1. Innocence - Lessons 4 to 5

V o l u M e 2

THE SUPREME PONTIFF OF HINDUISM BHAGAWAN SRI NITHYANANDA PARAMASHIVAM

THE SUPREME PONTIFF OF HINDUISM BHAGAWAN SRI NITHYANANDA PARAMASHIVAM, is recognized as the 1008th living manifestation of Paramashiva, Paramavatar of Paramaśiva as per Sanatana Hindu Dharma ("Hinduism") and by His predecessors of enlightened masters and adepts. THE SUPREME PONTIFF OF HINDUISM BHAGAWAN SRI NITHYANANDA PARAMASHIVAM, is reviving Hinduism as the 1008th Acharya Mahamandaleshwar (the head for all spiritual leaders) of Atal Akhada (ancient apex body of Hinduism).

The SPH was coronated as Mahamandaleshwar (Supreme Spiritual Head) of Maha Nirvani Akhada (largest apex monastic order) and the youngest Mahamandaleshwar, ordained as the 233rd Guru Mahasannidhanam (Pontiff) of Thondai Mandala Aadheenam, ordained as the 293rd Guru Mahasannidhanam (Pontiff) of Shyamalapeeta Sarvajnapeetam, ordained as the 23rd Guru Mahasannidhanam of Dharmamukthi Swargapuram Aadheenam, and coronated as the 203rd Emperor of Suryavamsa Surangi THE SUPREME PONTIFF OF HINDUISM BHAGAWAN SRI NITHYANANDA PARAMASHIVAM is the reigning spiritual emperor of 20 ancient traditional Hindu kingdoms and the reviver of the most ancient, most peaceful, still-living and long-lasting demonstrable system that shows the possibility of peaceful co-existence amongst people.

Over the last 50 years, the effects of meditation and its significant impact on stress, crime rates, violence, political decision making and even war in local and global consciousness is well established. Hinduism was once practiced freely in over 56 nations across the continent from Afghanistan, Bharat, Nepal, Burma, Sri Lanka, all the way to Singapore, Malaysia, and Cambodia and Indonesia, and in 200 states, 1700

samasthanas (provinces) and 10,000 sampradayas (traditions).

The KAILASA with de facto spiritual embassies operating across over 100 countries and having presence across the globe as the largest spiritual knowledge source on Hinduism is spiritually governed with the life positive, all-inclusive, universal policies sourced from Hinduism revived by THE SUPREME PONTIFF OF HINDUISM BHAGAWAN SRI NITHYANANDA PARAMASHIVAM.

Having enriched and enreached more than one billion individuals over the past 27 years the KAILASA raises the voice to protect Hindus, defend Hindus and preserve the Hindu narrative for the world.

the silver lining between cunningNESS & innocence

If you are aware about your innocence, you are cunning. You are not innocent, you are boasting. A Paramahamsa will not even be aware of his own innocence. He is innocent about his own innocence. That space is what is called Paramahamsa.

Innocence means you will not even be aware that you are

Satyakama was a boy who lived in the dense forests of Bharat with his mother Jabala. He had an intense desire to learn meditation and know the nature of the brahman. His search for a Guru took him to the sage Gautama. The sage asked him, "Of what family are you, my boy?" Satyakama fearlessly answered, "My mother said that I should tell you that her name is Jabala and my name is Satyakama – and I know nothing more about my family. S o I a m S a t y a k a m a J a b a l a . " Appreciating his honesty and courage to speak the truth, the sage accepted him as a student.

The next day, sage Gautama initiatedSatyakamaintoameditation to quiet his mind. This was thefirststeptothe knowledge of the Brahman, brahmavidya–knowing the self. After teaching Satyakamatomeditate,Gautama did something that was veryunusual.Hetook Satyakama to the pasture wherehundredsofcowswere grazing. To Satyakama's surprise, Gautamaseparated out four hundred thin, weakcows.Hethentold Satyakama that he was about toenteradiferenttype of journey. He instructed Satyakamatotakethecows to another part of the forest andtotendtothemcarefully. He was to returnafter thecowshadmultiplied to a thousand. Satyakamahadmanydoubtsin his heart, but in deference totheGuruvaak(HisGuru's words), he left the gurukul withthecowsforthedeepestpartoftheforest.

Satyakama traveled backtotheGurukulwiththe cows, and uponseeingthemall,theMaster exclaimed that nowonethousandand one cows had returned. Inotherwords,Satyakama himself hadlost all senseofhisformer identity, and hadsimplybecomeoneof the cows. The Master simplypronouncedthe Vedic declarationfor enlightenment–'Tat TvamAsi' , or 'Thouart that'.Satyakamawas so empty of identity, andinastateofsuch pure listening, that theMaster'swordsjust penetrated his beingandbecameareality in him. In that moment, Satyakamagot enlightened.

