Can attachments be let go of immediately and all at once or do they go slowly?

What type of attachments?

Anything.

See, there are three types of lives. One is an ordinary life which a man leads. In this life, he is attached to all the materialistic things with his soul and his heart.

There is one man who has the materialistic things but is not attached to them. And he believes the Knowledge and meditates upon the Knowledge.

And then there is one type of life that is called a life of a sage or something like that, which has nothing to do at all with any materialistic thing.

Now which type of life do you want to lead? If you want to lead the first life, there's no need to give up all the materialistic things. But that life doesn't give you any peace. Doesn't make you any better. The second type of life is what all the saints have been leading. When Ram came, he was a king. Krishna came and he was a king. He had so many materialistic things but he was not attached to them. That is the life that man should lead.

Guru Maharaj Ji, can you show me the Light without touching me?

Now you want to start the car without sitting in it. You just want to "boom" it from outside. See, there are two ways to do a thing. To take the door out, there's one method. Take the chisel and take it out carefully. The other method is bring the bulldozer and just pull down the whole house. The door will come with it. See?

Well, could you answer that "yes" or "no"?

I'm going to tell you something. People don't just say "yes" or "no" and that's it.

I won't just say "yes" or "no" for that thing. There is an explanation that has to be given. The proper method is to take out the door in such a way that the rest of the house exists as it is. Right? And when there is a method and that is the way, it has to be done that way. There has to be -- okay, if you want to see light without anyone touching you, go and bang your head into something.

Besides your Grace, what must we do to control our minds?

There is only one thing. See, there's an accelerator to control the speed of a car. There is a brake to stop it. But there is only one thing to control its direction. That's the steering wheel.

There are many things you can do; but there is only one thing, really, that you can do. All things help to elevate you. Understand? If there were no accelerator, the car is not going to go anywhere. What will the steering be used for? If there were no brake, the car is going to be in the dump. Doesn't need steering any more. These two things -- brake and accelerator -- are needed before the steering wheel is useful. You understand me?

No.

Have you ever driven a car?

Yes.

When you go too fast, what do you do? Do you push and pull at the steering wheel?

No. You pick up the accelerator and push the brake.

Right. And when you're going to speed up, do you push the steering wheel? You press the accelerator. Right? So, actually, the direction control is the steering wheel, right? But you need the brake and accelerator. You understand this point?

Yes.

So, the main thing is meditation. But you need service and satsang. You understand?

Meditation is the direction --

Meditation is the steering wheel.

Maharaj Ji, I have to make a 1500-mile trip tonight. Hitch-hiking. And I would like your blessings for my trip.

Strange blessings you want. Usually I don't give -- I don't like people to hitch-hike. Well, I won't say, "Okay, don't hitch-hike." Because you have to go and there is nothing else you can do … if the band here is going with a car they can drive you.

Guru Maharaj Ji, what is the purpose of praying after Knowledge?

What is the purpose of praying? You don't know that?

Well, if you meditate, can't you say God is conscious of everything that you have and your friends and

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your relatives and so what is the purpose of uttering prayers when you know God is taking care of everything?

Common sense is very uncommon. Unfortunately. It's a common sense question that you have asked. Now when I say something to this man and he says something to me, a third person sees it -- what will he say? "We are both talking." Now God is a higher Personality, right? When we go into court, we don't say "Sir" to the judge. We say "Your Honor." Right? He is a higher personality. He is seen as higher than anyone else. So anyway, God is the highest Personality, right? We don't say, "talking to Him." And we don't say, "requesting Him." We say, "praying to Him."

Now this: "Our Father Who art in heaven, hallowed be Thy Name, Thy kingdom come …" It's a prayer. And what does it say? "Give us this day our daily bread." It's a "many-thanks-for-everything" request. That request, we don't say "request" for. We say "pray." We pray to Him. Because His standard is much higher than anyone else's standard. You understand?

But isn't it easiest then to meditate and remember the Word, and that's it?

You want to do the easiest thing, right? Now sometimes you have to pray. You arrive in the situation where you have to pray.

