To have Peace you need to practice Peace | Thus Spake Babaji - online Q&A, No.177

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To have Peace you need to practice Peace | Thus Spake Babaji - online Q&A, No.177
Recorded on 9 May 2024 with Malaysian participants.

0:00 Intro
0:15 How is religion the same as spirituality?
7:37 What steps can we take as a society to promote peace in this world?
12:33 What is the distinction between self-defence and being offensive?
18:03 How do we balance between fulfilling our worldly duties and ensuring that we don't compromise our duty to our Guru?
35:23 What is enlightenment and how do we know that we have achieved enlightenment?
39:23 Can we say that consciousness is Divine? Do we need the physical body to experience consciousness?

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Transcript

Discourse: In Quest of Truth – online Q&A no.177
 To Have Peace You Need to Practice Peace
You tube Link: https://youtu.be/He0GK-_WKQE 
Recorded: 09 May 2024

Start of Questions and Answers

Question:   Pranaam Babaji, Thank You for joining us today with the question sessions.  I will start sharing the first question.  Babaji, today the first question is in relation to peace - having peace, you need to practice peace.  Babaji previously mentioned that if we try to understand, both religion and spirituality are the same.  Religion means obligation to your duties and spirituality is the study of the Self as the spirit form, the infinite form.  But religion is an easily misinterpreted and misused word in this world.  Babaji, there are people in the world who have their own opinion about religion, the dos and the don’ts.  It's a struggle to understand the reason for certain practices that they promote, not being able to share the knowledge themselves, but simply expecting others to follow.  How can we navigate this situation, Babaji?  Please advise how religion is the same as spirituality.  

Babaji Maharaj:   First, we need to understand the basic definition of religion.  Even since younger days, I have always wondered why this religion was given to us by our forefathers or those great ancient sages, what is its use in our day-to-day life, what are the things that we have on which we have an obligation.  Then I heard from Swamiji - having been born as a human being, you have triple responsibilities.  One is to take care of the health of the physical body, because if you need to take care of the health of the mind, once the body is healthier, then we come to the spirit form.  Mind is in the spirit form, means it has no form, no such thing, only based on thoughts and visions we recognize a mind. Like nobody has seen the mind in naked eyes, it is infinite form.  But to control or keep it healthier, we need the help of the physical body.  So that is how they are interconnected.  So then, through the physical body, when we perform certain exercises, or in other words we can tell exercises are prescribed by great sages, the ancient sages, through which you can keep your mind healthier, cleansed so that it can overcome all its corrupted practices of selfish and narrow-minded thinking, it will be able to think in a broad-minded way, for a larger cause. 

So this is the second one, if the mind is healthier.  Through this mind only, you can reach the Ultimate Truth, the Self.  If the mind is also in the spirit form, its Ultimate Truth, imagine how it will be in a spirit form or infinite form. Like the space is visible, but the truth is not visible without proper knowledge or wisdom.  The same space is the truth, but space means we all have learned that it is a void place, simply, just nothing else. But it is not simply that much; it is the Ultimate Truth, it is the Supreme Consciousness.  

And now once the mind is healthier, in this world we will be able to uphold moral values; this is the third one.  Upholding moral values means consideration to each other - we all need each other. But often we see in the society we are selfish. When they need, they take it from us, but when they have to give, they refuse to give, they don’t want to give, whether it is love, simple love, understanding, gratitude or any such thing.  So, like this, if one understands the religion, taking care of the physical health, mental health and moral health, these three combined if you are practicing, you are really a real perfect, religious person, not otherwise.  Otherwise, the rest is all rubbish.  Other things are all people who have made it for their selfish interests; if they want to control somebody, a group in the society, if they want to exploit them, if they want to make them listen to their commands only so that they can be the leader, so they interpret and misinterpret the word religion, “This is what is written, this is what is written, you have to do this, you should not be doing this”. So, they are all rubbish things unnecessarily imposed on human beings.  So, it is essential that we understand what religion, obligation means, what are our duties.

  So, if anybody’s mind is healthier, his behavior in society, in the world will be of a mature way.  If all human beings are mature, imagine, there will never be any conflict; we all live for each other.  Like I used to dream, why is that human beings are always against each other? Why cannot they live for each other?  If that can happen amongst human beings first, other creatures we can think afterwards, but it is human beings which is needed first, that we all need to consider about each other, then all conflicts can come to an end, everybody can live happily and peacefully.  Possible if we learn to consider.  If I am hungry, all of you are also going to be hungry; that consideration needs to be in my mind, that is important.  Otherwise, “O, if I eat, that is enough, I am not going to bother.”  So, that is not religion, that is selfishness.  So, like this, we need to understand the religion in its right sense.  That is what I learned from my Guru, I learned from my experiences, seeing this world.  I would like to teach all of you, this is the real meaning.  

