87. 100. Celebration.

Suzuki was a great Zen Master. Here is a very beautiful Haikou written by him:

'Before beginning the search for wisdom... Mountain appeared as a mountain. Flower appeared as a flower. River appeared as a river. After attaining enlightenment... Mountain appeared as a mountain. Flower appeared as a flower. River appeared as a river. All the confusion is only in between.'

Buddhu and Buddha – both do not have sorrow. Buddhu means a fool; Buddha means a mystic.

What all sorrows you now experience are indications that you are not fools. They are evidences that you are moving towards wisdom. Make your progress with zeal.

• By getting the strength to rule a country, or by accumulating enormous amount of money, celebration will not be born. Only be getting strength to rule one's own self, and by creating the quality and maturity to enjoy blissfully whatever is available, celebration will be born.
• It is only suffering mental trouble that stands as a wall between you and the celebration. Do you know that?
• No sort of suffering mental trouble can shake a person who is in the state of Krishna Buddha. The reason: It is the pure state that is reached after throwing away the feeling of mental suffering.
• Until a man remains affected by the disease of the feeling of mental suffering, only struggles will be visible for his eyes.
• If the feeling of celebration arises in a man, every thing will appear as celebration for his eyes.

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When a poet once asked Buddha, 'Having been a king, why should you live like a beggar? Buddha said: 'Before I got enlightenment, even though I had everything with me, I was suffering. After enlightenment, even though I have nothing with me, I was, am, and will be blissful. For the sake of this state, any thing can be lost.'

'Oh, what a luxurious life!'

This was the life what Gowtham Siddhartha lived before he became Buddha.

Since Buddha's father, who had known before hand that his son, in his later days, would certainly become an ascetic, he had created and given to his son all sorts of luxuries.

In spite of it, his father had made all arrangements to such an extent, that there was nothing else left in the world for his son to enjoy still he could not prevent Siddhartha becoming Buddha.

Going beyond outer world comforts, he started in search of inner world comfort.

He blossomed as the Buddha.

The person who was first and foremost responsible for the art of living of wisdom and meditation being formulated in a systematic manner was Buddha. The first enlightened Master, who gave the knowledge about wisdom and prescribed the techniques to attain the same, was Buddha.

The wisdom of Buddha is the one final target, which, each one of us is going to reach.

If you look at the life of Krishna, there is nothing else other than celebration.

The entire life of Krishna is a celebration, a celebration only!

Krishna was the one, who, by his celebration itself, made all of his devotees, dissolve in celebration.

Krishna's this state of celebration, is the expression of his wisdom.

The wisdoms of all the mystics are similar. But the method of expression of that wisdom will be different and unique with each mystic.

Buddha expressed his wisdom as a way of wisdom; Krishna expressed it as a celebration; Pathanjali expressed it as Yoga; Jesus expressed it as love; Meera expressed in her devotional bhajans (songs in praise of God).

It is true only that all methods of expression of wisdom will ultimately reach the Ocean of Bliss.

Still in conformity with the mental make-up of the man of those times, some methods happened to be the best. If you go through that path, the journey towards bliss will be rather easy.

Celebration is suited to the mental set-up of the present day man. The very attempt to celebrate life itself is a nice meditation technique. Krishna's celebration and Buddha's wisdom are the best wisdom paths for today's man.

That is why I say that today's man should reach the state of Krishna-Buddha.

Celebrate life. You will become a prosperous man.

Some may think, 'Amidst so many struggles, how can we celebrate? How is this possible at all?'

For this, it is enough if these words of wisdom are planted in the mind, and celebration would become possible:

'The end is in God's hands. You simply apply yourself in action.'

What a beautiful statement!

The reason for us to feel that life is a struggle is only the fear, 'What will happen in the future?'

If the truth that 'end is in God's hands' descends into the consciousness, why worry; Why fear? The unnecessary feeling of mental suffering, which has caught hold of you, will begin to disappear.

Feeling of mental suffering is not one related to life. It is related to our thoughts and feelings about life.

Celebration is related to inner consciousness.