Maharaj Ji, should I move into an ashram or should I wait until I have realized the Know ledge more and become more sincere?

Better get more sincere before you move into an ashram.

What are your thoughts on other religions …?

Well, supposedly, when a man is looking to the bulb for light, why should I look at the man? I should look at the bulb. You understand me?

I think so.

I think he is my attraction, but …

You think they're pointing to the same place?

Just let me speak first. Okay. I think he's the attraction but he thinks the bulb is the attraction. So let me look at that bulb. All the religions of the world -- now, the first thing is belief. Some believe in Ram. Okay? They believe in it differently. Just Ram. Some believe in Krishna and they believe in it in different ways. Just Krishna. Some people believe in Jesus and they believe in it differently. Just Jesus. Actually, all of us directly or indirectly are looking towards God. Why should I look towards them? Why shouldn't I look towards God? I look towards God. I look at God.

Maharaj Ji, if we are selfish people or mean people, should we try to change that or should we make an effort to become unselfish and better people? Or should we just be that?

Jesus says, "Love thy neighbors as you love thyself." Right? If you want to follow it, if you want to work it out, it's a very good philosophy, if you want to work it out. You must not be selfish. Right? You must be open-hearted.

Yes, definitely. If you are selfish and not openhearted, then you must try to change?

Sure.

Or should you just be? Because both things have been said. It is said by many that you should just be what you are and yet, on the other hand, you should try to change and become …

Now who said that? "Stay what you are. Be what you are." Who?

The initiator … So we must try? We must make the effort to become …

Now if someone were drowning and if he were one inch or one foot under the water's surface, he must try to come up. Otherwise he will drown. Those people who are up, they must still try to come up because they must be on land. Those people who are on land must still go higher because maybe they must go in the house.

What is the meaning of the phrase, "You are what you are seeking"?

It means, the thing you are looking for is not outside. It is within you.

Ah!

Were you taught to be Perfect Master? Did you learn it? Realize it? Were you always …?

You realize it within yourself. Nobody teaches you as they might teach you math or the English language. You are not taught like that. Perfectness is within inside you … There is a filter. Sound is going on. We are looking, we are thinking, we are imagining. We are seeing all the things and suddenly there is this filter inside of us. That's a perfect filter. All the lines go through it and everything becomes filtered. Everything becomes perfect.

When everybody starts meditating on the Word, Maharaj Ji, do you think we will have peace all over the world?

Sure.

Wouldn't that be far out?

Did you ever go through a time when you weren't the Perfect :Master? Or were you always?

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There was a time when I was not a Perfect Master. I was a simple student going to school back home.

What was the change?

What was the change? I just told you. My lines were direct, then my lines went through a filter. All the dirt was going. All the hissing and scratching was going. Then I was taken and I came to this understanding that the sound -- the ideas that are projected from me, and I myself -- were not clear because there were scratches in me, there was hissing in me. Then I understood, take them away -- those scratches and these hissing sounds. There is only one way and that is the filter. And I asked my Guru, because I knew that Guru is the electrician who knows the outputs and inputs of the filter. I went to him, took the filter, and made the line that way and it works perfectly. And goes smoothly. That's the change that was brought to me.

How old were you?

How old am I?

No, how old were you when you changed from a student to a …?

Well, I was in the third grade.

Guru Maharaj Ji, what would happen if you were to die suddenly, if you were to be killed suddenly in an auto accident or a fall or anything like that? What would happen?

What would happen? How should I imagine? This is one of the crazy things that goes on with people. They sit in their chairs and think, "What will happen if I suddenly die?"

Isn't it passed on? Would you not have to bestow it upon someone else?

That is the difference between a man who has perfected himself in this Knowledge and between an ordinary man. He knows what is going to happen to him next.

Are you perfect within this Knowledge? Do you know?

I am perfect within this Knowledge, yes. I know this Knowledge perfectly.

You are the Perfect Master?

I don't say that I am Perfect Master. Why do you try to compel me to say that sentence? I did say I have perfected myself in this Knowledge.

