2023-11-24 - Contemplation of the Truth by Gurumayi =================================================== Gurumayi Tokyo, December 18, 1985 With great respect and love, I welcome you all with all my heart. Swami Muktananda, our Guru, taught us to respect one another. He taught it, and he lived what he taught. Many of us hear the teaching "Respect one another," but we do not listen to it. Even if we listen to it, we do not necessarily practice it. It is amazing that we all know this great teaching, but somehow we do not know how to incorporate it into our lives. We think we respect one another, but this respect does not show in our actions. Why? In the Bhagavad Gītā the Lord says: > Let a person uplift himself by his own Self; > Let him not lower himself. > The Self alone is one's friend, > And the Self alone is one's enemy. Although Lord Krishna says "Uplift yourself," we are not able to do that. We think we are unworthy, we think we are full of negativities and doubts, and these weigh us down. Even if we imagine we respect one another, what comes across is our low opinion of ourselves. It does not matter if we are scholars, professionals, or great businessmen; beneath our erudition and professional success we feel a lack of worth, we feel we are not what we should be. This feeling of unworthiness creates disrespect. If we do not feel greatness or divinity in ourselves, if we do not experience the Truth within, how can we recognize that greatness and that Truth in others? This is the reason that, even though the great teachings teach us to respect one another, we are not able to imbibe their teaching. To make the Truth our own, we have to prepare the field of the body. In order to make his field flower, a farmer must first weed it, plow it, seed it, and irrigate it. But in order to ensure the flowering of wisdom in the field of the body, we cannot use a tractor or a shovel to dig it up; we must employ more subtle practices. And so we chant, we contemplate, and we meditate. When we contemplate "Who am I? Why was I born? What is the purpose of this world?" even if we do not find the answers immediately, the inquiry itself creates energy. Most of us live without ever trying to find out the cause of our being here and the cause of the universe. Of course, we study these things in school and in college, and we learn the theories that others have come up with, but we do not try to find the answers from within our own being. That is more difficult, isn't it? How can we chant, contemplate, and meditate so as to live the life we must live? Although chanting is very sweet and beautiful, we cannot always chant aloud when we are walking down the street. So when we are together like this or when we are by ourselves, we chant to ourselves constantly. As we practice chanting, our whole being accepts the sound. Then, regardless of the situation in which we find ourselves, we hear the sound, and it protects us. We practice contemplation. Although we are not always comfortable with what we are contemplating, we continue our inner inquiry. As we contemplate more and more, the answer reveals itself to us. For some, the answer reveals itself as supreme contentment. No matter what their circumstances may be, such people are content. Whether there is heat or cold, honor or dishonor, praise or blame, they experience supreme contentment within. For some, the answer comes as divine intoxication. Many people drink to feel high and to block their emotions and anxieties. But when you truly contemplate, the Truth reveals itself as divine intoxication. No matter what is happening, you experience a high state. Someone may be yelling at you, and you think, "Listen to that--the glory of God!" In everything and everyone you experience only intoxication, ecstasy. Some people experience the answer as absolute enlightenment, complete serenity. When the Truth reveals itself to you, no matter what form it takes, it is the Truth. However, who has the patience to wait for the Truth to reveal itself? Until that revelation comes, we spend our time being jealous of other people, getting angry with them, and thinking bad thoughts about them. In Vedanta this is called māyā, illusion. In the beginning there was enlightenment, and at the end there will be enlightenment, but in the middle there is a drama. We do sādhanā, we do our practices, to avoid being totally involved in the drama of maya. In the Gitā the Lord says: > With his mind completely harmonized by yoga, > The yogi sees the inner Self abiding in all beings. > He sees the same Truth everywhere, > He sees the same God everywhere. ... We do not meditate to invoke spirits. We meditate to invoke the supreme Spirit, or God. Baba Muktananda used to say that in the modern age people do not like to use the word "God." They speak of "Consciousness," "your full potential," "what you really are," or "the meditative energy." What can we do? This is the world we live in. In these days people don't seem able to take the Truth as it is. We have to change it in order to like it. People meditate for different reasons... But true meditation is becoming absorbed in the Truth at all times, in all places, with all people. It is better not to place conditions on the results of meditation. God has placed everything within all of us. Many people say, "When I first started meditating, I had so many visions and so many kinds of experiences. Now, five years later, there is nothing. I don't have any visions and I don't experience anything. It must be a dry spell." Even though you think your experience is dry, still a great deal is happening. The power of meditation never stops. The fact that you do not experience anything in a particular moment does not mean that you should give up and do something else. There was a farmer who wanted water, so he dug a well fifty feet deep. He didn't find any water, so he dug another fifty-foot well. Once again, no water. Three more times he dug to a depth of fifty feet. Still no water. Finally, he was exhausted, and he went to a wise sage. In the East people still go to a Master to ask about personal problems. The farmer told the sage what had happened. The sage said, "Why did you dig five wells? Why didn't you stick to one and go deeper than fifty feet? You would have found water." Keep going deeper and deeper. Do not limit the results of meditation. A great saint, John of the Cross, said: > That you may have pleasure in everything, > Seek pleasure in nothing. > That you may possess all things, > Possess nothing. > That you may be everything, > Seek to be nothing. This is the true way of life. If you want true pleasure, then do not go after pleasures. If you want to possess everything, do not go after anything. If you want to become something, first become nothing. That is true humility. Without true humility, it is very difficult to recognize the experiences that we have. Beautiful experiences are taking place within us, but we cannot see them if we lack humility. True humility is nothing but love, and love is nothing but respect. A king asked his prime minister, "Tell me, what is the best thing in this world, and what is the worst thing?" The prime minister said, "The tongue is both the best and the worst." The king was curious. "How so?" he asked. The prime minister replied, "With this tongue a human being can elevate the entire universe, and with this same tongue a human being can send this universe to hell." Sometimes even though we feel good, we need to train the tongue to say good things. In Siddha Meditation, the way we train our tongue is by chanting the name of God over and over again. As chanting opens up the heart, it fills the entire being with great love. ... While chanting, rather than analyze the meaning, learn to lose yourself in the sound. Let it fill you completely. Make more room inside so that the sound can expand. In meditation too, just lose yourself. Do not worry about how well you are sitting or how bad your posture is. Just lose yourself in it. Baba used to say, "Do not be afraid of losing yourself. I will find you." The words of a master are like a koan: they might sound simple, but they are full of meaning. Lose yourself and become ecstatic. Become humble, and you will be filled with love. As you become filled with love, you will be able to respect one another, and thereby the word "respect" will gain great honor. Bearing that in mind, with great love and great respect, I welcome you all with all my heart. * * * True love is not based on outer attention. True love is an inner treasure which grows and grows. To experience it, go deep inside. If you do not get support from inside, no matter how much outer support you get, it is never going to be enough. You will always be flying from one flower to another, like a bee. You have to know that the honey is inside, not just outside. But when you do get love from outside, drink it. Don't push it away. When we are given love, we say, "Perhaps I am not worthy of receiving this love. When I am deserving enough, I will take it." When love comes, experience it then and there. And when you think you are not getting love from outside, take it from inside. There is so much love within. tags: article,inspiration,spirit Tags ==== article inspiration spirit