choice.

(Laughter) And we also think that other people may die, but that we won’t. The

others died because of lack of proper medical care and malnutrition, but we

have extra nutrition and doctors all around us, therefore our life is

guaranteed. That’s the normal state. This has been how humans think throughout

the ages.

So this rich man wanted to live, although the end was approaching. But he was a

great scientist. He immediately called ten people, who he made to look like

him, by using the cloning technique. (Laughter) Some people say there are

fifteen Bin Laden’s and fifteen Saddam Hussein’s. So this rich man used this

technique to make ten people look exactly like him.

Somebody asked, “Sir, what are you doing?”

He replied, “When the god of death, Yama, comes to take me out of this body, he

will not be able to find me. There are ten people who look like me, so instead

of me, he will take someone else away. (Laughter) I want to confuse him.”

“Not only are you a rich man, you are also intelligent!”

So all the ten people were there, looking like each other, just like pieces of chalk.

Lord Yama, the god of death, came. “Arre! All ten people look exactly the same.

They even have the same footprint. Xerox copies! (Laughter) What am I to do?”

The god of death is more intelligent that the rich man, who is supposed to die.

How can Yama select? There may be a delay in the arrival of trains, but there

will never be a delay in the arrival of the god of death. He keeps exact time.

He is never before time, nor is he ever late. No.

Being more intelligent than the rich man, he said, “This is a very interesting

case. I have put in millions of years of service. I have been able to take the

right man to the right place for so long, but here I am confused. All the ten

men look alike. I feel like declaring that the man who could plan this, that

ten others look exactly like him, is great indeed. I want to reward him,” he

said.

This fellow walks up to him immediately, (Laughter) and says, “I am the man.”

“OK, please follow me. Oh, you are the man! Come on. Follow me.” (Laughter)

So my friends, the body is a water bubble. However intelligent we are, however

well we want to manage and manipulate, the body cannot live for eternity.

That’s why we are called mortals.

So the first point is that the body is the moving temple of God; and the second

point is that the body is a mere water bubble. The second point speaks of the

body’s transitory nature, of its ephemeral nature, of its changing nature, of

its temporary nature. So the body is a water bubble. That’s what Swami has

said.

Life is ETERNAL - body is temporary

The third point is that the arrival of the body is called birth, whilst the

departure of the body is called death. No one dies. No one is ever born. That

is the truth. Life is eternal. But the body is momentary. The filaments may get

spoilt and the bulb is out of order, but the current is always there. Am I not

right? Similarly, the electronic gadgets may fail, but the electricity

continues to exist. In a similar manner, life is eternal, but the body is

temporary.

Therefore what we have to understand here is that this body has been born in

order that it will never be born again. You are born, not to be born again. If

one is dying, he is dying so as not to ever die again. In other words, this

human life should be the end of the cycle of birth and death. The lifecycle has

two stages -- birth and death, that’s all. This cycle must be broken at some

stage or another.

Bhagavan says, “This life is a newspaper. Today’s newspaper is tomorrow’s waste

paper." Today’s newspaper seems so precious when we read it. Sometimes when a

fellow is reading his paper, we lean on him so that we can read his paper also.

The paper belongs to him, so I lean on him, and read whilst pretending to sleep!

The point is that life is to be spent in the full understanding, in the full

awareness that the body is like a newspaper that becomes tomorrow’s waste

paper, so that you will not be born again. That is the purpose of life.

Bhagavan has said, “This body should not come back again. That is the aim of

life.”

identification with the body is attachment -- identification with the mind is ego

And then there is another important point: “All right sir, I know this body is

temporary. I know that I have to die someday. I am taking care of my body. Why

should I think of the end of life? Let me enjoy this body. Let me be happy in

this body.”

You may feel this way, but now consider what Bhagavan says: “There is nothing

wrong with having a body. The problem is identifying yourself with the body.”

There is nothing wrong in having a body. The mistake lies in

identifying oneself with the body.

There is a world of difference. To think ‘I am the body’ is what is called

‘attachment’. To think ‘I am the mind’ is what is called ‘ego’. Identification

with the body is attachment and identification with the mind is ego. Bhagavan

wants us to be in this body, without attachment to it, and without attachment

to the ego. Is it possible? What is the harm if I am attached? What is the harm

if I am egoistic?

There is only a difference in the dosage of attachment and ego. All have a sense

of ego. No man can say, “I have no ego.” Saying that ‘I have no ego’ is enough

proof of the existence of ego! Ego is there. It is only a question of degree.

