How To Eradicate Anger?

Q. Master, were Hermes, Zoroaster, the Essences, the Gnostics masters? And who were the first masters? And who is the great white brotherhood?


M. All masters, all true masters are one. They come from one source. And the highest master is the supreme master, the almighty which is in all of you. When we first came here we were masters before. And we came here, we blessed the world. And, we forgot all about our power and our glory. And our energies were also exhausted, because we paid attention to outer phenomenas. So, all the masters who came here are the ones who are awakened in this awareness and know their true glory, and they can travel the road home frequently. And they can lead us back home. So, no need to discriminate between any master. All the religions are founded after the master has gone. Therefore we have Christian after Christ, Buddhist after Buddha, etc., okay?!


Q. Enlightenment always seems so lofty. In what ways will I be different after enlightenment ? How will I know? Is it in black and white?


M. Oh, you'll know it, you'll know it definitely. You'll know it, just like you walk inside the door and when you walk outside the door. It's very definite and very beneficial to your daily life. You will know it, very definitely. Just like an educated person and an uneducated person, there is a great difference.



Q. Is it true that to become fully realized one must practice the highest yoga-tantra and the secret mantra? And if Buddha performed these before full realization?


M. I didn't see anything like that in the scriptures. I only saw that He sat under the Bodhi tree for forty days or more. And He saw the stars at the time of realization. So, if you want to have this same realization as Buddha, you can have it, right now, um. And about tantra and tantrum, I do not know. I did not see anything in the Buddhist scripture referring to the Buddha's practice before He was enlightened. I only know that He saw the stars and He saw the light. So, if you want that kind, we have it. Okay?!


Q.There is a vow to refrain from intoxicants. What about chemicals on fruits and vegetables?


M. Oh, my God! You are fanatic. Wash them with the salty water, yeah, and eat them. Otherwise, you die, hmm? (Laughter & applause.)

Q. Since I started the vegetarian diet, my son who's seven years old asks, Is it another no-meat day? I realize my son was born with the great nature of not eating meat. But due to my ill-concept I started his meat eating habit. How can I restore his greatness and reduce my guilt?

M. Um, then take time. You have taken much time and efforts to force your son into meat, and now you have to take the same amount of effort and time to reverse.

How Dictators Emerge?


Q. Dear Maser, please explain what kind of karma it is when there were dictators like Hitler, Lenin, Ho Chi Minh, who caused the wars that killed millions of people, and made millions of others suffer.

M. That is a collective karma of mankind which, as I told you, are by-products of the inter-relationships between humans and other beings in this world or other worlds. And those kinds of by-products became a kind of very forceful strong energy hanging around our earth's atmosphere. And when it is too condensed, then it has to manifest into some kind of visible, such as a very great dictator who kills millions, etc. As you have asked, so therefore, these people are not to be blamed also, in a sense. But, ourselves are to be blamed. If each one of us leads a life of virtues, keeps the commandments, and refrain from killing of any kind - including the indirect killing, so keeping the vegetarian diet - and the world would never have bred these kinds of dictators in the first place. These are there to remind us of the virtuous way, and if we are not awakened yet, then these things will continue to remind us until the whole mankind is awakened.


How To Eradicate Anger?


Q. What is anger? Why does it boil inside us? And how do we release this anger?

M. Sometimes it helps to release it outwardly. Sometimes between husband and wife or men or parents and children there exists some kind of tension. And after you have cleared it together, you clear the air, it's also helpful. Whatever comes naturally, just let it be. If you cannot control it or you cannot control it completely, just try not to bear hatred in it. Just express what you feel, express it in as best manner as you can okay?! Because sometimes anger, when swallowed too much of the time will breed disease within the body.

So the best is that, first we have the virtues of God, and then other passions like anger, greed, attachment, will subside by and by.


Q. You say only human beings can become a Buddha. I want to know if when a disciple passes away and he is on the 4th level, does he need to come back to this world to be a human being and after that to study until he becomes a Buddha?


M. Oh, no, he doesn't have to. He studies from there. The Master will continue to teach the disciple and never leave the disciple until the disciple completely realize himself, hm!


Q. You said You denounce immorality. What is meant by sexual misconduct? Is that wrong?


M. I do not denounce anything. I just propagate correct way of life. And you are free to follow it, okay?! I do not denounce anything. If you feel that is a denouncement, it's not true. Just that you go into the wrong direction. Now you should go back to the right one, if you want to arrive at your destination which is the Kingdom of God. 

•  Too much sexual abuse and indulgence tires your body, exhausts your mental power which should be conserved for the greatest enlightenment, and to help yourself and to help mankind. It's more noble that way. That's all, yeah. Sexual misconduct means you have too many girl friends, too many boy friends, too many husbands and wives. It exhausts your storehouse of energy, okay?!

