This is a great learning lesson. You can learn these things only through work. So we work and it all comes out in the open for us to see how we are in a work situation, individually and collectively, by ourselves and with others, and as a group also. It is the best active form of sadhana; just sitting and meditating is not enough, you do not go through these processes and you do not have the opportunity to learn to see this. That is the thing you have to do – this is real, dynamic sadhana, unlike the screaming and shouting, so-called dynamic meditation. That to me is ‘asuric’ meditation therapy, demonical, and that is what you see in the personality makeup of the people practising it. Work is the best therapy and when done with the right attitude and an offering unto the Divine it is self-transforming, elevating and exalting.

It was for some time quite problematic here – the workers running to the authorities and to anyone and everyone spreading lies all the time, ganging up on us, and it spreads as an idea; and to take advantage they falsify, to pressurize us to conform to their unjustifiable claims and lies, “Oh they did this and they did that,” which adds to the complications. So you have to be watchful when you are handling these people, but will have to be looking at oneself too and how we go about treating them, not adding to the complications ourselves. We can give them affection and kindness but don’t let them take advantage of you either – human nature. When they are working here they are also going through things. I tell you, my field of force and consciousness is effective and affecting to a great distance, so things will be coming up in them just as they come up in you. They do not know how to deal with it, but you do, so you have to be more watchful and aware to avoid needless trouble. That is why they used this tactic because they know how to pressurize and extort. They have gotten used to doing it because of the corrupt work culture prevalent here thanks to venal corrupt government officials, and have found it profitable, and so are doing it here with us too. Human nature. Anyway they have learned their lesson so now for the future Pr is going to get the work agreement papers done. That is why I was so particular when some workers were trying to instigate the others to join them to extort more money out of us, and I said to find out who were the mischief-makers and throw them out. They cannot do that here. I do not care if the construction gets delayed because of this but I do not want them to behave like this here. I do not care if it takes one life-time or ten life-times. If we have decided and committed our life to this then we carry on, and if we have not we can all pack our bags and go.

That is why the soul has to decide, make a choice to stand committed. I have done that, otherwise I lived here alone for six years, I could live all my lifetime like that, but I have committed myself to this work now and I stand committed. You people also have to look at yourself and see whether you stand committed, then it becomes easier and we can work together in a much better way, in harmony, otherwise there will be conflicts, much struggle, and the workers are not in that way knowledgeable. We are at an advantage, for we know, they do not know, so really they are at a disadvantage in that sense. They do not know how to deal with the things that may come up in them and are easily and totally identified and misled. They are not sadhaks, you are, although they too are going through this natural evolutionary process. So let’s help them without complicating it from our side. That is why you will have to guide them to the best thing and right behaviour, and at the same time be protective of this place and the situation we live in. So if you are efficient, if you are aware, if you do things in the right way, all together, and everybody knows what is happening, communication included, you will reduce the problem. This is called right living, right action.

Buddha is saying the same thing. In the Gita, Krishna is teaching Arjuna the same thing, “Yogaha karmasu kaushalam.” The beginning of Yoga through action is to develop these skills, skill to manage people, work, communication, and watchfulness of oneself and behaviour, all this comes in it, besides being the means to an inner freedom while you yet do. These are the foundations before we can reach to Yoga. Not to carry on as usual: this place is special, this is a laboratory, this is where you are working with yourself while you yet work with the outside. You are made conscious, there is a pressure to change, to look at yourself and be responsible and accountable for your actions. Outside you can get away with your egos, you may get away basically with your excuses – here that will not happen. So there will be greater pressure but that is why you are a sadhak.

You are a sadhak who has committed to a different life, better and greater way of doing things and as a means to a greater and profounder consciousness and so you must communicate and cooperate. Sometimes there are personal equations, you do not want to talk to somebody, you have some ego problems coming up – there will be resistances. You have to overcome all that, that is why you are here. Otherwise it will never create harmony and the work will suffer, and I see these things happening. I see how these personal equations are coming in the way of people who are supposed to be working together. It happens all the time, you have to go beyond the personal egos, the touchiness of the ego. If it is not pleasant and something is bothering you, talk it out, work it out, clean it up and finish with it. Hold no grudges.

Easier said than done but done it must be through application, that is why you are a sadhak and you remind yourself of that. You are a work in progress. You must keep that objective clear, the work you are doing here is the priority, that is the objective. The little personal conflicts, the pettiness of the ego must go, that is why the Gita gives the perspective it does. “This is right, that is wrong, I am right, you are wrong”; all this constant strife, no – rather get me out of this pettiness, let me sort this out. That is why I told Pr, “You have your short-comings too.” Everybody should have shown maturity and sat together; you should have done it by yourselves without me having to intervene, but the ego will come in, “Why should I?” I can give you the space, time and room to work it out but work it out you must; if you are working it out I am happy. I know it is nature, prakriti, whether individual or universal, and at certain levels it is very difficult. The ego identification can be so strong.

Also your personality can get in the way, because each of you in your personality have developed in a certain way and each so different, but you will have to work that out if you want to make progress individually, personally, as well as collectively. That is why I said this place looks very simple but the work being done here is comprehensive and complete, although not necessarily comfortable. You will not be able to boil coffee with your finger here. That is all rubbish anyway, all nonsense – this is really ‘down-to-earth’ work. It is to transform the earth. I have seen these so-called ‘great’ people with so-called ‘great’ spaces, satori, and all that with small-minds and petty behaviour! Working at a grassroots level is something else – and then you have everything, then it matches with the higher. There is no match otherwise. It is like what they say in India: somebody who is a crow trying to be a swan. Do you understand? The Swan is beautiful and the crow is not, and if you have to choose which will you choose? That is the saying, “Kauwa chale hanski chaal,” – the crow is trying to impersonate the swan.

