Nithya Dhyaan - Day 3🔗

Initiation 22 December, 2006

I welcome you all with my love and respect.

Today's subject is 'unclutching' – the de-programming of the inner self to experience your true Self.

Let's get ready to experience initiation. Understand, today is the main part, the essence of the three days.

Let me define the word 'initiation'. Day before yesterday, I was using the word 'psychological revolution'. Yesterday, I introduced the word 'shaastra-shastra' or knowledge-weapon.

Whenever you need to heal yourself, you need inner healing, you need to bring yourself again to the life energy. Many times you can see,, a simple disturbance from the outside or from the memory inside - either from experience or from memory - can drain your energy. Or even making too many decisions drains your energy.

You can see in your own life: in the morning, if you go and sit in your office, you don't have to do any work, just make some five to six major decisions, and you will be already tired. You say, I am done, that's all.

Either the incidents from outside or memory from inside or just simple decision-making makes you tired. The truths, ideas, words which bring you out of that tiredness, which bring you out of that low mood, which bring you out of that depression and give you energy and confidence, those only I call shaastra-shastraas, knowledge-weapons.

Truths which bring you out of depression and low mood and add self-healing energy and confidence into you are called shaastra-shastraas.

The truths which not only bring you out of depression but also destroy the source of depression once and for all are called mantra. Understand the word 'mantra'. 'Man traayate iti mantraha', the words which show the path for human beings is mantra.

The truth that not only brings you out of depression, but once and for all, breaks the source of depression in you, is called mantra.

Any mantra, if it comes from the enlightened experience, from the pure inner space, you do not know why, how or what, but you suddenly see it is true. It clicks, even though one part of your logic continues to fight, because if you accept the Truth and start expressing in your life, all your vested interests and many things which you thought of as 'life' are at stake. That part may continue to fight. But your core, your Being, will have that click, 'I know what he is saying is the Truth. Maybe, it is too strong for me; maybe if I start living it too many things are at stake, but it is the Truth.'

This can all be a confusion or disturbance. There may be a doubt in the corner of your heart, but the very core feels connected. If that happens to you it is called initiation. You don't know logically, but suddenly your heart feels connected to the words which he is uttering, the Truth which he is expressing. That connection, that 'click' is what I call initiation.

Please get ready for initiation. Today we are going to enter into initiation.

I am trying to express some Truths. Understand, yesterday whatever I added is shaastra-shastraa, knowledge-weapons; they can bring you out of depression, they can bring you out of that low mood, they can bring you out of that dull feeling and get you into an inspiring and healing mood and an energetic feeling.

But today, what I am going to share can break the very core of depression, what we call 'root of your mind'. There is every possibility; just be available, receptive, and ready to let this satya or Truth, work on you. Suddenly you will see that click, that initiation happen in you.

Just do not sleep whether with closed eyes or open eyes! Second thing, do not 'browse channels' like you do when watching television! While watching television in the house, you will not sit in front of one channel for more than five minutes. In fifteen minutes, you would have browsed all the channels and come back. The same thing continues everywhere, even when you sit in a discourse. After 2-3 minutes you change the channel. Your eyes may be open, you may be sitting here, but you change the channel and go into either the dream state or daydreaming state or almost-sleeping state! Just today, please do not change the channel!

Another thing, be completely relaxed and just play with the understanding of the words which come out of the enlightened inner space. Sometimes it will give you an idea, 'Oh, if I start practicing this, what will happen to…' Just push aside the prejudiced, pre-supposed and hypothetical questions.

Yesterday I saw many questions like, 'What to do if this happens…?' The 'if' has no answer. You can say, 'If the world suddenly disappears, if the world gets destroyed, what to do?' What to do, nothing can be done, that's all! That 'if' has no answer. The 'if' is just a cunning way of postponing the Truth.

So now, just do not change the channel. Second, just be relaxed, go with the flow, go with the whole expression. Suddenly you will see somewhere it clicks. Somewhere, it just clicks! That click is what I call initiation. Initiation does not mean chanting some special mantra in your ears or doing something special. It straightaway means making you experience a solid Truth, giving you a clear inner space and the confidence to live that Truth.

In the tradition of Vedanta, we have three beautiful words, shravana, manana and nidhidhyaasana. Shravana means intense listening; manana means internalizing, contemplating; nidhidhyaasana means living it.

Initiation means the great Truths, the words which lead you to the Truth. If it is experientially transmitted, if you have at least one glimpse, then the initiation has happened; you are initiated.

When I use word ‘initiation’ there will be so many doubts, ‘I am already initiated by some other guru, can I have initiation? If I get initiated can I go to some other gurus and learn something?’ Everything is perfectly alright, nothing wrong. I always tell people, go to all gardens and pluck flowers and make a beautiful garland for yourself.

It is not like a shop, where if you go to one shop, you don’t go to another. Our ego is such, if it is beaten by ten to twelve gurus, only then it will die! It won’t die just by something you learn from one person. So, there is nothing wrong in approaching different gurus.

Learn all the best things from all the sources and enrich your life. It is in no way connected to any of the old understandings you have about initiation. Initiation is just transmitting the authentic experiential clarity which happened in me into your inner space.

Many times, when I start the initiation, I have seen people wondering, ‘What does he mean by initiation? How is this going to help? How is this going to change my life? After all, it is just a few more words…’ This is the usual mentality. Especially when I give such a big introduction about initiation, people think, ‘Oh, he is wasting too much time on introduction. Why not enter into meditation, enter into the initiation?’

The big problem is, whether you believe it or not, it takes at least half an hour for you to start listening to somebody. For the first half an hour, you will be preparing your replies. Usually conversation never starts till you are past half an hour into it. Until about half an hour, the listening never starts. It is just a monologue; it is just somebody talking, and either you will not be listening at all, or if you are listening, you will just be preparing your answers. That is the reason I am just preparing the mind.

Unconsciously, you also will be ready to receive these great Truths, to receive the initiation, to receive that click. At which moment the click will happen you don’t know. But suddenly, once the expression of Truth is over, you will see, you will feel, ‘Yes, it is true, I am seeing it; it is true!…’ So, just be prepared for initiation, entering into the Truth.

Let me express a keyword, I can call this word mahaavaakya. Mahaavaakya is the word which you need to completely understand; maybe this is the modern day mahaavaakya. That mahaavaakya is ‘Be Un-clutched’..

Now, let us try to analyze, understand and internalize this one truth, one mahaavaakya. We have various beautiful mahaavaakyas in the Vedic tradition: Aham Brahma Asmi; Tat Twam Asi, so many wonderful mahaavaakyas.

'Be un-clutched'. What do I mean by this word; being 'un-clutched'?

Let me try to explain it with a simple diagram how continuously our mind is working, and how we are clutching, connecting and creating suffering, how we are creating the ignorance or depression. Let me describe, then you will be able to understand what I mean by the word 'un-clutching'.

How does our mind work? How do we create thoughts and how do we give meaning to them? How do we experience life? Let us see…

There are various kinds of thoughts happening in our system. These different thoughts are represented as different shapes of varying lengths, breadths, and colors. Sometimes, the thought is about some joyful experience which you had. At some other time, it is about some suffering which you had. Sometimes, it is about some guilt and at some other time, it is about some joyful memory. At one time, it is about some painful memory, then again, at some other time, it is a depressing memory…There are so many different thoughts.

When you go back home, try this simple experiment. Write just for five minutes whatever comes in your mind, without editing, just as it is. Write whatever comes inside your mind without editing. Then read that page again. Suddenly you will realize you are nothing but a bunch of unconnected, independent, illogical, un-clutched thoughts.

Please understand, the thinking flow which is happening inside of you is not logically connected. For example, if you see a dog on the street, suddenly you will remember the dogs which you have seen when you were a child, or the dogs about which you were frightened as a child. Then you will remember your childhood days, and the teacher under whom you studied. Then you will remember the place where the teacher stayed. The thought chain, the link will go on, but there is no logical connection between the dog which you saw in front of you on the street and the teacher with whom you studied when you were young. Of course, both of them barked at you, shouted at you! There is no logic about how the mind moves.