Q. How do You suggest that a person go about attaining enlightenment when that person lives in extreme and almost constant pain.


M. There are many drugs that help you with pain these days. You do not have to endure that. Medicine, you can take in order to prevent the pain. And then when you are calm and peaceful, then you can meditate.




Q. Please let us know if God, the comforter that God sent, the spirit of truth, is only one comforter or a few comforters? If there are a few, please let us know how many?


M. You want to shop, uh, shopping for enlightenment! (Laughter.) One is enough for you, right now, okay?! Because even if there are a few, who knows if they will come to you and when, and whether you are still alive when the other comforters come, understand? Okay?


Q. Oh, Master, I have a hard time meditating because my head hurts when I start to meditate. Please tell me how to stop the headaches?


M. Maybe you try too much. You should not have any effort, yeah. But I don't know what kind of method you study, so it's difficult to tell you. But whatever you do, relax, yeah. Just do it just like you are mowing a lawn or eating the breakfast. No need to put strain on your brain for concentration. In our method we do it without effort. We just sit there and the light comes. Therefore, it is better.


Q. What does it mean when some people are absent-minded when someone talks to them, and they just don't react, or they instantly forget what you've just said. Is it because they're too mental or they use their mind too much?


M. How do I know? You ask them?!


Q. Dear Master, when You die where does your soul go and what happens to your energy and karma?


M. Me or anyone? (Q. It says when You die.) I'll tell you after I die, okay?! (Laughter & applause.) It's too early. I mean I am still very young.


Heavy Karma Incurred In Meat Eating


Q. If after being initiated and I still make a mistake like eating meat or having an evil thought, does it mean that I'll be disconnected from God or suffer some bad punishment?


M. Evil thought, you might not be able to control it immediately after enlightenment, because it's just like the car brake, you see. When the car runs sixty miles an hour, and if you want to brake it, do it slowly, yeah. So, it'll probably take some time to be able to purify completely yourself. But the meat you can avoid it, yeah, except when you don't know it and you eat it by mistake, then that's fine. But you have to meditate more on that day to clean that, because that is a very heavy karma. That's what makes people ill, what makes our body suffer, and what makes us go to hell afterward to repay for the suffering of other beings.

Q. Dear Master, I sincerely thank You for the lecture today. I wish that You take care of Your health, so that You can continue to give lectures for the rest of the world, and save people who have the sincerity to find the way back to God's home. Thank You again. Please take care of Yourself.

M. Thank you, thank you. God takes care of me. You take care of me. Because you have love for me, you have good thoughts for me, you have loving wishes for me, therefore you take care of me. I can't take care of myself. I just flow with the water. Wherever there is demand, I just have to fulfill it. I have no time or actually no very fixed schedule to say that I can take care of myself. Never mind, I am okay. I work hard and I am alright.

Q. This question is about discipline. I find that I am very devoted to trying new techniques for a period of time. When I do not see results or when I get too busy or too tired, I just give up, I don't stay with the discipline. How can I push through my weakness and continue with daily routine and mastery?


M. Ah, of course if you have a method and it doesn't work very well, and also maybe you do not follow the practice regularly and diligently and sincerely, then, you lose your faith, yeah. So, try to do what is instructed, and then your faith will grow more with the results. Of course if you don't have results, you don't have faith, and the less faith you have, the less results. So, you'll be in the circle.
Awaken The Primitive Force Of The Universe


Q. Master, sometimes during meditation with the Convenient Method, I feel a chill from my spine going up to my head, and then there seems to be a feeling of energy encircling in my head. What does this mean? Is this a bad or good sign?


M. It's okay. It's your kundalini at work. Afterward you'll be used to it. It's only a Convenient Method, and still it works all so much, because of the master power blessing you. Other people they practice many years to try to awaken the kundalini, and they can't do it.


Q. Did Jacob receive bad karma for tricking Isaac into giving him the blessing? Did Benjamin receive bad karma for tricking his brothers into bringing his father to Egypt?


M. Oh, he talks about Bible?


Q. Ah, the Old Testament.


M. Oh, what do we know about these people? Why do we care? They are all gone, yes. (Laughter & applause.) I think we have enough work to do with our own. Okay. That's it? I am relieved? Ah, fine. Thank you for your attention.

Changing Ourselves Is Changing The World

Therefore, it's not what we should have in life but to what degree we are contented with life. To tell you honestly I have no better life than any of the people who live in the communist system. For example, from thirty-six or forty hours up till now I have only had one meal and that wasn't much. There was only maybe half a bowl or one bowl of rice, just a few tofu and a few vegetables. That's all there was. And I am working so, very... you can not say it's not hard. It's hard work because we run from one place after another and we are always packing and unpacking and talking to hundreds of, thousands of people all the time. I seldom rest with my voice, very seldom. 


