Light Is Your Truth

Mohanji Speaks – Zoom satsang – part 1

25^th August 2018

You have to be satisfied with what you have. All these qualities will help you to be the sun in the society. You will be as bright as the sunlight in the society. Then the society will start taking you seriously. They start following you. And all of that is because YOU are bright.

Q:  We have heard you say, “When you understand the atom, you will understand the whole creation.” Can you tell us more about this?

Mohanji: The microcosm is a representation of the macrocosm. We are a representation of the Universe. Every being, every creation, in fact everything you see around you is all interconnected in that sense, because everything has come out of energy. The first ever creation that came out of energy is the atom.

The atom represents the first possibility of creation and when I say “the first possibility of creation”, it also means the existence of something which is tangible. An atom was the tangibility (matter), and from there, every creation happened.

When the atom was created, space was created, because space was otherwise immeasurable without a material or a matter. Matter defined spaces, spaces defined time, and between space and time, creations work. All of us occupy space and a certain time.

If you recognize the creation of an atom, you automatically recognize the creation of the whole Universe. When you recognize the creation of the atom, you understand the Universe. When you know the microcosm, you know the macrocosm.

Hence I said, we are all divine beings walking this earth. The mind has distracted us from believing it because mind has connected us to materials around us.

Materials and even relationships are fine as experience, but from a larger perspective, when you are talking about the truth, it’s a distraction because they are all dimensions of truth not the absolute truth. Whenever we connect to relative truth, we get stuck with it, based on emotions, ownership, do’s and don’ts, likes and dislikes, and so on.

If you look at each incarnation, it has come with a density and intensity required for fulfilling a certain set of karmas, which is how you see in the world, too. Some people live their life intensely. They may live for a shorter period of time, but they live their life with a lot of passion. Some people take it easy; they are not too worried about their life.

They may indulge in so many things and it could be mostly unconsciously, too. When you look at every being, the intensity of their incarnation is connected to their purpose. Intensity is connected to purpose.

You will start understanding all these dimensions of existence when you connect to yourself as the microcosm. In fact you are also a macrocosm inside this microcosm. Of course you are a Unit and the universe is outside of you, you see that and get deluded that we are a human incarnation. We fail to see the larger picture because of our existence as an incarnation.

However, when you start recognizing yourself more and more, as you go deeper and deeper inside, you start to understand that you are the universe you have been exploring. When you understand the inner universe, you understand the outer universe. That is why I said if you understand the atom, you can understand the universe.

Q: Can you tell us what sustains the atom?

Mohanji: Energy sustains the atom. Atom has come out of pure energy and dissolves back to energy, just as we have come out of elements conglomerated and we will go back to the elements that came together as a conglomeration, as a human incarnation.

Significance of Machu Picchu

Q: Can you tell us the significance of visiting places like Machu Picchu?

Mohanji: They are places of power. Earth is broadly categorized into negative, neutral and positive.  Negative means something which binds you, that which reduces you, or that which takes your energy away.

A place which is positive means something which enhances or energises you. When we visit places of higher energy, they enhance your energy, align your system, such as mind, body, intellect, ego, and spirit. That alignment happens in a better environment easily, more easily than in a neutral environment. 

Most of our living spaces are neutral, they are neither good nor bad, and then we have to put in our effort to make it better. We have pictures of Masters, temples and we light the lamp in order to enhance the energy of our living space.

Places like Machu Picchu, Kailash, etc. are all also a confirmation that you are on the path of liberation; your own conviction takes you there. When you go to a place like Machu Picchu, it is predominantly Mother energy.

Mother energy is alignment, nurturing, it’s like the womb experience, experience of levitation, etc. When you go to some place like that, you automatically start feeling perfect alignment, as if you are in the womb earlier… you probably don’t remember it, but that’s the experience.

When you go to Kailash, you are taking a step in the direction of liberation. It is a confirmation that we are walking the path of liberation. Shiva means liberated existence, existence where you belong to nobody, nobody belongs to you or you are everything.

These are the stages which we recognize in our own life. The first level is that you become a human, you start experiencing being a human. This means that you start expressing kindness, compassion, love, the higher qualities beyond all dimensions, i.e. you naturally start expressing love, expressing kindness, compassion, and you can’t express anger, hatred, jealousy or revenge.

That is being totally human. This is the first level, that is, the stabilization you need in that level. In the next level you become a saint human.

As a saint human, again it is a state, not that you become a saint or you run away into a forest or something like that, it’s a state you achieve where you become very clear that nothing belongs to you and you belong to nothing, you belong to nobody, nobody belongs to you. You become actually aware of your existence as a complete unit.

