8. To get full benefit out of this book

# To get full benefit out of this book

Do not read more than one article in a day. At the most you can read two articles in a day. If you read the entire book in a day, you may retain the stories in your mind. But the seeds of wisdom will not get planted in the mind.
Put into practice the articles you have read. Then only the improper aspects of the flow of life will disappear and will give rise to the birth of boundless bliss.
Do not simply believe the truths given in this book. For a very modern man who has moved very far away from his own nature, it may be rather difficult.

Experiment and see.

Think well and make use of these truths.

'Why not the truths stated in this book be truths which will enrich my life?' With this state of mind, examine the articles. Implement them in the examination of life. Obtain success and be blissful!

Are you a spiritual person? Discover....

Even if any one of the requests given below is your request, then surely you are a spiritual person. We call only those persons as spiritual persons who try to make these ten requests come true.

I need good health.

I need peace of mind.

I need peace in the home.

I should become an artist.

I should get whatever is desired.

Humanitarianism should grow in the country.

Secrets of life should be unfolded.

I must get enlightenment.

The secrets of the universe must be understood.

I should always consciously feel blissful.

All the above are the ten entrances to the mansion of bliss. Through whatever entrance you may come, you will come to the same mansion only.

Religion, sect, culture, education – are all ambassadors only, who bring a person to any one or the other of the above ten entrances. As soon as you reach the entrance, these ambassadors are such nice friends, who have to thank you and take leave of you.

Say your gratitude. Overcome obstacles and make true achievements. With the same feelings, read on these articles...

46. An inner picnic.

'Within us are contained seven seas, seven mountains, seven skies.' This statement is not a lie. It is a truth. In a state beyond the truth, and in a state of realization of the self, these, and things beyond these, remain concealed within us.
All these will appear as lies till an inward journey is undertaken at least once. The mind will not allow us to believe this.
Have you gone on a joyful picnic in the company of your own self? Those who think, 'What kind of a question is this! This question itself is rather strange,' are all simpletons who have not experienced the meaning of life even once.
The joyful satisfaction obtained by going on an inward picnic just once will be many hundred times more joyful than the satisfaction obtained by going on an outward picnic a thousand times.

It was a pleasant evening and the wind was gently blowing continuously.

In that foot of the hill, a devotee who arrived there in a horse-drawn cart, joyfully jumped from the cart and ran towards his Master's abode.

He was an actor and a devotee of the Zoroastrian Master, who was living there. As the actor had gone on a world tour, he was seeing the Master after a gap of many months. That is why the actor walked eagerly to meet the Master.

The actor declared with deep devotion, 'Oh Master, I have seen all the Seven Wonders of the World. Before your peaceful and blissful laughter, they are all just equal to dust. You are indeed the eighth wonder, no, Wonder of wonders. Just by seeing you, the seer is flooded with ecstatic bliss.'

The Zoroastrian Master said, 'Don't babble! You too are a wonder only. It is all right for a devotee who is in his initial stages, to be in a state of rapture due to the radiating power of the Master's meditation. You are going to depend on me? Get detached!

Enter into your inner world like an arrow released from the bow. You will discover the path to a wonderful world brimming with rapture. You will become such a wonder that wonder itself will wonder at you.'

The Master blessed him saying, 'You will become ecstatic. The moment you enter heaven, you will be in bliss.'

Another small story:

A man, who was the father of two daughters, told the Master with pride: I have shed my blood and worked hard and saved many lakhs worth of property today.

The Master asked: Have you shed your blood for the sake of those unknown lords whose town, name or face you did not know!

The Master continued to ask: Have you sacrificed your life and hard earned property for the sake of those who are going to enjoy it. Those who are going to enjoy it without working hard along with you?

The man asked angrily: Who are those lords?

The Master said: Sons-in-law.

From the above incident we can observe that individual man does not spend even a few minutes for the sake of himself, to live with himself, to appreciate himself, to taste himself as compared to the time he spends for the sake of others.

Do you live for yourself? Or else, thinking that you are living for yourself, do you spend your life for others, for the world? There is nobody in the heavens to ask who lived with whom? Who achieved how much? Have you lived? Have you got that satisfaction? Are you blissful? If you ask yourself such a question, what answer can you give?

Life is a gift given by God. This life should not go waste. What reply will your life give to the above questions? Ponder over it.

A sound proof room was constructed in the Oxford University. Remus Coach went to inspect that room.

The Senate committee of the university had permitted Remus Coach to inspect it, saying: For the first time ever in the world, we have created a room where you get no sound at all. This room will be so silent that you cannot imagine it even in your dreams.

