Propagation 2000
There were moments during Maharaji's presentation last night, when it seemed as if the world was starting to shrink. Then, as we studied the impressive array of international progress charts, it became clear that it is not the world which is shrinking but Knowledge which is growing. 83 countries now report back with monthly attendance figures for video events.There are currently 32,185 people aspiring to receive Knowledge and, in the course of just one month this year, 114,660 heard Maharaji's message for the first time.
Never in our wildest dreams did we expect things to grow this big. Nor, as the startling trends in these figures show, does the growth show any sign of trailing off. He asked us if we were clear on his message - and reminded us that the way to be so was to let him speak for himself, via the videos. He reminded us to prioritise the three "P"s, Practice, Participation and Progress. He outlined his plans to make live video links to the international events available, globally by satellite. He advised us to avoid impatience, to drop our excuses, to go beyond our doubts and to see past our concepts. He stressed the need to make a fresh start. He looked far into the future, insisting, that "Knowledge will go on beyond us: And, above all else, he reminded us to enjoy life. He began:
"Propagation is excellent. It has gone beyond anything that anybody could have imagined 20 or 30 years ago when it started in its infancy in the west. It has grown because we made an effort. We wanted it to grow. We wanted to inform people that a possibility such as Knowledge exists.
Now things are good. The bow of the ship and the stern of the ship are pretty much going in the direction they are supposed to. Its not like one is going one way and the other one is going the other way.
How did we get here? It was no accident. It took all of our effort. If we continue to make this effort, we can surpass the imagination of anybody sitting in this hall today. The opportunity that we have in front of us is truly marvelous.
Maybe in your little community, it doesn't seem like this. It may be frustrating sometimes, perhaps, but keep with it. I did. And something beautiful starts to happen. Watch the magic unfold.
Why should you do it? This is a good question. You should do it because you're alive. You should do it because you have been touched by the most exquisite magic in this world.You should do it, most importantly, because you want to.
Knowledge gives you a choice. Knowledge gives you the choice to be fulfilled. Everything has been complicated, and the master comes and says: "No, it can be simple, too." And that gives you a choice that you never had.
Maybe you thought that God was billions of miles away from you. The master comes to you and says, "No. That which you are looking for is within your own heart," and maybe that gives you a choice that you never had.
Maybe you read some books and maybe they took what was so close to your heart and shoved it further and further away from you, but the master comes and says: "It's within you." And that's a choice that you never had. It is hard to make it simple … because it IS simple?" Of course it is that simple. "Is it within my reach?" Of course it is within your reach. If you are going to benefit from it, whose reach should it be in?
This magic continues to unfold. My advice to you: be a part of it. Allow yourself to be touched, embrace this magic in your life. Embrace this joy, this love, this feeling. Subtle, but strong. Simple, but very evident. Accept it.
There is this opportunity. Those of you who have Knowledge have been touched by it. Feel it. Those of you who don't have Knowledge, rejoice that there is an opportunity waiting for you."
Saturday, May 9. Maharaj i's morning address explored our assumptions about life and how to address them. He talked of both humility and gratitude. Extracts follow:
This morning, 1 was just thinking that each one of us has an incredible history attached to us - our own personal history. It's not a diary, it's not a written history, but we know it. There are parts to it that are incredible, but there is good, and there is bad. There are parts of this history that nobody will ever know; it will never be published.
And yet, the question remains: is there a resolution in this history in which there is so much change, drama, trauma, joy, sadness, laughter, tears, clarity, confusion, understanding and misunderstanding? Is there a page reserved in this book in which it all resolves, in which all those misunderstandings are somehow removed and a clarity is put in? Or is this a war that just goes on and on? Does somebody win in this one? Or does everybody get slaughtered and that's the end of it?
In your personal history, is there a hero?
There are a lot of people here who don't have Knowledge. And in fact what I have to say is also valid for those people who have Knowledge.
A very interesting question
When you think about Knowledge, what assumptions do you make? When you think about your life, what assumptions do you make? It's a very interesting question.
What are our assumptions? When you hear this word, God, what assumption do you make? When you hear the word, enjoyment, what assumption do you make? Where do you come from? How do you view enjoyment in your life? What 1 am asking you is: do you have a resolution in your history? Does everything get resolved? Or does it just stay in chaos? How do you see that resolution?
When I say to you that inside of you, there is an incredible feeling, what assumption do you make? This used to be a real problem a few years ago. A lot of people, who would come to Knowledge, came with a lot of ideas about what Knowledge should be. But it's definitely gotten a lot, lot better now.
How do you approach Knowledge in your life? When I say the word, "life," what is your assumption? What do you think life is? Have you understood that there are certain things called concepts - ideas, and that they may be highly inaccurate. They should be taken not only with a grain of salt but with a lot of it.
You can still see the sun through pollution, but when you're talking about mental pollution there is no light coming through. It's pitch dark, whether it's day or night.
The intention is not wrong, the intention is to understand. But you cannot understand through a means which is incapable of understanding. What do I mean by that? I'll tell you. How fast would you have to pedal your bicycle before it becomes airborne?
