Spiritual Guidelines

What do you want to share with everybody in the world?

Whatever I know, I want to share it.

I know what love means. I know what non-violence means: feeling oneness with every living being. I want to share compassion.

I want to share how to reach the highest state of consciousness.

Whatever I know, whatever I understand, I want to share with you. Because I am so full of this understanding.

When a person comes to this understanding, he has to share it. He is a like a cow full of milk, she has to find someone to give it to. Otherwise he will go crazy!

When Mahavira went out to the forest, he lived there alone for twelve years. He meditated, all alone, content in the hermit life. Then he achieved enlightenment. Suddenly he understood everything, he was filled with understanding.

So immediately he ran back to the city to share it! He couldn't resist running back!

The same with Buddha, with Jesus. They couldn't resist sharing. Even when the people turned against Jesus, when he knew he was in danger, he continued to preach and share with them.

I will share too, whatever I know. It may be like guidelines to you, to help you in knowing yourself.

How did you achieve your present state of consciousness?

My own personal history would not apply to everyone.

Basically ... I observed the nature of my own mind. Everyone's mind is like this: restless. It jumps from one thing to another like a monkey.

'Past' and 'future' are mental concepts. They only exist in the mind. We say someone is 'living in the past' or 'living in the future,' but what we really mean is, they are living in pictures of the past or the future. These pictures are in the mind.

All this is linear thinking, horizontal.

True consciousness, consciousness of what is real, doesn't move horizontally. It moves vertically. It is steady and blissful.

We say: "Mind moves horizontally. Mind means, past and future. When you release your mind, dissolve your mind, that means past and future dissolve, automatically.

"Mind moves in time, in past and future. But consciousness doesn't move in time, it is timeless. The substance Time doesn't affect consciousness."

That's why in our language the present is also called 'timeless.' That is also the meditation state."

Once you flow with actual consciousness, automatically these mental pictures dissolve. Past and future release you. Only you are alive, you are left with the present.

This is the way to achieve the state of consciousness I have. A state where you are always balanced. A state where every action becomes divine. Even just eating food, drinking tea -- everything is divine, heavenly. Because the present is divine.

What is the difference between you and students like us?

Basically we are similar. We all have the same equipment, so to speak. Anything I have learned, you can learn it also, do it also. No problem.

To answer in a deeper sense, I like the Indian saying, "Ahum bramas mai", which means, "I am God."

We can say, every individual is God, because we are all part of God. How can a bubble in the ocean be separate from the ocean? A bubble has the same value, the same importance, as the whole ocean has.

So, how can I talk about a difference between you and me? Between you and God? Between me and God?

Really, there is no difference. Basically we are the same. We seem different because we are in different stages of the same process. A bubble seems different from the ocean because it is so tiny. But could the ocean exist without tiny drops? Tiny drops make the ocean. You and I make God. We are God.

What is the difference between you and other Indian teachers?

In the case of many Indian teachers, the teacher has one particular method, which has worked for him or her. But they insist that it is the only way. It is "The One Way." All the students who come, they give them that same prescription!

Those teachers, they don't consider that each student, each person, is something special on the earth. Each of us are different. Unique, individual, special. There are no duplicates!

It is like in the ecology. All species are necessary. I do not try to change a baby bird into a horse. If I meet a baby swan, I do not tell him how to become a good horse! I give him a little bread crumbs and suggest to him where to find some water.

You can choose your own path. You should, or you are wasting your uniqueness.

I have studied widely, I know many paths. Whatever path a student wants to use, to make for him or herself, I can give them some suggestions for their next steps on their path.

I am not traditional, like many Indian teachers. They say that you have to do certain things or go to hell. For me, hell doesn't exist. If this universe is created by God, if God is divine, how could he create hell? If we are all children of God, how could any of us go to hell? If God is divine, then if there were hell, hell would be divine too.

There is a saying, "God doesn't make junk." I say, "It doesn't make junkyards either."

There is no one single way. There are as many ways as there are people.

I do not use the term 'self-inquiry,' like Sri Aurobindo or Sri Ramana Maharshi, or Krishamurti.

'Inquiry' is not something you can do about your real Self. Inquiry is what you, your self, does about other people. You can make inquiries about someone, some employee, and decide what jobs to give them and so forth.

So, the real inquiry is not regarding your Self. What you are inquiring about is your anger, your other emotions, your ego, and so forth.

The fact that you can inquire about them, proves that they are not you. It proves that you are separate from them. You can change them if you like.