Then you evolve further into the level of God Human. When I say God Human, again it is not that you are egoistic and you are telling everybody, ”Look here, I am God. “

It’s an experience where you feel that you are everything, the plants, animals, birds, all the people, all the insects and everything around you, that’s you. So you see yourself in millions of dimensions. That experience leads you to a state of complete fulfillment or completion.

We experience these stages at various points in our existence, maybe in one life, or many lives. But a place like Machu Picchu or Kailash stabilise the state you are in, such as being a human. The space helps stabilization of the state you have reached, of what you are. That is why we go to places of power. It’s not that the place will change you completely, it helps you to nurture and stabilize what you already are.

Definitely, we need to walk. We have to walk. It is an individual journey. Spirituality is definitely an individual journey. A teacher’s job is as a road map, road sign, or a guide. 

Likewise places also help you to stabilise in certain levels you have already reached and if you are consistently following the same path, they help you to nurture that further. From human to saint to God, transition becomes easier.

Do not understand it using the literal English meaning; a saint doesn’t mean you actually wear a particular type of garb or that you walk or talk in a particular manner. Also being God doesn’t mean you tell everybody, “Now I have become God!” Actually it’s an experience inside and you would not talk about it outside, because there is nothing to talk, nothing to tell, nothing to say, your own experience will express itself around.

You can’t hide the way you live, the way you are, because you have become so powerful, you’ve become so expanded, and it really starts working on other people.

So people will start having changes because of you, your presence. Things like that will spontaneously happen, it’s not about how you communicate, what you communicate, who you are, where you are from, what’s your colour, community, country, religion, nothing like that. It’s a state. These are all states we achieve, and each state will demonstrate who we are and that will be a clear definition in the world.

True silence vs. complacency

Q: How do we differentiate between true silence from silence which may come from complacency?

Mohanji: True inner silence is expansion. Complacency is contraction. When mind is inducing a kind of a state where you don’t like to work or you don’t want to move out or talk to people, such as depression states, that will reflect as contraction in the world. This means that they are dull or not able to perform or there is no power of will, power of action, power of knowledge. Nothing will be visible.

But in deeper silence, when you are established in a type of silence where you are stabilised in a particular state, it reflects as brightness, brilliance, benevolence, love, compassion and so forth.

Always understand, whenever we talk about anger, hatred, jealousy, and lying compulsively – people lie because they are in a particular energy level, it is all connected to certain frequencies. A frequency which is induced by certain emotions or certain situations, will not have that power to change anything.

It will be more like a sleepy or drowsy state. However, when the Iccha shakti (power of will, intention), Jnana shakti (power of knowledge), Kriya shakti (power of action, manifestation) are all balanced, i.e. .

It is overflowing or more powerful  than your emotions, and that is what is driving you, it will be visible in the world as great personalities who are well stabilised, contented, happy with what they have, not chasing anybody, not comparing, judging, criticising…

They are not doing anything which is of negative nature. This will be visible very clearly. And you will love to be with them, because they always make you feel better. They always take you to the next level.

They always try to help you climb the ladder of liberation. So, this is very, very clear and you don’t even have to ask. That’s the point. The point is they are by nature kind, benevolent, compassionate, helpful, so you will never have to ask, “Can you do this for me?” or “Can you help me?”.

On the other hand, when you are dull, depressed, etc. even if others ask you to do something, they would say, “I’m tired, I can’t do it.” There will be a very drastic difference between these two.

To stay in higher elevation or the level of liberation or the path of liberation is not easy. It needs firm conviction. Determination. And you need to be very clear that this is what you want to achieve in this lifetime. Then it comes to you, or it’s more meaningful. Otherwise, people always go for the tangible. When people talk about spirituality, for them it means some experience, e.g. “I had a great experience some time.”

But always remember: what does not stay, does not belong to you. If a state has happened to you and it stays as it is continuously, today, tomorrow, the day after, yesterday… every day, then it’s yours. Otherwise, states come and go. People chase those states – it’s a mind’s game. Mind likes to have experiences. Mind likes to have breakfast, then it is lunch and then dinner, there is no satisfaction, no contentment; it’s stages of discontentment, one after another.

So when we know that we are fully settled and completely happy and contented with what we have, we are not judging or criticising anyone, we are not assessing or comparing one with another, we accept everyone’s weaknesses and strengths, then we have stabilised. If we don’t accept the weaknesses or strengths of others, just as we don’t accept our weakness or strength, we are in a stage of instability.