   Now I ask you all, all the youth, everybody, now you think whether you want to be a religious person or not. 

Question:   Thank You Babaji.  Next question.  Babaji said, “We don't have peac, because we talk of peace but don't practice peace.”  Babaji, can You please elaborate on this statement and what steps we can take as a society to bridge the gap and promote peace in this world?

Babaji Maharaj:   See, every religion has taught peace only.  Even our great ancient sages also, they taught peace; to achieve peace for you, so that you can give peace to others.  But in today's world, people often talk of non-violence, peace. if one is attacking the other, how can one practice non-violence? It will not be possible; you have to defend yourselves.  If that is taught, then they accuse that you are teaching violence; we are not teaching violence, but you have a right to defend yourself if somebody attacks you.  So, first if that somebody does not attack, so there will never be any need for you to become violent or to defend yourself; everybody can be non-violent, if one understands each other.  So, we all talk non-violence; “O, Buddha taught peace.”  Not that simply Buddha only taught peace, even Bhagavad Gita teaches peace, but the war was imposed on Pandavas, that's why Krishna said, “You have a right to defend yourselves.”  Otherwise, with the country, the culture, the knowledge, wisdom, everything will be destroyed if any other country invades.  So, that is what one wants to defend and protect.  This is what the thing is.  

So, that's why I wanted to tell, all over the world we get to hear that people talk about peace, peace, peace, but nobody wants to practice peace. Because when it comes to them, one country, they define in a different way, for others they give lecture in a different way, “O, you need to have peace, you should look after religious things properly, you should give freedom, you should give freedom of expression”, but in their country they allow violence against another country, they encourage if one country, some group of people are accusing another country, they are happy.  So, like this they talk double standards and how can there be happiness, peace?

Many times, people used to ask this question to me, “Why the world has conflicts?”  You know, when the First World War happened, after that League of Nations came into existence, but again Second World War came and that got abolished, League of Nations got dissolved, then after Second World War United Nations organization came; people really believed in the beginning that there is not going to be any war, any conflict anymore, because United Nations will not allow it to happen, but the wars have continued, conflicts have continued.  The very people who are controlling the United Nations, they want wars for their selfish needs, that's why conflicts have not come to an end. Means they talk peace but they do not practice peace, they do not allow others to practice peace.  We want to live peacefully in the Ashram.  If others come and attack us and try to take away our property, where is the peace?  

Everybody has to have peace, everybody must learn to give peace to each other, live happily with each other.  So, that's what we need to understand.  There is a thin edge of difference.  That's why I have always told “People talk of peace, but nobody wants to practice peace.”  Buddha practiced peace, our ancient sages all practiced peace. We all want to practice peace, our country also wants to practice peace, but if it is not allowed, then we will have to defend ourselves.  This needs to be understood properly about peace, that is why we talk about peace, but we do not practice peace, that is why there is no peace.  All of you note down in your diaries.  

Question:   Thank You, Babaji.  The next question is connected to what Babaji just mentioned.  Everybody has a right to defend themselves, but there is a thin line of difference, because defensive is different and offensive is different - the meaning changes.  Babaji, what is the distinction between self-defense and being offensive and why is it important to recognize the difference in various situations? 

Babaji Maharaj:   You see, first I would like to quote, long ago during our college days, fifty years ago in a science magazine, scientifically one scientist had told, “Earth always has had and will have enough resources to meet the need of humanity, but not its greed.”  That means Earth has so much of resources that all humanity can live happily, peacefully, can have food, can have shelter, if only humanity understands each other, learns to live for each other, consider about each other; this happens.  But it has not happened.  So that is why we tell there is a thin edge of difference between defense and offensive, means you want to live peacefully, but the neighbor is not happy that you have peace; they come and attack deliberately.  They want to tell you, “Your house belongs to me and you get out of your house”, then you are left with no choice but to defend yourselves.  If you are unable to defend, the neighbor will drive you away and take over your property.  