After going inside and having inspected it, he came out with his face full of perspiration and confusion.

The committee members asked: Why? What has happened? Why do you look so upset?

Remus Coach said: It is noiseier inside the room than it is on the outside.

It was a shock for the Committee members. They claimed: What do you say? There is absolutely no possibility at all for any sound to be there on the inside. They said angrily: Your statement that it is noisier inside is absurd.

Remus calmly said: Yes, There is much more noise inside than what is there outside.

The head of the committee, on seeing the firm reply of Remus, realized that there should be some truth in what he says and asked: What sound did you hear inside?

Remus Coach said: As soon as I entered inside, I did not hear any sound from the outside. But, for the first time in my life, I began to hear in full measure two types of sounds.

The committee head asked: Is it so? What sounds?

Remus Coach said: The first sound was the sound of my mind, which goes on functioning without any break. And the second sound was the movement of my blood circulation. Till this day, I have not realized that these sounds which are inside are so powerful.

Remus took leave of them saying: For the first time, I understood this truth only in your sound-proof room. Thank you very much.

Remus has indicated this in his diary: I understood the value of silence for the first time on that day. Only on that day, I understood the fact that there were wonders within my own body which were not known to me.

Yes. The statement of Remus Coach is very much true. Wonders are waiting for each of us in our inward journey. There is no possibility of this truth being known until we get the opportunity. The opportunity that Remus Coach got cannot be got by all so easily. Even if good opportunities are obtained, how many will utilize them properly? That is a big question mark.

Association or meeting living enlightened Masters is the only easy and rare opportunity that we can get. The job of the Masters of wisdom is only to give the magic keys for the inward journey.

Section 2

The statement of Remus Coach was indeed a surprise for the team of people who created the sound-proof room. They themselves were not aware of this fact that Remus had stated about the room. The reason for this is only the lack of clarity in their consciousness.

Lack of clarity of consciousness is a problem very much present in every one of us only in varying degrees. It is only due to this lack of clarity of consciousness, the truth that 'The solutions for all of our problems are very much within us' is not understood by us.

The following truths do not come into our consciousness when we continuously search for solutions for our problems from outsiders and books: The root cause of the problems lies within us. The total solution for the problems is also within us only. It is foolish to search for solutions outside for the problems which are inside. Even with great difficulty, if we find solutions, that problem might be blocked for that moment. Again the same problem will re-surface with greater vigor in some other shape. It will torture life.

You might have heard some people saying: I did meditate a few times, but I do not see much change.

It is not proper to expect the results by meditating a few times. Firstly, the sound of the mind should be heard. Second, the movement of the mind should become conspicuous. Third, the mind should be understood and passed through.

For all these to happen, conscious clarity is necessary. For increasing that here are some tips:

In order that the sound of mind may be heard, the duration of time you spend with yourself should be increased. It is only the early morning routines, eating food and such other times are the only times you spend or your own self. Even that is only for your body!
To understand the movement of your mind, you must spend at least half an hour daily on meditation which will help to throw light on the mind to enable you to see it. Even at the physical level, during the time you spend for yourself, the body may be physically present there. But your mind will thinking about some thing or the other.
The truths of wisdom will greatly help to understand the mind and to pass beyond it. During all the times you spend for yourself, make it a point to be totally with yourself from all angles, physically, mentally and your life too. For those who hold on to these firmly, the visa is ready for a joyful inward picnic!

A meaningful incident....

A person asked Ramana Maharishi: What is the qualification required for doing meditation?

Ramana Maharishi asked: Are you alive?

The man replied: Yes, Bhagavan.

Ramana said: This qualification is sufficient for meditating. Meditate.

Meditation is beyond all religion, caste, culture and all your habits. You need not change any of your habits for the sake of meditation.

Meditation Chisels.

Chisel No.1.

Pass beyond the paradise.

Do not imagine that if you lead your life in this world without wine, women and intoxicating substances, you can enjoy paradise with beautiful girls, alcohol and live below a wish-tree which will give you whatever you want. It won't happen.

If a man cannot dance in a room, how can he dance in a street?

While there is already dearth of intelligence and maturity even to enjoy this world itself, wherefrom will the maturity and intelligence come and reach us to enjoy the other worlds?

Necessary arrangements should be made to find the paradise in this world. Our inner world is the only way to see paradise in this world. If the journeying into the inner world is known, then the door of the other world will automatically open by itself. You will recognize the paradise and the wonderful experiences beyond paradise.

All the principles of wisdom are actually visas for the inner world. All the meditation techniques are vehicles for the inner world.