What I have heard is that it is passed on. That there is always a Perfect Master on Earth. And that it must be passed on. Like from John the Baptist to Jesus Christ. Now if you died suddenly, you would not have passed this on to anyone else?

I just told you. That's the main difference between a Perfect Master and an ordinary man. He knows what is going to happen to him next. Perfect Master does not leave his body by anybody else's will. He leaves his body by his own will. That's why, if there were an ordinary man on the cross, he would have been dead. But Jesus Christ rose back. He got back from there. Because he is the highest supreme authority and even death is under him. Death works under him. Understand? That's why there was no death to him. He was able to come back. If it were you, maybe you would have never been able to come back from there.

Can you tell me any details about your Guru's Guru?

Really, I have given you this Knowledge. Why don't you meditate upon it and get high? Okay? Why do you want to ask all these things? Who was my Guru and who am I and what am I to do? Do Knowledge and get high, okay? That's perfect Knowledge!

We've been told and it is, in fact, evident that if we meditate then what we can hope for is that we can see you and if here we are seeing you, you come in and

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immediately you sit down and you say, "Have you any questions?" -- it's very hard to have questions before you. So if you will suggest proper questions to us, then we will keep asking questions and we will hold you here forever.

And that's why what I did was … There was a time when so many people were asking questions. I said, "No questions anymore."

Will you give us satsang?

Well, there's going to be a satsang on the 5th in whatever the place is.

First of all, what is death? What happens at death and why do people fear death?

What is death, right? There is no death.

I don't know about everyone else. I do. I have this fear of death. What is that? What is that fear?

People think death is when something finishes, right? But nothing finishes. Because the soul goes where it came from, elements return to earth … nothing finishes. Everything is there.

Well, that's true …

Because of the ignorance of people, it makes them afraid. Okay? Now if Ii lock you in a dark room and there is no one there -- if I take you to a graveyard and there are no dead bodies there … this is an artificial graveyard, maybe. It's made that way. Just signs. Made that way. But I take you there. And if I keep you there, at twelve o'clock at night, won't you start to fear inside? That is due to the ignorance.

You take a junky car, maybe thirty years old. And you start driving it on a highway. Won't you have some feeling of fear in you? "What will happen to this car? The starter will fall apart, the steering wheel will come off in your hand, the engine will blow out." You see? This feeling might come into you. That's the feeling -- because you are ignorant. If you take a new car and you drive it, you are not going to be afraid that the tires will fall apart, the engine will blow up, the steering wheel will come off in your hand. You don't have that fear. Because you know that this is not going to do that. But about that old car, you are ignorant. So you have this fear.

You say I'm ignorant but what I'm saying is okay, I am ignorant. But could you explain the nature of death? The nature of physical existence and death and what happens at that moment and why?

I told you what happens at that moment of death.

The soul leaves the body …

Yes, the soul leaves the body. And then all the elements that this body has go and combine with the elements from where they originated.

Is there any necessity of experiencing death?

"Necessity" is that if you are weak, they say you must drink milk, right? But death is not like that. It comes to you. It has to come to you.

I mean, there's no wav of avoiding it …

Yeah.

Is there a necessity that we should go through this physical death?

Well, then, if you don't want to, there is liberation. That does not take you to death.

In other words, why can't he be liberated before the time of death comes, so he doesn't experience that thing?

You seek. First of all you must understand the first point I explained to you. What is death? Death is nothing. Soul leaves the body and all the elements that

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are in this body go and combine with the original elements that they came from. Understand that? Then what is death? What is the experience of death? Saints have said that when man dies the experience is of so much pain, as if thousands and thousands of scorpions are biting him at the same time.

That's the soul experiencing death?

That's the body -- the senses -- experiencing. Because the soul has thrown out this energy to the whole body -- top of the head, right? -- anywhere I touch, there is sensation. Sensation is due to the energy that is vibrating in my body. When the soul leaves, all things go away from it.

Like being ripped off the table you're glued to or something like that?