There is a saying, "The eye can look at everything except itself." If you have a mirror, you can look at the image of your own eye. But that is not the eye itself. The eye itself, you can never see.

Your real Self, the Inquirer, is like that. You connect with it by inquiring about the things you can see, the external things. By doing a little inquiring about them, you realize that they are not you, and if there are any serious problems, you can correct them.

But -- a little is enough. Will you waste the whole of your life in analyzing, inquiring about these things that aren't really you?

No, this is not enough. So I don't use the term 'self-inquiry.' Instead I say, "Observe yourself. Not these emotions and thoughts and personality and so forth, but you. Be aware of yourself. Who you really are? Do you exist, or do you not exist? Do you feel pain, happiness? Do you dwell in dualities, dwell with your ego? Or with eternal things?"

The term 'self-inquiry' can be too easily misunderstood. People think it means inquiring about the ego, because the ego seems like 'I.'

But no, my friends. Ego is not you. You were not born with ego. If you grew up alone on the forest, like Tarzan, you would not have any ego. Ego comes later, from society. People think that ego means pride. Really it means shame, "What will they think of me?" What will society think? If you were alone without society, there would be no ego.

It is an idea of society, it doesn't exist at all. So why worry about it? It is a false concept anyway.

I suggest to you, watch yourself. Live in the present moment. Flow moment to moment, and try to know that you really exist. Try to know that you are eternal.

Then you will separate yourself from your body, your ego, your anger, your emotions. And then, only then, will you know who you really are.

You won't ask me who you are. You will already know.

Do you think your own way of guidance is the ultimate one, and if so, why?

First of all, I don't have a Way. My way of guidance is not considered even a path. My way is like wayless, my path is like pathless. If somebody connects with me, I will give them a little inspiration. If they are ready to flow with it, it may help them find their own way.

Each person has their own path, and carries their own candle to find it. I can blow a little wind, so their candle can burn more brightly. Then they can see their own path.

To say an 'ultimate path' is a contradiction. All path are a means. A means cannot be ultimate. A path cannot be ultimate. Only the destination can be ultimate.

Or we can say, each person is a different kind of flower. Each needs something different. Wind, sun, rain. Whatever that person needs to flower, I give that to them.

The flowering is the ultimate, your own flowering. Your own kind of flower.

I just inspire people, to find themselves. To the extent they are ready. Using any method they like and give them just a little help.

God is a unique being, not to be compared with any king or judge. It exists everywhere, not like a human who has one body and one set of hands. We cannot even compare it to the king of all kings, or a craftsman who has made millions of galaxies.

God is like a shining, like sun rays ... but not needing any sun. The sun doesn't exist, but the rays exist. It is a flame without a candle, a light without a bulb. A shining.

There is confusion about religion and spirituality. Religion is not spirituality and spirituality is not religion. Religion teaches a way of life in society. Hinduism, Jainism, and Buddhism have different paths of teaching. People think that by connecting or conversing with God or by following a certain code of dress they are in religion. Every religion tries to bring peace in the world but they want to do it through their own path. The more they insist on their way the more wars they create. A teacher recently was jailed in Africa because her students wanted to name a toy teddy bear Mohammed and according to Islam you cannot name a teddy bear by the prophet’s name.  Religion doesn’t bring peace despite all the good teachings.

Religion is like a garden that is full of various flowers, most fragrant and a few not so fragrant. As soon as religion starts to brainwash its people they will fight until death for their ideas. Religion’s role is to bring goodness to people only.

Spirituality is the better way because it avoids the pitfall of religious teaching or a way. Spirituality is the pathless path. It takes you on a backward journey into yourself. When you search deep into your being you are spiritual. This focus, not the focus on others or the outside world, into the depth of your soul will lead you to God. This is not a belief; it is a knowing. Being spiritual allows you to blossom. It brings peace to the person and to the world.

The soul, atma, for which there is another word, Parusha, is the light inside of you. It is the force that drives the body. The body cannot be alive without this light no matter if the organs and the senses are still present. The soul or atma can be elevated to mahatma, the great soul and to paramahatma, the expanded soul or consciousness. When this peace is achieved through spirituality you can bring peace to the world. But first be a peaceful person yourself. Don’t try to change others.

Spirituality is the best way of understanding and if the world becomes spiritual peace will prevail. Once you understand spirituality and expand the soul it can travel to other planets because the soul, the light, does not need oxygen to survive. In spirituality the soul will blossom and expand and there will be no differentiation between you and God. Spirituality is blossoming not brainwashing.