The guru has the power to create the right situation in which a disciple can flower. It is through the guidance and instruction of an enlightened master that a seeker can reach the state of the ultimate bliss. Satyakama also had doubts, like any spiritual seeker, but he had the intelligence to listen to his guru's words and the courage to practice the Guru's instruction. In this way, Satyakama was able to transcend the plane of the mundane and reach a higher level of consciousness. The Master is a vessel for our own transformation, but the disciple must take the first step. Once that step is taken, then the possibility towards enlightenment, eternal bliss, becomes a reality.

Logic does not allow you to be simple and innocent. It does not allow the transformation to happen easily. Logic has to be overcome for the transformation to happen. Only when there is no logic there can be innocence. Innocence is the space for transformation to happen. I n t h e c a s e o f S a t y a k a m a , fortunately he was not bitten by logic.

The disciple goes to the guru for enlightenment and the guru tells him, 'Alright, take these cows, go to the forest and stay there till they become one thousand cows. Then come back!' If today 's seeker was in that disciple's place he would have said, 'I think the master is trying to exploit me. He wants a thousand cows, which is why he is telling me to do this work. He is using me to get his work done.' Innocence is lost to logic! That is why no modern day seeker receives such amazing techniques.

This is not a mere story. It has got a great truth behind it. With innocence, Satyakama simply followed what the master said. Furthe r, he lost his log i c of counting. He was completely lost in ecstasy and joy. The mind stopped functioning. He didn't care about one thousand or two thousand. Just the innocence and acceptance caused the greatest happening of enlightenment in

When you completely accept, you don't need the mind. The mind is necessary only when you live with struggles, only when you are fighting. Just this moment accept yourself in the outer world and the inner world. You will go out enlightened.

For so many years, completely accepting what the master said, Satyakama just was. What else can happen to him but enlightenment?

You may think, 'How can simple acceptance do such a big job?' The problem is that even spiritual knowledge is approached by us with the space of an intellectual mind. It is from that intellectual space that we ask the 'how '. Intellect always questions. Innocence straightaway starts practicing what the master says. That is the difference.

Paramashiva says in the Shiva Sutras, 'Absorb the ultimate truth, senses shut down, and be liberated.' Why is he using the words 'senses shut down'? How do you find out if you are completely lost in something? Your senses will not work! You will not see or hear! That is the way to find out. If your senses still work, you are still not lost. Paramashiva says, 'Absorb the ultimate truth, senses shut down, and be liberated. '

When your senses are working you may think you are hearing, but you may not be actually listening. The sense organ may work, but not the energy that activates the sense organ. Hearing is different from listening. If you are only hearing then the intellect is still at play. If you are listening then you are lost. Then the intellect is no more. The click happens. You sit completely melting. You exclude everything except you and the master. You are utterly innocent and open like Satyakama. Then just one word from the master is enough and you become enlightened!

He means that in that utterly innocent and open state, initiation is enlightenment. Just a word is enough to enlighten. Shiva is giving initiation itself as a technique. He says, 'Just listen while the master is expressing the truth, and become enlightened!'

When you are innocent, you are vulnerable to everything that existence wants to teach you. If you are closed, you create a wall around you. Vulnerability is breaking the wall and inviting the cool breeze to touch your very being every time it blows.

Vulnerability is not weakness. The wall when broken will not cause you danger. The entire cosmos comes to you when you are vulnerable. Your reality is your vulnerability and you are so afraid of opening it to the cosmos.

When you are vulnerable, you experience everything at the being level. Life happens with vulnerability. With the head you cannot be vulnerable. With vulnerability you move towards the truth in a different path, in a joyful path because every moment you are receiving directly from existence. Existence is able to give you because you are vulnerable and ready to receive it. When you become vulnerable, you are saying ' yes' to existence.

When you say yes to existence your energy starts moving in a new direction. When you started saying yes, you start expressing love, which is the language of the heart. When you are vulnerable you have great trust on the other. When you are vulnerable you are open in your entire response system.

Understand about the concept of innocence

• 1. When are you vulnerable?
• 2. What is being vulnerable?
• 3. Is it ok to the vulnerable?
• 4. What happens when you say yes?
• 5. How is saying yes connected to vulnerability?
• 6. Is vulnerability a weakness?
• 7. Vulnerability is listening to heart or head?

To just express with vulnerability is to be free like a bird, not worried about any past or future, to just be.

Plain sheets Pencil or crayons Sketch pen Stencils (may be alphabets or numbers or various animals or any other shapes).

Provide plain papers to the children and give them a stencil or a block or a shape and ask them to place it on the paper and ask them to hold it firmly with other hand and trace the stencil or block or shape, inside or outside.

When you ask out of innocence you are completely ready to receive the answer, how with stencil we can replicate the design similarly with innocence we can do wonders.

