The Mind - Its Shapes And Experiences | Thus Spake Babaji - online Q&A, No. 114

Register your free place for the live online meditation and Q&A with Babaji: https://www.shivarudrabalayogi.org/en/online-satsang 

Recorded on 29 October 2022 with worldwide participants.

0:00 Introduction from Babaji
1:41 What are the six shapes of the mind that the ancient sages spoke of?
16:00 Why are they no shapes of the mind that are positive?
18:23 People tend to have one type of behaviour that sticks with them, is that a special challenge for that particular person?
22:15 What happens that a person tends to automatically think of the greater good of everybody?
25:57 Can the mind control itself or is there something else which controls the mind?
28:46 What is the difference between suppressing and sublimating emotions ie when an anger flares up?
35:46 What is happening in the mind when we are happy, sad, frightened or confused - these are not shapes of the mind so what happens at this moment?
40:03 What is happening in a person when they feel insecure?
44:27 Is the liberated mind equal to Brahman itself?

Website: http://www.srby.org
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/shivarudrabalayogi
Twitter: https://twitter.com/SRBYmission
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/shivarudrabalayogi/

Register your free place for the live online meditation and Q&A with Babaji: https://www.shivarudrabalayogi.org/en/online-satsang

Website: http://www.srby.org
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/shivarudrabalayogi
Twitter: https://twitter.com/SRBYmission
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/shivarudrabalayogi/

Transcript

The Mind - Its Shapes and Experiences, Thus Spake Babaji, online Q&A #114

29 October 2022, Worldwide Participants, 46:42 

Babaji:

Always you be the master of your mind. Your mind is your conscious energy - and that is you. 

Do not be a victim of the brain all the time. You should be using the brain. Don't give rise to any negative thoughts, or any such depressions. You have nothing to miss. You are yourself, and you are that greatest wonder for which you are searching for. That peace, that Supreme Peace, that happiness - and that is in you only - it is nowhere else. 

So that's why first you need to quieten your mind, that is essential. Because when the mind is preoccupied with its own imaginations, it is unable to be aware of that peace, that happiness, that Self of yours - really who you are. It is as simple as that. I think if we keep the explanation to a very fewer points, as simple as possible, it will go to your head, you will be able to remember. It is just very simple. 

Questioner:

Babaji, this week we wanted to talk about the mind a little bit more. Babaji's spoken about how the ancient sages described the mind as having six different shapes. Could Babaji first describe those shapes please?

Babaji:

In fact the ancient sages said, these six shapes that the mind takes, they are like six enemies of humans. That means whoever has got these characteristics, or these habits, or these attitudes in their mind, their mind becomes the first casualty, and through that they can be harmful to others also. Like my old example, a car being driven without a brake or a gear, anything, they can be 

disastrous to themselves, dangerous to others on the road. 

These six shapes are - kama, means extreme greed. See, any need, and for working for that need is not prohibited in this world. Like anything, we need to sustain the body, we need to earn a livelihood and have some food. So this is not a prohibited thing, and it is a need. That is how we can be in touch with this world. Without this body we cannot be in touch with this world, that will not be possible. That is why that is the need. But if we go excess, that is greed. That is wrong thing. 

So due to greed a human being can become corrupted, can try to snatch some others’ property, money, anything, all these things, wrong things can be doing, that person. And because such a person’s mind itself has become a casualty, he is extremely greedy always, totally selfish, and narrow-minded that he becomes. So that is the reason this one as one of the worst enemies of the human mind has been described. 

And krodha, is extreme anger. 

I have always tried to give my opinion, that to have some anger may be necessary at several places. In administration if you need to control your subordinates, and you need to tell them to do what to do, all these things, a little bit of anger would be necessary. Like particularly on a battlefield, you need to have that anger, because you are going to defend a larger area of your country, and for that you need to have anger that an enemy has tried to disturb that independence, has tried to attack, invade, so you are going to defend, you need that anger there. So these things are all alright. 