Try this experiment just for five minutes. Just for five minutes, write down whatever comes. If you think no thoughts are coming, write that also. Honestly write whatever goes on inside, just like the medical transcription software that doctors use. Transcribe, as if your mind is connected to the transcription software. Whatever goes on inside, write with the same kind of grammatical errors, or same accent, or the same pronunciation, or same words. Even if it does not make any sense, just write it down.

Suddenly you will see, you are nothing but a bunch of independent, illogical, unconnected, un-clutched thoughts. You do not know why the particular thought is rising after the current thought. There is no logical reason. Just something arises and then, something else arises; next, something else is arising... Thoughts are flowing, words are flowing.

When you suddenly become aware, any thought which flows in front of you becomes your life. You start giving attention to it, either to fulfill or to escape. Understand: it is like slides on a projector. Any slide which is kept in front of the projector light is seen as reality on the screen. The problem is that in your inner space, the projector light is not continuously on. It just comes and goes, comes and goes… but you are not aware of your existence. Many times, even though your eyes are open, even though your body is moving, you will not be aware of your existence.

You can see in your life, you will get into your car from your house, drive for half an hour to the office. Only after you reach the office, park the car, and come out of the car, suddenly you will realize, 'Oh, I finished my driving! I have reached the office.' You have taken 200 decisions in that half an hour. Right, left, applying brakes, stopping for signal…but you are not aware of your existence. That is why you don’t remember all these decisions you took, and these things that happened in you. It means that in those few moments, the projector light was off.

Any slide, which was moving in front of it during those moments when the projector light of your awareness was off, is not part of your life. Again, for no reason, the light comes on. When the light is on, when you are aware that you exist, whatever thought moves in front of you, becomes a part of you.

Understand, it is a very subtle truth. Your life is the totality of all the thoughts moving in front of you.

Unfortunately, many times, many major decisions, thoughts and the life-changing incidents happen when you are not aware. These are also part of your life, part of your biography but, unfortunately, you are not aware of the scenes, decisions, thoughts which went on, which contributed to your life.

Every single moment which passes in your life without you being aware of it, of your presence, is suffering. Either directly or indirectly it will add to suffering. Either directly you will invite or indirectly you will create situations for suffering. It is a very important thing.

Like when you turn your car, the indicators blink, in the same way your consciousness also blinks. You do not know when it is on, when it is off. If you just see the thought flow in front of you, suddenly you will realize, ‘Oh God, all these things are going on in me! I myself do not know where I am heading. I myself do not know what is happening in me.’

First, I wanted all of you to understand, you are not aware of all the decisions, all the thoughts moving inside you, inspiring you to live the way in which you are living, inspiring you to think the way in which you are thinking, inspiring you to be the way you are.

You are not aware, but constantly we believe we are aware. That is the first illusion.

Whenever I make this point, people get frightened, ‘Oh God, I have enough suffering, now he is adding one more suffering, one more fear! Now I don’t know where I am heading.’ Understand, I am not adding suffering. I am just helping you to experience and open up to reality.

One more thing: opening up to the reality, though it feels like suffering in the initial level, it will always lead you to joy and bliss, because sat, by its very nature is chit. Sat means the Truth. By its very nature sat is chit, which means power, consciousness, and ananda, bliss. By its very nature sat leads to chit, and chit leads to ananda.

In the initial level it may feel like a little more responsibility, a little more load. Now, many of your minds would have decided, ‘No, no, no…what he says may be right, that I am not aware of everything happening in front of me, but I can’t become aware of everything happening in front of me. Living in the present moment and being aware of whatever is going on is not for me. I tried many times Swamiji; you don’t know how many techniques I’ve tried!…'

Understand: we are not as dumb as we think! We have a huge possibility, a huge potentiality. Maybe, the right initiation has not happened, the right click has not happened. So, don’t close the file saying, ‘No, no, no…I have tried many times; you don’t know how many gurus I went to and how many techniques I have tried.’

There are many people whose ‘profession’ is seeking; I call them ‘professional seekers’. But, they don’t go for learning; they just go for judging, ‘Let me also see what he is teaching.’

People come to me and ask, ‘I know everything Swamiji, just give me in essence what extra you can add to me. I tell them, ‘Sorry, I don’t know anything extra to add to you! I can only remove something from you. I can remove what you think as knowledge, so that the Truth can happen.

Please do not come to the decision, ‘No, no, I think he is going to teach living in the present moment. I have tried many times, it does not work out, and even if it works out it goes away after some time. No, I am not going to teach you living in the present moment, because you are living that already, why should I teach it?! Even if you are suffering about your past, you are suffering in the present. Even if you are worrying about your future, you are worrying in the present. So, you are in the present. I am not going to teach you to be in the present. All I am doing is to try to take away some ideas, which you think of as your mind.

First truth is: you are not aware of all the things which are happening in front of you. You do not remember your biography as it happened. You remember it only as you want it. That is the first truth.

If your thoughts per second or what I call ‘TPS’ comes down, you will have clarity about your past and future. You may wonder, ‘Clarity about past? I already have clarity. Why should I have clarity about my past by bringing the TPS down? I already know my past.’ No!

Please understand: you don’t know your past. You don’t remember, or recollect the past as it happened. You recollect the past only as you want of it, not as it happened.

Just take a simple example. See, your life is filled with different kinds of incidents relating to joy, suffering, guilt, pain, depression. You do not look at life as it is. Usually what do you do? What do we do?

I used the word ‘we’ because sometimes people think the word ‘you’ is too condescending. That is the reason I used the word ‘we’. The problem is, in a public place, we can neither use ‘we’ nor ‘you’. If I say ‘you’, somebody feels condescended to. If I use the word ‘we’, if I also have the same problem, how can I teach you? That is the big problem!

Your life is a collection, a mixture of some joy, some suffering, some guilt, some pain… Usually, you collect only all the incidents related to suffering and create a shaft, a connecting idea, and you think your life is nothing but suffering.

Understand, you collect suffering, guilt, pain, depression… all these kinds of thoughts, connect them, and you think that your life is a long chain of suffering, a pain shaft. I have seen people, the moment I ask, ‘How are you? Where are you from?’, the first thing everybody invariably starts with is, ‘You don’t know, Swamiji, nobody has suffered like me in their life…’ This is common introduction for their biography! ‘Even my enemies should not suffer the amount of suffering I went through, Swamiji.’ Even in suffering they want to be at the top and not second!

See, it is not that they just tell this to me, they believe strongly in this. They forget the joyful incidents, the happy memories which happened in between. They collect only the negative things and create a shaft. I call this a ‘pain shaft’. Very rarely, sometimes, you create a joy shaft. It is very rare, not only in number, but also in quality, that you collect the joyful incidents and create a joy shaft and you feel life is joy. Most of the time you collect all the painful memories and incidents, and create the idea that life is pain.

Understand, if you create the shaft ‘Life is pain’ the problem is, you will just be waiting for more and more painful incidents to be added. For anything you believe in, you will collect more and more experiences and arguments to strengthen that belief. Once you believe your life is a long pain shaft, that is enough. You will just be waiting to pick up only the painful incidents and elongate that shaft. You will never be able to remember or respect the joyful things happening in your life. You will be waiting, meditating for pain! I have seen people just waiting to add pain and elongate the pain shaft.

The important thing we need to understand is that we believe life is a pain shaft or that life is a joy shaft. We think that life has continuous incidents of joy, or continuous happenings of pain. The moment you believe life is continuous happenings of pain, unconsciously, you will try to strengthen the belief, even though consciously, you will try to break the pain shaft.

Understand, unconsciously what will you be doing? You will be continuously collecting more and more painful memories and incidents to strengthen your belief... strengthen the idea... but consciously, you will be trying to break the pain shaft.

The big problem is, neither can you break the pain shaft, nor can you add to the joy shaft, because both the shafts do not exist! It is just your selective memory.

In the diagram, I have given a gap after every thought. Different thoughts are like different shapes, different sizes, just coming and disappearing. If you think your life is a big pain shaft, a chain of painful incidents, then you will pick up only the painful things and add them.

The other day, one man came to me and said, 'Swamiji, I am going to divorce, please bless me.' I said, usually we bless only for marriage, not for divorce. Can you tell me the reason? Let me analyze.

