See the Truth Beyond the Mind

An excerpt from Sediba Mountain Retreat in South Africa in September 2013

Transcending the Earth

Q: How to transcend the Earth?

A: Earth is definitely a beautiful location and we must be grateful to the Earth and all the beings of the Earth, because the gratification you are getting from the Earth, you are not getting from elsewhere. That is why we are here today and are walking this Earth. So we must be grateful. 

Understand that nobody can own the Earth. If you are on Earth, you have to pay the rent, and the rent is service. If you are using this realm, just like you are using this space now, you have to pay the rent. They are not going to allow us to sit here and leave without paying the money. Likewise the Earth will not release you until you settle the bills. 

And the bills are selfless service. That is why we are talking about various methods of helping people. The more you serve people, the more liberated you become. The Earth will bless you, ”My son, you walked this Earth, I am happy, you have served my people and the other beings and I bless you. You can go.” Then you will not come back. In that mode it’s fine. 

But through the senses, we become fascinated with the Earth, this is also fine. But what is the use of being earth-bound? Because we are moving in the duality mode. 

We need awareness to know, ”I am in this place, what is the best I can do? What else can I do?” There are two things. One is do your best, and the other, a constant quest, ”What else can I do?” Both are liberating. 

If you constantly keep looking in this way, ”Ok, I have done this, what else can I do?” you expand that mode again. Then you finally reach a level where you are actually in perpetual action mode for a purpose, a purpose-bound action, and then, “I am delivering at every point in time. 

And I am moving on.” Connection with the Earth is also fulfilled, this is a debt to the mother for nurturing us. That is fulfilled and you are liberated. If you want to come back, you will need to take a body and come back to the same Earth. This is what you will do. 

Those people who fall too much in love with Earth, definitely do come back and work on Earth. Body has a duration. This is your choice. You can definitely come back. Keep working on the same area. This is up to the individual.

Understand from which level the mind operates

Q: Why am I so rebellious in doing things that are good for me, which involve loving myself, eating right, doing work on time, exercising. It seems when I’m not rebelling, I am impatient because I do not grow and change as quickly as I understand. I understand quickly, but I manage slowly to be able to practice or create a healthier habit. 

Can spirit help me? Is there a technique to improve my ability to take care of myself?

A: Rebellion is in the mind. When you are rebellious it means the mind is portraying that aspect of you. Where is the rebellion coming from? Which aspect of mind? The mind that does not want to work, or the inertia associated with the mind. 

If you know that this is a consistent pattern, at that time we have to detach from that faculty which creates that pattern, especially the aspect of mind which creates rebellion. Move backwards and watch it, “Ok, you are creating this rebellion, this aversion towards exercising, aversion towards doing the thing at the right time, and I am not that. I am beyond it.“ 

It is always true that you are beyond it, but at the same time, you are helpless because you are in control of the mind. Mind always creates patterns. Mind loves to have repetition. 

Mind loves to have patterns. Mind is like that. Mind does not like whatever is not repetitive. That is why we resist anything new. We resist change as well. It is important to know how the mind operates.

It is also important to know from which level the mind operates, where the mind is standing, which platform it is operating from.

Inertia

If the platform is inertia, it is important to know that we must detach ourselves from inertia. Inertia says, ”Ok, it’s fine, you can sleep some more, you can rest some more, you can do it tomorrow…“ 

These are all signs of overpowering inertia. Inertia is overpowering and it’s creating these kinds of signs. Then it is important to understand, when mind says, ”We will not do it tomorrow, we will do it now.“ That is the best way to counter it.

Action

If you want to beat tamas, inertia, you have to marry rajas, action. Action is the best way to beat tamas. There is no point in meditating. There is no point in doing something else. These are all probably diversions or substitutions. Substitutions do not work here. You can’t substitute one thing. If you are thirsty, you have to drink water. 

There is no way you can eat food and quench your thirst. You need to have some liquid when liquid is required by the body. Just like that, every aspect has its value. You cannot substitute that. But when you know that, ”I’m not able to move further because of inertia and the mind rooted in inertia is creating such problems, that’s the time to detach and move into action. 

When mind says, ”tomorrow”, do it now. This is the importance of being in the now. This is very important to know. If you operate in the now all the time, inertia cannot stay. Inertia always takes you backwards and forwards, to the past and the future. This is important to understand. Where are you operating from and why are you operating?

When you do not do something and then you feel agitated, this is also part of inertia. It means you do not want to do something, and then you start blaming yourself. Both are two sides of the same coin, or two aspects of the same thing. They are dimensions of inertia. Inertia is postponing things, then putting guilt into you later on. 