But unnecessarily, while living in the society, in the family, or anywhere, if we are going to become short-tempered people, we lose temper very quickly for every small thing, we cannot listen to anybody, we become totally egoistic and arrogance crops up within us, that is a wrong thing again. So whoever has got this in their mind is the first casualty, and that person can become a bit dangerous to others. 

Like sometimes, for example... I am talking for an education, please all of you don't think I am directing against any individual or any group of individuals, only for education purpose I am talking. Sometimes like a person, or a head of the family may be annoyed in the office for some reason. He comes home and shows that anger either on his wife or on the children unnecessarily. So that can be quite dangerous, you all understand? So that is the second one now, krodha, extreme anger is equally dangerous. 

Another enemy - lobha, stinginess. 

Stinginess is also a wrong thing, one who has it in the mind. Like the favorite example is the twelve bananas I keep telling you all. So Swamiji used to tell, that's why it comes to the mind. “Bhai you have four bananas, six bananas, how much you are going to eat?” Try to distribute, let others also have, let them have their enjoyment, then there won't be any problem in the world. But you want to have everything for yourself, you want to own the whole world, and don't want to give to anybody. That is wrong thing. 

You become a leader of one country; you enjoy, look after, develop that country, take care of the subjects. But you want to win the whole world and you want to dictate terms. Such things are very wrong. Stinginess makes a person behave like this. He doesn't want to give even one banana to anybody. Then others also come to fight and snatch it. That is how conflicts happen. Countries have fought wars, all these things have happened in the world, disastrous things. 

So this is the third one, which is the enemy of a human mind. The mind itself has become a casualty, and that person has become dangerous to all others - peace in the society, peace in the world - anything that can be depending on his power and strength. 

Moha, extreme attachment to the unrealistic, impermanent, materialistic world. 

Having a desire is no problem I have told. You want to live in the world. You will have your own dreams. You want to own a home, and you want to have some money for you  -you might have a family. All these are no problem, that is perfectly alright. Spirituality does not prohibit you to live in this world. But while doing so do not forget everything is impermanent, including our own physical body. 

That is why spirituality advises here, you have a life once in a life cycle opportunity to know your Real Self which is Permanent Entity. You cannot depend on the impermanent world always, forever, for your peace or happiness - it has not allowed anybody to settle down peacefully. You try to sort out one problem, ten more crop up. This is what we get to see, history, or mythology, or world, anything. A masala in the story happens due to these things, that is the need. That's because our attachment, depending too much on this, and without that we cannot.

By the remembrance of death, we hold our head, 'Oh God,' we become panicked, 'What will happen now? I don't want to die.' It is not going to listen, the moment when it comes, it doesn't ask, 'Are you a Yogi, are you an emperor, are you a common man?’ Have to go, ‘Come, let's go.' That's what happens. Anybody has to give up the body one day. No matter that we claim that we are going to be here forever. It's only through the Atman, through the Self that we will always be there. That's how great Masters said always. So this is another important thing. 

And false pride. 

False pride. Self-respect and false pride have a thin-edge of difference. A person who has a self-respect, he will be composed, he won't lose temper, he won't misunderstand others, he will just remain in himself, peacefully. If anybody invites us with love and respect, we go there. Otherwise we don't have to blame anybody. If nobody invites us we are happy wherever we are. Like that, our life also. That is a self-respect. 

But if we have the false pride, if anybody wants to invite and we show our arrogance, 'Oh, we don't come, we need this thing, we need that thing, if you pay this much of money only then I will come.' So this type of false pride having in this world. 

Then people keep boasting. They don't know anything, anybody, but they boast as if they have become the president of a country, or a prime minister of a country, and they keep boasting. 'We know this person, I know this, I know this one, I can do this one.' Finally they end up not doing anything. So these are the examples of false pride. 