Now, this man came and asked me, 'I am going to divorce; please bless me. I said, first let us analyze why you want a divorce. Then we will try to sort it out. He said that the immediate reason was that his wife had brought coffee and spilled it on the floor!

I was shocked and asked him, 'Don't you see clearly, it is not reason enough for divorce?' He said, 'You don't know, Swamiji, today she will pour coffee, tomorrow she will pour acid!' He actually told me, 'You don't know, today she will pour coffee, tomorrow she will pour acid.'

I said, 'Why don't you be a little logical? Why don't you be a little truthful? How can you connect coffee and acid? Don't you see the gap is too much?! You are creating too many ideas in your head.'

He protested, 'No, no, Swamiji, you don't know, how much I have suffered with her for the last ten years!'

I told him, 'Do not just create a pain shaft. Just come out with the incidents. Then we can analyze and look into it.' The pain shaft will stay only if you are unconscious. Please understand, your opinion about life as a pain shaft or a joy shaft will stay only as long as you are unconscious, not when you are aware.

I told him: 'Just come out, incident by incident, let us analyze.'

In South India, there is a habit where, during the marriage ceremony, a small ring is kept in a small pot of colored water and both the bride and the bridegroom are supposed to try to pick up that ring. Whoever gets it wins. In those days such small games used to be played, because it was only during the marriage ceremony itself that the bride and bridegroom would see each other for the first time; so it was like a technique for zeroing down the distance between the couple.

This man told me, 'Even during that play she scratched my hand with her nail!'

I was really surprised. Then he started telling me all the incidents like this, from right after their marriage. After 2-3 minutes I said, 'Stop! Stop, Stop! This is much worse than a police record. I think you should not ask for divorce, your wife should ask for having put up with you!'

You may laugh at this incident but actually if you see, this is exactly what we are doing continuously, sometimes about others, sometimes about ourselves. Continuously we are creating either a pain shaft or a joy shaft. One important thing we forget, neither can we break the pain shaft nor can we elongate the joy shaft, because neither shaft exists.

Just try to elongate the joyful moments. If some joy happens, try to hold on to that experience. It won't stay. Not only that, try to reproduce the same ambience, the same people, the same place, even the same temperature again as at the time you felt joy; still you will not have that same joy.

Addiction means believing that joy or ecstasy came due to some object or person or situation. People try to reproduce the same thing again and again, even though the same joy or experience does not come back again.

Understand, this is the definition of addiction: trying to elongate the joy shaft, by recreating or reproducing, or again bringing the same persons, situations, incidents, or happenings into your life, knowing that the same joy is not coming.

Some people are addicted to partying, some people are addicted to smoking, some people are addicted to drinking, and some people are addicted even to newspaper reading, especially about violence. You do not know how much violence we are swallowing.

Understand, the more and more violence you swallow, you will become aware only if the violent pictures are moving in front of you. The projector light which is inside you comes on, the awareness that you exist comes to life only when the violent thoughts cross in front of you. It is like an automatic alarm clock. You tell yourself, ‘I cherish this kind of thoughts; when these kinds of thoughts are coming in front of my mind, please wake me up.’

If you are enjoying lustful thoughts, whenever lustful thoughts cross your system, you will come to the awareness, ‘I exist’. If you are enjoying violence, whenever the violent thoughts come into your system, you will come to life and know that you exist.

If you empower a particular thought again and again, when those thoughts cross your inner space, you will come back to life. It will become a vicious circle.

This is what I call vicious circle, you empowering negativity and negativity bringing you back to life; you empowering again more negativity, and more negativity bringing you to life and excitement.

That is why, if you start cherishing violence, you don’t have to reach hell, you are in hell! Even if you reach hell, you won’t find any difference. See, I am not talking about getting information about life. For example, knowing about some accidents or murders that happened in your city is ok; it is knowing about life to be safe yourself. That is not what I am talking about. Many times we enjoy violence, reading tabloids and seeing violent scenes in the media.

An important thing we need to understand, the Western countries can afford to create violent movies; they can afford to create violent presentations in the newspapers, media or movies. They can afford because they have huge law enforcement and legal systems. There is no county, no village without a police station in the so-called developed countries. Of course, even with that, it is very difficult, but they can at least manage.

The other day, I was reading an article saying, with the support of a lot of scientific data and statistics, that in any city, if a boxing competition happens, within 30 days, the crime rate of the city goes up by 30%! In the same way, there was another study which said, that if a group of people meditate sitting in the center of the city, within 30 days, the crime rate of the city comes down by 67%. The study was done by one of the leading organizations teaching meditation, Maharishi Mahesh Yogi’s TM group.

See, the West can afford to have these violent programs because they have the infrastructure to control and manage the society. In the USA, there is no county, no village without a police station and if you just dial 911, within 3 minutes, you will see a cop standing in front of your home to take care of you, to attend to you. We can’t afford to copy, duplicate and bring about the same violence in the East.

India is running because of Ramayana and Mahabharata, not by any law enforcement control! It runs by the eternal Cosmic Constitution. We call it Sanatana Dharma. So, we can’t afford to break it.

I want all our intellectuals to please understand, we can’t afford to break our dharma. We don’t have the infrastructure to replace it. If we dump our dharma, we don’t have something to replace and maintain the social balance. If we are going to dump our dharma, we are swallowing too much of violence, too much of these tabloid ideas. If you see these people who read these weekly tabloids, you will see in them a very low level of consciousness. They will be constantly attracting accidents in their life, suffering in their life, because they are just waiting for painful incidents, because that gives them excitement.

A very beautiful analogy by Ramana Maharishi: the dog will try to keep on biting the dry bone. As it keeps on biting, the bone will poke into its mouth. From its own mouth, the blood will come out, but the dog will think that the blood is coming from the bone and drink that blood, enjoy that blood.

Exactly the same thing happens in you when you swallow violence, when you eat violence, when you are digesting violence. Save yourself from violence. Understand, it is not just the physical violence, even the psychological violence is constantly getting added into the society, into our system from too many sources. If violence excites you, you will be waiting for that kind of incident in your life. If pain excites you, if you believe life is a pain shaft, you will be waiting for that kind of incident in your life and it will strengthen your belief.

Understand, this is an important truth. The depression or low mood which you experienced 10 years ago, the depression or low mood which you experienced 9 years ago, the depression which you experienced 8 years ago, the depression which you experienced 1 year ago, are all independent experiences that happened in your life.

Ten years ago, you would have been in depression because you don’t have a son. Four years ago, you may have been in depression because you have a son! They are independent incidents causing independent experiences. But in the inner space, for the sake of convenience, you archive all the sufferings in one file for easy remembrance and easy reference. When you archive them all in one file, by and by, you connect all these depressions and experiences and come to an idea, ‘My life in the last ten years was depression.’ No! All ten different depression experiences happened in different ways, for different reasons, at different times. But when you connect all of them and see, you come to an idea, ‘For the last ten years, I have been in depression.’

The moment you come to an idea, ‘I was in depression for the last nine years’, now you create an enemy who does not exist. Now you start fighting with him, ‘I have to come out of depression. What to do?’ The moment you create the shaft that for the last nine years, you were in depression, now you know for sure, that for the next nine years you are going to be in depression.

You will say, ‘Yes, for the last nine years I was in depression, then naturally, tomorrow morning I am going to be in depression. How can I suddenly come out? How is it going to happen? I am going to be in depression.’ This is a passive agreement with your enemy.

Understand, first thing, you create an enemy who does not exist. Second thing, you already made a passive agreement with your enemy. Then how do you think you will not attract depression? You created the enemy who does not exist and already created passive agreement with him. Then, naturally, you will say, ‘No, no, Swamiji, I am in depression, please do something.' My presence cannot help, only your presence can help you. Nothing else can be done.

People come and tell me, 'Swamiji, for the last twenty years I have knee pain.' No, it cannot be! Please, understand, it cannot be. I am not disrespecting you or adding more suffering to you by saying all the problems are in your head. No, I am not disrespecting you, I am just telling the truth: all the problems are in your head! I am just stating the truth.