Like scorpions biting. But a man who has already been one with God does not feel this pain. Because already he is one with -- his energy is not in the other place but it is floating the other way. It's not vibrating within inside the body only, it is vibrating within inside him and the Perfect Master or the God. When he leaves, he does not have any pain with him. He leaves calmly. That's why when you see some people die -- some Masters leave this body and their body is like they are alive. You don't even feel that they are dead. Other people have some junky faces. They feel so much terror. No one likes to feel that pain. If someone holds sword to you, right away you will want to escape it, right? Why? He doesn't mean to kill vou, say, just to cut your arm. But you still are afraid of it. Why do you want to know "why" then?

Simply that's the question. Man is afraid of pain, suffering. Man is suffering now. That is why he is trying to get out of it. But he can't because he hasn't the proper boat to get out of it. He opens one door. He thinks this is the way out. He goes into it and there is more suffering.

When this energy comes into us and takes over all the parts of our body, then it vibrates, it makes everything alive, you see. And it acts on the breath -- that's the main thing that makes us alive and that makes all things go. You understand? And when it goes away, that's death. When the existence is finished, that is death. The existence does not really finish when death passes. Just goes and mixes back.

Then the pain of death is due to the ignorance of what death is?

No, no, no. Because it is due -- this soul, this energy, is vibrating within your body only. It is not vibrating within you and the God. There is no connection being made. Means you have not received this Knowledge, you have not received this peace.

Well what exactly is the nature of ignorance then?

You don't know?

Not really.

You know what is in my pocket?

No, I don't.

Well, that is the nature of ignorance. (Removes a handkerchief from his pocket.) Now you know what is in my pocket? No more ignorance. That's the nature of ignorance.

We just don't know what's on the other side of existence.

Because existence is existence. When ignorance passes away, then comes existence -- when the existence comes: just existence.

Where does ignorance come from? Were we born with it?

From where does a vacuum come?

Lack of air, lack of …

Lack of something, right? And naturally, it sometimes creates a vacuum. You understand? When the human brain cannot understand one thing -- do you know what material this sofa is made of?

I think it's some foam -- I'm not sure.

You are not sure about it. You are ignorant about what it is made of. The man who produced it is not ignorant about it. Your intellect cannot understand what is inside it: his intellect can understand what is inside of it. For him to understand what's in this is not ignorance -- no vacuum.

Is air existing for you? For you, what is existing? Something is existing. What is existence -- you don't know that. That is ignorance. Not knowing of existence is ignorance. Before you can understand the existence of something, you must go through ignorance. When you go through ignorance, you understand the existence of that thing. That's it. Not knowing. You understand? Not knowing.

Not understanding one thing is ignorance. I knew what was in this pocket. I knew that. I knew it was a handkerchief. You never knew that. I knew what was in it. You were ignorant about it.

In other words, if we want all these things, we should go to God or God's representative.

Not to find out what is in this sofa.

No. But I mean for these other questions, such as death and so on.

No. What is the question about death?

The ones I asked.

Now, aren't you satisfied?

Yes. I am.

The first thing you must understand is: Do not try to understand that thing that is beyond your intellect.

That's what I'm saying. I got from this that the only way I'll understand is like to give up my intellect and surrender to you. And then all this ignorance -- whatever.

No. But this is a very simple thing you must understand. Something that you try to do out of your bounds, you are not able to do it … anything else? Anyone else?

I was wondering. I have this thing about "beyond your intellect." I don't know if it's an appropriate question but I was wondering if you thought … if you would conjecture … do you think there're further things in evolution beyond man or is man the final step or is it just out of our intellect?

God is Himself out of your intellect, right? God is omnipotent. He can do anything He likes. He can create a man which is … still better than that. But according to the theory of Darwin, man is not the supremest. This body is not good. It still has to develop.

What do you think that is? Is that trying to last forever?

What?

I mean, do you think at the end of evolution is an eternal being, something that has a body forever …?