Such people also become unreliable. You cannot trust them. Because they would have simply told you a lie; 'We will do it for you, don't worry.' That's how Swamiji used to tell, 'If anybody tells ‘I will do it for you, you don't even have to meditate’ - don't trust such Gurus at all. You will have to do that meditation.' This is false pride which becomes enemy of a human mind. Whoever has got in their mind, they are not trustworthy, they will not be sincere or honest, so they don't want to do meditation also. 

Many people come to us, 'We want God now, I have decided, I must get God.' I said, 'No problem. You will have to do some meditation, you will have to do this.' Then they start asking, 'Is it okay if we lie down and meditate, and is it okay if sometimes we fall asleep also, will meditation happen?' 

How can that meditation happen if you fall asleep? Then painstakingly I have to explain to them, ‘When you sleep brain goes to sleep, and you will be unconscious. How can you purify your habits of the mind?’ You should be sitting, brain should be alert, keep straight, back and neck straight, and then practice meditation of watching in between eyebrows, and do not analyze about any thoughts and visions. This much of exercise must happen. So how can you go to sleep, or how can you lie down? So these things are not possible. 

When you lie down... some Gurus might allow to please the disciple, ‘You can do this one’. But no, Swamiji used to be furious, 'You want to meditate or you want to sleep, you decide first. If you want to sleep, you sleep. If you want to meditate, you meditate. Both cannot happen', like that He used to tell. So this is also important. All these things happen in the false pride. 

Jealousy is the last one - matsarya, the Sanskrit word. Of the six enemies of human mind, jealousy is the foremost. 

If one is happy, one is progressing, others cannot take it, they feel jealous, ‘Oh God, I couldn't get, why is he getting? Even if I have to lose both eyes, he must also lose at least one eye.' Like that they will be so jealous. 'I must not allow him to progress. I am not progressing because I'm not putting effort, I'm not focusing, I'm not learning anything.' That is alright, it's your choice. 'But I don't want others also to meditate. I don't want others also to achieve Self Realization. It is below my dignity, if I cannot do that how can you do that one? If I couldn't become a Guru how could you become Guru, how could you do these teachings? I didn't get anything from our Guru, but you have become a Guru.' So like this, this is the jealousy. 

Jealousy is such a common thing, probably everybody will understand when this happens. If anybody has these things in their mind, know that your mind is the first casualty - never give rise to these things. Practice meditation, have self-confidence, self-respect, and achieve the truth to yourself. Put in efforts - like purusartha, self-efforts - and then you achieve. That is how everybody achieved. 

If Swamiji could achieve He put in self-efforts. Jangama Sage came and made Him to sit, that's a different thing. But after that, 12 years of tests and all examinations happened. Swamiji was grinded, cut into pieces, that's how Swamiji used to tell, 'Bhagavan Shankar came, He made me to sit for Tapas. Afterwords don't think that I was in an air conditioned room, comfortably sleeping. He grinded me into chutney,' He used to tell, 'So so much of tests happened, only then I could do, concentrate. I was remained watching, watching, and watching, just watching. Then slowly my thinking all stopped, then all visions, everything stopped. Samadhi came.' That much of determination was there. That needs to be there, effort. 

So simply feeling jealous of somebody else who has achieved has no meaning. If we feel jealous of Swamiji, it has no meaning. Senseless thing. We also have to put effort and can achieve, that's what Swamiji showed. I have achieved and you also can achieve. But put in efforts, don't keep sleeping. 

So these are the six enemies of human mind. When it takes shape, one has to be very, very careful. 

See, they were so scientific, great sages - if you look into this, all negative thoughts come under these headings only. These are the six shapes that the mind takes. Anything you tell the mind’s shape that is negative, it would be under one of these headings, any one of these six things. So they could think, and visualize so much, which we need to overcome. The strong spiritual exercises - bhakti marga, karma yoga, and meditation are the remedies to overcome all these things. 