I'll tell you my schedule. For example yesterday, the night before, I was in Seattle, yeah, talking to thousands and after that talking to the disciples and non-disciples, etc. And then, I did not go to bed until about five o'clock in the morning. And before that, I meditated for a while and then slept a little bit. And got up again at nine or something, got ready to go for the airplane. And then, at the airport I had to speak to hundreds of people and make them happy, right. And then, went to the air... (Laughter.) What, you're laughing at? It's not true? It's true, yes. Because, if not, then they are not happy. And then, in the airplane, I have to talk again to the neighbors because they will ask me where I come from and what I do and all that. Fine, I enjoy also. And then I had a little rest, maybe ten minutes. And then, again, came down to the airport. And hundreds of people were already there awaiting for me to talk again. Okay, I talked, until nine or something, huh?


 And then we went home. And then I had a little rest. And then came the telephone, and I talked again for about one or two hours, one hour at least. And then came out, and then all my disciples, their immediate friends, the Americans, they wanted to be exclusively treated. So only Americans were around, and I talked only in American language. Ah, that was about, yeah, just for a while, yeah? And then, I came and took that meal that I told you. Yes, and that was it. Up till... I had nothing from that meal until now. And before that I didn't have meal. Before that meal I nibbled two mouthfuls of bread and two mouthfuls of milk. That was before I left Seattle. And I came to last night and had that meal. The only meal up till now. So, therefore, I had in forty hours or fifty hours, actually only one meal. Nothing more. And if the communists are proud of their teaching, they should be more proud of the action, and they should give me a best medal. (Laughter & applause.) Actually I am too proud of myself. It's my ego at work, you see. (Master laughs.) Don't worry, I'll put it aside later. (Laughter.)

So, the problem is not to change anything of this world but to change ourselves you see. I would have complained before. Without enlightenment I would have complained. I would have loved to have my beautiful house, my lovely husband and my, whatever is mine. You understand? And I can't just sacrifice like that. But by the way doing this, I do not even feel sacrifice. You understand what I mean? Just very natural, very happy to do it. Of course I am tired and I complain sometimes. Because of some of the unnecessary tiresome questions or demands from people and disciples. And sometimes it agonizes you. You understand what I mean? Having to accompany kindergarten children while you are teaching in college, yes. It is very difficult also, but I get through, I get through. That's a reasonable complaint, no? Is it not? (Laughter & applause.)

Enjoy The World Within And Without

Thus, if the people in any poor country or in whatever situation if they get enlightenment, they would not feel suffering. Some of our disciples are relieved from even the most dangerous sicknesses after initiation or after they practice for a while. Yes, it depends on also their sincerity and karma. And some of them have to undergo sometimes this retribution, but they go with smiles on their faces.

Yesterday while I was in Seattle, even one of the women told me she had to undergo operation, but then she had prepared herself already to go to play in heaven while the body was undergoing operation. She told me: Ah, fine. I know already. I will go and let the doctor inject me and then meanwhile I will go to Buddha's land and have a look around. (Laughter.) Yes, that's what she did. And she had no fear of whatsoever. Yeah, yesterday some of you had heard it. Any of you from Seattle yesterday? Yes, you heard this, yeah. That was an Au Lac lady. She is about my age, maybe younger. But don't make me feel very old. (Master laughs.) Yes, that's what they do. And sometimes some of our fellow practitioners, their lives are not rich like you perhaps in Formosa. They drive taxi. Okay, they are taxi driver but while driving the taxi they can see Buddha's land or heaven, Kingdom of God at the same time. Therefore their lives pass very quickly. And whatever they do, they do it in joy. They enjoy the real life and the shadow of the real life, because both will blend together-there is no separation, no rejection of any kind.

The Beauty Of Enlightenment

When I was in Indonesia or some other country, some people said, Oh, you look beautiful. Would you consider to remarry? Yeah. What do you think? Do I have time for that? (Master and everyone laugh.) Yes, but I said to him, Why do you ask this question? He said, because he thinks that enlightened people would not care so much about these things and no love and very dry and all that. I said, No, if you consider you should propose first. Yeah, you propose and I will put you on the marry list. (Laughter.)


But then, that's the last I heard of him. (Laughter & applause.) Probably after a close examination of my face and figure and whatever, and my life style and he thought he had better not take adventure. (Master and everyone laugh.) So, my disciples everywhere are enough to scare the biggest hero on earth. (Master laughs.) They would run away you know. 