Permit the chisels of meditation. Let them form the holes for you to pass inwards within yourself.*****************

47. Affection.

In Thiruvannamalai, an unexpected accident occurred in a public place. The person, who was involved in the accident, was lying unconscious.

On seeing this, a lady came running towards him and was near him rendering some help. A crowd surrounded that place. Then, a sturdy healthy man entered inside managing to come through the crowd. After gesturing the helping woman to move aside, he said: I have completed a diploma in rendering first aid in accidents. I will take care hereafter.

Suddenly he shouted: Call a doctor immediately! I do not know what to do after this. That lady calmly said: Don't make noise. I am here only. Upon knowing that she was a doctor herself, he lowered his head ashamed.

Persons who act in great haste always get themselves involved in complications. If one behaves like that with the general public, it will stop with just an insult. In case such behaviour is shown towards relationships, then....?

Affection is a riddle. Even after expectations, affection is one such which is not got by many just like that. Even after many people try to give it to others, it is such that it cannot be given. What? Is it rather confusing?

Though many have talked about affection, your confusion will be gone if you know some of them. The Buddha says, 'Show affection towards yourself.' Jesus says, 'Show affection towards others also as you show it to thyself'. Rishi's (A seer) message is, 'You cannot show affection towards others without showing affection towards you.'

After knowing the above three statements, the following truths can be very easily understood:

You can show affection to yourself to the same extent you show it to others.
The measure of affection you show towards others will be the same measure as you show towards yourself.
If your affection is one mixed with pretence or one with hidden inward hatred, then it will seize you only more rather than it seizing others.

We can easily understand about affection through an incident which occurred in the life of Sarva Sakkiya Muni.

One woman devotee came to Sakkiya Muni to obtain a solution for her family problem.

Sarva Sakkiya Muni asked in a voice full of grace: Oh lady! What is the problem? Why are you so sad?

The devotee replied: Master, I show full affection towards my husband. But he does not understand that. How can I make him understand this?

Sarva Sakkiya Muni, who was till then calm, said in an angry voice: You are telling a lie.

The devotee asked with confusion: What lie am I saying?

Sakkiya Muni said: You say that you show affection towards your husband. That is a total lie.

The devotee asked: Master, what are you saying?

Sakkiya Muni said: First of all, you show affection towards yourself. Then you can think of showing affection to your husband. So saying, he turned his head aside.

The devotee said: No Master... What I say is truth. I show my affection to my husband fully.

Sakkiya Muni said: Sheer pretence.

The Devotee asked: If so are you trying to say that my husband is a good man. Is it only I who is acting and creating problems?

Sakkiya Muni simply said: Why? You are also a good lady!

These words of Sakkiya Muni made her think deeply. Though Sakkiya Muni appears to disagree with her it appeared to her that he was trying to get a truth across to him. She realized that without understanding that, she was only wasting time by fighting unnecessarily? The very moment she realized this, she threw away the arguments from her mind itself.

With humility and with a decision to listen fully to what Sakkiya Muni wished to say, she asked: Master, till this day, the affection I showed, the affection showed to me by others, what are all these?

Sakkiya Muni said: It is all a drama of affection.

The devotee asked again: All right, what have we to do to conduct the affection drama properly?

Section 3

Sakkiya Muni said: Firstly, you show affection to yourself. Without showing affection towards yourself, trying to show affection to others, is like jumping into the river without knowing how to swim, to save a person who is drowning in the river. Without even knowing 'how to show affection towards yourself' what all you do in the name of showing affection towards others, is all sheer pretence only.

It is only a drama of love!

All these days, you have all along been exhibiting 'affection' towards your husband, in order to keep him under your grip and custody and you have been trying so in the name of showing affection.

Nothing happened as you expected. So you have thrown the blame on your husband. Now, are you able to understand as to where the root of the problem is? Put a full stop today itself on destroying yourself as well as others in the name of affection under the guise of attachment. Firstly, begin to show affection towards yourself. All other things will become conspicuous automatically.

On account of the devotion the devotee had on the Master, as she tried to sincerely implement whatever the Master had taught her, she understood affection and won over her life.

First of all we have to learn affection. Then only it will be possible for us to even think of showing affection towards others.

Unless and until the real love of affection blossoms within us we cannot show affection to others.

By means of the net of attachment called 'affection', keeping the other person under our grip by having one another tied up mutually at the mental level, we can utilize 'affection' only as a net of stratagem.

Utilizing the right of affection, have we given independence to our close relationships? Or, have we attempted to keep them under our control? Examine. You will know the truth.

