Melbourne
Gradually it dawns upon you that the Grace is everywhere. You travel from Sydney to Melbourne. The city is slower, more relaxed, but the same heaven that you experienced in the Cross is being recreated in the Palais Ballroom, St. Kilda. Wherever premies gather together in love, the Grace works its magic in the most obvious way.
A crowd of 1100 have come to see Maharaj Ji. And listen to him, as Bob Mishler pointed out. He explained that we often become so blissed out that we miss everything profound and meaningful that he says for our own spiritual development. Maharaj Ji puts things so simply, Bob said, that sometimes it goes right by us; for instance, when he makes a point inside a joke. He then described how the public's reaction makes no difference to the devotee.
"That's the way the world probably sees us, as people playing a long shot. Or maybe they think we're completely deluded, but actually we know this isn't a long shot, this is a sure thing. And we know it's a sure thing because he's given us an experience that proves it to us. Maharaj Ji lets us see all the cards before we have to place the bets."
Bob emphasised the importance of hearing as much of Maharaj Ji's satsang as possible. He then gave an illustration of how most of the potential world leaders who might save humanity were in their sixties or seventies. However, he noted, there is one potential world leader who is only 16.
"He's got the time and the patience and because of the time we're living in, we also have the opportunity. But we have to have the patience and the perseverance to stick with it, see it through and make sure that we are a part of that job being done. Guru Maharaj Ji is going to get that job done but if we are going to be a part of it we have to stick with this meditation ourselves. If we do that, Guru Maharaj Ji's Grace can be channelled through our lives."
Following Bob's inspiring address, one of the evening's highlights was the Queensland DUO Director's graceful somersault to the microphone, followed by a heavy landing. As he scraped himself off the stage, reddened face captured for posterity by a quick camera, he uttered an immortal line for all to hear:
"I always wanted to be a clown for Guru Maharaj Ji."
Then Maharaj Ji arrived at last. He began satsang at his usual lightning speed, describing how this was the last of his Pacific tour and then he would be going to Hans Jayanti in Toronto, Canada. So, he emphasised, it is important to realize Knowledge because we come from that source and we have to go back to it.
"There is nothing so beautiful as this Knowledge, as this beautiful, beautiful, beautiful Knowledge. When this Knowledge has been revealed to us, by the Grace, there is only one thing left to do and that is this meditation."
Maharaj Ji compared the world to a desert, where all are searching for a glass of water. In this desert, all mistake pleasure for happiness and look to each other for help. If they compare themselves to the position of the world, Maharaj Ji pointed out, then premies should realize the Grace that has been given to them.
We all build conceptions about perfection, Maharaj Ji explained, so it's not surprising that from all the people he's met that atheists are the easiest to tell about God, as they have no conceptions, "no giant stories to cross over". Maharaj Ji declared that premies often create more concepts for themselves and others after taking Knowledge, instead of finding the facts in meditation.
"First of all, I understand that maybe a few premies here have not realized Knowledge. Really, for them, instead of trying to build more conceptions upon each other, try to take those conceptions away. Conceptions are not always facts. It is what we think it is."
He then gave the familiar example of the man stopping his car at a signpost, imagining he was at his destination. All scriptures point to God, Maharaj Ji affirmed, but people don't understand that that God is within us.
An amusing account followed of his experiments with electronics, of how he and some premies had spent over 200 hours making an oscilloscope which refused to work. But finally, he laughed, he managed to understand how all the electronic components fitted together. Maharaj Ji reminded premies that if they want everything to fit together, they have "got a few more steps to go."
The news dearest to the crowd's heart, however, came in the closing stages of Maharaj Ji's satsang;
"I think we have a very good chance of making the next Guru Puja in Australia. But it really really depends on how big you can expand yourselves … Meditate, try to give satsang to other people and blast off … Just try to understand because understanding is the whole word, it's the name of the game."
Durga Ji followed with a very beautiful analogy: Guru Maharaj Ji is like a man in a boat who has offered to take us across a river to the other bank;
"You have the choice every second, to stay in the boat or jump out of the boat. He's told you if you stay with me in this boat I'll protect you. As long as you're in my boat with me you have nothing to worry about. No matter what happens, we're going and we're on our way to our purpose, to why we were even born."
Durga Ji explained that often we're blind to the wonderful experiences that Guru Maharaj Ji gives us, but he's teaching us with every action that happens unti1 we understand that "with every breath we take, there's satsang."
Some devotees understand, Durga Ji continued, that no matter where Maharaj Ji sends them, it's perfectly all right. They completely trust in his Grace and realize that they can't always be in his physical presence.
"We have to become through Knowledge, through meditation, so pliant a clay, so flexible that he can mould us into any form that he chooses. Because the form that he chooses is the perfect form for each of us."
Then came, as Durga Ji described it, "the beautiful darshan of our Guru Maharaj Ji." Over a thousand people pranamed in quick time, accompanied towards the end by Ross Hannaford's heart-stirring rendition of "Fools Rush In" ("You opened up your lover's heart and this fool rushed in"). Maharaj Ji laughed as the premies clapped and sang along. He waved everyone to their seats, and as they were moving back, he made quick exit through the stage door. Half a gasp later he reappeared, then disappeared again. The Master's sudden games, like that moment jammed between thoughts, are the lessons of love which remain in everyone's hearts.
The next day Maharaj Ji left for a few days in Fiji, And then to Hans Jayanti, Canada.