The knee pain which you experienced two years ago, the knee pain which you experienced one year ago, the knee pain which you experienced two months ago, the knee pain which you experienced two hours ago are independent experiences. When you connect them and see, you stop the possibility of self-healing.

Please understand, you stop the possibility of self-healing.

Whether you believe it or not, medical science proves that your body constantly updates itself and replaces itself once in every 365 days. Your brain cells, the cells in your intestines are all replaced within a particular number of days. If you are carrying a particular disease for quite a long time, it means you have a strong belief that it is a continuous experience, it is a continuous shaft. _Your unconscious belief that something is a continuous experience forces your mind to bring the same pain and disease back._

For example, once in 47 days, your intestine gets replaced completely. Understand, I am not saying that Ayurveda is telling so. If I say Ayurveda says so, you won't believe. Medical science says so. The logical allopathic medical science is saying, once in 47 days your intestines are completely replaced. If you are carrying any disease related to the intestine for more than 47 days, even the new system which you create is carrying the same disease because you create it with the mental set-up, 'I have this problem, so I have to continue to have this problem. My new system should also have this problem.'

You might have heard about this story of a woodcutter:

There was once a woodcutter who was cutting a tree near the river when his axe fell into the river. A goddess appeared and she brought a golden axe and asked, 'Is it yours?'

He said, 'No'.

Then she brought a silver axe and asked, 'Is it yours?'

He again said, 'No'.

Then she brought his axe, made of iron and asked, 'Is it yours?'

He said, 'Yes, yes, it is mine.'

The goddess was very pleased with his honesty and handed over all the three axes to him.

Now, I will tell you the extension of the story, the second edition! The same hunter was cutting the tree by the same river. He was being assisted by his wife. Suddenly, by mistake, his wife fell into the river.

The goddess appeared, brought a beautiful woman, and asked the hunter if she was his wife.

The woodcutter replied, 'Yes, yes, yes!'

The goddess got very angry and said, 'How dare you, greedy fellow! Last time, when the axe fell into the river, you told the truth, but now when your wife fell, you are telling a lie.'

The woodcutter replied, 'No, no, you don't understand my problem. Last time you asked first whether the golden axe was mine, then whether the silver axe was mine, and then you showed me my axe. When I said the last axe was mine, you gave me all three. Now again, if you give three women to me what will I do?! I know what suffering I am going through with one! That is the reason I took precautionary steps. Anything is ok, but please just leave me with one wife, not more!'

Anyhow, just like how that goddess was asking the woodcutter whether something better was his, in the same way, every time Parashakti is asking, 'Is this your new body?' She is creating a new body. The nature, the self-healing energy which resides in you is Parashakti, your Mother part.

Understand, the energy which is inside your body and rejuvenates you is the part contributed to you by your mother. It is from your Mother, Parashakti. Your physical mother is the representation of your Cosmic Mother. When the Cosmic Mother comes and says, 'Is this new intestine yours?', you say, 'No, no, no, bring my old one!'

Our mental setup is such that we strongly believe that depression or disease is a shaft happening inside us. It is not. The depression you experienced ten years ago, the depression you experienced nine years ago, the depression you experienced eight years ago are independent, unconnected incidents, experiences. When you connect all of them and see, you create the pain shaft, the depression shaft, 'Oh, my life is depression!' Now you are ready to get defeated by the unknown enemy.

One important thing, this is a very basic truth: neither can you break the shaft, nor can you elongate the shaft, because the shaft does not exist. All you can do is just be aware that it does not exist; you created it in your mind.

Understand, for the sake of convenience and easy reference, you put all the depression incidents in one file; by and by you started believing all of them are existentially connected. No, they are not existentially connected.

One more thing, the moment you believe all your depression is connected, you are a depressed being. The joyful incidents that happened in between the painful ones will be forgotten; you will not even remember them. Understand, you will not even remember them. That is what I mean when I say that you don't have a clear picture about your past. If you have a clear picture about your past, it will become a solid experience. It will not be a load; it will become strength. Undigested past is a load, digested past is strength. We don't digest our past. It just stays on us like a load, like a headache. When you connect all the painful incidents and create a pain shaft, you create an enemy who does not exist and you start fighting with him.

Please understand, I am repeating some of the words again and again because, suddenly, you might change the channel! If it is a little boring, please bear with me! I am repeating, so that it can enter into your system.

Somebody asks Buddha, 'Why are you repeating the same thing for forty years? He says, 'If you had heard the first time, why do you think I would repeat a second time!'

The shaft does not exist. Basically, your thoughts are independent, illogical, irresponsible, unconnected and un-clutched. No two thoughts are responsible for the other's existence or disappearance, but you are afraid to believe in such an undefined frame of mind. You are afraid to live with an undefined mind. So you try to define. Your trying to define is the first problem. When you try to define, you have to create some shaft, either as pain or as joy.

Understand, even with your spouse you live for a maximum of six months. Within six months, you create an idea about him or her. After that you live only with the idea which you have about the person, not with the actual person. Anything which the other person does, you will look through the lens of that idea only. In six months, you will come to an idea, 'Oh, this is the punishment given to me by God!' or 'I don't have to go to hell now; I am already in hell.' You will continuously see whatever he or she does through that mirror, through that glass. You don't live with a person, you live with a concept.

In the same way, you have an idea about your mind. You form either a pain shaft or a joy shaft. You live with that shaft, not with the experience.

One more important thing you need to understand: After every thought, there is a gap. Understand, it is like a fish tank. The water bubbles come in the fish tank. After every bubble there is a gap. Because the gap is too small you think it is a stream. It is not a stream. Between any two thoughts also there is a gap. It is just independent, illogical thoughts moving.

The problem is, when you can't live or don't want to live with these independent, illogical movements, you create an idea of pain shaft or joy shaft and struggle with it. You create an enemy who does not exist and fight with it.

Now, all that we need to do is to stop creating this pain shaft or joy shaft, stop clutching all these painful incidents or joyful incidents and creating the shaft. The essence of whatever I was talking is, stop clutching and creating a shaft. That is enough, you will see, suddenly, the shaft disappears; the shaft does not exist.

Understand some of these important truths. Now we are coming to the initiation part. Any thought may suddenly click with you and you may feel, 'Yes! That is what is going on inside me; that is what I am doing.'

One important truth you should know: even if you want, even if you try consciously, you cannot possess or hold onto your suffering. Understand, it is a very important truth. Even if you try to hold, you cannot hold your suffering, because continuously, your suffering is also replaced by different thoughts.

One person came and asked me an important thing, 'Swamiji, I am suffering with lustful thoughts. Please give me some solution.'

I told him, 'Just sit half an hour, your mind should not go anywhere else, you should just meditate on lustful thoughts. Think only lustful thoughts, no other thoughts are allowed.' In ten minutes, he opened his eyes and said, 'I am not able to concentrate on lustful thoughts, Swamiji.'

I said, 'What are you saying? You told me just now you are haunted by those thoughts. I asked you to meditate on it; just be with it. Now you are saying, your mind is not staying on those thoughts. Your mind is going somewhere else!'

Understand: fortunately, you can have only one thought at a time, am I right? You can have only one thought at a time. The moment some other thought comes into your inner space, the earlier thought has lost its power or influence over you, am I right?

Fortunately, you can have only one thought at a time; the moment a new thought is coming inside your system, the old thought has lost its power or influence over your system. For example, the moment you decided to stand up and leave, you renounced the thought of sitting and listening. The moment you stand up, you renounce the thought of sitting; the moment you decided to sit down, you renounce the thought of standing up. Any thought which comes newly in you replaces the old thought. The old thought loses its power or influence over you, am I right?

A person once came and asked me, 'Swamiji, I am haunted by death fear. I have so much fear about losing my wealth, and about my death. Give me some solution. Please remove my fear.'

I told him, 'Please have a cup of coffee.'

He said, 'What do you mean, Swamiji?'

I said, 'Just think of having a cup of coffee and have a cup of coffee.'

He was not able to believe and asked, 'How can that help me?' I said, ‘The moment you are able to think of having a cup of coffee and decide to have a cup of coffee, the death fear which is haunting your inner space has left your inner space. Am I right?’

Unless the death fear which is haunting his inner space leaves his inner space, he cannot think of having a cup of coffee, right? So naturally, a simple thought to have a cup of coffee can remove the so-called powerful death fear.