When you are at home, and you have only one husband and wife and if the third person comes, you already feel very scared, right, very frightened that your love would be shared. How much more if they see my disciples! They hang around twenty four hours, they eat everything with me, and they interfere with all kinds of privacy, except when I am in the bathroom. (Laughter.) My door is never be able to lock. Always coming up and down and my room is just like a restaurant. So whoever dare to be my husband should prepare for war. (Master and everyone laugh.) So, that's the life it is. You see whether you have or you don't have it's fine. It's very fine with you because you are contented within yourself. You do not reject life. But you do not sink into life deeply so that you know nothing else except the material existence of life. And that's the beauty of enlightenment.


Alright, I am ready for your questions, because there will be more talk by the way. You can ask anything, yeah. And I am free to answer or not, so don't worry. It is a very good atmosphere today, huh! Right? Yes, for the first time and then you can laugh so much. I think we don't charge the lecture with money but we charge the laughter because this is very rare. (Laughter.)

Master Your LifeSpoken By Supreme Master Ching Hai, Group Meditation In LA, USA March 13, 1996

There was a joke about love between family members. A millionaire had a car accident. He was brought to the emergency room. Three of his sons walked up and down the corridor outside, waiting anxiously for the doctor to come out. When the doctor came out, the three of them ran to him and said, "Doctor is there any hope?" The doctor said, "No, no hope. He just has a little broken arm, he'll be well in one week." (Laughter)

The answers and the questions are perfect examples of this, like the way you react to me because sometimes I answer your question not the way people expected it -- doesn't look like it fits the question, but it does. I just answer the inner question, not the outside. Sometimes you formulate it in a long winded way and it just turns around and around all the time. I know exactly what you want. Like that doctor, in normal circumstances we would think the three sons would be asking about the well-being of the father but the doctor knows. Perhaps he knows too well. (Laughter)

Yes, the practitioners of enlightenment are like doctors, they can diagnose our sickness without us knowing, know the innermost of our wishes. Sometimes more than we do. That's why we live the way we do now. We're cheating ourselves every day. We think we are okay. We think we are good. We think we are noble. We think we are perfect, that's why no one can touch us. No one can tell us anything. No one can scold us or correct us because we are already perfect. We already know what to do. We just know, but we don't do. That's what makes the difference between a Master and some one else.

The Master is not born perfect, I must remind you. I have done a lot foolish things in my life, youthful foolishness. I was foolish, made a fool of myself. I ran out of school and went see movies when I should have been sitting there in mathematics lessons, et cetera. I did a lot of bad things too. I raced a motorcycle a hundred twenty kilometers per hour, with only Honda. I broke the exhaust pipe. The Honda can go faster but it made a lot of noise. I didn't care about other people's ears, I only cared that I raced better than the next one. (Laughter)

I didn't tell you I was born perfect. If I was good in school maybe it was because I was born with a little more IQ. But it didn't mean that I really strived to be good or was consciously being good. So the Master is not a perfect person. Never is, never will be. You must know. But the Master is the one who can Master his or her mistakes. Can learn from them, and vow to make it better, every day. Just like being a genius is continuous hard work to keep it, similarly mastership is the same. Mastership is all about mastering yourself, nothing else. If anyone else follows you, it's just by the way, just because of your aura. Your true sincerity attracts them from inside. That's why you don't need to talk. You don't even need to tell them anything. They believe you. Mastership is like that. Do not believe that I was born perfect, I am at the moment perfect, or I will ever be perfect. No! I'm learning like you. But I have mastered myself. I don't let my mind dictate to me what to do. Because I know the mind. I make friends with it, we make a deal, saying "You do this and I do that, both of us don't bother each other. If you do it well, I'll also reward you. I feed you well, don't I?" I tell it, "I give you anything when you want it." Just that now it doesn't want much, because it knows it cannot get much with me, so it forgets it. Even when it wants to sleep, I say, "No, get up and work." Then it has to do it. So it gets used to it after ten years. It says, "It's no good talking to this girl. She's very stubborn. She just does what she wants, and no good arguing."

 That's all there is to a Master, continuous striving for perfection, for a better, nobler personality. A better ideal not really personality because when you talk about personality you mean you still want fame and all that. You know you still have ego, wanting to be proud of yourself; it's not true. Just that you think whatever you want to do, whatever you think is noble, is the highly idealist, benefits others, is good, then you must try to do it. Doesn't matter what the cost, just do it and don't talk. That's the only difference. Otherwise, what is the difference?