If you have not given total independence to your relationships, know yourself... all these days, in the guise of affection, it is only a drama of attachment that has occurred. True affection has not happened.

Affection is a real flower of love.

A man beginning to show affection towards his own self has key to the mansion of bliss.

This is a great meditation technique. Begin to show affection towards yourself. The flower of love is waiting as a bud within you. For love to blossom – for you to grow – show affection! There is no other go. You only have to help yourself.

A meaningful incident.

When Majnu asked Laila: Oh dear, what is the answer for the riddle you asked yesterday – What is that which is known to everybody but not understood by anybody? Laila said with a smile: It is love.

Meditation Chisels. Chisel No. 2.

For affection to become your possession, let the understanding expand!

Just because of having lived together in the same place, can two friends mutually understand each other fully?

When couples who live together for many years are struggling to understand each other, how is it possible for one to understand the other in a few years? After moving with a person for some time, if we like that person, we believe that we have understood him fully only. When such a person behaves in a manner quite opposite to our understandings about him, that relationship appears as a riddle only. Later it bursts into a loud uproar. The result is that our affection gets ruined. The conclusion gets formed that his affection is a 'fraud'.

The reason for all this confusion is it their behaviour or is it our understanding which points out some of their parts as wrong?

This is one to be thought over deeply and a solution has to be found.

To whatever extent you have understood the people, to the same extent only you would have understood yourself. Reason: The extent you show affection to yourself is quite the same as the extent of your affection shown towards others.

If the quality of affection has to increase, the quality of understanding should increase.

The more and more the understanding deepens, the depth of affection will accordingly increase.

A small exercise: Utilize your thinking capacity fully. Bring up to your mind your opinions about your loved ones. Make an attempt to know 'to what extent you have understood yourself and the world at large'. Understand. All will be understood. When every thing becomes known they will reciprocate your affection. There will be spring in your life.

As your understanding expands, you will find the world itself expanding.

48. Which one is a mistake? Which one is a wrong?

What is pointed out as a 'mistake' is just a word created by the society to prevent a man from injuring himself either mentally or physically. That is all.
A 'wrong' is a conscious feeling created by elders for a person to protect him from the un-controllable pulls of the senses. It is only to protect him and society.
But today 'mistake' is being misused. The word 'mistake' is being made use of now and then by many, to hide their own wrongs, like using chilly powder to blind the eyes of others.
When a person does a 'wrong' or when he gets a conscious feeling that he is doing wrong, instead of being afraid that he is doing wrong, more people are afraid that others will talk about them wrongly.
Whatever we call as wrong, is correct only as far as we are concerned. For another person, the same wrong may be 100% right. For each place, for each person, for each religion, for each caste 'wrong' differs.
It is nearly wrong for us to point out the wrongs of others. When such is the truth, taking the wrongs as pointed out by friends and relatives as the Gospel truth and acting accordingly, keeping it as linchpin is a very great mistake.

A professor asked a Zen Master: Which one is wrong?

In reply, the Zen Master asked: Which one is right? After thinking seriously, the professor said: What all appear to me as not wrong, all those are correct as far as I am concerned.

The Master said: See... the answer for your question is with yourself only. What all that do not appear to be right for you are all wrong only.

The Master asked the question: What is wrong? The professor asked again with deep thought: Which is really wrong?

When the Master asked: Do you really want to know that?

The professor said: Yes.

The Master said: Your very question is wrong.

The professor then asked in a low voice: If you talk like this, how can I get any clarity?

The Master said: I do not talk like this to confuse you. It is only to confuse that which is confusing you I have to talk like this. Do not examine as to what is wrong. In fact, there is no such thing as wrong. To lead a natural life passing beyond mistake, wrong, justice and equality, stop confusing yourself. You will get clarity.

The word 'wrong' is itself equal to a sickle as it helps in creating the conscious feeling in others, 'I am doing wrong', and this is the feeling created by pointing to others, saying this is wrong or that is wrong.

To use the sickle for good purposes, clarity is necessary as to when, where and on which to use it.

In case of lack of clarity of intellect, many heads will roll on account of one's own likes and dislikes and one's own desires.

In order to point out the wrongs of others, one must have experiential knowledge of the secrets of life and also the true conditions about the human mind and psychological behaviors.

Without knowing all this, and having many faults in our selves, if we try to correct others' mistakes and wrongs, we can only create a mind in others, which has been pierced again and again and wounded by the sharp sickle. We cannot remove unnecessary mental or psychological problems and create a nice cultured mind. We will only create a wounded mind.