In this state there is no way you can progress. Therefore first and foremost we must become a human human – a  human who is able to accept everything, accept everybody, share what you have. It doesn’t matter what you have, but whatever you have, you have the ability to share and you have the ability to nurture yourself and others, that’s being human.

From that level, you will spontaneously raise yourself to the level of saint human where you clearly know that nothing belongs to you and you belong to nothing. Nobody belongs to you, you belong to nobody. So the ownership aspect goes out completely. You will not have ownership. When there is no ownership of an activity, there is no karma attached to it. Karma is connected to ownership. This is one word you should remember. Karma is connected to ownership, liberation is connected to acceptance.

If you accept yourself more and more with all your weaknesses and strengths, you are already on the path of liberation. If you are constantly judging, criticising, comparing yourself with other people and also discontented all the time, you are definitely in the path of binding, path of gravitation.

That will create more lives. That will create more karma. Always understand this clearly: acceptance helps liberation, ownership keeps you bound, this is important to remember, and ownership leads to stages of depression.

How to help a depressed person

Q: What can we as individuals do to help people who are depressed or dull?

Mohanji: The same way the sun brightens the earth. Be the sun. Be the light. Be the brightness and that’s the best way to tell the world that the darkness is temporary. When there is light, there is no darkness. There’s no way you can change somebody by asking them to change. If you try to preach, they will become stronger in their conviction that they should not change! Instead, you be the change. You have to be the change. You have to be bright. You have to be contented.

You have to be satisfied with what you have. You should be grateful for what you have. All these qualities will help you to be the sun in the society. You will be as bright as the sunlight in the society. Then the society will start taking you seriously. They start following you. And all of that is because YOU are bright.

Now, if you are discontented and angry, full of hatred towards somebody, then the society will take you as that because they don’t want to buy that from you. Always remember that society responds to you as you are.

The same applies to people in the house or elsewhere. You have to be as bright as the sun. Then there will be sunlight and that sunlight will be good for everybody. Don’t ever think as to who is benefitted. A lot of people will benefit from what we are. And do not count. If you count, this is where your mind is getting involved.

Don’t look, just spread the sunlight. Keep spreading sunlight. That’s all you need to do. Just like the sun. The sun is a great model for liberated existence. Just be the sun. Spread the light. It doesn’t matter who is benefitted. Just keep spreading.

Brahmacharya

Q: Can you please explain the meaning of a true brahmacharya?

Mohanji: Brahmacharya is a state where you are completely connected to the Supreme Consciousness, Brahma. Brahmacharya is somebody who’s walking the path of Brahma, somebody connected to Brahma. What you are connected to, that’s what you are. Brahma is Supreme consciousness which is fully bright, fully liberated and completely without boundaries – no form, no colour, no taste, nothing, it’s beyond everything – Absolute Consciousness.

When you always walk on that path, you are a Brahmachari. There are also some discipline methods which traditions have prescribed to be there. Look at the state of an avadhoota.

THE STORY OF VYASA

Here is a story of Vyasa (a great saint who wrote the Mahabharata). Vyasa was sitting on the banks of Yamuna and the Yamuna was overflowing its banks. Some people wanted to go to the other side, where Krishna was sitting. They found that there was no boat to go there, because the river was in spate. They then saw Vyasa meditating under a tree. They sat down around him and waited. When Vyasa opened his eyes, he saw them and asked, “Why are you here?”

They said, “We wanted to go to the other side of the river to meet Krishna, but the river is overflowing so we can’t go.”

Then Vyasa said, “Ok, I understand. What have you brought? Have you brought something for Krishna?”

They were all cowherds. They said, “All these sweets we made out of cow’s milk and ghee (clarified butter). We’ve brought all these in packets.”

Vyasa said, “Can I see?”

They showed him and he started eating… He ate almost half of what they brought! Then he said, “I can’t eat any more. I’ll help you.”

He went to the river and said, ”If I have not eaten, let the river part.”

The river parted!

Everyone saw him eating! But what did he say? “If I have not eaten anything, let the river part.” The river parted and they crossed over to the other side. On the other side, they walked a little bit and then they saw Krishna lying on a bench in a garden. They went to Krishna and He said, “I’m happy to see you. When did you come?…”

He then saw the packets and asked, “What is this?” They said, “We have brought all these sweets for you”. They were reluctant to give Krishna this half-eaten basket because Vyasa had already eaten from it. With a bit of shame, they said, “We brought this for you but had to share it with a saint.”

Then He said, “No, no, no, I can’t eat anything. My belly is full. I ate the same thing just a short while ago.”