Draw two circles or keep two hoops away from each other. Place more balls in one circle and keep the other circle empty. Each child has to gather the ball fast from one circle to another carrying only one ball at a time within the given time limit. Whoever gathered the maximum number of balls will be the winner.

Being innocent is like functioning from your very consciousness. It is thoughtless awareness. Thoughtless awareness is innocence.

Ask the children to answer few common riddles. Like a baby fell from 12 storey building but did not get hurt why – the answer is the baby fell down from the ground floor.

Ask each child to come with some more riddles of their own. Ask them some more very difficult riddles, when they answer the riddles, ask them how they answered it correctly where they got the click.

Click is the right understanding. When we apply the right understanding in the right place, we can solve very difficult, complex problems in our life. We cannot open the door with other door we can only open the door with a key. The key is the right understanding.

Immense trust leads to surrender. Surrender is simplicity of the heart. When we awaken to the powerful presence of the truth, surrender happens. The trust is absolute and innocent. The trust comes with no reason. It is only innocence that is capable of taking the leap into trust and surrender. Knowledge looks for reason in everything. Surrender and reason are mutually exclusive, surrender is possible only out of innocence, because out of innocence arises trust.

With trust arises acceptance as well. Acceptance means welcoming life and all its forms as a wonderful gift from existence. Each person or situation is a fresh happening. Accepting it at a deep level is surrender.

Acceptance is saying yes to the existence. Out of surrender arises deep relaxation. Out of surrender arises a fresh intelligence. Trust means continuing to be in action with intelligence instead of intellect. Trust is an attitude. It is not a substitute for appropriate action. The spirit of trust is the essence of the very life. It leads to innocence, surrender, relaxation and bliss.

Surrendering is allowing existence to happen through you. When you are trusting and surrendering it becomes difficult to cheat you. Innocence trust always protects from deceit. When we come to the present moment we are open and innocent because there is a no mind in the present. For the mind to exist there has to be movement towards the past or the future.

In the present moment, there is no past or future. To be trusting and surrendering is like losing the 'I' and the 'mine'. Ego starts with 'mine' and then move to 'I'. Even before the identity of 'I' set in the mind corners into play. Surrendering is nothing but merging with existence with no identity of 'I' or 'mine'. The mind is a direct conflict to the being.

Understand about surrendering with trust

• 1. What is known as surrender?
• 2. Which leads to surrender?
• 3. What is the relationship between trust and reason?
• 4. What is acceptance?
• 5. Which leads to acceptance?
• 6. Which is termed as saying yes to acceptance?
• 7. What provides deep relaxation?
• 8. When it becomes difficult to cheat?
• 9. How is mind connected to being innocent?
• 10. When we can lose 'I' and 'mine'?
• 11. Which is the direct conflict to the being?

The mind is a direct conflict to the being. The being always concerns with existence.

Plain sheet Pencil or Pen or Sketch

Encourage the children to draw about silence in pictorial form. Each child will get a turn to explain what silence means to them, how they depicted silence in the pictorial form.

Silence is the space of unlearning and learning. In silence, there is innocence, silence bridges the gap what words create.

On the banks of a river there lived a sage in a small plot of land owned by a farmer. The village chief did not like the sage and wanted to buy the piece of land. The village chief was ready to pay any amount of money.

I want the small plot which you own and I am ready to pay any amount of money.

If I sell the land to you, will you drive the sage away once it becomes yours.

Why do you call him a saint? Just because he is wearing an orange robe? He must be an ordinary man like us

No sir, I have seen many signs of a sage in him. For example I have never seen him getting angry.

Tomorrow come to his hut and I will show you how angry he will be. The next day morning the farmer went near the sage's hut and watched. A boy apparently sent by the village chief approached the sage. The sage was writing something on the palm leaf. The boy went behind him and spat on him. The sage looked back, saw that it was the boy who did it,

got up and took a dip in the river and came back and sat. The boy spat again and the sage went and had a dip again. The farmer could not bear to see what was happening. The village chief was standing behind a tree and watching as well. He was surprised at the sage's calmness. Every time the sage returned from the dip, the boy spat on him. Every time the sage smiled at him, got up and went and dipped. The boy had spat on the sage for 107 times. He could not bear it any more. He fell at the sage's feet and cried.

Please forgive me. I have sinned. I harassed you in this manner only because I was paid to do so. I am afraid that you might curse me now!

So you will not spit on me again?

I would rather die than spitting again.

Let me tell you a secret. I should actually thank You for this because many years ago I had taken a vow that I would dip hundred and eight times in this sacred river. Today that has been fulfilled. I have to dip one more time to complete the Vow. This time I will pray for you. The sage dipped one more time and when he come out, the village chief was at his feet begging for forgiveness.

I am the real sinner. I paid the boy to do this. I wanted to prove that you would get angry.

Had the boy told me his real mission. I would have got angry quickly and made him to receive his reward. The village chief became a disciple of the sage.