We live in the Ashram, and we want to have peace and we do not have any plans or ideas to invade anybody else's property, take away anybody else's property for our personal selfishness.  But some people whom Swamiji had permitted to live in the Ashram and do sadhana, they planned to rob Ashram's land and Ashram's property; they disturbed everything.  So, then where is the peace?  They disturbed the peace, first thing, first of all.  They did not allow us to live in peace.  In spite of that several times we requested, we told them, “Don't do this thing, this is very wrong, this is very unfair.  What you are doing is not proper”, but for their selfish interest, they tried to cut Ashram trees, take away Ashram lands more and more, encroaching upon, just all so that they could live comfortably in a large area.  So, then they went on pushing us.  So, what should we have done?  We had to take action, we had to defend, but there were no personality clashes, there was no hatred against anybody, there was no dislike, simply we had to defend against their actions.  

So, that is how offensive and defensive makes so much of difference.  If both the neighbors want to live peacefully, happily, there will be happiness; there will be peace.  “You live in your house, let me live in my house.”  Swamiji gave permission to them to stay at a place and do their sadhana.  If they had done sadhana and lived peacefully, we would have lived peacefully in our place; that is all.  And all of us could have lived peacefully in this Ashram.  They didn't behave like that one.  So, that is how in the world, countries don't allow other countries to have peace, they start claiming “This is mine and I am going to attack you.”  Every now and then the wars get declared and “You just listen to me.  If you don't listen to me, I will kill you, I will attack you.”  They want to exploit.  One country is happy, another country criticizes; deliberately they want to destabilize, so, “You don't observe any human values.”  The others are killing you - one terrorist comes and tries to kill you, so that is not a human right violation for them; they have a different definition.  But if you try to defend yourself against the terrorist, they will call “O, you are violating human rights.  You should not be attacking the terrorist.  That is a wrong thing.”  Suddenly organizations come, so, people are all selfish, double standards.  Everywhere in this world, in today's world, so that is what is happening.  That is why offensive and defensive are two different things - meaning changes; in the court of law also it changes.  The judge would like to know whether you are defending yourself or you had a planned offensive against another.  All these things matter so much, everywhere it matters.  That is why in the world, there is no peace.  They don't allow you to live in peace.  

Question:   Thank You, Babaji.  Next question.  Babaji, this question is about duty and spiritual life.  Babaji mentioned in one of Babaji's talks, “if you are not able to give up the business for duties’ sake and your mind is not accepting that situation, then you are wasting physical energy and your mental energy is also getting consumed, unnecessarily drained off.  If you think that you have to take up and there is no choice and it is your duty, then try to see that the mind doesn't go into brooding.  For that only destiny is taught in spirituality.”

Babaji, if this is our destiny, how do we balance fulfilling our worldly duties, which can be quite demanding and time consuming and ensuring that we do not compromise our duty to serve our Guru?

Babaji Maharaj:   You see, generally every individual chooses his or her own path, “I want to become like this, and I want to be like this.”  Then the journey begins.  When you choose a path, in the beginning it can be very pleasurable; you will have a lot of dreams and then you adopt. Then adopting, that becomes your responsibility; you have to go on the path, you cannot simply give up, you want to go on.  When you are going, if a certain thing makes you unhappy, if you want to regret, then it was your mistake that you chose the line. But if you do not regret it, you accept… See, I chose to come to Ashram and live with my Guru; it was my decision.  Swamiji did not force me, nobody forced me, anything.  Like everybody else choosing if they wanted to marry, they wanted to live in the world, they wanted to have a job, anything they were doing, like that I chose to come and live in the Ashram like a monk, so it was my choice.  When I chose, I have no right to go into a brooding, “Why this is happening, why this happened, why this happened with me?”  That is why I had to accept, “I was destined to undergo because I chose to come here.  ‘I should not have chosen, I should have gone somewhere else’; if I have regret or brooding, but I do not have any regrets.  That is what I told my mother also, “Please send me.  I will not regret anything.  I love Swamiji.  Enough, that’s it.  I just want to be there.  Come what may be I am happy.”  Once I loved Swamiji, then we will not bother what happens in the Ashram, “Why this has happened to me?” - that’s fine.  Just because I loved Swamiji; “If this is going to happen, it is acceptable.  Okay, no problem, let it happen.  As much as possible for us, we will try to live this life and we will try to fulfil our duties.”  So, that is what we try to teach.  