If we were to be operated on right now, neither brains would be much better. Maybe I am a little bit higher IQ or you are higher, but that doesn't mean that we are much different. Our brains are the same. Our will-power is the same. Except that you exercise to make it grow stronger or not, this is your free will. Most of us abuse our free-will in a harmful way, in a retarding way, slowing our progress to higher consciousness.

Don't ask me why we have to strive higher. It is more comfortable to be a noble being, to be a wiser being, than just always to be ignorant, sluggish, slow, lazy and a "couch potato" just laying there and waiting for things to happen. It's better not to worship me, better not to follow me, just follow my example. Worship the result that comes out of my effort and then do it. Do the same, similar, then you'll become Master in no time.

Teach yourself to do what is better than ordinary people, to do the things other people cannot do when it benefits humankind and yourself, to endure what other people cannot endure when it benefits people and betters your judgment and wisdom. Do whatever in your power to know yourself -- that you can, to discover that your greatest strength is still further to be discovered, that you are nobler than you are at present, that you can do many other things that are a lot of benefit to yourself and other people. Then when you die you know. At that time it might be too late to look back and regret, but you'll feel very painful. That's why when most people die they are in agony. They haven't finished the things that they should have done, and their conscience strikes them. Their mind controls the body and the conscience affects the physical being. So if your conscience doesn't feel well, you feel sick, you feel painful.

Sometimes you feel very sorrowful in some situations. Then you feel pain in your body and muscles too. Sometimes some people put you into a terrible situation or frightening, then all the muscles become painful. First it is different, then later it becomes all painful. Sometimes you can hardly move. 

Sometimes you are in deep sorrow, the whole body is so tired like you have been running for a hundred thousand miles non-stop. Sometimes you have some trouble, then you cry for many hours. After that how do you feel? Sometimes relieved but very, very exhausted. Is that not so? (Yes) Especially if that trouble really bothers your heart, really makes you feel very, very sorrowful, then your body also feels like collapsing. And if you have a strong will-power and tell yourself that it's nonsense, whatever happens, happens; now get on with it, forget it; go do other things; cheer yourself up, find something else better to do; then you will forget.

Many people don't have this will-power and intelligence to discriminate between passing moods. They sink themselves into the mood and that makes them more and more miserable every day, weaker and weaker, and they become sick -- psychologically broken. Then it takes a long time to heal. Sometimes cannot heal. They are broken completely -- their mental defense system. Then they have to go to hospital, or stay there for good, becoming a mentally incapable person, being a burden to themselves, their relatives, friends and the society.

So it's very dangerous to let go of your will-power and the purpose of noble sacrifice. Must always strive to do better all the time. Don't make any excuses for yourself. You can excuse other people but never yourself. Introspect every day, see if you have made any progress. Otherwise don't tell me anything. Don't tell me that you want to help humankind, you want to spread the Truth, and that you understand the Truth.

There is another joke about the Truth. There was a Zen Master who had some disciples. One of them wrote to the Master every now and again after initiation. Of course, just like you write the spiritual diary and send to me, or sometimes to report to me what kind of "progress" that you have made. So that disciple had written to the Master and said, "Master I am really deeply involved with enlightenment right now. I spend all my time in search of my inner true self." The Master read only the first line and then kicked it into the dust bin.

A long while later he wrote another letter to the Master, "Oh Master now the whole universe responds to my innermost thoughts. How incredible the Truth is! How magnificent human wisdom is! How great is the universal Power!"

The Master just blew his nose with it, (laughter) and threw it in the toilet. A third letter, he wrote again, "Oh Master, I have compassion now for all humankind and all the underprivileged beings! Even an ant, I hear his heart throbbing, I feel his soul striving! Oh Master, what a wonderful discovery! I will strive even more, I promise you! I will be your best disciple, you will see."

So the Master wiped something with it. (Laughter) You know where, I won't say it. (Master and everyone laugh) Then threw it in the toilet. He felt hopeless.

The fourth letter, the disciple reported again, "Master, now I am one with the universe! Everything is me, I am everything! There's nothing that is not me. I am everything. Oh, I congratulate myself!" (Laughter)

The Master didn't even bother to touch it. He just let the wind blow it to anywhere it might go and didn't want to say any anymore. Now, for long time the Master said, "Don't bother writing to me anymore. You just waste the paper and pen." So the disciple didn't write anything anymore.

Many years passed by and the Master was kind of feeling a little bit sorry, being so harsh to him last time. Remembering his fantastic disciple -- long time no see no hear -- so he kind of sent a message to him and said, "Hey! What happening now?" (Laughter) Perhaps he missed his nonsensical, "big universal" letters. "How is your spiritual progress?"

So the disciple wrote back, two words only, on one big piece of paper: "Who cares?" (Laughter and applause) Do you know how the Master reacted now? Yeah! He went and drank coffee or tea or non-alcoholic beer with 'seven-up'. (Master and everyone laugh) That's the way.

