GURU MAHARAJ JI 11/3/78 KISSIMMEE

You know, we all come to this festival to be able to have more of that opportunity, to be able to do more satsang, service, and meditation. Yes, of course, to us, this festival can be, "Yeah, Guru Maharaj Ji's going to come, and a lot of premies are going to come. And brothers and sisters are going to be there. It's just going to be one big, beautiful scene."

But meditation is meditation. Service is service. And satsang is satsang. Never ever in our lives is anything going to replace satsang, service, or meditation. Nothing. We can come together for zillions of these kinds of festivals, and still when it comes down to satsang, service, and meditation, we will have to do it all by ourselves.

I'd like to welcome all the premies who are already here to this beautiful program. If we can understand, if we can appreciate, if we can enjoy what this program is all about … Maybe at this program you're not going to hear anything different. Maybe at this program you're not going to hear like, "Yeah, if you can go to a certain building and open up the doors, then, yes, you can have salvation; then, yes, you can have heaven; then, yes, you can have whatever you are looking for in your life."

But what we are going to hear is about more satsang, more service, and more meditation. Because there is no way out of it. That's the way. That's the way you have to go. To have that faith in Guru Maharaj Ji, to rely upon Guru aharaj Ji, to understand Guru Maharaj Ji, to believe in Guru Maharaj Ji is the way that we have to follow. That's the path we have to follow.

And this is not anything new. This is not anything like, yeah, it's 20th century rip-off. But this is the way it has been ever since the Perfect Master has first set his foot on this Earth.

And it's always been the ignorance of the people not to understand that, but always to utilize their personal concepts: "Oh yeah, well, if we do this then that's the way to receive salvation. You know, maybe we should have done this. Maybe we should do this." And then when Perfect Master leaves, everybody goes, "Wow, man. This is the way we should have done it. This is the way we should have done it. This is the way we should have done it."

But whenever a Perfect Master has come in this world he has said that there is no other way except by satsang, service, and meditation. Now, of course, maybe that's not what's written in Bible. Maybe that's not what's written in Ramayana. Maybe that's not what's written in Gita or in Koran. But it's obvious that that's what they are trying to say. To let go. Because what we hold onto in this world, what we tie ourselves down to in this world, is not real.

I'm sitting in the residence right now. And I've been watching the video system. And I've been hearing the satsang of these initiators and one of them was trying to hack playing the guitar with all the echo happening.

And to me, yes, they were giving satsang. Of course they were giving satsang. But all I was watching is a TV. On the same TV maybe you will see "Wonder Woman," doing all these outrageous things. But does that really make it real? Okay, the concepts make you believe that everything that you think is reality. But is that really true? Is that really the way it is? Or is that the way it's supposed to be?

Here I'm watching this TV monitor, and there was Raja Ji giving satsang. And for all purposes, it could have been pre-recorded 15 minutes ago, and then played back on the video system. But there was no question about it that that was Raja Ji giving satsang. There was absolutely no question about it.

And that is the way our whole lives are, that we never say in our lives, "Wait a minute. What am I doing in this world? Is this what I want? Is this what is real?" So much concept. So much ego. So much mind everywhere, that it's hard to realize that. And yet, Guru Maharaj Ji comes and he says, "No! Wait a minute. Understand this thing."

And it just reminds me of "Gilligan's Island." Here are all these people that are castaways. They have been taken on a boat and then they've gotten shipwrecked. And here they are on this island. And there are different personalities. One is a scientist and one is an actor. It just goes on like that. And all these people, all the time they're on this island, they portray this image that that's what they are. This guy who is supposed to be a millionaire always says, "Oh yeah, we can always give this money. And here is the money."

And in fact, in reality, what is anybody going to do with any money? (laughs) I mean, where are they going to go shopping? It's an island. It's a castaway island. There's nothing there. It's a deserted island!

And this is the way sometimes our lives are. And we live on this island, and we imagine that everything is reality Everythign is true. Everything is so sure. Everything is so great. Every thing is so fantastic. It's all like, "How could it be any other way?"

