Amma says...

[Guest guest]

If your wealth and desires are not used in accordance with the ultimate dharma,

that is the

obtaining of moksha [liberation], you will never have peace. You will always

have the

feeling, "I lack something." That something you lack is peace, fulfillment and

contentment.

And this lack of true joy creates a void that cannot possibly be filled by

indulging in

pleasures or fulfilling material desires. People all over the world think that

they can fill this

gap by fulfilling their desires. In fact, that gap will remain and might even

broaden if they

keep running after worldly objects alone. Dharma [the right action in the right

time and

place] and moksha are interdependent. One who lives according the principles of

dharma

will attain moksha, and one who has a desire to attain moksha will invariably

lead a

dharmic life.

 

Fear can exist only when you are identified with the body and mind. Transcending

the

weakness of the mind, and living in love is G-dliness. The more love you have,

the more

divinity is expressed within you. The less love you have, the more fear you have

the more

you move away from the center of life. Fearlessness, indeed, is one of the

greatest

qualities of a true lover.

 

There is sorrow and pain in life. Spirituality is not a journey forward; it is a

journey

backward. We return to our original source of existence. In that process, we

have to pass

through the layers of emotions and vasanas [tendencies] we have accumulated so

far. That

is where the pain comes from, not from outside. By going through those layers

with an

open attitude, we are, in fact, crossing over and transcending them, which will

ultimately

take us to the abode of supreme peace and bliss.

 

Whether you call it surrender, present moment, here and now, moment-to-moment

living

or another term, they are all one and the same. The terms may differ, but what

happens

inside is the same. Any form of spiritual practice we do is to help us learn the

great lesson

of letting go. True meditation is not an action; it is an intense longing of the

heart to be

one with the Self, or G-d. In that process, the deeper we go, the less ego we

have, and the

lighter we feel. So, you see, the very purpose of sadhana [spiritual practice]

is to gradually

remove the feeling of "I" and "mine."

 

The bigger the ego, the more scared you are, and the more vulnerable, too.

 

Renounce ownership -- consider all things as G-d's and enjoy them. This world is

a

temporary stop. You are here for a short period as a visitor. Due to ignorance,

you divide

everything as yours and theirs. The piece of land you claim as you own has

belonged to

many others before. Now the previous owners are buried in it. Today, it may be

your turn

to play the role of owner, but remember, one day, you, too, will disappear.

Then, another

person will come and fill your shoes. So, is there any meaning to claiming

ownership?

 

Pure music is as big as space. It is G-d. It is pure knowledge. It is the secret

of allowing

the pure sound of the universe to flow through you. You cannot learn music in 20

years.

You may have been singing for the last 20 years, but to truly understand music

means to

realize music as your own Self. In order to realize music as your Self, you need

to allow

music to completely possess you. For more music to occupy your heart, you need

to create

more space within. More thoughts mean less space. Now, contemplate on this, "How

much

space do I have within me to spare for pure music?" If you really wish more and

more of

your musical talents to manifest, lessen the quantity of unnecessary thoughts

and allow

more space for the energy of the music to flow within you.

 

As long as we live in the world, we are all worldly people. However, what makes

you

spiritual is the way you look at life and its experiences while living in the

world. We should

know that spirituality is not something unusual or extraordinary. Spirituality

is not to

become special, but to become humble.

 

We will never be able to satisfy the senses. One cannot wait for vairagya

[dispassion] to

come. It is meaningless to think that one can satiate all desires and then take

to

spirituality, because desires are endless. They are like the waves of the ocean.

They will

appear one after another. A person was standing by the ocean for a very long

time.

Another person who was watching him asked, "You have been standing here for a

long

time. What are you doing?" He replied, "Friend, I want to take a bath in the

ocean, but I am

waiting for the waves to subside so that I can bathe peacefully." Desiring to

lead a spiritual

life after satisfying all one's desires is like being that person who wanted to

bathe in the

ocean only after all the waves had subsided.

 

G-d cannot be viewed from a certain angle. G-d will appear only when all views

disappear.

 

Darshan [seeing/experiencing the sacred] is always there. It is a never-ending

flow. You

just have to receive it. If you can completely withdraw from your mind for at

least one

second, darshan, in all its fullness, will happen...The reality in both you and

in Amma is

the same, the blissful silence of love.

 

~ Amma