That’s all. What is the harm if there is a sense of ego? What is the harm if

there is attachment within me? As a result of the identification with the body,

because I think I am the body, two evils have cropped up: ego and attachment.

Ego and attachment are the by-products of body identification.

Bumps and jumps in life are due to ego and attachment

All right, what will happen when there is attachment and ego? What is the harm?

The harm is that we’ll be living in the world of plurality, multiplicity,

duality, complexity, misery, and tragedy. The dual experiences, to quote

Bhagavan, are: “life’s bumps and jumps, lashes and slashes.” Bumps and jumps in

life are only due to this ego and attachment.

If anyone comes and says, “You are great,” they may just be mocking you or

having some fun. But the fellow, who has heard these words, feels that he is

really great. He will look at the fellow who spoke this thinking, ‘Have you

recognised it only today? I’ve been great all my life. Do you know that? You

have only come to know my greatness today.’

That is ego, ego, ego - bloated and inflated ego. Say someone comes and says, “I

have not seen any fellow more useless than you!” You will think, ‘I am useless?!

All right, we’ll settle the matter in one hour’s time!’ (Laughter) You will be

filled with feelings of revenge and anger.

So, the mind either boils or freezes, somewhat like water. Water, when heated,

transforms into vapour - it boils. When kept in the refrigerator, it freezes

and becomes ice. The mind is like that. Either it is in the form of vapour or

in the form of ice. There is no middle state. The mind is always changing.

All are close to Swami

Swami grants an interview to someone. “You know, I got this interview,” the person says.

“Why should I know when you got an interview?” (Laughter)

This person continues disturbing everybody: “Look here, I got an interview you

know. You know what He said to me? What He said to me is this….”

“Arre!

I am not interested. I am not interested in what He said to you. That is purely

personal. Why do you speak about that?”

Ego. Publicity. Suppose, out of innocence, he goes on telling me what Swami

told him. I won’t allow him to complete his sentence. I interrupt him saying,

“You know what He told me ten years ago?”

Arre! He has not completed relating his experience, because I start talking

about my experience when he was only halfway through telling about his. The

third man, the onlooker, becomes altogether mad! My friends, such is the mind.

I met one friend this morning. “Ah, life is not interesting,” he said.

I asked, “Why?”

“Swami is not talking to me these days.” Oh ho! (Laughter)

This is very interesting. Life is not interesting because Swami is not talking

to him. Then I said, “I find life to be interesting even though He is not

talking.”

“How is it possible?”

“When Swami talks to you, it means that He has identified you. When He is not

talking to you, it also indicates that He has identified you, but now He is

avoiding you. So both times He has seen you.” (Laughter) To avoid you, He must

see you also. Am I not right? Without seeing you, how can He avoid you? He must

see you first in to avoid you and see the person whom He wants to see.

My friends, this is all the play of the ego. To feel that one is great because

he is close to Swami, to declare to everybody that he is very close, is all

ego. His chapter is closed if he thinks like that. This thinking indicates poor

understanding, total ignorance.

All are close to God. Please believe this. If anyone says that I am close to

Swami, consider him to be from the lunatic asylum. If anyone thinks he is very

important to Swami, consider him to be ignorant. He is foolish. Just excuse

him, that’s all. All are important to Swami. All are close to Him. Please

believe me. I’ll give one instance to illustrate this before I go to the next

point.

Bhagavan has his own reasons for talking to people

It so happened that Swami wanted me to get somebody from my native place.

“Please ask her to come here,” Swami said. I had no intention of bringing her

here. What was I to do? But Swami insisted that I bring her.

I said, “Swami, the Road Transport Corporation (RTC) buses are on strike. How do

You expect me to bring her here?”

It was a happy coincidence that the buses were on strike at that time. I took

advantage of this convenient situation. Bhagavan said, “Stop this nonsense! The

buses were on strike until yesterday evening. The buses have been running since

last night. She must have arrived by now. You are doing some mischief!”

Further He added, ”There in the Poornachandra Auditorium, seated in the

twentieth row, is the manager of the bus depot. He has come for darshan. I saw

him. How can he be here if the buses are not running? Don’t tell me stories!”

That fellow is seated in the twentieth row! Nobody knows him, but Swami saw him

and told me. I don’t take this just as an experience or a miracle. I take it as

an indication that He knows everybody because all are dear to Him. All are His

children. Depending on the urgency of a situation, He may talk to a few people.