Same Questioner:

Thank You, Babaji. 

Babaji, as Baba's just described, they are all negative tendencies. Why is it that there's no shapes of the mind that you might consider positive? 

Babaji:

Always... positive is one thing, there need not be several positive things. Any antidote, when the mind is not into any of these shapes - automatically is into a positive. 'I want to achieve it. I am going to put an effort. I will not look back.' All these are positive things. 

In this world also, if somebody has achieved something - appreciate. If you cannot appreciate, at least try to understand, that is also positive. That gives us inspiration, 'Oh, he has achieved, we must also do that one. We must not give up, somehow we must meditate also. How, see, Babaji has achieved, Swamiji has achieved, let us also meditate.' That is the positive things, in every way. 

When somebody is extremely into anger, 'Oh God, why is this person in anger? I will not show such misbehavior towards others by getting into unnecessary annoyance. I will try to understand others. I will take explanation from others. Without that I am not going to shout at anybody, unless it's absolutely necessary, like it's a battlefield, like I have to defend the Ashram, like I have to defend the institution, something like that.' Like that I used to think. So that is a positive thing always, appreciating others, not to feel jealous, and not to be stingy. ‘Let me have two bananas, you also have one banana at least, come on,' so that is not stinginess, that is positive. 

So antidotes for all these six shapes of the mind is positive automatically. Because as I have told, this world is made up of dualities, one becomes important because of the other. If one is there, another also follows. If one realizes extreme anger is a wrong thing; 'It is troubling me also,' then I won't be, then I am positive. Like that. 

Same Questioner:

Thank You, Baba. 

Babaji, we tend to see that a person has a tendency towards one type of behavior - like anger, or jealousy - that tends to stick with them for long periods of time. Is that a special challenge for that particular person? 

Babaji:

Yeah. As we all know, the mind taking shape of sattvic, good quality, rajasic - rajasic is the stubbornness, and with an arrogance, when the mind becomes. 

If any person, if they themselves want to change themselves, it is not at all difficult. That means first they have to realize they are wrong somewhere, they need to realize that mistake, what they have been doing again and again. And then they need to realize we have become habitual to this. But that is a very rarest of rare cases that happens in human beings. Generally people don't want to understand, accept, they want to stick on to that habit, they don't want to give up. So that becomes so difficult. Even for Yogis, or even for God coming to the earth also, it's not easy to change others. We can teach hundred thousand times, anybody can teach - Swamiji taught, all great Masters taught - but if people don't want to change... once they go out they end up having the same habit. 

Like Swamiji, Ramakrishna used to tell, 'You go to the banks of river Ganga, Holy river, take out your dirty cloths, keep it on a tree, go and have a bath in the Holy Ganga, come out clean, but you wear the same clothes, dirty clothes again, so you would have acquired the same thing.' So that's how in a satsang with a Master also they listen; 'Oh, really how beautiful these teachings are. We must also be like this, we must meditate like this.' But then once they go out, they forget. They don't meditate properly, they don't listen, they don't purify their own minds, they will keep on to that ego, arrogance, and such habits.

This is really another great wonder, that human beings don't want to change. In spite of realizing it is wrong, they are unable to give up that habit. The strong willpower, and a strong spiritual exercise - these two things are needed - that is what is the antidote, medicine. If one has to overcome these negative attitudes, they have to realize. 

If they don't change, means definitely they are not doing proper meditation with a proper technique. No matter you would be doing meditation since forty or fifty or sixty years - but if you have not changed - that means you have not properly meditated. You have not tried to quieten the mind. You have not been really watching. The Master has given command when He initiated, or every time He makes you to sit for meditation - just watch in between eyebrows - that's all the job. That means that person has not done that. 

In Swamiji's life also we saw many such devotees not changing themselves. When they have behaved they have behaved the same. So that's why these things happen, they are unable to change themselves, they have not done spiritual exercises properly. 

