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00:00Anything that comes to you masquerading as spiritual, you ask.
00:06Where is I in it? Where is the self in it?
00:09How is it related to the intimate facts of my life?
00:16Anything in spirituality that takes you away from the immediate realities of life is just I wash.
00:26It has to be related to me.
00:28If it is really spiritual, then it should not involve belief of any kind.
00:35No beliefs please sir.
00:36Because if we have to trade in beliefs, then my belief is as good as yours.
00:40Anything that has even an iota of belief is not fit to be called as religious.
00:46Religion is not belief.
00:48Beliefs are never your own.
00:50They keep changing anyway.
00:52Today you believe in one thing, then some new baba enters the market and you do something else.
00:56And you start believing in that.
00:58If it is truly mine, then we won't call it a belief, then we'll call it my own realization.
01:03I know, I don't believe, I know.
01:08Hi sir, my name is Nikhil Rane.
01:10I am a software developer.
01:11I am a software developer.
01:12So you have played a major role in increasing the clarity with which I pursue life.
01:16So thank you very much for that.
01:18Also, you just said that dispassionate observation is the key for right action to emerge by itself.
01:26So that right action will happen.
01:29So when I hear the word observation, the first thing which comes into the front and center of my mind is meditation.
01:36Like it's been years now, I heard about some gurus who say that meditation is all about observing our thoughts.
01:43Then there are others who say that don't observe, just chant something a particular number of times per day.
01:51And then there are some western gurus who say, who basically propel this idea that you don't have to do meditation and act per se.
02:00You just have to observe something with the utmost of your attention, like even if you are going through a park, you see a flower and then give it 100% of your attention and that is the highest most meditation you can possibly with.
02:13So I want to ask this link between observation and meditation, does it exist?
02:18What exactly is meditation?
02:19No, technically some of what you have said is proper, but practically there are problems, great problems and entire humanity has suffered out of those problems.
02:29See, we said that when you look at yourself, it's not your greatness you will see shining forth, right?
02:44You will see squandered opportunities, you will see bondages, you will see greed, lust, all kinds of lies, fears, that's what you will see, right?
02:53And those things are not pleasant to see, are they?
02:59There is a thief within us, who does not want to be caught.
03:05He is the one we are calling as the liar, he is the jealous one.
03:09And since he is a thief, he is also always afraid.
03:13He sits within all of us, each one of us.
03:17Do you intimate a thief in advance that you are coming to observe him?
03:24That's the practical problem.
03:26When you sit down to meditate, you already know that you are meditating.
03:31And meditation that is known as meditation is no meditation at all.
03:36If you know you are meditating, you are fooling yourself.
03:40And therefore I say meditation has to be a continuous thing like your heartbeat, like your breath.
03:47Otherwise you have told yourself in advance, you know this is time to meditate, sit down, close your eyes.
03:53Let there be no noise.
03:55The thief has already gone into hiding or the thief will now come across as a saint, suitably dressed.
04:07You have to catch yourself red handed.
04:12And therefore there can be no appointed time or method or place for meditation.
04:20Else what you will see within will be a projected thing, not an actual one.
04:27Isn't that obvious?
04:30And that's why meditation succeeds only superficially.
04:36It succeeds to the extent that for a while, the thief will be forced to come across as saintly, for a while.
04:44So for that duration, there will be no theft.
04:47But then you cannot meditate that way all the time, closing your eyes.
04:51You have to drive your way to the office.
04:54And your meditation requires you to close your eyes.
04:57How will you drive?
04:59And have you seen what kind of thoughts swarm your mind when you are driving your way to the office?
05:04Seen?
05:05Seen?
05:06All kinds of ugly and evil thoughts.
05:10Can't I punch the boss today?
05:15Why do I have to necessarily swipe the card?
05:20All kinds of thoughts.
05:24Mornings are a tense time in a place like Bengaluru, aren't they?
05:28Look at the morning traffic.
05:30And the kids have to be packed off to school.
05:33And everybody is behind schedule.
05:38Everybody, irrespective of what your schedule is or who you are.
05:45Now that's the point to look at yourself.
05:50But you are already done with your meditation at 7.30 am.
05:55So how will you look at yourself at 9 am?
05:57Tell me.
05:58That's a box you have already ticked off.
06:02Meditation done.
06:04And I am not denying that there would be some beneficial effect.
06:09Beneficial effect you can get even if you sit silently anywhere for 10-15 minutes.
06:16Even for 5 minutes if you can just sit silently anywhere, there would be some benefit.
06:21But let's not call that as meditation.
06:24Meditation is something secret.
06:27Let's not bring it down to that level.
06:31You watch a flower and that is meditation.
06:34Why just a flower?
06:37Why not all the rash that is sprayed on the road?
06:42Why flower?
06:44Think of it.
06:45Why this bias?
06:46Why is the spiritual imagery so obsessed with the reproductive part of plants?
06:52I mean there are other things about plants, right?
