Cultivate Good Thoughts and Noble Feelings in your Heart

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Cultivate Good Thoughts and Noble Feelings in your Heart

 

DESIRE IS BONDAGE Here is a simple example which Bhagavan gave in one

of his discourses. There is an earthen pot with a narrow neck. People

make use of an earthen pot to catch monkeys. What do they do? They

keep some peanuts in it. The monkey puts its hand into the earthen

pot with the narrow neck to grab the peanuts with its fist. As a

result, the grip becomes tight and its hand cannot come out.

 

Thinking that someone is pulling its hand, which is making it

difficult to pull the hand out, the monkey starts jumping. Who is

holding the monkey's hand in the pot? No one is. Why can't the monkey

take its hand out of the pot? The monkey's hand is not released

because it is gripping the peanuts tightly in its fist.

 

In order to take out its hand, what should the monkey do? Release the

peanuts so its hand can come out safely. Its fist is caught in the

pot because of its grip. The monkey's hand can be released only if

its grip is loosened.

 

Similarly, the individual is the monkey and the world is the pot.

Attachment is the grip. Sensory pleasures are the peanuts. So our

sensory, worldly pleasures are peanuts that we hold in a tight grip,

which is bondage.

 

Being in the position of the monkey, whose hand is contained in the

pot of this world, I begin to dance. What should I do? I should give

up all sensual desires; I should drop desire so that I can be free

from it. In fact, the monkey was free earlier. It was caught because

it put its hand into the pot, and held all the nuts in a tight grip.

The monkey was free and jumping around before it put its hand in the

pot. That started the problem.

BONDAGE IS OUR OWN MAKING Similarly, we are free, we are liberated,

and we are in the state of nirvana. We are heavenly. But when we put

our hand in the pot of the world, we catch hold of its sensual

desires. Sensual desires become our bondage. When we give up desires,

we are free again and in the state of nirvana.

 

Therefore, my friends, bondage is not external. Bondage is not

imposed by anyone. Bondage is not given to you as a gift from

someone. Bondage is of our own making. We bind ourselves; therefore

we are restless. We are not able to be free, so we dance. That is the

situation.

 

Do we know that? If we know that, why does everyone say they want

moksha? Where is that moksha? Let me know. Where is that heaven? I

want nirvana. How does it taste? What is its form? Is it fair or

dark, tall or short? How do you know where heaven is? How do you know

what moksha is? Can you define nirvana? No, no, no!

Nirvana, moksha, or heaven is the blissful state in which we are born

and in which we live. It is our original, innate, inborn, true

nature. But as we get into the grip of this world and get involved

with its sensual pleasures and worldly desires, we become bound. When

we leave this world, we are blissful again.

 

Therefore, my friends, it is desire which is the bondage. Bondage is

nothing but desire. To be desireless is liberation. To be full of

desire is to run after bondage. To be desireless is the natural state

of bliss in which we are born.

 

UNNECESSARY TALK POLLUTES THE MIND We always involve ourselves in

unnecessary talk and gossip, which pollutes our minds. If we talk

about spiritual matters—the spirit, the conscience, consciousness, or

something related to the Divine and its manifestation—we remain pure

and fresh. But we don't allow the mind to be like that. We want

others to tell us stories, which then allows us to spread rumors. It

allows us to be good transporters of gossip, generating some

scandals. These are the pollutants. The mind is polluted because of

gossip and useless talk.

 

" My mind is not polluted. It is the other man who is polluted. He

speaks stuff that is untrue. He tells me that Swami has taken him to

heaven. What shall I do? I am not in hell, so He doesn't need to take

me to heaven. Since he is in hell, He has to take the trouble to take

him to heaven. " (Laughter)

 

Why do you bother about it? Some people talk about the finance and

stock market. I don't have any money invested anywhere. I must have

some share in the love of Sai, that's all. I am not interested in

commercial matters.

 

Some people talk about some building being built somewhere. " Is it

true, Anil Kumar? " Let it be built; I can't stop it. (Laughter) I

will go and see it on the day of inauguration, if possible. There are

so many buildings here that I haven't seen, though I live here. I am

not interested in them. I have not come here for buildings. If you

really want buildings, you can go to the Eiffel Tower, visit Paris or

New York. I am not interested in buildings.

 

Therefore, my friends, as we get more involved in unnecessary

matters, the mind gets polluted.