You choose any line, no problem, it is your choice; you have a choice, you can exercise that choice.  Now also, in a simple way, whether you want to meditate or you don’t want to meditate is your choice purely. I am nobody, I cannot impose it on you, because first, I have to accept you as a student, as a disciple, and then you also have to accept me as a Guru, and then you have to tell that you are ready to take my commands, then I can give you command.  You all want to participate in this session, Zoom session.  If you want to participate, then I would expect that you all will listen to me when I ask you “Sitting in any comfortable posture, keeping your back and neck straight, gently close your eyes”, means follow that as a command. Because you have accepted this Zoom class, you have come to participate, then you have to follow these rules.  I am conducting meditation; you cannot afford to keep opening your eyes and just look here and there.  So, then I will pull you up.  I will have the right to pull you up.  You must not regret, because you chose to come and participate in the Zoom.  See, all those people who have not come to participate in this Zoom session, we do not have any brooding, any complaints against them, “Why they did not come?”  We send the links to so many people in the list.  One fourth might have come to participate, other three fourth might not have come; they may have their own reasons, and we have no right to brood about it.  It is fine, no problem, whoever is here we would like to expect that they will follow.  So, that becomes their duty.  They chose it.

Like that everybody chooses their life, their path.  What we tell - once you have chosen, fulfill those duties, then in the midst of such duties, if you want to achieve certain things, you have to take out certain time.  Like you want to keep your physical body healthier, you have to take out time for certain exercises, yoga abhyas, yoga postures or any exercises, and if any illness happens, you have to take out time to meet a medical expert and take his advice.  You cannot afford to say, “I do not have time to take medical advice, because I am busy fulfilling my responsibilities.”  No, then your health will be spoiled.  You cannot have proper health, then you will spoil.  The doctor advises, “Don't eat this thing.  Eat like this, eat like this.”  Then you have to follow.  He will advise some medicines; you have to take it.  Everywhere this thing comes, you see?  So, then you will be able to understand the duties and responsibilities.  Then you will be able to achieve. 

In the same way, when we try to teach you, we don't tell you that you have to give up your responsibilities, your way of life, nothing.  You are married, that's no problem.  We have no complaints, we don't make any fun; anybody can marry, anybody need not marry. It's up to them, it is one's own choice.  Many times people try to put the blame on the Guru.  Very cunningly they keep asking the Guru, “Should I do the business, should I do meditation?”  I tell “You choose what you want to do, it's your choice.  Everything you want to ask;  should I be telling you whether you need to go to the toilet or not?  You have to decide whether you need to go or not.”  Like that many people keep asking questions to me, “What should I do?  Do I do this business, do I do that business?”  It's your choice.  From my side I will pray for you, I will bless you.  Then you have to do karma.  From my side if you want meditation, I will initiate you, then you have to do your karma.  You have to sit down one hour every day, the way that I have told - every time instruction will be read. In the same way that we have instructed that you sit down every day, taking out any convenient time and meditate, then that is your job to understand, that you have to sit straight and you can sit any comfortable posture that is permitted. And then you have to keep your eyes closed and then you have to concentrate your mind and sight in between eyebrows.  That is all your job.  If you start crying, "O, I cannot do it.  You do it for me"… Means, I did it for myself.  I did meditation and tapas; that was myself that I became Self-realized, and that Self-realization cannot be given to anybody else.  If that was the case, then Swamiji would have given His Self-realization to hundreds and millions who came to Him. But He wanted everybody to meditate. 

So, when the Guru says, then that's your job, you have to meditate.  So, like this, duties, responsibilities will be there and somewhere you have to take out time if you want to achieve a certain thing.  That is how we have to go.  That is what our teaching means.  We don't ask you to give up your life or your house or any such thing.  People who don't want to do purusharta, who don't want to put effort, who don't want to work, they look for escapisms so that they can sit comfortably, and everything comes by Guru's grace.  I hope everybody is listening to me.  This is our teaching, what our Guru taught us.  One has to learn.  The Guru tells you the path, He shows you the way, He switches on the torch and shows you the path.  Then you have to get up and start walking.  You have to do some purusharta.  That is necessary.  So, like that you have to go in your life.  Then the decision is right for you if you don't regret.  If you keep regretting “O, what happens?”   People want to say, "I want to do business", then they want the Guru to say that “You do this business, then that business must become successful.”  Then they must earn millions of dollars.  That is the condition they put on the Guru.  They expect the Guru should do this.  I will pray for you; you do business.  You try to know which business is good for you, which way you want to do.  Every business will have its own risk.  Anything that you like - you get married, it will have its own risk.  How can we guarantee about another person, a spouse who it is going to be, whether your husband or your wife, what the behavior of that person is.  