Then he said, ‘No, no, no, Swamiji, it looks too simple! The death fear comes back, what should I do?’ If it comes back, have one more cup of coffee, that’s all! He protested, ‘No, no, no, you don’t understand how seriously I am talking. You are playing with me.’ I said, ‘I am not playing. It is just a simple thing.’

Understand, it is just a simple understanding. Fortunately, you can have only one thought at a time. The moment a new thought comes, it means the old thought has lost its power over you; otherwise, the new thought cannot come inside. If the old thought is so strong it will just multiply and sit in you. It won’t leave your inner space. The moment a new thought comes, it means the old thought has lost its power over you and has left you. Only because of that, the new thought can come inside. So, the moment you have a thought to have a cup of coffee or a cup of water, the so-called death fear has left you.

The man was not able to understand. He said, ‘No, no, no, it cannot be so simple. I am really having fear, Swamiji. It comes back.’ I told him, ‘Alright, now you know the method how to replace the death fear once, then do the same thing again and again, that’s all.’ He said, ‘No, no, no, it comes back. Once I can drink a cup of coffee, next time what to do?’ I said, ‘Have a cup of butter milk, that’s all!’ He could not accept, ‘No, no, no, it comes back the third time.’ I said, ‘Then, have a cup of water, that’s all!’

Understand: any thought which newly comes inside your inner space replaces the old thought, even if it was the worst fear or the worst depression or the worst suffering, or the worst attachment. It can be anything. The new thought coming afresh proves that your inner space is now replaced by the new thought; the old thought has lost its power over your inner space.

Why should you be afraid of any thought that can lose power in your inner space? Why should you be afraid of it? Constantly we are carrying the fear that we will not be able to conquer the fear. We are carrying the fear we will not be able to conquer our attachment. We are carrying the fear we will not be able to go beyond our suffering.

Understand an important thing, this is what I call click, an initiation: if a thought can be replaced, if a thought can leave your inner space once, it means it can again and again be removed as many number of times as it comes. That's all.

People tell me, 'No, no, no, how many times can I replace?' Every time when it comes, have a cup of water in front of you, sip once, and keep it. Just play with your mind, tease your mind till it stops. Tease your mind till it stops. It might look very funny. You may say, 'No, no, no, it looks too simple. How can this be done? I might look like a mad person!' Nothing wrong! Looking mad is perfectly alright and better than being one!

Understand the simple truth, if a new thought can replace the old thought then naturally, no thought can occupy, possess and torture your inner space eternally. This is the click. This is the basic truth.

Just a single thought of having a cup of water can replace the so-called powerful death fear from you. All you need is a cup of water to conquer your fear. All you need is cup of coffee to conquer your lust.

But the mind says, 'No, no, no, it is not that easy. No, no, Swamiji, it comes back. What to do? It again comes back.' If it comes back you also again come back. You also again stand up. Understand, if you can replace the thought ten times, the eleventh time the thought will not come; the frequency will come down.

Fortunately, you have pure inner space which does not get corrupted by the flowing thoughts.

That is the important thing. Fortunately, you have a screen which does not get burned by the burning scene. If you project a burning scene on the screen through the film, will the screen be burned? No. In the same way, fortunately, you have a pure inner space, which does not get corrupted, polluted, or possessed by a particular idea or a thought.

Understanding this deeply can completely liberate you from all the sufferings you create for yourself. It can bring tremendous self-healing into you, tremendous freedom to you, and tremendous courage and confidence.

See, now, if any fear arises in you all you need to do is, have a cup of coffee!

And one more thing: immediately, the mind will question, 'No, if I handle all fears like that, what will happen if my property is taken away? Who will maintain my family?' Don't bother.

Your innate intelligence, which I call prarabdha, is powerful enough, capable enough to manage your life using your body and your mind. All you need to do is stop creating the sufferings which you are creating, that's all.

Please be very clear, life does not happen because of you, life happens in spite of you! Come back, un-clutch again and again. Do not clutch the thoughts and give meaning to them. Un-clutch again and again, come back and rest.

You may ask, ‘How to un-clutch? I don't know. I don't think I can un-clutch from my mind.’ This very thought when it comes, ‘I don't think I can un-clutch from my mind’, you are already unclutched because the new thought can come only if the old thought can leave you!

Fear can come only if lust leaves. Lust can come only if the fear leaves. You can have a thought to have a cup of water only if the fear leaves. You can have a thought to have a cup of coffee only if the suffering leaves. The moment you are able to think that I should have a cup of coffee, already the so-called suffering has left. If that is sitting inside of your space how can you have a new thought? You can't.

Understand, handle the enemy one at a time. If you think, ‘No, no, no, you don't know, Swamiji. I tried one thousand techniques; I can teach you many more techniques, nothing works. And my mind is not as simple as you think. Maybe your mind is simple, and that is why it worked.’

Please understand, even in our foolishness, we are not at the peak. That is one of the important Truths we need to understand. All of us have a very clear idea that we are in the worst ignorance. No, it is not so.

Just a simple Truth, if a simple thought of having a cup of coffee can come inside, it means any serious thought, be it pain, suffering or whatever, has left. That is why the new thought is able to come.

So, as long as you have freedom to entertain a new thought, you have the inner space to entertain the new thought.

Be very clear, you cannot be possessed or tortured by any suffering, any depression, or any pain because you can just bring one thought, a new thought inside you.

The moment you bring the new thought, what happens? The old thought leaves you. Unless it leaves, you cannot bring a new thought.

Be very clear, your power to bring a new thought itself proves you have the power to drop the old thought. Instead of looking at the ability to replace, you look at the ability to bring it back. But you have both of these abilities.

If you are constantly looking at the ability to bring the old thought back, you will create suffering.

You think, ‘Oh, it comes back, it comes back, it comes back…’ If you are constantly looking at the ability to remove, you will feel liberation.

Understand, what you mother, that you hatch.

The hen mothers the egg and gets the chicken out. Just a chicken comes out. If you are mothering the thought that you can replace any suffering, you will bring that into reality. If you are mothering the thought, 'No, no, whatever I replace will come back', you will bring that in your experience.

If you are mothering the thought that it is going to come back, it will come back. If you are mothering the thought that it is going to go out, it will go out.

Where you put your awareness, where you put your attention is the important thing. Understand, your very ability to get a new thought shows your ability to discard the old thought. Any thought can be discarded by any simple thought. This simple understanding is more than enough to un-clutch and to rest.

One important thing: whenever any fear, any unsolvable problem comes, all you need to do from today on is, have a cup of water, that's all! And just say, 'Ey! (You are just a thought.)' That's all. Your mind will get a little perturbed and shaken.

Understand: your suffering can rule you, just because you are afraid of it. Have you seen when these underworld dons (godfathers) get created? They too will have the deep fear; but just your fear towards them will empower them. In the same way, your mind too has fear about you; but your fear towards your mind just empowers your mind.

This is the initiation. All you need to understand is: even once, if you can replace the depression from your inner space, you will have the confidence. 'I have replaced once, I can do it again'... that's all. If it comes back ten times, let me do it ten times… that's all.

There is a very beautiful story in Buddha's life: Buddha says, 'Whenever I said in meditation, 'I am going to get up after a few hours', I never became enlightened. Once I decided, 'If I am not going to become enlightened, I am not going to get up from this seat. Let this body dry up in this very place (idam aasanam shushyate shareeram in Sanskrit). Till I become enlightened, I am not going to move.'

Buddha says, the moment he created that strong clarity, the authentic sankalpa (vow), the next second he became enlightened!

When you replace your suffering, if you are thinking, 'No, no, today I can replace ten times. If it comes back the eleventh time, I can only try tomorrow', then nothing will happen. Decide very clearly, 'Till it stops coming, I am going to replace.' That is what I call courage, dheera. And once you have replaced it, you can start laughing at it, 'I was afraid of you for so many years, I was getting shaken by you for so many years! All it takes to push you out is a glass of water, cup of coffee, nothing else!'