Now according to him, first he goes through all those creatures and then he comes to this ape. And he has many hairs, right? Many, many hairs. He was not a perfect human man. Then an ape came that did not have so many hairs on it. Finally man comes. Still man has hairs. See, according to him, when a man will have no hair at all, that will be the perfected being. According to him.

Maharaj Ji, couldn't you cure many forms of acute asthma with teaching the Word to asthmatics?

To whom?

Asthmatics. People with asthma, like I have. Shortness of breath.

Well, this Word could do something to what you say. This is the Word, understand, through which Jesus even healed. This is the Knowledge that Jesus applied to heal. Because he was nothing of himself. He was the Word made flesh. He was nothing like you could say that, "Okay, this is the flesh." He was the

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Word made flesh. The Word was God, right? So it was this Knowledge acting. God has nothing but this Word.

Guru Maharaj Ji, sometimes I get into doing service and I do service all day and at night I'm too tired. I'm really tired and I sit down to meditate and just fall over and go to sleep. And then I get up in the morning and I'm thinking of all the things that I've got to do and I try to meditate in the morning and I …

If you try to keep two things -- one there and one here -- then you are tired. If you do everything systematically, you don't feel tired. You understand? Now, if a master walks into your class and he takes one blackboard and starts to teach you math and the woodwork teacher comes into your classroom -- all the teachers come into your classroom and start teaching you at the same time -- what will happen to you?

Get confused.

Yeah. You will be able to learn one thing and suddenly your mind will spill around. There are so many things going on at one time. You study almost everything in one day, right? Physics, chemistry, English language, math -- but you don't get confused. Because everything goes systematically. Right? If you apply that method to do things, you won't feel tired.

Guru Maharaj Ji, ignorance produces fear and what man fears is fear itself. Scriptures say, "Perfect love casteth out all fear." Would you explain what that perfect love is?

Perfect love cannot come without Knowledge. Once you know Knowledge there is no ignorance. Once there is no ignorance, there is no fear. Common sense is uncommon.

Guru Maharaj Ji, should we see you personally about past things that may trouble our mind?

What past things?

Can I see you?

What past things?

One is an experience that I had that I don't understand.

What happened to you? Fell from the bed and your head banged into a lamppost?

No, it was another person. And his eyes were full of fire and love.

Fire?

It was like very much, very much power, but also very much love.

See, sometimes different vibrations come into the brain and they create different things in the brain. You understand? Some people go to sleep. They see a dream. The dream is a simple illusion. But it comes at night. Okay, when that power which makes you dream at night starts working during the daytime, it creates all these experiences. You understand? Because man is not high enough to elevate himself and smoothly pass over all the mountains, all the hilly areas, all the junky areas. All that stuff. So he has a hard time going over those things. Makes him giddy, makes him nauseous -- all the feelings. If he elevates himself so high, he goes and he just flies over, floats over, the high lines.

If some airplane is trying to fly over New York and it is flying so low that sometimes the Empire State Building is in the way and sometimes the World Trade buildings are in the way, maybe he will bump into one of them. You understand? But if he flies higher, there is nothing to bump. He just flies smoothly. You understand?

In the same way, man has these different things and all these different things create different -- because two different things create a third thing. If you mix water and oil it makes something. Sand and water, something else. Different circumstances can make you feel different vibrations. Say a man who has a sword comes to you. You think he is your death, he is your end. He is going to kill you. So the same man comes with a flower: you think he is very good for you. There are the ideas about the different types of feelings between men, and that is how a man sees things.

Guru Maharaj Ji, once I was walking behind you in Patna and there was this voice inside me which said, "Drop the book." And I dropped it … Was this a voice from yourself?

Now you see, "behind me." How could I speak? Same way. Mind is going on there.

Right. Any voices inside us that are not the Holy Name itself are not from you?

That is why God has given you consciousness inside you. See? But through the consciousness, you can make yourself understand. "is this thing right or is it wrong?" Yes?

Did you hear about that farm that we fixed up for you?

Yes. I heard a lot about it.

Would you come if you have time?

I don't know. I don't know. I don't know at all.

It's a very peaceful place.

For me. New York also becomes peaceful.

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