But there is one formula - if you learn to adjust and manage.   If you learn to practice self-control, if you practice meditation and eventually realize the Self, if you have control over your mind, you can carry on in this world, no problem.  Ten hot-tempered people will be around you who are ready to kick you all the time, who are ready to use foul language on you, who are ready to scold you; no problem!  You can maintain your peace and you won't lose anything, you can handle all of them.  All this will be possible, not by a miracle, by your efforts.  You should have your mind control, that you don't have a loose tongue, have composure, peace, observe how to handle the situation; think about it, then accept - when nothing happens, you cannot do anything further, the result comes, then accept it as the destiny.  

That is what I have always told; this is where destiny has been taught.  Not before trying anything, you must not think about the destiny at all, then sitting in a corner becomes your destiny and nobody can help you.  You have to work it out.  After working out also if nothing happens… You have to fight a war, then if you get killed, accept it.  It's no problem, it's not a shame.  Like in life also, I tell that there is no such thing called correct decision, ever.  You take; whatever you feel - “This is the decision I want to make”, and go ahead with that one.  If that is a failure, there is no shame, it's no problem.  Swamiji took a decision to give that small place within the Ashram compound to a person, asking him “You meditate here, you be the guardian”, but he betrayed.  He didn't listen to Swamiji.  So, it was no shame for Swamiji because Swamiji trusted him; He believed and He told “You sit and you look after and you do your sadhana also”. But if he did not do that one and if he did not do sadhana, it was not Swamiji's fault.  So, there is no regret to Swamiji why He took such a decision; He believed, He trusted.  So, like that we have to trust that everything will be all right and take a decision and go ahead.  In spite of all this, if anything happens, we have to accept that as destiny so that our mind does not get disturbed.  We don't go crying.  We will be strong.  “No problem, it has not happened, we will try again.  Today meditation has not come, no problem, we will try it tomorrow.  We will sit again.  How will it not come?  It will come.  Let my mind become quiet.”  Then one day we realize “It is me who has to become quiet.  I cannot simply blame somebody else, I have to become quiet.  I have become chatterbox; I have become habitual to these dramas.  I must stop this.”  

If somebody doesn't want to do it, they again call me and they again put pressure on me, “I cannot do, I am unable to do” - then what to do? You don't do it.  But when they don't do it, “The Guru did not help me.”  They want to find a scapegoat.  We all always try to find a scapegoat in God.  “God did not give me happiness”, we tell.  We did not work out for our happiness.  Simply Buddha, same Buddha said, "Constant cravings of the mind is the basic reason for all unhappiness.”  If you all can overcome all cravings of the mind, you have happiness.  If you don't have happiness, you have not yet worked out properly as taught by your Guru.  You have to work out, then you will have happiness.  So, the cravings have to come down.  That nobody wants to do.  Everybody tells “Buddha taught peace, Buddha taught non-violence, Buddha was like this.  I want to accept Buddhism, Buddha, Buddha”, but they don't want to work out.  Buddha worked out.  Buddha sat for meditation long, long time and worked out that His consciousness became quiet; all the cravings ended.  The same thing we all have to work.  Everybody has to work.  You all have to work.  Then you will overcome the craving, then you will have happiness.  You don't have to cry.  If the entire world gets destroyed, we don't have to cry.  Another world will be created.  If our body goes, if needed another body will come, that is all what to do.  

So, this is what I have tried to teach in these points about destiny, about defense and offense, about working out, taking decisions in life, all these things are all there.  This is what, simple way.  Usually, no gurus teach all these things.  They will talk so many other things, but Swamiji talked in a very simple way, transparently – “You have to sit and meditate”,  He said. “You do it.”  This is what people need to learn, understand.  I hope all of you have been listening to me all this time.  

Question:   Thank You, Babaji.  What is enlightenment?  How do we know that we have achieved enlightenment; will our meditation be the same even after achieving enlightenment, and what do we do after achieving enlightenment? 