A thought to have a cup of coffee, a thought to stand up is more than enough to remove the worst suffering from your inner space. The problem is it looks too simple! People come and tell me, 'No, no, Swamiji, it cannot be so simple; I think you missed somewhere…!' People really think, I am too young; that maybe I know only a few things and that is what I am teaching.

Understand, the Truth is simple.

There is a beautiful traditional song, 'O, so difficult to be a devotee of Shiva!' Ramana Maharishi sang a very beautiful song, 'O, so easy is enlightenment!'

I tell you, it is neither difficult nor easy; even if I say 'easy,' there is a little difficulty. It is not even easy. It is constantly happening in you! Don't you understand? Every moment, a new thought is replacing the old thought.

Why are you afraid that you will bring your old thought back? It is like trashing your e-mails and bringing them back from a trash can. You just deleted it and it is gone; now you are again going to the trash can and trying to bring that e-mail back! Relax.

Constantly your thoughts are getting replaced. This itself shows, nothing can possess your inner space. Nothing can overpower you, nothing can overrule you. You have independence, and the intelligence to replace any suffering; you have freedom to replace any fear, you have freedom to replace any negativity.

Understand, it is a very simple truth. If you can understand this one truth of un-clutching and connect with this, if this one Truth clicks, this can destroy the root of ignorance, the root of the mind. Nothing else is needed.

One more important thing, nothing else can work. Please understand, nothing else can work! People come and tell me, 'Swamiji, I want to escape from my suffering. Should I chant some mantra?' I tell them, it will become one more suffering. I have seen people chanting 'Rama,' 'Krishna,' 'Rama,' 'Krishna,' and in between, they will say, 'Hey, have you purchased some vegetables? What happened in the market? Did you bring those accounts?'... 'Rama,' 'Krishna,' 'Rama,' 'Krishna,' 'Rama,' 'Krishna'...

Understand: many times, when you try to repeat something, you create a new shaft. People feel offended, 'How can you say mantra japa does not help?' I am not saying it does not help... Of course, let me tell you openly... It does not help! Let me be open instead of trying to be socially polite. The satya is much better, much more important than being socially polite.

Understand: I tested it in my life. For ten years, not with one mala, I had two malas each of 108 beads. If I finish one round of a mala, I would push one bead of the second mala. By the time I finished through the second mala, I would have chanted ten thousand times. From my experience, I tell you, that only creates one more guilt that you are not able to do the mantra continuously. Because by the time you move to the next bead, already one thought has come!

If somebody records what happens in your system when you do japa, it will be something like, 'Rama Krishna', move the next bead, 'Rama Krishna', move the next bead, 'Rama Krishna', move the next bead... that's what is going on inside, 'Oh... I think I chanted too many times, let me count...’ I know very well because I have done it. Not only that, I have always seen people: with closed eyes they will start counting their beads; after some time slowly they will touch with their other hand and see how long it is going to take... is it going to take five more minutes or three more minutes? Let me tell you, I am saying this from my experience.

Understand an important Truth. Do not try to create one more shaft. Just realize that the shaft which you believe exists, does not exist. That's all you need to do. That's all you need to understand, and then rest in that un-clutched awareness, nirvikalpa satya.

Let me explain exactly what un-clutching is. When you sit for meditation, when you sit silently, you will see so many thoughts coming up. Do not connect all of them, and give a meaning to it. The moment you give meaning to the words, either you will try to suppress or you will try to execute. Either you will try to go beyond them, or you will try to suppress them.

Understand, creating a thought is Brahma’s work, maintaining a thought by going behind it is Vishnu’s work, destroying a thought is Rudra’s work. If you stop doing all these three, you will become Parabrahma, that's all. Relax from all the three - creation, maintenance and destruction. Relaxing from all the three is what I call ‘un-clutching’.

Let me give you one more detail, a very strong truth. When a thought arises in you, instead of giving meaning to it, just un-clutch, just relax into the source. When a thought arises, if you start giving meaning to it, what will you do? Either you will try to do what the thought says, or you will try to suppress it, ‘Don't come, wait. I am going to meditate’. Don't do either; instead of paying attention to the meaning of the sound, just see the source of the sound, that's all.

Then your mind will say, ‘No, I am feeling bored.’ ‘I am feeling bored’ is one more thought. Why are you clutching? You see, why will you have the idea that you are feeling bored? The boredom which you experienced 10 years ago, the boredom which you experienced 9 years ago, and the boredom which you experienced yesterday are independent experiences. Why are you connecting all of them and giving the idea of boredom? Only when you connect all of them and give the idea, ‘This is what is boredom’, you will think, ‘Yes, I am having the same experience, I am having boredom.’ Do not connect. Un-clutch and see.

Just see, if your mind says, ‘I am feeling bored’, just say, ‘What is boredom? Let me not give some meaning out of my past clutching. Let me see what you mean by the word ‘boredom’, let me see what it feels like.’

Attack your enemy one thought at a time. If you think all thoughts put together is your enemy, you empower your enemy. Always understand, when you work with your enemy, divide and rule! If you think all your enemies are gathered together, you will start having all unnecessary fears.

Your enemies are not as intelligent as you always think. This is one of the important sutras. Understand: even in your life, your enemies are not that intelligent, cooperative and understanding as you might think. Just like you, they will also have problems among themselves.

If you think your mind is your enemy, do not empower it by saying, it is one single huge organism. No! Handle it one thought at a time, because in your hand, you have only one weapon, you have only one thought. One thought is one weapon. With one weapon, one thought, how will you handle ten thousand thoughts? No, you can’t. So, break your mind also. Tell your mind, ‘Come one thought at a time. We will see face-to-face...’ Face every single thought. Un-clutch from every single thought.

Your mind will say, ‘No, no, no, half an hour I have un-clutched. Now again thoughts are coming.’ The un-clutching that happened 30 minutes ago, the un-clutching that happened twenty minutes ago, the un-clutching that happened 10 minutes ago are totally different individual experiences. Why are you connecting all those un-clutching experiences and feeling that this un-clutching and that un-clutching are the same? No!

This moment, what is happening in me is an independent experience.

Please understand, you need to put your whole attention, your whole energy, your whole awareness, only then the click will happen. If that click happens, you are blessed. Because this single click can be used as a key for so many difficulties and problems in your life. It will revolutionize the way in which your mind functions, the way in which you make decisions, the way in which your fears strengthen you, the way in which your desires drive you crazy. The whole thing will be reorganized. The whole thing will be revolutionized.

If you know any big idea or goal which drives you crazy can be replaced, just by a thought of having a cup of coffee, will you have respect for that goal? Will you have respect for that ideal? Suddenly you will see, whatever you thought as a goal does not have any more power over your inner space. Suddenly, you will see a non-moving, immovable, authentic Self arise in you. That is what I call ‘living enlightenment’.

Understand, an authentic Being, who does not need the mind to operate the body, is what I call ‘living enlightenment’.

Your Being does not need your mind to run your body. If your mind is constantly staying inside you, it is just because of your fear, ‘What will happen to me? How will my body run if my mind leaves me?’ You don’t understand, if your mind leaves you, life will happen in a much better way, in a much more intelligent way.

When you sit, if thoughts are arising, just remember, ‘Let me un-clutch.’ Just unclutch. Tell yourself, ‘I am not going to empower this thought by following it, or by fighting it. Let me un-clutch.’ Again, in two seconds, one more thought will come. Again say, ‘Let me un-clutch.’ After few minutes, you will see you are continuously repeating the thought ‘un-clutching.’ ‘I am un-clutching,’ ‘I am un-clutching’… Then un-clutch from that too. The moment you remember, you immediately un-clutch. Un-clutch from the very idea about you…

Understand, you have two identities. One is the identity which you carry and show to the outer world as to who you are. This is called ahankara. Another identity which you carry in you, which you believe as you inside your heart, is called mamakara.

Your whole life is nothing but a fight between ahankara and mamakara, what you want to project to the outside as you and what you believe within as you. Your whole life is nothing but a fight between these two identities.

Ahankara, how you project yourself, will always be much more than what you are, it is the superiority complex. Mamakara, what you believe as you, will always be much less than what you are; it is the inferiority complex. Your whole life is nothing but a suffering between this inferiority complex and superiority complex. Whether the thoughts are related to inferiority or superiority, neither give life to them, nor suppress them. Just un-clutch.

