THE FIRST HANDFUL

Following is satsang given by Rick Berman, July 6, 1974, Amherst Guru Puja

So remember that you have to be all united, you have to be all united under one thing. Now many people just don't come to Divine Light Mission because they think that Divine Light Mission is nasty, Divine Light Mission is rude, but just understand that Divine Light Mission is not a man. Divine Light Mission is not a banana. Divine Light Mission is not an orange. Divine Light Mission is not a snake. Divine Light Mission is just nothing. If you are not there Divine Light Mission never exists. It is because you are there that Divine Light Mission exists, and if you are rude then Divine Light Mission is rude. If you are calm Divine Light Mission is calm. You are whatever it is, you know. If the sea is very rough, high tides are coming. And what are tides? Tides are nothing. Tides are just brilliant waves that are coming from the sea, that's all. The tides themselves are nothing. Divine Light Mission stands upon you. If you miss, Divine Light Mission will fall, you know, because Divine Light Mission is just a word which you speak, spell or write. But what is it really? It is unity. That's where to keep ourselves.

- Guru Maharaj Ji

I'm going to speak briefly to you about some of the things that are going on within the mission financially, and then sort of very simply and practically include you in it.

The mission is pretty much stagnant in its activities due to a lack of financial support. There are about 800 premies who over the past year have worked themselves pretty much crazy trying to support the mission.

We're stagnant at this point. We can't go forward. We can stay where we are, we can support ourselves, we can continue to meet our overhead each month. We can chip away at the bills that we've incurred from other festivals and so on.

But actually that's not what we want to do. We want to go forward. We want to move ahead. We want to do what Maharaj Ji has requested. Maharaj Ji has requested that the premies do service.

In order for us to have our hearts opened up so that flood of grace can come in, so that we can be connected to Maharaj Ji, we've got to do what's most practical. The practicality is at this time to serve Maharaj Ji's mission.

Because Maharaj Ji's mission is nothing other than an extension of his body. We have to understand this. Maharaj Ji has started this mission - Maharaj Ji has put it into motion. Maharaj Ji has given it direction. Maharaj Ji has given it projects to work on. Maharaj Ji has given us the grace to be able to do the things that have been done in the past.

But in order to move ahead, it will require the dedication and the desire on behalf of all of Maharaj Ji's devotees to get behind it and to push and to work.

It's unfortunate that there aren't enough offices, enough projects, and enough things that each one of us can plug into right now so we can be able to work together side by side in DUO offices, or serve in Maharaj Ji's residence. But there's a service that needs to be done now, and that's what I'd like to talk to you about.

Maharaj Ji said if you surrender the reins of your life to him, he will give you peace. Surrender usually means doing what's most practical. At this point what is most practical is for people to be sending in a fixed amount of money on a weekly basis.

We were talking about a figure like ten percent. Ten percent of whatever you earn each week should come off the top, and should go to Maharaj Ji's mission. Because that's what's needed at this point. That's what has to come about.

I know it's going to happen. Because Maharaj Ji has graced us with his darshan, and he's graced us with his love. There's no way that anybody can turn their back on that. There's no way that anybody can't realize that at this point, as his devotees, we've got to take that step which is the first step in commiting our lives to his movement.

His movement at this time has been defined as Divine Light Mission. It needs your support. We should adjust our lives - adjust our lives to live on ninety percent of what we earn. Whatever job we have, whether it be pumping gas or working in a hospital as doctors or lawyers, that job is our service.

Because the fruits of that action are dedicated at Maharaj Ji's feet. What more can Maharaj Ji do for us? It's time that we started doing for him - starting putting into action all the plans that he had laid out for us.

In the DUO movie he was so explicit that he was going to turn this world on, He was going to feed and clothe the world. He said that the plan would manifest through his devotees.

Right now in practical terms it means-money. There are at least 10,000 people out here. If you just figure that if there are 10,000 people earning eighty dollars a week, giving ten percent, that's 80,000 dollars a week more than we have now.

There's a whole hell of a lot of things that can be done with that money. A lot of prachar can be done. A lot of suffering in this world can be relieved.

It all rests with us, we premies that are sitting here tonight. Not only are we to begin this practical program of dedicating ten percent of our income, but we are to give sat-sang and to help other brothers and sisters who aren't here tonight to understand that support of Maharaj Ji's mission is support of Maharaj Ji. Supporting the mission is actually showing and actually making that commitment to Maharaj Ji.

That's all I've got to say. I think it was simple enough and clear enough to understand. Give that ten percent, that first handful. Shri Maharaj Ji had said if you've got ten handfuls of rice, take the first handful and give it to Guru Maharaj Ji. And if you can't make it on the other nine, I'll take care of you.

I really don't think that in this economic structure we live in that it's going to be so difficult for anybody to come up with ten percent on a regular basis. It'll be a lot easier than trying to squeeze out a large sum when you hear of some certain project or whatever it might be that you're interested in.

There was a procession that went through this place today. It was Maharaj Ji and he was giving his darshan and his Holy Breath. And there was no holding back. If we can just understand that to hold back at any time from serving Maharaj Ji and his mission is just cutting us off a little bit more.

I just have to speak what I feel. Because I've seen it inside myself. When I hold back, I'm cutting my own throat. And Maharaj Ji doesn't want that. He wants us to be able to give. He wants us to be able to receive all that he has to give and in order to do that we have to give everything, give of ourselves.

He's not asking you to turn over everything you need to live on. He's asking you to - I'm asking you, as the director of his financial situation here, to just give ten percent.

ACTIVE MEMBERSHIP PROGRAM

"When you meditate, you really start to know Guru Maharaj Ji. The more you know Him, the more you love Him. And the more you love Him, the more you want to serve Him. And the more you serve Him, the more you know Him. And this goes on continuously - forever."

Durga Mata Ji, July 7, 1971

Divine Light Mission announces a new program called "Active Membership."

The Active Membership Program (AMP) is based on the realization that dedication is a way of life, no matter what lifestyle we choose to live, and that the way to practically manifest this devotion is through a constant, committed and united effort on the part of all the premies.

Basically, the Active Membership Program begins with an inner dedication to Guru Maharaj Ji - actively offering our lives to Him. The manifestation of this dedication is the offering of our time and energy in service wherever possible, and the offering of a financial dedication - a tithe of 10% of our weekly or monthly incomes, whatever the case may be.

The AMP is an opportunity for all of us to come closer to Guru Maharaj Ji by expressing our love for Him through practical action. Tithing ties us to Maharaj Ji by making Him the first priority in our life and acknowledging Him as the Giver of all. Once we've made that inner commitment, the outer flows naturally.

Details of how you can participate in the AMP are forthcoming. In the meantime, let us all take a pledge to become Active Members of Maharaj Ji's Mission - to establish the Kingdom of Heaven - within inside of us.

- Sherry Weinstein,
Director Active Membership Program

For More Information About the Active Membership Program Write:
Divine United Organization, P.O. Box 6495, Denver, CO 80206, Attn: Personnel