So, when Vyasa was eating, Krishna was eating. That is, he was deeply connected to Krishna, the Brahma. There was no ownership on the part of Vyasa, therefore when he consumed, Krishna consumed. When you are one with Brahma, then you are a proper Brahmachari. That is what we should understand. A proper Brahmachari is always in that consciousness. It doesn’t matter what he does, but the consciousness is intact. Integrated.

That is why I always say your highest achievement is in your INTEGRATION, not in your activity. You can do meditations for hours. You can do chants for hours. If you are not integrated properly to a consciousness, progress will be slow.

THE STORY OF RADHA

The same happened to Radha. Radha was devoted to Krishna. When Krishna’s wives became jealous, they brought boiling hot milk to Radha to drink, saying Krishna sent it to her. She was overwhelmed, “Oh, Krishna sent me milk!  Krishna thought about me! I’m happy.” And she drank the whole pot without thinking much. Nothing happened. Krishna’s wives were surprised that Radha’s throat was not burnt.

But when Krishna came for lunch, He said, “I cannot have any food today, my entire mouth and throat are burnt.” So, when Radha drank the milk, she was so integrated into Krishna that everything she ate went to Krishna.

What we should understand is a proper Brahmachari has no separation from the object of worship.

When we are totally integrated, when we are deeply connected to the consciousness which we consider as the Supreme, then nothing comes to us. Everything will stay with the object of worship. It doesn’t get filtered to the other side. If you understood this, you have understood the entire philosophy, the whole spirituality.

Everything is about how deeply you integrate. If you are really deeply integrating, you are free from everything. Even at the time of death, your soul will be integrated with the object (of devotion, worship) you are one with.  

If you are integrated with a guru, who is connected to the Supreme Consciousness, or to any object you like, that integration should be clear, no wandering, no judging, no criticising, no doubting. Full and clear connection. Then at the time of death, you will merge with Him because there will be no karma for you.

In the book which is coming out soon “The Silence of Shiva”, I talk about this subject. When Atmananda left the body, he took away the karmic baggage of Srinath, too. Srinath was liberated while his guru was leaving the body. Both happened simultaneously. That’s because he was connected to only one object and he had nothing else in this world. The guru was the consciousness for him or, he was guru.  

He was one with the consciousness of the guru. Whichever way you look at it, they were together, one. This oneness is enough for the highest to be achieved. However, we normally don’t practise that. We judge the guru, we compare, we have a conditional relationship with the guru or God.

Even when we go to temples, we may have conditional aspects, i.e. we go for a particular reason. In contrast, when you are full of gratitude, reverence, and you are deeply connected to consciousness, i.e. inseparably connected, then you have no karma anymore. Your karma will be wiped away by the guru’s consciousness or energy. This is the easiest and the strongest path to liberation. But that doesn’t happen because the mind comes in the middle, meeting a master or being with a master becomes the last priority. Then it doesn’t work that way.

Furthermore, people approach a teacher for only small things like, “Can you get a job for my son or my daughter married?”. Then it rests in the terrestrial level. That’s why nothing is happening on the consciousness level.

So, being a proper Brahmachari is a whole-life effort. It’s an integration into the consciousness.

Ownership vs. responsibility

Q: How do we differentiate between ownership and responsibility?

Mohanji: Responsibility is dharma, ownership is an aberration. Responsibility means that as a father, a mother, a child, we are responsible for various matters of life. Ownership about that is an illusion. It means that you forget that things are HAPPENING.  The feeling of doership comes because of non-understanding. We feel we are DOING.

At that time, you need to remember only one thing: who is doing your digestion? Who’s doing your blood circulation? Who’s doing your heartbeat? Then you realise that you are not doing anything. We have no control over any of the vital functions in our system.

When you are clear that you have no control over your own vital system, you realise that all the things outside are also HAPPENING THROUGH ME. It is not that “I am DOING.” When this understanding settles in deeply, ownership dissolves. When ownership dissolves, karma starts dissolving.

Your responsibility is that if you have taken a body, you have the responsibility towards yourself first, then to the world outside as well. What you see outside is your own reflection in various ways. If you see an angry person, he represents the anger within you. If you see a jealous person, it’s the jealousy in you represented in another person. All the things you see outside are expressions from you. The outside is just like a mirror.

The mind is a mirror, too. Mind projects what is inside you. When you are angry, there is anger sitting inside you projected through the mind. When you are happy, happiness is inside you which is projected through the mind.

Like that, the whole world is a mirror. What you are gets reflected to you through people, through situations, through time, through events, through nature. Everything is coming back to you exactly as you are. If you understand this clearly, your responsibility will be to express kindness, compassion, love, share everything as much as you can, include everything and everybody because all people are you, there are no other people. It’s all expressions.