Babaji Maharaj:   You see, enlightenment is a common word, that's why Swamiji was really not happy to use this enlightenment.  He wanted to use the word Self-realization, atmasakshatkaar, because that is particularly mentioned.  Though enlightenment is synonymous with spiritual Self-realization, ‘Buddha became an enlightenment soul’, like that.  Enlightenment, you become enlightened, you become aware of the truth.  Atmasakshatkaar also, you become aware of yourself as that atman; that is the enlightenment when you practice meditation.  You will know that; your attention will go to yourself when all other thoughts and visions stop.  Don't listen to pseudo gurus who will tell “You are already realized, you already did, you have done this.”  Nothing. Your mind has to become totally quiet once for all, naturally it must remain quiet, it must not picturize.  Like I have told, even if you are talking to me or I am talking to you, my mind will not picturize or dramatize anything; it is quiet, totally quiet.  No craving is there.  Simply quiet.  When it is quiet, its attention turns to itself; it is in the awareness of the Self.  Just like if your eyes and mind stop watching the movie, then your attention turns to you sitting on the chair.  In the same way, mind when it stops its thinking and visions, everything, then its attention turns to itself.  That is known as Self-realization, but it is not as easy as we are talking.  Don't try to adopt and tell tomorrow that “I have become Self-realized.  Is this Self-realization?”  Self-realization you have to work out a long time.  Like, important, Swamiji said, "One hour when you achieve that your mind remains totally silent and focused on to the point, that is real meditation, till then you are trying to meditate.  And that meditation, if you can do it for eight to ten hours in a stretch, you can keep the mind quiet, then the tapas begins. Then the burning of all acquired habits of the mind begins, then one day you will achieve.”  That must be achieved; that is enlightenment.  After achieving enlightenment, until you are alive in the body, you will help others, you will not be selfish, and you will not be boasting that you have become Self-realized, and everybody needs to bow to you and do your puja.  All selfishness, narrow-mindedness, everything will disappear.  As long as there is selfishness in you, you have a narrow-minded thinking, you are never Self-realized.  You must know this one.  Don't simply assume that you are Self-realized.  You have to go for that one, and then, as long as you are alive, you will help others.  

Question:   Thank You, Babaji.  Babaji, can we say that consciousness is divine?  Is consciousness the same as our life force, and can we witness the consciousness without the physical body, or we need the physical body to experience consciousness? 

Babaji Maharaj:   You need the physical body to experience that consciousness of existence.  In your mind, there are millions of thoughts and visions, and they are all imaginations, do not exist in any way, at any time, but amongst them there is one thing, the consciousness of your existence; you always feel that you exist.  It's a different thing, just now that consciousness has shifted onto the body, and you think about your personality.  Like, for example, if I call you Aruna, you will start thinking of this body as yourself, and all personality status, everything comes; that is because of imagination, misidentification.  And then if you lose all this, if you overcome in meditation, what remains is the consciousness of existence.  That is the pure form.  That is never corrupted, because no selfishness is there.  It becomes universal, that universal oneness, then eventually it merges.  Its Ultimate Truth is recognized as Divinity, Divine.  Supreme Consciousness is recognized as the Divine.  That is why in ancient scriptures they have told, “It is omnipresent; it is all pervaded; it's simply everywhere.”  Bhur bhuvah swah tat savitur varenyam, it is simply all pervaded, on this earth, above in all the worlds, below in all the worlds, throughout, everywhere you go, that truth is there everywhere.  So, like that it is all pervaded.  That is why it is Divine.  Because that is how it has become Supreme.  Nothing is beyond that Supreme Consciousness.  

So, thus, that consciousness is the life current.  Everybody talks of the prana, life current, body, dying, living, all these things.  When that consciousness becomes quiet, gets detached from the brain, and the brain stops functioning, that's when we call it, “Death has happened.  The soul has departed.”  All these terminologies and sentences have been used.  So, that's what is known as ‘consciousness is the Divinity.  Mana hi Ishwar, ancient sages also have sung this.  Like Thyagaraja sung ‘manasuloni marmamunu telusuko’; every secret is in the mind, and ‘mana hi Ishwar’ means ‘mind is the Divinity.’  If it becomes purified, the Divine is revealed.  If it is thinking of selfishness, corrupted way in this world, that Divinity goes behind and the curtain of maaya closes that one.  You have to remove that curtain of the illusion, then the Divine is revealed.  For that you have to meditate.  

Facilitator:   Thank You, Babaji.      

End of Questions and Answers

Babaji Maharaj now concludes:

   It was a very nice session, Aruna.  Thanks for asking.  Very good questions came up, giving me an opportunity to share my experiences, what my Guru taught, and transparently in a simple way, I have tried to answer. You follow this, and you can achieve it to yourself.  Try to understand every question and every answer.  

   May you all be blessed by Swamiji.  

End of Session