So there is a lot of work and we have to work at the subconscious level, the lower, the physical, and all of our personality has to be seen for what it is and what it is not. That is why I am not popular, but I do not care. This is how I have worked with myself and this is the right thing so I have to give you that; I am not going to fool around. We can fool around, play mischief, joke and everything, but this really is the hard truth if you really want to progress, to lay the foundation for sadhana, to lay the foundations of sadhana. This is a great place if you are committed. You look into yourself, introspect sincerely and find out if what I am saying is true. If it is not, throw it out. My relationship with you all is only from there, not elsewhere. If you find that it is not worth it, you are free to decide. I have no other relationship. This is my job so if you can gain something and feel you can, then it is worth it. That is why Ramakrishna used to tell Vivekananda who was his favourite, “If I do not see God in you I am not even going to look at you.” That is my relationship with you too. If you are going to understand and benefit by it then this is a great place to be, it is a great relationship to have. We do not have a worldly relationship, I do not work in that way. I left everything and came here – friends, father, mother, brother, family. They may come to see us, join us and walk with us, but I have no such relationships otherwise and yet all these relationships have to be transformed and elevated in the light of God. What did Jesus say when he was sitting with the people and they said, “Your brothers and mother have come to see you.” He replied, “Who is my brother, who is my mother?”

So I do not have that kind of relationship – relationship of ignorance, where I am going to pamper you. I will speak my mind, I will open you to yourself. In that is your gain, not mine. I have no gain; yes I have a vision. I know what needs to be done. Really, it is up to us: to make the difficult easy, to turn poison into nectar, that is the thing, that is what a sadhak is supposed to do. It is up to you, otherwise normally it is gold being turned into clod, nectar being turned into poison and the easy, difficult.

Do not get egoistic about sadhana. You may think you are special and therefore you are here. No, rather, you are being made special through the sadhana that we do here! When you really start experiencing the consequences of it, then you will not talk about it in that way anymore. It is tough, it is hot. When you have dealt with your own problems, your own self and the darkness, then you will have to deal with the outside. That is why I am not popular. Do you think Jesus was popular? The people who were with him were being persecuted, he himself got crucified. Of course, I am not the type who will get crucified, neither do I want others to get crucified. I am more of a fighter.

And anyway sadhana is a fight, fight with ourselves first and the darkness within. You have to look at yourself, many things you have to deal with, but as I said, you have to be honest with yourself. Continue to look at yourself, take your time, but be sincere, then you will make progress. When you deal with it at this level, the gain you will have from your sadhana is much much more than just sitting and enjoying some space and energy. They will not last. It cannot work. It will not bring the complete transformation. That is the problem with the ego – people may get great spaces, satori, and even magical powers, all of these things but there is no real transformation. Nothing has really been worked out at the life-level. You may acquire siddhis, powers; you may gain name and fame – and that may be the worst thing to gain, it is a real problem. It only develops the ego further. Their stupidity continues, their criminal nature also continues, how can this be evolution? They just become powerful to commit more of it or stay in some space avoiding it. That is not evolution.

You see the construction department always inspires me. That is why it is taking such a long time – so that it continues to inspire me. And the book publishing department people will get more material. K. is so happy now. Firstly because my object of conversation is shifted to the construction department instead of him. He has ‘laddus’ in both hands, firstly he is not in the focus, secondly he is going to gain because the books may increase, so he is gaining on both sides. Otherwise he becomes the focus of my talk which is not so pleasant! It is like having sweet and bitter at the same time. Here it is sweet and sweet, bitter is with somebody else.

So it is a great place, I do not know why you think it is not such a great place! Anyway, mind is mind. Yes, what is wrong with the place? You cannot find a better place – there are trees, birds, butterflies, snakes, jackals, night visits by leopards – it is just that there are some people here too and that is the problem! But if there were no people you would be bored. So with the people there is a problem, and without the people there would be boredom. Without the people I was in bliss, and with the people I am in their problems, solving them, but I accept it – that is the difference between you and me. Anyway after all this activity, if I am alone now I would be ‘bored’. Surely you do not believe that!? You people have inspired me so much, excite me so much, that if you were not there then I would be twiddling my thumbs, what to do next? Surely you do not believe that!? Without all that, which I have now developed as my personality, I would feel empty, vacuum; even cricket would not have the same taste, pasta also, because this works up an appetite! Surely you do not believe this!?

Life is also a circus, why do you take it seriously, for you are only jokers in the pack of God’s play. So look at life in that way – you are just jokers. Take the roof of the house away, and you will be living it, it will be like a reality show. I was accepting of the disaster when the whole ashram got washed away in half an hour after working so hard, ten years of blood, sweat and tears, in half an hour it was completely flattened and washed away. Now we are constructing again, but as soon as it is ready, maybe it is waiting for the next catastrophe to happen.

Our construction is different. Have you seen X’s? I can never be part of such atrocious construction. It is done without any conscience, without any thought, without any intelligence. Our work is different, our every work is sadhana. It will take time also because you are trying to establish a way of working in the consciousness here. That is why you have to struggle because it is not there. But If you work like X then work outside will be finished quickly but no work is done in the inside where it matters, and my consciousness will not allow it to be done in the usual way. In one year you will have the full ashram ready, money will also come. But my consciousness rejects certain things, cannot accept that way of working, goes against my nature and conscience, so that acts as the barrier!

Arya Vihar

6 Oct 2009