Everybody is an expression, so you do not even think “this is mine”, I should keep it for myself. For how long can you? If you really understand that you cannot keep anything with yourself for long, then you will start sharing. That awareness is essential. You own nothing, nothing owns you. You own nobody, nobody owns you. It’s this ownership of “me and mine” which binds you to earth and makes all karma.

So responsibility is what you have to do and ownership is connected to your ego and mind. This is something which you should clearly differentiate. What you have to do, you should do, what you like to do is what your mind allows. “Like” is connected to mind, “have to do” is connected to dharma (righteous duty) which you must perform.

How to deal with negativity

Q: How can we stand up against the negativity around us and not hide from it?

Mohanji: Don’t stand up at all against negativity. Instead, make friends with positivity. You don’t really have to stand up against anything in life. There is nothing to resist in life. Whatever you resist, will persist, will stay with you more. What you have to do is, sponsor positivity, act positively, think positively, do positively, talk positively, be kind, be compassionate and nurture positivity.

Negativity is like a shadow. MATTER is required to reflect a shadow. LIGHT is your truth. Light reflects on matter, creates a shadow. So truth is light. Stay with the truth. Truth is brightness. Truth is your highest order. Compassion is truth. Kindness is truth. Being love is truth. That is what you should sponsor and perceive all the time.

Negativity means insecurities, fears, something unknown, all of which are creating a confusion in the mind. That’s the negative matter we are talking about and that’s binding you, making you depressed. Don’t look at them. Let them exist, what’s the problem?

Whenever there is a positivity, there will be negativity. Wherever there’s light, there will be a shadow. Why do we worry about the shadow? Let’s look at light. Learning to always see the light is our effort. That is our meditation. Always see the brightness, always see the love, always see the compassion, always see what else you can do in this world in the most loving, compassionate way.

Before you speak, think, “Am I speaking with kindness?” If you are not, then it’s better not to speak. If you constantly express that, the negativity we are talking about that bothers you, that binds you, will lose its significance. They will try.  Of course, when the brightness increases, so does the shadow. All of these are part of life. But it doesn’t mean that you should not increase your light or that you should not go towards light even more.

I always recommend, do not fight with the negative, instead make friends with the positive. Be with positive. Do positive. Be kindness incarnate. Feel compassion. Keep asking, “Is there anything I can do for you?”. Don’t look at “What am I getting from this whole thing?” That is selfishness. Instead ask, “What can I give you?” Then, what happens?

Like a water well, when you draw more water from the well, fresh water comes from the earth into the well. Likewise, when we share more, more resources will come to you to share because inner richness makes you richer. It’s all about inner richness.

We are rich by birth but we don’t know this because our mind made a cage for us. We are sitting in the cage of the mind. The moment the cage is broken, you realise that the whole world, the whole universe is yours. And the universe starts reflecting to you the same thing because the universe is a mirror. When you look at the universe with anger, the universe shows anger to you. Similarly, when there is a continuous tamasic greedy activity happening, there will be a calamity.

So everything is connected to the collective consciousness you have nurtured inside and outside. A group of people thinking positively will enhance the energy of a place. This is what we should achieve. That’s the actual spiritual growth. First be human, then we will talk about being a saint. You will reach it automatically.

Chanting

Q: When we chant a mantra, do we need to focus on the words or on the deity?

Focus on the vibrations. Mantras are vibrations. When you chant a mantra, only 10% should come out (be heard) and 90% should be within. You are solidifying inside. Concentrate within and chant, preferably from the navel. 90% of the sound, of the vibration is inside, 10% outside. This is the right way to chant a mantra.

Mantras are vibrations meant to align you or awaken you. Aligning and awakening. That’s the true purpose of a mantra. First of all it aligns you, then it awakens various aspects of you, just like the 33 crore (330 million) gods of the Hindu tradition. 33 Crore gods sounds like there are too many gods, but they are all 33 crore dimensions of human existence. When you chant in a particular order, that aspect in you gets enhanced. It awakens that aspect in you.

Everything is about awakening and aligning. All the mantras are good, nothing is bad, but the manner in which you chant it should be internal. You cannot awake anything outside you by your own will. What you can do is awaken inside you. It reflects outside. When you awaken yourself completely, it shows outside as brightness.

If you focus on outside instead, nothing will happen. Vibrations are good, energy will be good around, but more will happen if you awaken yourself from inside. Then it will stabilise outside, it will be reflected outside. That’s the right way to do it.

Transcribed and proofread by Biljana Vozarevic and Vidya Rajagopalan