If this happens, a change definitely can come in a human being. 

Same Questioner:

Thank You, Baba. 

Babaji, if these are the shapes that the mind can take, what happens that a person tends to eventually, automatically, think of the greater good for everybody? 

Babaji:

When he thinks, slowly that becomes the habit... slowly, slowly. That means gradually his mind gains the ability to consider about each other. 

See that's one of the three important things of religion, or spirituality I have tried to explain - upholding moral values. 

Apart from taking care of the physical health, and mental health, if the mind is healthier, that means spiritual exercises we are doing in the right sense. 

Bhakti marga - we really love God. Whenever we remember God, our hairs should raise, we should feel like crying, that bhava should come - real love! You fall in love! Once you fall in love with the Master, you fall in love and nothing should change that one. Never looking back - even if the Master himself cuts you into pieces - you are with the Master. A hundred other people might disturb you, trouble you, but you are with the Master always, you won't notice them. For their reason you won't run away. That's very important. 

So that is how a change can come in the person, their mind is becoming purified. Then gradually they are able to uphold moral values. Basic definition for these moral values, consideration to each other. Like, ‘I want to be happy, I should understand that you also have a right to be happy’. 

Like in the same way, ‘May all the beings in all the worlds be happy’. They prayed such things always. In those great prayers Sanskrit slokas come. They tried to pray whatever they could remember... the creatures on two legs, creatures on four legs, creatures like this, creatures like this, let there be peace and happiness for all of them. Let them also see the reason that they need to be one with the Divinity, their Real Self. They must realize they need to purify their own mind first, then they will understand others, they will listen to the advice also. 

Otherwise, Gurus come and go, very few may actually achieve what the Guru wants to teach. So many people simply out of curiosity, in hundreds, in millions may come, and do Darshan and go away, but they wouldn't have changed because they wouldn't have bothered to do sadhana. That's what Swamiji always insisted, doing sadhana is important, then only the mind can change. It can start thinking of a larger cause. It won't be selfish and narrow-minded always. It will gradually give up that. Let everybody be happy. In this hall we will start thinking ‘Let everybody be happy, then automatically I can be happy’. I don't have to pray to God separately for myself. If I pray, 'May all the worlds, all the beings in all the worlds be happy,' we are also in that automatically. We don't have to, 'Oh God, please, first protect me only. We will bother about others afterwards.' That is not the proper way to pray. 

Same Questioner:

Thank You, Babaji. 

Babaji's spoken about how Shri Swamiji used to speak about mind control, or controlling the mind. Can the mind control itself, or is there something else which controls the mind? 

Babaji:

Here I would like to explain, mind is a droplet, and the mind's self, it is connected to the Self. 

Like, let us take ourselves. Mind is my consciousness and energy - consciousness and energy. So I have to control my mind. It is mine. It is not separate from me. That means in other words, I have to control myself. I have to learn to restrain myself. So that's what the mind control is. You become the master of your own mind. 

Like that also, to begin with we try to teach - you meditate, you practice meditation. When the mind can come here 100% [pointing in between eyebrows] then you become the master of your mind, you can command. You won't allow the mind to make you to dance to its tunes. Otherwise the mind will always make you to dance to its tunes; whatever it tells, you will believe. If you practice meditation and it comes a hundred percent, then you become master of your mind. When you want to think you can think, when you don't want to think you can keep quiet. Whenever you want to think, automatically you will see, you will have the ability to consider about others. For others’ sake only you will try to think. This ability, this is an ability of a human being. This one can gain if one is practicing spiritual exercises. 

Such is the science of religion and spirituality. Unnecessarily people misunderstand they are averse, that's because many people might be misusing, or misunderstanding, is a different thing.