06:55Why not leaves?
06:57Flower, flower, flower.
07:00That way human beings too have flowers in their bodies.
07:05Equivalence, nothing more than that.
07:11Is it vulgarity?
07:12No?
07:13Are you getting it?
07:21Since the one within is at work all the time.
07:28He is the thief.
07:31He is the one called Maya.
07:35Maya is never at rest.
07:38How do you afford to take your eye off?
07:46It rises within and you should be able to know,
07:49Yes this is happening.
07:50Yes this is happening.
07:51Yes this is happening.
07:52Yes this is happening.
07:53I see it is happening.
07:54You don't have to say it should not happen.
07:56You don't have to abet it say,
07:57Yes it must happen.
07:58But if you know it is happening,
08:00then the right consequence follows.
08:03What is the right consequence?
08:05You don't have to know it in advance.
08:07It just happens and that's called faith.
08:09To know yourself and allow the right thing to happen,
08:12even without knowing what the right thing is.
08:18I don't know what the right thing is nor do I know what the consequences of that right action might be.
08:23Yet, because it is right, I submit myself to it.
08:26That's faith.
08:31That's also Nishkaam Karam.
08:33Desireless action.
08:38Do you get this?
08:41This is meditation sir.
08:44Is it not?
08:46Or should I rather stop speaking and sit here down and...
08:52You like me on my legs, not on my haunches.
08:55Right?
08:57Should we meditate together?
08:59Let's do that.
09:00Play some beautiful music.
09:09When I first heard that, I said this is psychedelic.
09:12I was coming out from college so...
09:14It was psychedelic.
09:16Why are they doing this to meditators?
09:19Then I discovered that's just another form of intoxication.
09:23So it suits that the music itself sounds so much psychedelic.
09:31And all fanciful imageries.
09:33Imagine you have landed on the moon
09:36and there is a great pool of fresh water in front of you.
09:39Sir, there is no water on the moon.
09:41But you imagine.
09:42Okay, I am imagining.
09:43Now...
09:44Now you can see the image of the moon in the water.
09:48But I am on the moon.
09:51Alright, you imagine it's the image of Jupiter.
09:54Sir, from the moon...
10:00You know of these things.
10:01This is called guided meditation.
10:03To meditate is to see who sits within and keeps misguiding you.
10:13Instead, you are choosing another one to misguide you.
10:15You already have one within.
10:17Getting it?
10:18Huh?
10:19Yes?
10:20Bring it closer to yourself.
10:21Bring it to the very ground of life.
10:34Anything in spirituality that takes you away from the immediate realities of life, is just eye-wash.
10:42It has to be related to me.
10:48My cup of tea.
10:50The time I spend in the kitchen.
10:52The time I spend driving.
10:54My kids, their state, their education.
10:58The decisions I have to make.
11:01What I see on the road.
11:03Why do I like certain birds?
11:08And I am worried.
11:09Well, summer is approaching.
11:10I need to keep some water for them.
11:13Yeah, my cat is wonderful.
11:15But why do I dislike stray dogs?
11:18This is...
11:19This is spirituality.
11:21These are the questions.
11:22One has to engage with.
11:26It's not about a particular kind of behaviour or attire.
11:30Or intonations.
11:39Or sacred marks.
11:42No.
11:43None of that.
11:46This is deliberate.
11:48I want to make a point.
11:49It does not have to do with your attire.
11:52Are you getting it?
12:03The truth that we all inwardly love, without even knowing we are in love.
12:11The truth is independent of time.
12:16It is independent of everything that's temporal, geographical, spatial, cultural.
12:26Spirituality has nothing to do with the clothes that you choose to wear.
12:31The language you speak.
12:32The way you behave.
12:38Whether you address someone as this or that.
12:47Facing a particular direction while eating or sleeping.
12:50No.
12:51What nonsense.
12:53Space time.
12:54Go to Advaita Vedanta and say it's a space time.
12:58Maya.
12:59Nothing more than that.
13:01When Maya is Maya.
13:02Whether left or right.
13:05Go to modern science.
13:06They will say yeah.
13:07The entire universe is a space time.
13:09How do you differentiate?
13:11And it's a very symmetrical universe.
13:13Which means irrespective of where you stand in the universe, the universe will look alike.
13:20So what do you mean by directions?
13:21Directions.
13:23Directions themselves are just human constructs.
13:27Just like the calendar is.
13:29I hate that February has 28 days and is sandwiched between 2 months of 31 each.
13:35Because that disturbs all my calculations.
13:38Why can't you have 3 months of 30 each?
13:40The number of days remains the same.
13:44No.
13:46But February has 28 days.
13:48No, it does not have 28 days.
13:50You decided that it will have 28 days.
13:53And therefore you can change it.
13:57And that brings us to something very important about real Adhyatan.
14:02It empowers you.
14:06Because it does not take you to some other worldly power.
14:10Some creator sitting in the skies.
14:13Therefore it gives you the right to change.