Now, an important fear comes, ‘If I constantly un-clutch, who will run my life?’ Understand, your prarabdha, with which you created your body, your bio-memory, is intelligent enough to run your body and maintain your infrastructure and expand your wealth. Trusting this Truth is what I call bhakti.

Krishna says, ‘Ananyaas chintayanato mamyejanaa paryupaasate tesham nithya bhiyuktaanaam yogakshemam vahaamyaham,’ - ‘Whoever resides in Me, constantly remembering Me, their needs and comforts I Myself bring and see that those things stay with that person.’

Understand, this assurance He gives, even for the people who have the fear of un-clutching and relaxing. I tell you, just try it for ten days. I am not saying try for your whole life, just try for ten days. Try un-clutching for ten days; if you are not benefited, forget about me and my technique. You will see, it straightaway adds to your life. Nothing will be reduced, nothing will be taken away. Your clarity, your profession, your relationship, your health, everything will only be added to.

For ten days, try this un-clutching. Constantly un-clutch, whether you are eating, sleeping, driving or whatever you do. Of course, when you drive, don’t close your eyes! Constantly try to un-clutch. If it does not improve your life, then forget about it. I tell you, you will never miss. I have seen how it just transforms life.

Don't have these hypothetical fears. Mind exists based on hypothetical fears. If you look into the hypothetical fears, the mind will disappear. Do not entertain the hypothetical fears of your mind. Just try for ten days.

When I say this, I am responsible for these words. Understand, I know it is getting recorded; I am responsible for what I am talking. Just try for ten days this un-clutching. I assure you, I have seen, it only adds to your health, adds to your wealth, adds to your well-being and adds to your relationships.

Only your fear creates an idea, 'No, no, no, if I un-clutch, who will pay my bills, and who will run my life?' You will run your life in a much better way. When you un-clutch, you pick up a few thoughts here and there and create a shaft, just like you pick up whatever you need from a conveyer belt.

In the same way, either you pick up all the sufferings and create a pain shaft, or you pick up all the joyful memories and incidents, and create a joy shaft. If you try to elongate the joy shaft or break the pain shaft, both are impossible, because neither shaft exists.

Another important thing, fortunately, every new thought proves that the old thought has lost its influence over your inner space. This proves that no suffering can overtake you .

There is a beautiful one liner: You can't step into the same river twice, because by the time you put the second step, the river moves. I tell you, you can't step into the same river even once, because by the time you put a foot and it reaches the ground, the water has moved!

Constantly, the very replacement of thoughts, the new thoughts appearing, shows you have the inner space which gets replaced, rejuvenated and refreshed, which is untouchable and pure. Because the inner space is pure, you are able to have new thoughts. The new thoughts happening prove that the old thoughts have lost their influence over you. So, do not be afraid of depression, suffering, fear, desire or any of the internal enemies. Let you be liberated from the eternal enemies.

And the ultimate thing, do not be afraid of un-clutching.

An incident from my wandering days: I spent ten years walking all over India begging and eating, sleeping under the trees, and meditating. I have seen the villagers in North India who have a novel trap to catch birds.

They will put a stick, held by the rope wound over it, and hang it between the trees. That's all. You will be surprised, how this can trap a bird.

Understand, when this stick is hanging, the bird will come and sit on the stick.

When it sits, just because of its own weight, what will happen? It will become topsy-turvy, upside down.

This poor bird starts thinking, if it leaves, if it relaxes, it will fall and die. I have seen, for hours, the bird will be hanging. The poor bird will be fluttering, will be trying its best, shaking its wings, but it will be hanging, thinking that if he relaxes, if he lets go, he will fall, and break his head, and die.

Have you heard any time of a bird falling and breaking his head and dying? No! The foolish bird does not know that if he just lets go, he can just fly…! He can be liberated.

Understand: I have seen the bird will be hanging for hours... The hunter will slowly come after two or three hours; he will come and just pick up the bird and put it in the cage.

How that foolish bird was thinking if he let go, he would fall and die, in the same way, we have the fear that if we let go of our mind, if we un-clutch, we will fall and our life will become a mess. Understand, there is no history, there is no record saying the bird which let go, which opened up has fallen and died. In the same way, there is no record that a person who has un-clutched has lost something in his life.

One more thing, the bird feels that the stick is his security; it hangs on to it. But the hunter comes, and not only does the bird lose the stick which he thinks of as security, he is eternally in a prison also. In the same way, what you think of as security - your mind and life, if you hold on to it, what happens? When Yama, the Lord of Death comes, not only what you think of as security is lost, but you also are put to death.

Understand, just like that bird, in our foolish way, we are hanging on to the stick - the mind - with a fear, ‘If I let go, what will happen ...?’

Sometimes I have seen, when the bird is hanging, some birds which are flying come and poke this bird and tell him, ‘Let go! I had the same problem; when I relaxed I just started flying. All it takes is just two or three seconds to balance.’

See, the bird will be topsy-turvy; when it leaves, maybe for two seconds it will start falling, and then it will just turn and start flying. Courageously facing those two to three seconds, that chaos, is what I call tapas.

When you un-clutch, there will be some revolution in your life, day-to-day thinking, decision-making, in your daily routine, in your lifestyle. Courageously going through that revolution, going through that transformation which happens in you is what I call tapas.

Understand, rarely, a bird which was stuck in the trap but had the courage to let go and open up, comes back and tells the birds which are hanging, ‘Hey, let go! Relax! Listen, I was like you. When I opened up, I never fell and broke my head and died. I only became liberated. I only became a free bird. Come on...’ Understand, if the bird lets go, if the bird relaxes, it will be enjoying its freedom. In the same way, if you let go, you will became Paramahamsa.

I tell you this boldly with the courage, with the authenticity, and with the Truth of my experience.

When it comes from the experienced inner space, even if your logic is fighting, don't bother, you will have that experience. When it comes from the Truth, it will reach your true Self and Being. All you need to do is just let go, and you will become Paramahamsa. Let you live enlightenment. Life lived in an un-clutched way is what I call ‘Living Enlightenment’.

Let us enter into the method, the technique. It is a very powerful method, I call this Nithya Dhyaan. This technique is what I call Nithya Dhyaan.

I think I can answer a few questions related to this subject that I spoke of today. If you could write few questions, I will finish the question-answers; then we will enter into meditation. It is a very strong subject; let us internalize it by question-answers.

Q: Does removing samkaras mean samadrishti? Can you please discuss about samadrishti? Understand, you don't even have to remove, just un-clutch. Do not own it, that's all. Understand, here the waves of so many TV channels are present; are you seeing them? No. But when you sit in front of the television and operate it, you see them. To stop the waves entering your space, all you need to do is just stop the television, that's all. You don't have to remove or suffer or struggle with the samskaras. Just un-clutch from it, that's all.

Q: If the body cells get replaced once in 365 days automatically, why not thoughts? Thoughts get replaced every moment. What are you talking about 365 days! Only thing, you need to trust that it gets replaced and allow it to happen. Because the gap between the thoughts is so small, you think it is a continuous shaft. It is not; after every thought, there is a break.

Q: Even when we un-clutch, the same stimulus will give rise to the same thought. How do we handle this situation? Understand, this you are talking before un-clutching. Un-clutch and see. Un-clutch and see for a few times. Suddenly you will see, neither the same stimulus is the same stimulus, nor is the thought the same thought. The stimulus which created the same thought 9 years ago, 8 years ago and now, are not the same experiences. Why are you clutching again once more and seeing?

Q: If thoughts are independent and unconnected, how are day-to-day planning, inventions, and discoveries possible? This is a wonderful question. This doubt I had for quite a long time. I met a Nobel laureate who invented the maser and laser. I met him in San Francisco. I said, ‘Tell me exactly how the discovery happened.’ (Because I strongly believe that such a discovery happens in the un-clutched inner space.) Understand, when you are trying to un-clutch, un-clutch everything.

Ramana Maharishi says beautifully, ‘Throw out whatever you can. At one point, there will be something which you can't throw; hold onto it, that’s all.’