Religion, once again I emphasize - where various exercises are prescribed, so that you can keep your physical health, as much as possible, as intact as possible. And using the physical body you keep the health of your mind as intact as possible. If you are healthy mind, you won't be selfish, and you won't be narrow minded. Then if you have a healthy mind, you will think of healthier things always, a larger cause, 'May all the beings in all the worlds be happy,' like that. By habit also, in your mind also, you will be praying. That becomes your attitude, your habit. 

Same Questioner:

Thank You Babaji.

Babaji has sometimes spoken before about controlling emotions, and talked about suppressing emotions versus sublimating them, and I have trouble getting that into my head still. I thought I might ask Babaji please if He could explain the difference between suppressing and sublimating, for instance in the case of somebody where anger is flaring up, please. 

Babaji:

First thing I have tried to tell, your emotions can be your strength, and at the same time your emotions can become your weakness. 

So if it is tuned positively - that you fall in love, without any condition, without any expectations, you love for sake of love - then you won't have any expectations, like a mother loving the child, you will always love. 

Like we fall in love with the Guru. And it should not depend on any particular condition, 'Oh if the Master is knowledgeable then I will love. If the Master can give me a lottery ticket then only I will love, I will consider him. Otherwise not, no, no. My heart has shifted, I am not going to love Him anymore, because He did not behave the way I wanted him to behave.' Like that if a disciple decides, what do you have to say? Nothing. It's conditional. That means they had a narrow-minded understanding. They did not really love. A real love will never diminish. 

Sometimes people have asked about passionate, and loving. These happen due to emotions only. If you are passionate, if that diminishes that's really not a passion, it's only a temporary imagination. It was conditional. It was not real love. Ramana Maharishi has said it could be simply lust and greed. Not real love at all, if it goes away, diminishes, if it comes down. A love, you fall in love for sake of love. Just like a mother does not expect anything from the child, she loves unconditionally. So like that when you fall in love. That is the emotion's strongest point - positivity. 

So to overcome such negativity, sublimating is what is this - converting the energy, making it positive. 

You want to love? When you love, just love for sake of love. Like, you want to have knowledge, go for knowledge for sake of knowledge only. You don't want to have the knowledge so that you can earn millions of dollars. You just wanted that knowledge, wanted to know about the truth of this world, know the truth about your Real Self. Not that afterwards you can earn millions of dollars. That is the sublimating of the negative emotional energy. 

Not allowing yourself to become selfish. You consider about others. Even if you get annoyed, you try to consider about others, that's why. Like a mother gets annoyed with a child. Like a real teacher gets annoyed with the student. He loves them like a mother. He wants them to be learning, always not be lazy, understanding to the best of their abilities, and then doing sadhana and achieving the things to themselves.

For this, Swamiji one time I remember He told, "Such a one is the real Guru who can make the disciple to stand on their own feet." That was the language He used. That's what a Guru wants, He doesn't want to tie them like clients to His Lotus Feet always. If they also achieve, that will be the greatest satisfaction for a Master. So that is how you convert the negative emotional energy. 

Negative emotional energy will always be selfish. Temporary also. They are very weak, they don't have any control over emotions. Very quickly they can lose temper, or they can lose anything - it can take any shape, difficult to explain everything in one sentence though. That is how the emotions can become weakness of a person, even to the extent that somebody else can exploit you, if you are emotional. After you get exploited, you might realize, 'Oh, that person, such a selfish person, all this time he was exploiting me. I was really loving that person, but he was exploiting me.' And then now he is gone, then we realize. So such a thing also can happen.

But if we can convert into positivity, "It's okay. We loved him because we wanted to love. If that person could not love, wanted to cheat me, rob me, and wanted to go away, no problem. I have nothing to lose. I loved because I wanted to love. I used to feed him because I wanted to feed him, that's all, and I'm happy, I have satisfaction. I have not lost anything, that person is the loser, he has lost, he couldn't understand my love." So there's the clash between the positive emotion-the negative emotion. So that is how you can convert negative emotion into a positive energy always. 