It is important to understand what is working within. If it is inertia, and if you are clear about it, cut off. And the best way is action. I tell people, go jogging, play tennis, do activity with a physical body, more than you did before, so that the tendency to procrastinate is defeated. 

At the same time, you try and sit to meditate, mind will love it, because mind will manipulate that and convert it into inertia, mind will say, ok, now you are feeling tired, sleep now. So what happened? 

A good activity which would have raised you to the level of sattwa, the mild, the clean and the pure, brings you down to the level of ignorance, because for procrastination, you don’t have to do anything. By nature you procrastinate. But to create sattwa, it is the positive action at the time, of being in time, it takes effort. We have to really tune ourselves to achieve that. 

That is not easy. But procrastination and indulgence are no problem. If you like to drink alcohol you’ll have many friends. But if you sit and meditate, or if you meditate at the same space and time, then people will say, ok, after my drink, I’ll come to you (laughter). 

This is the way life goes. In most of the situations you can see that happening. In most of our life on a consistent basis, many times we see that happening. It means, good company is hard to come by. That is because good company needs sacrifice. 

Sacrifice in the sense, what you like to do versus what you have to do. What you like to do versus what is good for you. Maybe the food you eat is not good for you.

Purity and the subtle

If you are operating in the level of sattwa, in purity and the subtle, then you will only consume what is good for you. You will definitely reject what is not good for you. 

It’s not what you like to eat. That is why we go to fast foods, things which make you a slave of it. It makes you repeat it. You consume it once, again when you are hungry, you suddenly remember the fast food joint. Not ever do we consider, ”Is this actually what I want?” 

You never consider what your body wants. Not because you have deficiency. This is how mind operates. Mind’s pattern is like that. It catches on to something which you like to do, or it creates things that it likes, and that’s usually related to senses. 

Something which is very tasty, may not be the right food, and the right food may not be tasty either. Some of the best medicines are very bitter, but that is what cures you.

Whatever you do, do it with conviction

I clear doubts, but ask yourself,“Have the concepts been cleared?“ That is more important than doubts. Mind poses doubts. Mind will continue to pose doubts, but when the concepts are cleared, the root is cleared. I would rather be happy to clear the concepts. 

I would rather be happy if you attain the state of non-conformity, and you are flowing like a river so that you are not bound by anything, you are free, you have full freedom, you are liberated, no concepts are binding you, you are not bound by frames, you are not creating further frames and also you are existing in truth. 

That is what should be achieved with all this exercise. This is what is meant. I’ll be glad to clear doubts, because doubts also block progress. But doubts are minor compared to concepts. Concepts are the more powerful barriers in the path of spiritual evolution, any evolution, on any level, concepts are the binding factor. 

They never allow you to see the truth. They give you distorted truth and mind buys it, mind subscribes to it saying,“This could be the truth.“ This is also why some fears do not leave. Some fears for which the mind says,“This is dangerous.“ It makes us invalid, our motion is limited. That is the thing.

The key point is whatever you do, do it with conviction. That gives you intensity. I tell people, if you live only one day, live that day with intensity. It is not intensity out of the mind. It is the intensity of the purpose. If you look at Jesus’s life, every moment was intense. 

Because the purpose was so overwhelming and so real, it made your every moment intense. And that intensity is beautiful. Because if you are living only ten years more, those ten years will be worth it. 

Or a few days more, it will still be worth it, because a whole life wasted over concepts, over theories, over perceptions and a few days lived with intensity of purpose, it is a huge difference. Life becomes worthwhile. That is the difference between living and existing. 

We are existing most of the time, not living. ’Living’ means you have to live with intensity. And that intensity should not be created. It should happen based on purpose. Mind is such a culprit that it hides and attacks. There are certain animals which hide in the bush and attack. Mind is like that. It catches you at the time when you least expect it.

My wish is that you are able to see reality and the truth beyond the mind. And make an effort to spread the word of love. That is what you are.

If you are able to spread the word of love, saying that,“I am love, you are love as well. I am god, you are god as well.“ The simple truth of spirituality and without any binding. Not forcing,“You should meditate ten times a week!“ Not so. This is all immaterial. If you like to meditate, meditate. If you don’t like to meditate, still be clear and pure within. 

That is the constant exercise. To be pure within, you need to be like a watchman guarding the gate. You need to control the inputs in thought, word, action. You need to control the inputs through the intellect, mind and body so that at every level we maintain our purity and purification. Nothing will affect you any more. You are pure and clean while living and you will be pure all the time.