It is not related to outer world comforts and luxuries such as property and the like.

But as far as we are concerned, since we wrongly believe deep in our minds that celebration is related to outer world luxuries and properties, we are not able to celebrate.

The antidote medicine is 'celebration' for the poisonous feeling, 'Oh! I am struggling in life.'

The end is in God's hands. Hence only simply applying yourself to life will stop the struggles of today's man.

Simply living does not mean a tasteless, uninteresting life.

Simply living is only a life-science approach of living without expectations and without any day dreams.

In fact, only this state is celebration. If the end is in our hands, interest of the game will be ruined.

'The end is in HIS hand. Life is in your hand. Celebrate! Celebrate!' -- Approach life as per this Tao song. You will be in bliss.

A Zen Master was asked, 'Where you live is an ordinary hut. Your affluent devotees have built you a mansion. And you live in this hut saying that these facilities are not needed. You are like a beggar to look at. What is the secret of this bliss that you enjoy?' – All these a writer had asked with wonder.

The Master said, 'That secret is contained in three lines.'

The writer became curious and asked, 'Is that so? Please tell us. Tell us.'

The Master said, 'Yes. When I eat, I eat. When I sleep, I sleep. When I live, I live.'

It is the general approach of the Zen Masters to give confusing answers to confusing questions.

What that Master said was out and out about Krishna's 'Simply apply yourself in the actions'. Krishna, who lived at the zenith of celebration, gives us the method, 'Simply applying oneself to the action'.

In other words, we must get dissolved only in the action that is being done at a given moment.

Going beyond the future and going beyond the mental sufferings about life, getting submerged or drowned in the action being done at a given moment will lead one easily to celebration.

Then only the mere words celebration and bliss will become experiences.

Can there be celebration only when there is an achievement?

Why should the key of celebration remain outside? If you have realized this, then you will be the king of celebration! Each and every incident of the life will be a festival! It will be an achievement!

It is only man's mental feeling that he is suffering that conceals these things from the inner eye. Begin to implement celebration practically in life.

In the beginning, the change has to be implemented in a conscious way. Every time we are confronted with a problem and the mind immediately tells us that we are suffering we have to consciously remind ourselves that it is not true and that life is a celebration. It may appear to be rather hard and difficult. Don't lose your heart.

Make the sagging, suffering feeling jump up with spirit. Do one thing at a time with full involvement.

Celebrate as a gift each and every minute God has permitted you to live and act. Celebration will be born. The state of 'Krishna-Buddha' will arise.

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A meaningful incident.

Understand the truth!

You will surpass even mental suffering as celebration!

A Sufi disciple thought, 'Why you make me alone suffer mentally like this? Is this your grace? Is your heart stone?' God appeared in his dream and asked him, 'The surgeon tears the skin, cuts the muscles and with blood oozing out continuously, he removes the tumour inside and throws it away. Is his heart stone?'

Continuing further God said,

'Be a little patient, be with more awareness. You will cross over times of suffering. For your karmas, negative thoughts to dissolve and disappear, do meditation. You will touch celebration time.'

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Meditation chisels. Chisel No.55.

Let bliss be given its right place.

'Be blissful' – this is a meditation. It is a truth. It is a blessing.

The meditation I want to give you as a gift is this.

How long you have to be in suffering?

Be blissful...

Take effort to be so...

You will be blissful only!

Sit relaxed and straight and try this...

In the same way as a milk packet is filled with milk, imagine that Bliss has filled up your whole body.

Fully and deeply, feel consciously, that every cell is submerged in Ananda energy or bliss energy.

Get yourself drowned in the conscious feeling of bliss which begins to bubble up.

Whenever you get time, do this. You will be blissful. You would have learnt its method also. The truth or promise I wish to tell you also is this only.

Man does all those things that are not required for being blissful. Slight change needs to take place for bliss to happen.

If the wheel of life and the wheel of character, which now roll towards suffering, are made to roll towards the bliss, the problem is solved. Turn it.

You will be blissful.

Finally, I bless you, 'Be blissful' and I mark the starting point for your blissful life.

Be Blissful!

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