Without expectations - you act upon. That is one simple definition for positive emotional energy. Means whether you love somebody, you want to help somebody, you want to give something to somebody - you don't have any expectations - just for sake. That's what Swamiji used to tell. 

And also our ancient scriptures, the Guru Gita talks, like importing a knowledge. A real Guru shall import the knowledge and wisdom to the student without expecting anything from the student, without entering into any type of contract. No deal working out. So that is the saying in the Guru Gita it says. So that is the... you just want to give it, that is the emotion, it is compassion, it is love, the same emotion gets converted as a motherly love, as a motherly compassion. 

Same Questioner:

Thank You, Babaji. 

Babaji, we were going to invite people to ask questions themselves if they'd like to, but would it be okay if I asked Babaji one or two more questions please? 

Babaji:

Yes, yes, you can.

Same Questioner: 

Thank You Baba.

We've talked about the shapes of the mind, Baba. What happens then, what's happening in the mind when we are happy, or sad, or frightened, or confused? Those aren't shapes of the mind. What's happening in the mind at that time, please? 

Babaji:

Often these things might happen due to ignorance in the mind, not knowing what exactly it is. Then we might get panicked, or we might get frightened, or we might become sad, any such thing. For example, death. If we don't have the knowledge and wisdom properly, what is going to happen when death happens, then that can be very scary for anybody. It won't be a pleasant thinking when it comes to the mind. So this is what happens in the mind. Then panic happens, a fear. So then the stressed out, mind gets stressed out. 

So this is because, first thing is ignorance. Ignorance makes a person. That's why knowledge and wisdom, 'vidya' and 'avidya.' Vidya means education. You get properly educated about a certain subject, certain thing, certain truth. So then you don't have to get panicked, no fear. You become fearless, "It's okay. Death is going to happen to this body. That's it. This body is going to die. Simply we become unconscious for a while. If at all we need to become conscious of this world, then we will have to be reborn again." That means we don't know whether it is this world or we are going to create, imagine, some other world. And if we don't need any of these worlds, just keep quiet. You are there, all the time. This you have to experience through practice of deeper meditations. Then that fear will go away. 

Like this, imagination, ignorance, and imagination about the truth - wildly, in a different way. So that's how often before the danger comes to us we get frightened, then we lose more than half of our energies. That is simply because of a wrong imagination. Ignorance about what's going to happen. But when a real soldier goes to battlefield, he will never have any negative shapes in the mind, he will have total positiveness. He knows both - either he will do it or he will die - a third thing cannot happen, anything he's not going to do. He is ready for both the things. Then nobody can threaten him. No power can weaken his mental resolutions. Simply he'll go to fight. That's what. Here, again it is the right knowledge and wisdom that has enabled him to overcome that fear or panic. 

So due to ignorance, false imaginations occur. So that's when negative thoughts which can frighten us, which can make us weak in our mental strength, all such things do happen when these imaginations are there. When we don't know exactly at least we must give benefit of doubt. Don't have to get panicked. Let us see what it is. After all our head is going to be cut. [laughs] So if we think like that, that's how the teacher taught us when we were young children, that created such an impact. 

Quiet, at peace. Because we know, let us see what's going to happen. They will snatch it, or it will be with us. But from outside we won't show it. We want to have that, defend our Ashram. We won't allow anybody to snatch it easily like that until we are alive - that's a different thing. But we don't have to be panicked, or scared. We are sitting here, we don't have to run away anywhere else. So that is what the ignorance, knowledge and wisdom. 

Same Questioner:

Thank You, Babaji. 

And one final question, Baba. Babaji often speaks about people feeling insecure. What's happening in a person when they're insecure? 

Babaji:

That's again due to ignorance. First thing is here, spiritually, a misunderstanding about ourselves, like ‘Who am I?’. 