Guru Maharaj Ji comes and says, "Listen. What we think is real, what we think is fantastic …" An initiator was giving satsang, and there he was talking about heaven and hell. And it just occurred to me for a second, "What does he know about heaven and hell? He's never been to hell. What does he know about it? And he's never been to heaven. And what does he know about it?"

And then, "Yeah, but he has been to heaven. And he has been to a heaven that is greater than the heaven that we expect heaven to be. And he has been to a hell that is even worse than the hell we expect."

Because, you see, these pearly gates … And it's completely incredible! Pearly gates, and there's this guy sitting there with a long beard. And he's got this great big book in front of him. And this is happening and that's happening. And he says, "Yeah, well, okay, you can go to heaven and you can go to hell. And you can go to heaven; you can go to hell."

Isn't this a concept? I mean, what is it? If you really want to get your imagination all perked up, maybe there is an escalator. And this escalator goes for about 20 miles. And this escalator has a "Y" in it. And there is this great big electronic sensor sitting. And people who are going to heaven are going on the right. And people who are going to hell are going on the left.

And it's just like, "Wow! It could be that way. Why not?" I mean, here we are. We get some kind of advanced electronics and we all go gaga over it: "Wow, man. Look at this electronics! Isn't this fantastic?" Maybe there, all-Creator, all-Generator, all-Sustainer, has even more fantastic electronics!

But these are all our concepts. Even that one example that I give where this rich man goes up to heaven and he's done no good in his whole life. He hasn't done anything that's worth going to heaven for. The image that the whole story tries to portray is that it is up to a person whether or not he wants to go to heaven. Because this rich man who has never done any good in his whole life, any good in his whole life, ends up in front of the pearly gates knocking at the doors, calling for the secretary. I mean, is that the way it is?

But Guru Maharaj Ji doesn't go on the theory, on the basis of like, "Oh yeah, that's the way it is, man. Oh yeah, there are these pearly gates. And you know, if you don't do this, you're going to go to hell. And if you do this, you're going to go to heaven."

Okay, maybe there is a heaven and maybe there is a hell. What good is the heaven and hell to us after we die? Life is now. We are now. Our heaven and hell have to be now. And that's the way it is.

And by Guru Maharaj Ji's Grace, we can be saved from both: the heaven and the hell. Why? Because hell is conditional and heaven is conditional. If you do good stuff … That's completely debatable: what's good, and what's bad. If we do good stuff, we go to heaven. And it's a condition. And if we do bad stuff, we go to hell.

But Guru Maharaj Ji saves us from both, and takes us in his abode, which is beyond heaven and hell. In his abode, there is no heaven and hell. In his world, there is no heaven and hell.

But it takes sacrifice to do satsang, service, and meditation. And not do satsang, service, and meditation based upon your concepts. But to do satsang, service, and meditation, to listen to Guru Maharaj Ji, to understand Guru Maharaj Ji.

And when we do that, the most incredible doors start opening to us. The most incredible … well, I can say heaven because heaven is what everybody thinks is great … the most incredible heaven starts happening around us. The most supreme "aboard" is what we start to experience. But it's us that have to do satsang, service, and meditation. It's us. It's us.

And so, premies, hope I'll see you tomorrow, somewhere. And, you know, just let go of ourselves.

I mean, this program hasn't even started yet. There's still premies coming in from all over the world. As a matter of fact there's 56 countries participating in this festival. And I mean it's just completely incredible. It really is incredible.

It is incredible. But is it going to be incredible for us or not?

Well, if we let go of ourselves, if we just really believe … have faith in Guru Maharaj Ji. That's the key. That's the key.

There's plenty of locks, but there's a master key. And this master key can open any lock you want in the whole building. Have faith in Guru Maharaj Ji, and that's the master key. And that key can open anything you want! Yes, it's hard to believe. But it can. And just let go and it'll happen. It'll manifest for you, for every individual. Because we are all individuals.

So have a nice meditation and good night.

(Guru Maharaj Ji gave this satsang by telephone from his residence on-site two nights before Hans Jayanti began.)