 

A doctor may ask for one fellow to be admitted immediately to the hospital, to

put him in the ward or ICU. (Intensive Care Unit) The others should not think,

“That fellow in the ICU is very lucky.” (Laughter) Do you really want to be

there in the ICU?

The doctor knows which case is most important and who is to be operated upon.

Because the patient who is being operated on is so close to the doctor, do we

say, “He is being operated on; he is a lucky fellow. Since he has not taken me

into the operation theatre, I am not dear to him.” If any fellow should speak

like that, what can you say? Pity him, that’s all.

So when Bhagavan talks to a person, He has got His own genuine reasons, which we

do not know of and which are not within our understanding or comprehension. Our

job is to have the strong faith that all are close to Swami and that all are

dear to Him. He is not the exclusive right of anybody.

Body functions because of the mind behind

My friends, this body functions because of the mind behind it. Think about the

latest car – a French car, a Jaguar, a Lincoln, or whatever. Don’t think I own

one of them just because I have mentioned a few brand names. (Laughter) I do

not. To date, I only have a beautiful bicycle.

Just for a joke, one day Swami said, “Come on, sit in this car,” and He gave me a good drive.

Well, innocently I said, “This car is very beautiful Swami. It is very nice.” I

thought that I was complimenting Him. (Laughter)

But He said, “How do you know? You don’t have a car. How do you know this is a

beautiful car? (Laughter) How do you know? You have no car. You don’t own a

car. Why do say that this is a very good car? How do you know?”

I am a teacher. Teachers know. Immediately I said, “Having travelled in this

car, I don’t need to think of any other car in this world. Having seen inside

this car of Yours, having been in this car, why should I familiarise myself

with other cheap varieties of cars.”

“Arre! What a knack it is! What an intelligent answer,” He said.

My friends, the car may be beautiful; the car may be in perfect condition. But

it works because of the driver. Therefore, if one considers the body to be a

car, the driver is the mind. But sometimes the drivers, hopeless fellows that

they are, are drunk; sometimes they are confused; sometime they fall homesick

and take the whole car to the other world. (Laughter)

The driver must listen to the master

Similarly, the driver of our car, the mind, is not managing this body properly.

That’s why we fall sick or become mentally unstable - physical ailment or

mental derailment. Something or the other happens because the driver is not

strong. The driver is not alert. This mind should get to know itself. I shall

explain this a little more.

I repeat once again. These talks are all taken from Swami’s discourses. They are

not of my making. I am not that intelligent yet. I don’t want to be so

intelligent either. It is enough if I understand Swami’s teachings and try to

practise them a little.

Now, this mind, if it is not under control, if the driver does not listen to the

word of the owner of the car, if the owner of the car says, “Take the car this

way” and the driver drives that way, what will happen?

Every morning, Swami’s golf car driver is under full tension.

You can see it in his face. People think that he is very lucky. But according to

my calculations, he is a most miserable man. He has to follow Swami’s directions

exactly. He doesn’t know from moment-to-moment which way Swami wants him to go.

So the driver may be an expert in driving. He might have had 25 years experience

in service, but the owner of the car is the master. The driver should go as per

the directions of the master – ‘this way, that way, and under no circumstances

stop there.’

Suddenly Swami will say, “Stop here. I’ll get down now.” When He is about to get

down, He will say, “Why did you stop? Come on, proceed further.” So our prayer

may be anything, but not to be the driver of Swami’s car! (Laughter) At least,

Swami, please exempt me from that post. We have enough tensions. I couldn’t

bear that stress.

The point is that the driver has to listen to the master. Similarly, the body is

a car, the driver is the mind, and the master is the witness, the soul, the

spirit, the conscience or Atma. You may call the master the Atma, or

consciousness, or the soul, or the spirit. So the master will tell the driver,

“Go this way.” But unfortunately our driver does not follow the master’s

instructions. He is driving wherever and however he wishes. (Laughter)

So the master understands that this fellow is not going to follow him anyway.

“It’s all right. As I have not met with an accident thus far, let him take the

car anywhere, until the petrol is exhausted.” Thus the driver forgets the

presence of the master. He is simply driving the car around the world in eighty

days, enjoying a wonderful journey all the way. So my friends, this is our

journey today.