Whenever our existence, or our peace, our happiness, anything is threatened, then we become insecure. That's when like any animal, when it feels threatened, then it goes into a conflict. It first wants to defend itself. It attacks without thinking whether it is a friend or a foe who is coming there, if it feels threatened it will attack. But we human beings are expected to exercise a little more patience, try to know whether that person is our friend or foe - and then react. Before that we don't need to react, we can inquire, "Who are you, what do you need?" When we understand he is going to be harmful to us, then we can react, no problem. So this is what happens. It is due to again ignorance and not knowing about ourselves. 

Once we know ourselves, we will be totally secure. Like Ashtavakra said, "Oh King, I thought in your court there are wise people, but what I can see everybody seems to be simply foolish. They are thinking this body to be me, and they are making fun of this body, and in their mind they are thinking that they are making fun of me. They don't know that I remain unaffected." 

Like this he spoke, then the King was surprised, "This boy has this beautiful knowledge." Because all the other ministers thought, "Now the King is going to cut his head, he is going to get annoyed. How dare he talk to the King like that, all your ministers are fooled." But the King was also ripe in devotion, and understood that thing, "There's something strange that he is talking, what is this 'I'?" So like that, if we do not know about ourselves. Though Ashtavakra had eight deformities in his body, and he was rolling, everybody was making fun, but he remained unaffected, because he knew about himself. He was not insecure. 

So this is one of the basic reasons when we don't know about ourselves, our strength, our weakness, or our things, then we go into a conflict, that which makes us to feel insecure. Quickly we are insecure, "Oh, this is going to happen like that." So once we know about ourselves, once the king knows he is the king, if the watchman keeps scolding, barking… like the old saying is there, angel person is going and the dog is barking unnecessarily, so he doesn't have to bother. It's dog’s habit to bark, dog is not going to harm if it is tied - nowadays that we will have to take care, we will have to tie it with a chain, otherwise the dog can come and bit, and make us to go for injections unnecessarily, it's a different story. But this is the old saying, when you don't have to feel insecure. 

We have told that human beings, one of the basic reasons, the feeling of insecure makes them to go into a conflict. Countries have fought wars due to this insecure feeling. If one leader is feeling insecure, he is feeling humiliated by another, then he goes into a conflict. He wants to go into a war. He makes thousands and millions suffer because of that one person's insecurity, often this thing happens in the world. 

So it's important that we all feel secure. If everybody can meditate, spiritual exercises, and feel secure, maximum conflicts can come to an end in this world. 

Same Questioner:

Thank you Babaji. 

Questioner:

Pranams Baba, nice to see You. 

So, once before You told me that it is the mind that actually achieves Self Realization when I asked You what part of a person's makeup it is that achieves a Self Realization. You told me that it is the mind itself that achieves. 

So I was trying to understand, does that mean that the liberated mind is equal to Brahman itself? And if so, is there an ultimate purpose for this mind to be, if it's not to create or imagine? 

Babaji:

Yeah, merging with the Self - that's what happens when this mind becomes Self Realized - means it has become one with the Brahman. That means for a Yogi, the mind is ever-silent one. Even if He's talking, He or She is talking through the body, gossiping a lot, anything - but the mind, which is pure consciousness, is the ever silent one. 

So the purpose is you see, when a negative thing happens you make it positive, that becomes the purpose. You come into duality, then only you are able to realize your Eternal Existence. When you are with One - 'That' - then you may not experience that truth about yourself that you are Eternal. If you are a tiger, you may not understand you are a tiger. When you become a smaller creature, then that threat appears, then you will understand what a tiger means, what a powerful animal. 

Perhaps in my opinion, in a duality only you Realize your Eternal Entity, then you merge and remain in That. Then you would have realized it is futile to come out…

Same Questioner:

The purpose is just to be.

Babaji:

Yes. Because that is the Supreme Peace. You will be in contentment when you don't need anything - and that's what you are looking for, whether you know or you don't know - you want happiness, peace. 

Same Questioner:

Yes, thank You Baba.

46:44