14:16If I did it, I can undo it.
14:17And how do I undo it?
14:18By just knowing that I did it.
14:19Once you realize you have done it.
14:20The change happens.
14:21The change happens.
14:22Effortlessly on its own.
14:23But if you think that 28 days of February are a divine mandate.
14:25Then you will never change.
14:26You have to see, you did it.
14:27And then you say, this is nonsensical.
14:28This makes no...
14:29Illogical.
14:30Illogical.
14:31This makes no...
14:32Illogical.
14:33The change happens.
14:34The change happens.
14:35The change happens.
14:36Effortlessly on its own.
14:37But if you think that 28 days of February are a divine mandate.
14:41Then you will never change.
14:45You have to see, you did it.
14:47And then you say, this is nonsensical.
14:49This makes no...
14:50Illogical.
14:51This makes no...
14:52Illogical.
14:53Hmm?
14:54Seeing that there is this, this thing called ego.
15:09Hmm?
15:10Which is in the absolute sense fictitious.
15:14When it...
15:15But in its own frame of reference, it thinks it is only truth.
15:19This thing called the ego.
15:21And this thing believes itself to be the doer.
15:25It is doing this, doing that, doing this.
15:27You observe its actions.
15:29You observe its mechanisms.
15:31So is it so simplistic?
15:34This is all?
15:35What about all the great scriptures then?
15:38The entire libraries of religious literature.
15:43If it is truly religious, it will boil down to nothing but this.
15:50And let me, take the liberty of saying that most of that,
15:56which passes off as spiritual or religious literature,
16:00is not religious at all.
16:03Story books.
16:06And sometimes very toxic stories.
16:09There is nothing religious about them at all.
16:12Spirituality is not about having a belief system.
16:17It is not about trusting in something.
16:20Aastha, Vishwas, Maneta, Dharana.
16:22You know, but you know, we all believe in this.
16:24We have a great faith that, that particular tree, will lead us beyond the stratosphere.
16:33So we said, one, anything that comes to you masquerading as spiritual, you ask, where is I in it?
16:49Where is the Self in it?
16:50How is it related to the intimate facts of my life?
16:56Don't tell me something that happened in the sixteenth century.
17:02Don't tell me how the world was created.
17:07Don't give me your cosmological beliefs.
17:10This is how God sat down and then he made.
17:12Don't give me all that.
17:13I am not concerned with that.
17:15My concern is this life, this single life that I am living.
17:21This ephemeral life in an infinite and uncaring universe.
17:24Think of the vast silence of the universe.
17:31It's unnerving.
17:32It's unnerving.
17:33And in that vast uncaring silence, here we are, with our dreams and ambitions and hopes.
17:41When was the big bang?
17:43Oh, they said so many billion years back.
17:47What's your life span?
17:50How many nanoseconds?
17:53In the cosmological scale?
17:56The second thing you must always ask.
17:59When you come upon something that claims to be religious or spiritual, does it involve belief?
18:11The first one you must test for presence, the second one you must test for absence.
18:16If it is really spiritual, it must involve you and your life.
18:22And the second one has to be tested for absence.
18:24If it is really spiritual, then it should not involve belief of any kind.
18:31No beliefs please sir.
18:33Because if we have to trade in beliefs, then my belief is as good as yours.
18:39If we have to trade in dreams, then you have your own thing to say, I have my own thing to say.
18:43And that's what leads to so much religious antagonism.
18:47No?
18:48You believe your god is the best, that one believes his god is the best.
18:55You believe yours is the last prophet, he says mine is the greatest one.
18:59And then there are crusades.
19:04Beliefs.
19:06Anything that has even an iota of belief, is not fit to be called as religious.
19:12Religion is not belief.
19:17Beliefs are never your own.
19:19They keep changing anyway.
19:21Today you believe in one thing, then some new baba enters the market and he reaches something else.
19:26And you start believing in that.
19:28If it is my own, then it is not called belief.
19:30It is called understanding or realization.
19:33All beliefs are important things.
19:36They come from elsewhere.
19:37No?
19:38If it is truly mine, then we won't call it a belief.
19:41Then we'll call it my own realization.
19:44I know.
19:45I don't believe.
19:46I know.
19:47Belief by definition is something that just very inadvertently, very unconsciously,
19:53either enters you or is implanted within you.
19:57Those are the things that we deal with.
20:03Those are the important questions.
20:07Are we one on this?
20:16Are we together?
20:17Yes?
20:18Have we?
20:19Don't be saved.
20:21I know.
20:22Think of something else.
20:23student Komm sommes an sangat penser.
20:24No part of this is happening.
20:25Understand.
20:26How is that?
20:28Know information, your son is the claimed to the world.
20:31That is what he chose you for benefit?
20:32Do you really?
20:33Donna?
20:35How is that?
20:36That is what you are Dun дней.
20:38Oh, you say did notettiweical I find, I don't believe,
20:41yes then, food requests.