The incidence of piercing and wounding the minds of others does continue to go on and on only.

Section 4

The husband and wife, who have to live cordially mutually as if they are a one, though two different people either continuously point out the mistakes of the spouse, or wound themselves thinking about the spouse's faults again and again. Only these two things many couples continuously do throughout their life. This is a regrettable state of affairs.

A small story:

Once, Nithya Shradhananda met a religious fanatic.

Shradhananda was such a happy ascetic, that he used to pay his gratitude for every minute, eat whatever was available, and sleep happily at whatever place available.

That religious fanatic got very envious on seeing the happiness of Shradhananda.

Shradhananda was lying on the lawn and was smilingly offering his gratitude to the God, looking at the sky.

The fanatic got irritated seeing this. He asked: Are you a complete ascetic?

Shradhananda said: Why sir, I am an ascetic only. I have no doubt about that. Why do you have a doubt...?

The fanatic retorted: Don't you know that an ascetic must respect Masters and sages?

The ascetic replied: Yes...I know.

The fanatic asked: Do you respect Mahaveera?

Shradhananda said: Yes.

The fanatic said: Mahaveera used to lie only on one side. If only lies flat, spreading his hands and feet, many small insects and organisms will get affected. With this merciful thought, how much Mahaveera made himself suffer. Being an ascetic, how can you lie stretching yourself like this? How many lives will be affected? You have committed a wrong!

So saying the fanatic threw the 'mud' of 'wrong' on the ascetic, thus reducing his envy and getting some satisfaction.

Shradhananda laughingly asked: How many micro-organisms did Mahaveera kill below the area of his body when he slept lying on one side?

The religious fanatic did not know what to reply.

Why did Mahaveera say so? Why did he sleep in such a manner? Without knowing any explanation for these questions, the fanatic used the experiential truths of Mahaveera, only as a sickle to satisfy his crude envy.

Shradhananda did surely know the explanation as to why Mahaveera lived in that manner. So he was blissful as usual. He was not at all affected by the hurls of the fanatic.

In case the ascetic had been an ordinary person, first of all, he would have felt guilty and thought: Oh what a big mistake I have done.

Secondly, he, who had so far been lying on the grass happily, would have sprung up to his feet. The entire atmosphere would have changed sorrowful.

It is only because we do not understand other's bad motive, we become heart-broken when others find fault with us. When we find fault with others, our cruel feelings get satisfied, and it grows further.

The real wrong is, creating a guilty feeling in others by pointing out their mistakes and thus saving ourselves.

From this day onwards, without wasting time in correcting other's faults, find out your own faults and utilize the time in rectifying it.

This will augment the respect you have for yourself and others will show more respect towards you.

A meaningful incident.

Jumalki said to a mother, who beat her child for making a public place dirty...

'A child is in an innocent and pure state where he does not know what he is doing. Let the child, who does not even know the word 'wrong' escape form your fault finding. Don't begin so early to instill in the child the feeling of guilt. Allow him to live.'

The act of hurting others in the name of correcting them should come to an end. Will it be so?

Meditation Chisels. Chisel No. 3.

Giving independence to others – A meditation in life

Parents, who feel glad on seeing their children being happy, feel afraid when they see them act independently. Why?

All persons who encourage their near and dear being happy, crush their independence. They act in such a manner to create a feeling of guilt in them.

The next step to happiness is independence.

Knowingly or unknowingly, the act of blocking others independence is equivalent to encouraging a person to climb up a ladder and making the ladder fall away as he climbs.

The reason for our dis-satisfaction with our near and dear is the guilty feelings created in us when our independence is snatched away from us!

We encourage the happiness of others. It is because, in the depth of our hearts, we also want to be happy.

But we snatch away other's independence it is because, in the depth of our hearts, we are not desirous of our own independence. This only comes out and is revealed as fear.

This motivates a person to act in such a way to control near and dear ones in some manner or to keep a person under his grips.

'We should not give others too much room.'

'We should always keep others under our control.'

'Don't allow others to do what they like….'

'Others should obey me always...'

If such thoughts rise up in your mind, it means that you do not want your own independence. Such thoughts will arise only within a person, who does not possess a sense of internal independence.

He is after all your relative! There is nothing wrong if you just give in! Let him have his say. What if, instead of you, he acts?

Let everyone around you be independent.

This is not a wrong path. It is an escaping path.

To feel satisfied with those close to you, first thing, encourage their independence. All your deep-rooted fears will get healed. You and he will live happily and independently.

Giving independence is a subtle way to 'get independence'.