When un-clutched from everything, suddenly there will be some strong experiences happening, from which you will not be able to un-clutch. Even the un-clutching idea would disappear. Those experiences only I call ‘revelation’ or satya pramaana, aapta pramaana, aatma pramaana.

I always felt, only in that inner space the discoveries can happen. I asked him, ‘First, please describe how you invented the maser’. He told me, ‘Swamiji, I was sitting in downtown New York City on a park bench. Suddenly, in a deep relaxation, the revelation happened. I know the formula, I know the truth now, but I do not know the method how I arrived at the Truth, how it was revealed to me. So, I was afraid to present it to the scientific community because they might think I have stolen it from somewhere! So, I analyzed and came up with the logical steps to reach the conclusion that revealed itself so clearly. But, even now, the logical steps are not fool-proof. It can be questioned. But experience or the final Truth itself is the full proof.’

I was shocked when I heard this, ‘O God, this is what we call mantra drishta.’ A person who experiences mantra is rishi. When you un-clutch, sometimes, even in a deep silence, the un-clutching happens automatically in you.

Understand, great inventions and discoveries happen unknowingly when we un-clutch. Knowingly, when you un-clutch, not only outer world discoveries, but inner world discoveries also start happening, that's all.

Anything best can happen to you only when you un-clutch. Be very clear, it is the ultimate technique to achieve, to raise your frequency of consciousness, to raise your inner space.

I think if we enter into the technique, then many of the doubts will disappear.

Let me now describe for you the technique, the essence of Nithya Dhyaan, the meditation which we are going to do. There were many different techniques in my inner space before enlightenment. After enlightenment, three years I was doing research on how to create a method to reproduce the same experience. This technique is the result of my experiments.

I started offering this technique in 2003.

For the last five years, I have been working with disciples experimenting with these techniques. Ten years before enlightenment… three years after enlightenment, but before the Mission… five years of public life… the last eighteen years, whatever I studied, learned, experimented and experienced, if I have to give you the essence in one statement, it is Nithya Dhyaan. So, this is the mahaprasaad, the greatest prasaad you can receive from enlightened consciousness.

The essence of all these five steps is this un-clutching. The first steps are just to prepare you, to bring you to the level of un-clutching. First step: sitting in vajrasana, means sitting on your knees. If you really have pain, don't bother, just sit in a comfortable way.

People come and tell me: 'No, no, Swamiji, I have pain. Can I sit in the sofa or chair?' Of course, now you can sit in the chair, it's ok. But in the house, when you try, try your best to sit in vajrasana. You can have a pillow for support, nothing wrong, but try to sit in vajrasana. Sit in vajrasana, have your hands on the hips, and do chaotic breathing, intense breathing, as deep as possible, as chaotically as possible.

Second step: sitting in vajrasana having your hands in chin mudra on the knees, do intense humming (not ‘om’ or ‘hūm’).

Third step: put your awareness in every energy center. There are seven energy centers, which can be awakened if you put awareness on them. I will guide you.

People ask me, ‘How to do un-clutching in the house, Swamiji?’ You can use either cassette or CD, that's better. If you start doing without music on the cassette or CD, after 2 to 3 minutes you will open your eyes and see whether the time is over or not. ‘I think half an hour is over, I think I am doing too much!’ That is why I always tell people, it is better to use the CD.

Fourth step: just un-clutch; this is the essence. Understand, I am describing exactly un-clutching. Just sit. When a thought arises in you, just remember ‘Let me un-clutch’. Immediately, the thought will disappear. Then, there will be the next thought. Again remember, ‘Let me un-clutch.’ After a few minutes, ‘Let me un-clutch’ may become one more thought. Again, un-clutch from that. Remember, ‘Let me un-clutch from this’. Every moment, just be un-clutching continuously and consciously.

In the fourth step, suddenly you will see that thoughts per second drop drastically. At least, go into it once, only then you will be able to experience it.

Fifth step: just sit in a relaxed way, connected to the whole cosmos. If you have love for the Guru, or love for some God: Rama, Shiva, Krishna, Vishnu...,just sit in a very deep and passive way, feeling connected to the cosmos, or God, or your Guru, that's all. Just relax and settle down.

Let me describe the five steps again. Each step is seven minutes.

First step: sitting in vajrasana, having your hands on the hips, and chaotic breathing.

Second step: sitting in vajrasana, having your hands in chin mudra on your knees and intense humming. Third step: putting your awareness on every energy center for one minute each. Fourth step: be un-clutched. Whatever happens, just be un-clutched. Neither create, nor maintain, nor destroy a thought. Stop Brahma, Vishnu, and Rudra, and you will become Parabrahma. Fifth step: just feel connected with a deep, passive, prayerful mood towards the whole Existence, your God, your Guru, and rest for a few minutes.

Please close your eyes. If you can sit on the ground in vajrasana, do so; otherwise, sit in the chair itself. In the first two steps, if you can sit in vajrasana, you can. From the third step, sit normally, in a cross-legged position or if you can't, just sit in the chair.

Please, close your eyes and sit straight.

(Nithya Dhyaan meditation follows)

Q: When you quoted the Bhagavad Gita, you said Krishna says... But at the end you said un-clutching makes us Paramahamsas. You mean we are equal to Lord Krishna? When you un-clutch, you experience the same state, the same consciousness in which Krishna stays. Understand, Krishna wants you to experience the same consciousness in which He resides. That is why He came down and shared the great knowledge, the Gita, with the world. If He just wants to show His greatness, He doesn't need to come down. This world is enough to show His greatness. He has come down not to just show His greatness, but to inspire you to experience the same consciousness in which He is residing. Un-clutching leads you to the same consciousness. That is what I call Krishna consciousness. Experience true Krishna consciousness where Krishna is residing.

Q: When you yourself don't connect with your name, why don't you let your disciples have that name? Being the guru, is it not correct to connect your followers to the Divine from which you received enlightenment? Understand, when I don't connect with my name, because of that only that name connects my disciples with the Divine. Because I don't feel this mind, I don't feel egoistically possessive about it. It is used as a technique by the people, and it really helps them to reach wherever they are.

Here is one more question: Q: I just found your photo for the first time. From that time, I have had a strong urge to see you and to come and listen to you. When you said, ‘un-clutch for ten days and it would help,’ why did it take ten years for you, and for some other sadhus many more years? How will we know that we un-clutched ? Understand, it took ten years for me because I was seeking the technique. See, it's like having one lock and ten thousand keys. I was trying every key. Opening itself will not take ten years; opening took only one second. But finding the right key took ten years. Why do you want to go through the same thing? I am here to give you the key. I have given you the key.

To open the lock takes only two seconds. Open and enjoy; you don't have to go through the same thing which I went through. Understand, opening the lock did not take ten years for me. Only seeking for the right key did. You don't have to seek now. Here is the key; have it and enjoy!

Q: What is wrong in trying to extend the joy shaft? Even if it is hypothetical, ultimately it gives joy. No. You can't elongate the joy shaft. When you try to elongate, you become addicted, but you don't experience joy. Addiction means, if you do that same activity, it will not be joyful; if you don't, it will be painful. If you smoke, it will not be something great, but if you don't you will miss something seriously. That is addiction. So, trying to work on the joy shaft only leads you to addiction.

Here is a wonderful question: Q: During tapas, when we undergo temporary imbalance would the free bird lend a helping hand? It's a wonderful question. Understand: the responsibility of the free bird is freeing other birds. It is the responsibility of the free bird to go and poke the bird trapped on the stick and say, 'Free yourself'.

I have created a net; even if you fall, you won't hurt yourself. Relax! Let go, you will only fly!

See, the sangha of the Master is the net. Even if you fall, you will not hurt yourself. First of all, you will not fall. But just to give you the deeper assurance, the sangha, the spiritual community, is created. So, I invite all of you, to come and experience the sangha.

Understand: it's a free bird's responsibility to liberate all the birds, to help other birds, and inspire other birds to free themselves. That is why there is a beautiful verse in the Mundaka Upanishad: 'After initiation, the Master has to bless.'

Understand, with the responsibility that I am free, I have the responsibility to free the other birds. With that authority, I bless you all: Let you all be Paramahamsas; let you all achieve and radiate the eternal bliss... nithyananda. Thank you.