Watch your mind

Baba wants us to know that the driver, the mind, should be aware of the presence

of the master, and that the master will always look at the driver to see whether

he is driving in the right way or not. Similarly, in one sentence Baba says,

“Watch your mind.” Who am I to watch? Who is to watch my mind? How to watch my

mind? What do you mean by watching the mind? I’ve been watching everybody else.

How can I watch my mind? This is sadhana or spiritual practice.

A simple example: Somebody says, “Sir, I am having bad thoughts.” Where are the

bad thoughts? Are they in the leg, or in the ankle, or in the stomach?

(Laughter) They are in the mind. How do you know that there are bad thoughts in

the mind? Has the mind told you? No. There is somebody else seeing the bad

thoughts in the mind.

That which says that this is the mind, is the witness or Atma. The watcher or

the master or the owner is the Atma or spirit or consciousness. So watch your

mind. To put it directly, as thoughts flow, watch continuously.

Now a thought came. Yes. The thought is, ‘North Indian canteen opens at 11.30;

foreigners’ canteen will close at 12 o’clock; I must run for darshan at 2

o’clock.’ Thoughts, thoughts, thoughts! Arre! ‘Reservation with the airlines is

yet to be confirmed.’ ‘A problem exists in the office.’ Thoughts follow no

sequence. A thought will just suddenly emerge, and then another and another.

Thoughts are not necessarily related.

Watch the flow of your thoughts. ‘Oh, this thought came now. I see.’ Then comes

the next thought. So, you need to observe your thoughts. (I think I am clear.)

Observe your thought form also. Getting to know the sequence of your thought

process is a meditation technique. The meditation technique is to be aware of

the thought process, but we think the technique of meditation is to bolt the

door from the inside, to sit straight on a wooden plank, until we have a

backache, and until the first cup of coffee is ready in the morning. It is not

so. Meditation is a process of cognisance of experiencing the mind and the flow

of thoughts

the purpose of meditation is withdrawal of the mind

Now the question arises, what will happen? Now I know what thoughts are coming.

Some people have understanding, whilst others do not. Some people repent for

having so many thoughts. Others worry about when the thoughts will stop. ‘Oh,

thoughts are coming, one after the other! What will happen?’

By simply watching your mind, by becoming aware of the thoughts, they come to a

halt. All thoughts come to a stop. All thoughts come to a total stop. When you

are aware of your thoughts, they stop. The mind is gone. The mind is nothing

but a bundle of thoughts. Once you notice the thought process, the thoughts

will vanish. This is what is meant by withdrawal of the mind or annihilation of

the mind. The loss or disappearance of the mind is the result of true

meditation.

Some people say, “In meditation, I see Swami here at the centre.”

Why not all over? Why only here at the centre?

Some people say, “In meditation, I see the colour blue, or the colour yellow.”

Have your eyes tested. What is all this?

“When I meditate, I see Swami dancing.” Arre, arre! Your mind dances and makes

Swami also dance! Why not? This is all the projection of your own mind. All the

different colours that we experience, and all statements such as, ‘When I

meditate, Swami is talking to me; Swami is saying this to me,’ all is the

projection of the mind. (Excuse me, those of you who may feel hurt.)

(Laughter)

Standard text Vedanta philosophy says, “All kinds of experiences that you speak

of -- colour, appearances, form, dictation, commandment -- all are nothing but

the projection of the mind.”

The mind is still in existence. So that cannot be the end of meditation; that

cannot be the fulfilment of meditation. That is not the purpose of meditation.

The purpose of the meditation or the fulfilment of meditation lies in the

withdrawal of the mind, manolaya. That is the annihilation of the mind. That is

the purpose of meditation.

samadhi is the no-mind state

“Sir, what’s wrong with the mind being there?” There is nothing wrong about it.

No. When the mind is still there, if it is not withdrawn, you are still in the

world, even if you are in a room locked up safely.

You are undisturbed in a room, but the mind is highly disturbed. It is the mind

that is responsible for turbulence and disturbance. That mind has to be

withdrawn. How to withdraw the mind? “Watch your mind,” says Bhagavan. Watch

your mind. Watch the flow of thoughts. Then they will come to rest. Then the

mind gets withdrawn. You will enjoy the state of bliss. That withdrawal of the

mind or the no-mind state is called samadhi. Samadhi is the no-mind state,

total withdrawal of the mind.