Only when you know that you are okay then you don't care. Otherwise doesn't matter how much you write to me, "I love You, the universal Power, compassionate me," and whatever, all this is nonsense, all theory. That's why many teachers of theory, whenever they open their mouths, they talk about compassion, enlightenment, wisdom and all that; but they don't do anything about it. Don't even know, they just talk about it. That's very boring, very difficult to make them realize that we don't need talking.

Why I'm talking all the time is that you like it. (Audience: Yes.) Besides I don't talk to teach you. If you think I'm teaching you, you're wrong because I'm hopeless with you too. I know I can't teach you anything. I just amuse you with my different expressions, hoping that you might catch something you like and hold to it. Then you'll remember me and won't forget to practice. One day you'll know everything yourself, not through my teachings, maybe thirty percent through my teachings. But it's more or less just so that you'll remember me and then we can connect inside.

To be honest with you, I don't believe that anyone can teach anyone at all. But whatever I can do, I just try my best just because you ask for it. You demand it so I do it. Not because I believe I can teach you by words, by talking, by language. But I believe that we can establish a very deep connection with each other, and through that deep connection we communicate inside. That's the only teaching that might perhaps happen. Otherwise you already are Buddha. You are an entity just like I am.

What is the need for me to tell you what to do? You have everything I have. Just that through the inner connection with each other, you are willing to be reminded of your true Self inside through my inner true Self. Then our inner true Selves will become one together, merge again in the whole, and there's no teaching at all. Originally there was no need and there will never be any need for any soul to learn anything, because the soul is born perfect. It's just that we, the human brain, the ego, are not born perfect.

That's why we make mistakes and we have to learn to control the tendency of falling into the mistakes again because it's comfortable, because it's easier to just go along with it than to check ourselves. That's why many noble ideas in society cannot be realized; because most of the people go with the trend of the majority of the people and don't want to stick out, and don't want to go for what they believe is the best, the noblest way of life.

Many people they say they like my teachings, they want to be enlightened, they want this and that. But vegetarian, "Oh, it's inconvenient. What will people think? What will my parents think? What will my children think? What will my wife think? What will my friend think? What will my colleagues think? What will my boss say?" Everything is very important to you, except your own liberation, except your own survival. That is ridiculous. After all, no one can help you if you die tomorrow. If you go to hell, your boss, your wife, your mother, your father, doesn't matter how many persons you have surrounding you, you go alone. It's very true everyone knows. Maybe you know, not everyone else knows.

So take care! Remember. We might die tomorrow. I've had many disciples who have died already. Not that I am sad about it, just that life will end. Believe me, it will. Mine will too. I'm happy when it will. I don't wait for it; but if it comes, it's okay. What I means is, we can't live forever and we don't have time tomorrow. What happens if you don't have time tomorrow?

Most of the time we believe that tomorrow we'll have more time than today, and we never do. Tomorrow we will only have more work to do and less time, because yesterday's work we haven't done, the future work is still waiting, and tomorrow's work is there. So we always cheat ourselves every day that we are okay, that we have time now. We can get away with it, fine, but not finally. Finally we will understand that we are the loser if we keep listening to the mind. I'm afraid of many things, I have told you -- including flying. 

I don't like flying. I'm not afraid to die in the airplane but I hate the narrow space in airplanes. I hate the smoke that flies everywhere. Doesn't matter first class, second class, or non-smoker, the smoke doesn't care. Free "gift" for everyone, one cigarette for all. (Master and everyone laugh) That's very economical. I hate all of this. I don't like. But if I have to do something, I do it. Doesn't mean I like it. I don't care whether I like or not like it, if the thing must be done, I just do it.

I can have my opinion, whether I like it or not like it. It's okay. I tell my mind, "Okay you don't like it, I accept it, but we must do it." I don't tell it that it must like it. I don't have to bother about the mind, whether it likes or not likes; whether it's in the mood or not in the mood to do it. I accept everything that it blah, blah's inside, but I do what I want. That's the difference between a Master and a disciple. That's all there is. If you want to be a Master quickly, master yourself, master your decisions, master what you want to do in life, what you hope, what is dearest, best and the most beneficial to your growth and your fellow beings because the soul is ever clever, wise and pure. But if it is always being caged in a defiled body with a very terrible friend like the mind, then it cannot use it's mighty power.