 

DETACHMENT AND DISCRIMINATION CAN PURIFY THE MIND How can we make

this mind free from pollution? The only way to free the mind of

pollution is through detachment and discrimination. They will purify

the mind and free it from pollution. What is discrimination? Is it

worthwhile to hear all these stories, the dreams? No, it is not

worthwhile. Will all this help me in any way? No. This is

discrimination.

 

What is detachment? It is the understanding that whatever I get is

not permanent. Some people are very happy the day they get the

interview. Yes, you can be happy, and we congratulate you and

celebrate. I will join you for coffee. Let us celebrate together. The

next day you start crying, because you want an interview every day.

(Laughter) It's not possible. The joy that you get out of an

interview lasts only that day. The next day you start crying.

 

The fellow who has never had an interview cries throughout. So both

fellows are crying. (Laughter) The fellow who got the interview is

crying, and the fellow who did not get it is also crying. One suffers

from the insecurity, because tomorrow he may not get an interview.

The other feels frustrated. Both are crying. This is the reality, my

friends.

 

DETACHMENT IS UNDERSTANDING THAT EVERYTHING IS EPHEMERAL Anything

that comes is sure to vanish. Having seen Swami in the morning, I am

very happy. In the evening, if darshan is canceled, I am unhappy.

This morning I am very happy because Swami gave me darshan. Tomorrow

morning there may not be darshan. So are you going to cry?

 

Therefore, that which appears, such as happiness or unhappiness, will

eventually vanish. Today he is unhappy; tomorrow he will be happy.

Today he is miserable; tomorrow he will be joyful. So that which

comes is sure to vanish. This is the basic, fundamental truth that

you have to understand. Positions are gone after retirement. Today

you are a member of the Parliament. After five years, you will be

only my neighbour. (Laughter)

 

What is the technique to develop detachment? The technique to develop

detachment is to know how transitory, how momentary, how short-lived

and how ephemeral everything is. The key to developing detachment is

to know the momentary nature of fleeting pleasures.

 

Discrimination is a natural quality which we don't exercise often. We

don't need separate equipment to understand what is good and what is

bad. We are gifted with the intellect to know what is good and what

is not. Therefore, developing discrimination and detachment is the

only way to have a thorough kind of awareness.

 

" Why does it matter if I have desires? Why are you bothered if I have

desires? " some people may ask. I am telling you to drop your desires

for your own sake. My friends, I repeat once again, whatever I say is

for our mutual benefit and mutual practice. Never think I have

experienced all of which I speak. If you think so, you are living in

Himalayan ignorance. (Laughter)

 

This is only a flow of information, where we study together. This is

only an exploration into the unknown together. This is only sharing

with you the knowledge that I have gathered. It is not that I am on a

higher pedestal than you. I am not a fool yet. (Laughter) We are

fellow pilgrims. We are traveling together. Each one is a spirit in a

study circle, and I learn from others too. That is all it is.

 

DESIRE LEADS TO FEAR AND ILLUSION What will happen if I have desire?

Can I be free from desire? No. What's wrong if there is a desire in

my mind?

 

Desire will lead to two situations. One is fear, and the other is

illusion. Desire will lead to fear. I have a letter in my pocket. My

personal problem is more important than an international problem.

Will Swami come or not? Will there be darshan or not? If there is

darshan, will the window of His car be closed or open, or not?

(Laughter) He may raise the window upon seeing me, which happens. At

a particular position in the hall, He will raise the window! [Anil

Kumar made the sound of a window being raised] (Laughter) Don't carry

a letter, and you will be happy whether the window is closed or open.

 

So what did desire do to you? It made you lose the pleasure of

darshan, since your mind was constantly engaged in the letter in your

pocket. So naturally desire creates a sense of fear. True desire also

takes you to a state of illusion, delusion, or imagination.

 

" What if Swami takes that letter? What shall I do then? I have

written that letter to ask blessings for going abroad, or starting a

business, or getting married, or starting some project. If Swami

takes the letter, I will apply for a loan through my credit card and

start building. How many stories should the building have, two

stories or three? Should I be on the ground floor or the top floor? "

Imagination! Hallucination!

 

Therefore, desire has two negative aspects. One is fear: whether the

desire going to be fulfilled or not. The second is imagination, as if

everything is going to happen. If Swami does not take this letter, is

the project accepted or not? Shall I marry that girl or not? Shall I

do this project or not? Questions bother you everywhere you go. They

go on disturbing you. Therefore, desire is not good for anyone.

 

Ram Chugani

Kobe, Japan

rgcjp