“Swami, please put it in a way that we can understand.” Swami has given one

example. Our Swami is a very compassionate Lord. He has spoken volumes - all

the

Sathya Sai Speaks volumes. And in these, He has given one beautiful example. A

naughty child is making lot of mischief, playing around; doing everything he is

capable of doing, and shouting.

Do you beat the child? If you beat the child, the child will start crying, which

is far more disturbing than the normal mischief. Now what should you do? Just

watch the child, that’s all. Just watch the child with a stern look, a serious

look. The child will notice and will realise, ‘Oh! Papa is serious.’ That’s

all.

The child stops his mischief on coming to know that his mischief is being

noticed by his father or mother. A serious look is enough. When you start

looking at the child, the child will be on guard, and will stop behaving

mischievously. The mind is like the child, playing and jumping all around. You

can’t beat this child.

The mind cannot be controlled

There are some people who say, “My mind is uneasy. I’m not able to control my

mind. The mind cannot be controlled.” How do you think you can control it? If

you think you can control it, then it is not the mind. If you think you have

controlled it, then once again it is imagination. Somebody said, “Sir, I have

total control of my mind.”

I see. You don’t have any knowledge of control, because the mind cannot be

controlled. If somebody says, “Sir, I have arrested the air.” Oh I see. I don’t

think that we’ll meet later, thank you. (Laughter) You are already mad; don’t

make me mad too!

Just as you cannot hold the air in your fist, just as you cannot stop the leaves

of the trees from falling because of the wind, the mind cannot be controlled.

“Oh, I see. If it cannot be controlled, what should I do?”

Divert the mind to sacred thoughts

You can divert the mind. Let me give you a simple example. The housewife is so

serious. She is very disturbed. What does the husband do? He inquires about his

in-laws as usual. “How is your father? How is your mother?” He has seen that her

face is very serious. “I met your brother on the way. He is fine and he inquired

about you”.

And then suppose she starts speaking seriously. This fellow will say, “Arre!

I forgot the ice-cream I brought. I left it in my car.” Why does he do this? To

divert his wife’s attention. We do it in the world, but we don’t do it for

ourselves. That is the tactic.

When the boss is very angry with you, what do you do? You go to him and say,

“Good morning, sir. Good morning. Just as I was coming, I ran into a friend who

said that I was very lucky to be under such a boss as you, who is a man of

discipline.”

The boss was ready to jump on you, but once you mentioned that somebody

congratulated you on your position in his office, he felt very good and forgot

his anger towards you.

Baba is the master of diverting attention. He is the Master of masters. Here is

a simple example: I’ve got so many problems. I feel like crying, and am waiting

for an opportunity so that I can cry in front of Swami, and get this problem

solved!

He won’t look at me for two days. He doesn’t want to disturb this gas cylinder!

(Laughter) Now what happens on the third day? Instead of worrying about my

worries, I worry about the possibility of Swami looking at me or not. I’ve been

very worried about my problems until now. This cylinder is being kept like that.

It is undisturbed, unopened, but now I start

getting diverted: ‘Swami is not looking at me. Is He angry with me by any

chance? Why should He be angry with me?’ My attention has been diverted. Now I

am preoccupied with thinking whether He will look at me or not.

On the fourth day, He will give me a half smile. ‘Ah, so I am not at fault! Baba

is not angry with me.’ Or, ‘Baba is pleased with me.’ Then He will give a full

smile. Then He will just pass

by in His car there, just looking deeply into my eyes. I go home filled with satisfaction.

My wife will ask me, “What about this problem?”

“Oh, I forgot about it,” I will say.

Arre! I went there with all these problems. What happened? The problem remained

as it was. But Swami’s half smile took my mind away from it. This is ‘Divine

Technology’ – DTech. We know of MTech, but this is DTech, Divine Technology or

the diversion of attention.

Similarly, we cannot control the mind. We can only direct or divert our mind.

Think of Swami. Think of God. Think of sacred things. Continue to you watch the

flow of thoughts. Eventually it will come to a total halt. That’s called the

withdrawal of the mind or the samadhi state. That is the blissful state.

There will be more of the mind’s vagaries next week. Thank you for your patient

listening. Thank you very much.

OM…OM…OM…

Asatho Maa Sadgamaya

Thamaso Maa Jyothirgamaya

Mrityor Maa Amritham Gamaya

Om Loka Samasta Sukhino Bhavantu

Loka Samasta Sukhino Bhavantu

Loka Samasta Sukhino Bhavantu

 

Om Shanti Shanti Shanti

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