You can pedal it all day long, it will never get airborne. Why not? It has no wings. It's not capable of getting airborne. It cannot fly. So why are you trying to capture this feeling with a tool that is incapable of doing so?
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Continued from front page
Do you understand your vulnerability? The foundation from which you create your universe is very vulnerable. Your house is sitting on an ice block, so pray the sun doesn't shine too hard. It will melt it.
My world, my universe, through which I view everything: how vulnerable is it? Is it based on my experiences or on things I have heard and read?
Next time you hear the word life, wait a minute and stop to consider what it really means. What does it mean to me?
I might see a passage of time. I'm here and I have to know: what is the most important thing to me? In fact, I want to uncover all my gifts. I don't want to judge them. I don't need to judge them. I need to uncover them. I want and need to see the obviousness of what I have, because that's exactly what I don't see. That is too simple.
You are alive now, but you would rather discuss tomorrow or the day after tomorrow, wouldn't you? You would rather discuss what will happen to you a year from now, or two or three years from now, or even when you die.
How many people make a plan for now? But that's what you should be doing. It's the most obvious thing.
So, what should the living be interested in? The living should be interested in life. They should be gathering what is being offered to them now, looking at it as it is, because it is the simplest, the easiest, and the most profound, just as it is now.
What about this dance? What about this freedom? What about this excitement of life? What about this freedom to fly? What about this child who has been disguised by so many layers? The child remains, so set it free once again.
The symbology of this is exactly that of the story of the giant who prohibits kids from coming and playing in his garden. And from that point, spring comes no more and everything dries up.
When I deny the reality, beauty, innocence, and simplicity in my life, then spring comes no more to my garden either. Once again, we need to be awakened.
The world of Knowledge is free. It doesn't need support from a bunch of ideas and ideologies that keep changing and changing. It doesn't need the support of human conceptualisation about how and what it should be all about.
You have everything, and you have lost it. But the beauty is, even in the losing, you are still carrying it with you. It is profound because it is so simple. The process of awakening is very different from just saying to somebody: "Here is a set of rule. Just trust them. Don't worry, just go to sleep."
The rules of Knowledge are very different because they say: "Awaken and accept, enjoy and understand. Dance with it."
Dance with your life.
How many people are out there going: "Let me teach you how to cope with your problems." But they can't because problems are like bacteria. They are always evolving. No matter what antibiotic you come up with, they will learn to beat it. It's a no-win situation; it will always evolve to a state where you won't be able to cope with it.
This is a wisdom that goes back a long, long, long time: don't try to deal with the bacteria. There is something else happening too: it is life, and it flourishes. Just accept that gift, and enjoy. That's how simple it is.
I doubt if you will be able to get rid of your concepts. But what you need is to be aware that there are elements embedded in you. That's all that is needed sometimes: awareness. There are elements embedded in you that can lead you astray, so don't be so cocky.
Humility is: "Maybe I don't know." I have a new mantra now and it works really well. I knew the mantra a long time ago, but I never used it, because it was a little bit of a question of pride. But now, I use it a lot. The benefits definitely outweigh a little hurting of the pride. And the mantra is: "I don't know." People ask me and I say: " I don't know." I haven't gotten really good at it, but it's new. I'm working on it. It's great. And I have suffered a lot less back pains, because every time somebody would come out with a problem, all you had to do was acknowledge it and they'd jump on your shoulders and say: "Here's the problem." Nowadays, it's a lot looser because all I have to say is: "I don't know."
A little humility can go a long way. But instead many people say: "I don't know about humility."
But what do I need to know? I need to remeber that my gift, my enlightenment continues every day. My gratitude grows - to experience something that has no end. And that gratitude grows. I am more thankful today than I was yesterday. And if I keep understanding and accepting that gift that I am being given, I know that I will be more thankful tomorrow than I am today. How? Because it is simple.
Accept the obvious.
A master should not be the one who introduces new ideas to you. The master should only be presenting to you what is obvious, what you already know.
Why is Knowledge so amazing? Because the place it takes you to is not new. Knowledge itself is so incredibly simple that even those who don't have it have at some point in their lives actually come across it.
Awakening sometimes is just to open your eyes; not to create the sunrise and the sunset. That's not what awakening is all about. Not to turn on a tape with birds chirping, that's not what awakening is all about. It is to open your eyes, to open your senses and to hear what's already there: to enjoy and appreciate.
Remember the importance of this life. This is something you should remember.
Imagine if you were to say to yourself: "Remember gratitude. Remember this life," how good it would actually make you feel. It would be incredible…
You have a magnificent sight to hold within. And you want to be ready for that. That's the show of shows that is taking place every moment in your life.
My heaven goes with me. My life is amazingly blessed, and I am very thankful. And that's how it should be for every one of you. That's how it can be for every one of you because when you say to the real master: "Well, master, you know, I won't get to that experience because you're the master, and I'm only the student," the master says: "No, that's not true. You can. You can beauty in your life, too."