Just like you lock yourself in your own house. How can you get out? Even if you yourself, lock yourself inside a house, still you are locked. Doesn't matter who locks, as long as you still lock yourself inside, you are inside. If you don't want to open the door with your own key and go out, it's your own fault. Doesn't matter how clever you are, if you're locked inside, you're still locked. You cannot say, "Well I locked myself, it's different." There's no difference. If you stay inside one month without food, without drink, without friends, without telephone, without communication, you are locked inside and then you die.

Similarly, if we don't stand up for what we think is correct, perfect and right, then we never will. And no one can do it for us, not even a Master. The Master can only tell you the road, but you have to walk. Of course when you're sick, unable, the Master will carry you. But he can't carry you forever. It's no good for you, makes a cripple out of you. Think about it.

How to quicken the spiritual progress

February 26, 2010
(Below is the transcript of Satsang with Sri Sri Ravi Shankar.You can watch the Live webcast of future satsangs)

Q: Guruji, how to know whether we are making progress on the spiritual path?

Sri Sri Ravi Shankar: When you look back you will find that you are not the same as before. That person of the past is not there any longer.See how strong you have become!Sometimes the thought arises that despite so many years of sadhana, I still get angry. But see now, the intensity is far less. Sometimes the past impressions (samskaras) come up.Still, on this path if you have taken ten steps ahead, you will not slip back completely. You may go back four steps, not completely ever.There is a permanent transformation that happens within us.We are just not that same person. Walking on this path even donkeys turn into God, what to say of men? (Is path par gadhe bhi chal chal kar khuda ho jaata hai to aadmi ki kya baat hai.)

Q: How to quicken the progress?

Sri Sri Ravi Shankar: If you want to quicken the pace then keep listening to knowledge again and again. Read at least one page of Yoga Vashishtha, Ashtavakra daily. Keep doing satsang, seva, satsang, meditation.Maya has long hands and the pull keeps happening. With the help of the rope, one to has walk away from the pull. Satsang, sadhna, satguru are all there for this only.

Q: I often speak the truth, but because of this people become angry. What must I do?

Sri Sri Ravi Shankar: Speak the truth and speak sweetly as well. When you speak harshly then people get angry, not because of the truth. When it is very necessary to tell a bitter truth, speak it with sweetness. You don’t have to cut vegetables with an axe.

Q: How do we remember the Divine in every breath?

Sri Sri Ravi Shankar: The Divine is not so sub-standard that you will ‘have’ to remember Him. Remembrance happens. Don’t make an effort to remember. You have to remember something when it has not touched your heart. When the heart is kindled then you don’t have to make an effort to remember that.

Q: Could you speak about love?

Sri Sri Ravi Shankar: It is not possible that a person does not know about love. It’s love that gets distorted into anger and anxiety. It is almost impossible to talk of  love. Sage Narad said a little and after that he said it is inexpressible - Anirvachniyam.

Q: How to increase devotion?

Sri Sri Ravi Shankar: Open your ears wide and listen. You are a devotee and a true devotee. Don’t ever raise a doubt on this. The badness is imposed from outside. Inside you are one with the Truth. Your devotion is also true devotion. This is the way to think. Otherwise, the self doubt transforms into guilt and then you spoil your mind. Move with the belief that I am a true devotee. Hear this with open ears.

Q- Krishna ki chaturta, Ram ki gambheeta (Lord Krishna’s mischievousness, the seriousness of Lord Rama) … Guruji, which way to follow?

Sri Sri Ravi Shankar:See there is no fight here. They came at different times, so that there is no competition. They came to tell us that, “We are all one”. Here there is no conflict of which is better which is worse, everything is essential. Each one has a style, place and time.
It is like you sing different songs for different occasions in life. In a marriage you don’t sing a song that is sung at funerals.

Q: Guruji, how to establish harmony between material and spiritual lives?

Sri Sri Ravi Shankar: There is already a harmony. The more spiritual you are, the greater is the harmony in material life.

Whom would you like to interact with? Those who are happy and enthusiastic or those who are stiff and serious?
All our bodies create vibrations. From some people you feel like running away, while you want to spend more time with someone. The waves coming from inside a person can send people away. Being on the spiritual path makes the waves beautiful.

Q: Guruji whenever the Earth is burdened with sins it is said that God will come down. This is Kalyug, why hasn’t God come so far?

Sri Sri Ravi Shankar: The God is inside you. Let Him come out.
It’s been so many years since you came on the planet and still you haven’t given birth to the one inside you.

Log Kahte Hai Ishwar Nazar Nahi Aata
In Bando Se Poojho Ishwar Ke Siwa Kuch Najar Nahi Aata

People say that we can’t see God, Ask people here – They can’t see anything else other than God.
God is not an object to be seen. He is the seer. That’s why in yoga it is said that “become established in the seer.”
Shareer ko aram, man ko vishram, to ban gaye atmaram.
Give rest to the body, relaxation to the mind, and you will become established in the Self.

Q: Guruji, there is so much corruption in politics, should Art of Living enter politics?

Sri Sri Ravi Shankar: Reform and administration are two different streams. It is essential for both the streams to flow. If the ruler becomes reformer and reformer becomes the ruler then both works will stop.
But spirituality will have to be brought into politics. Corruption will have to be dealt with. Though thousands of crores of rupees have been allocated under different programs, it is not reaching people at all.


I would say that you sadhaks should take part in it. Good people have been running away from politics as if it’s a dirty drainage pipe. With so many dirty drains flowing, Gangaji has disappeared. New direction will have to be brought to politics, we all have to work towards it.

Osho On Ramakrishna Enlightenment

Osho -There is an episode in Ramakrishna's life.... For his whole life he had been worshipping Mother Kali, But at the very end he began to feel," It is duality; the experience of oneness has still not happened. It is lovely, delightful, but two still remains two." Someone loves a woman, someone loves money, someone politics; he loved Ma Kali – but love still was divided in two. Still the ultimate nonduality hadn't happened and he was in anguish. He began looking out for a nondualist, a Vedantist – for Some person to come who could show him the path. A Paramahansa named Totapuri was passing. Ramakrishna invited him to stop with him and asked, "Help me to have darshan of the one." Totapuri said, "What's difficult in that? You believe there are two, so there are two. Drop the belief!" Ramakrishna replied, "But dropping this belief is very difficult – I have lived with it my whole life. When I close my eyes the image of Kali is standing there. I drown in that nectar. I forget that I am to become one; as soon as I close my eyes there are two. When I try to meditate, it becomes dual. Help me out of this!" So Totapuri said, "Try this: when the image of Kali is before you, pick up a sword and cut her in two." Ramakrishna said, "Where will I find a sword?" What Totapuri said is the same as what is said in Ashtavakra's sutra*. Totapuri said, "From where did you bring this Kali image? – bring a sword from the same place. She too is imaginary. She too is an embellishment of your imagination. Through nurturing it for your whole life, through continuously projecting it for your whole life, it has become crystalized. It is just imagination. Not everyone sees Kali when they close their eyes." After years of effort a Christian closes his eyes, and Christ comes to him. A devotee of Krishna closes his eyes and Krishna comes to him. A lover of Buddha closes his eyes and Buddha comes to him. A lover of Mahavira closes his eyes and Mahavira comes to him. Christ doesn't come to a Jaina, Mahavira doesn't come to a Christian: only the image you project will come. Ramakrishna's effort was with Kali, and the image became almost solid. It became so real from constant repetition, from continuous remembering, that it seemed Kali was standing in from of him. No one was standing there. Consciousness is alone. There is no second here, no other. "Just close your eyes," Totapuri said, "raise the sword and strike." Ramakrishna closed his eyes, but as soon as he closed them his courage vanished. Raising his sword to strike Kali! – the devotee has to raise his sword and strike God – it was too hard. To renounce the world is very easy. What is worth holding onto in the world? But when you have established an image deep in the mind, when you have created poetry in the mind, when the mind's dream has become manifest, then it is very difficult to renounce it. The world is like a nightmare. A dream of devotion, a dream of feeling is not a nightmare, it is a very sweet dream. How todrop it? how to break it? Tears would start flowing from his eyes and he became ecstatic... his body would begin shaking. But he didn't raise his sword – he would completely forget about it. Finally Totapuri said, "I've wasted many days here. It's no good. Either you do it or I'm going to leave. Don't waste my time. Enough of this nonsense now!" That day Totapuri brought a piece of glass with him, and he said, "When you begin to be absorbed in delight, I will cut your forehead with this piece of glass. When I cut your forehead, inside gather courage, raise your sword and cut Kali in two. This is the last chance – I am not staying any longer." Totapuri's threat of leaving... and it is difficult to find such a master. Totapuri must have been a man like Ashtavakra. Ramakrishna closed his eyes and Kali's image appeared to him. He was about to bliss out – tears were ready to flow from his eyes, overwhelmed, joy was coming – he was about to become ecstatic when Totapuri held his forehead and, where the third eye chakra is, made a cut from top to bottom with the piece of glass. Blood began to stream from the cut, and this time Ramakrishna found courage. He raised the sword and cut Kali in two pieces. When Kali fell apart he became nondual: the wave dissolved in the ocean, the river fell into the ocean. It is said that he stayed immersed for six days in this ultimate silence. He was neither hungry nor thirsty – there was no consciousness of the outside, no awareness. All was forgotten. And when he opened his eyes six days later, the first thing he said was, "The last barrier has fallen!"