“Feliz Navidad – I want to wish you merry Christmas from the bottom of my heart……” – as I was walking around the plush shopping mall in downtown Houston – this beautiful song was playing, that was the first Christmas song I heard during my stay in the US. That was also my first visit to the US – way back in 2006 December – and I must be in my mid twenties!
My first visit to the US happened through a company. They had arranged my pickup from the Houston airport to the hotel in downtown Houston. I stayed for a couple of months and during the very first four days – I had no idea what to eat and where to eat! Because everywhere there was non-veg food available and even though they had a few vegetarian options still I was doubtful. Then a good old friend who happened to be Indian said to me “ Whenever you order food here – always say “No Egg. No Meat. No Flesh.”
That was all I wanted to know! And then the stay was smooth – because every time I went to the food stall or restaurant – my first sentence would be “ No Egg. No Meat. No Flesh.”!
The concept of Vegetarian is very different in the US because they consider ‘Chicken Soup’ as vegetarian! So I had to be very careful – being pure vegetarian.
During my stay in the US – I met many wonderful human beings – very friendly people and moreover was able to understand the way of their life!
During my second visit to the US – I had been to San Jose (California) and that was an altogether different experience than the one I had during my first to the US.
People in the South were more hospitable then those in silicon valley (San Jose). May be the lifestyle and culture was the reason!
While staying in San Jose, I had a friend who had a two seater private airplane! And one day she gave me a ride in her private jet – when we were many thousands feet above the ground – flying in the sky – she says to me “Today itself I have got my flying license – and you are the first to fly with me.”
I wondered if she would land safely! Thankfully – she did.
It is true that the US or any foreign country always appears to us as a different world – a new world!
But this feeling of ‘different world’ remains as long as you are focused on the outside!
The moment you start turning inwards – the moment to start looking within – the moment you start coming back to your roots – then no matter where existence takes you – you always will remain rooted deeply within! And that is the whole beauty of Meditation!
Once you are ‘home’ – once your whole focus is within – once you learn the art of observing your mind – then the outside doesn’t matter much – then the ‘feeling’ of being in a different world never comes to your being! You reach closer to the state of ONENESS (non-duality – Advait) only when you start turning inwards! And it is only when you turn inwards that you start coming closer to Consciousness – Krishna Consciousness, Christ Consciousness!
The WEST calls it “Christ Consciousness” – the EAST calls it “Krishna Consciousness” – words differ – the source remains the same – CONSCIOUSNESS!
Your problems exist as long as your mind remains focused on the outward. And your problems slowly start evaporating as you start turning your mind inward!
Your happiness is short lived because your happiness is based on the outside factors. A Yogi’s happiness is eternal because his happiness is not focused on the outside but within.
But people ask “How can I find happiness within?”
This question is natural – because the whole idea of finding happiness has always been on the outside when in reality the ‘source’ of happiness is NOT on the outside but WITHIN!
There are millions and millions of rich men and women – who are living in plush apartments and driving luxury cars and yet you will find them in utter unhappiness. And then there are people who are living hand to mouth – not much – and yet in the state of happiness!
This is because – happiness is NOT based on whether you have a i-phone or not -happiness is not based on whether you are driving a BMW or not, happiness is based on WHAT YOU HAVE WITHIN YOU – if you are a man of awareness then a simple phone will also do – a small car will also do!
HAPPINESS – the source of happiness is WITHIN – and until you self-realize this TRUTH – you will always remain unhappy – your happiness will be short-lived because you cannot control the factors on the outside but you can always control the factors WITHIN!
A Yogi is always found in his own bliss because he has self-realized, through deep meditations, through the state of total SURRENDER – that the SOURCE of HAPPINESS is WITHIN.
There are men and there are women who say that “I meditate every day” – and they must be meditating every day BUT ‘meditation’ is not happening in the true sense! Because these men and women who claim that they meditate every day – are filled with so many thoughts and thoughts and thoughts – that it is difficult to believe that they meditate every day!
Because a meditative being is generally found to be thought-less or he entertains a thought only when there is a higher purpose to it – otherwise you will never find a meditative man caught in the trap of thoughts because he is perfectly aware that when there are thoughts – there is distraction and not meditation.
Thoughts – too many thoughts and thoughts and all kind of thoughts come when the MIND is NOT still! And MIND is based on the state of your MOON and MOON NAKSHATRA LORD!
When MOON is aspected by JUPITER – or when MOON is with JUPITER or when MOON is in PISCES moon sign with a positive placement and state of its Nakshatra Lord then the person is in a good state of MIND – a MIND that can be easily molded and directed towards MEDITATION!
But when the MOON NAKSHATRA LORD is RETROGRADE the the person is really a ‘problem’ because he or she goes on thinking and thinking and doubting too much! Then even if the moon is in Pisces sign – still the MIND is NOT STILL and for such a person – life itself becomes a great problem – because when MIND is NOT STILL – then you remain miserable – weak and unwilling to live your life in total surrender!
The whole purpose of meditation is to first STILL the mind. Always remember this.
How to STILL the mind? That must be your next question.
The answer is simple. In fact the solution is always simple – but since the mind is complex – it never lets you find the answer!
You can STILL the wavering mind only by chanting the name of the holy lord! Mantra is basically a ‘device’ that generates certain ‘vibrations’ that help you STILL the MIND and in due course OVERCOME the MIND! But people have made a business of this as well! People have started chasing SIDDHIS – they recite MANTRA but not out of love towards GOD – but to attain SIDDHIS! And God is laughing – in fact GOD laughs a lot when people recite MANTRA for attaining super-powers – BECAUSE the more you are drawn towards super-powers (SIDDHIS) the more you move away from GOD – that is why you will find many Yogi’s enslaved by their SIDDHIS (super-powers) – but you will find only ONE BUDDHA, ONE JESUS, ONE KRISHNA and very very few real GOD LOVERS – YOGIs who don’t give a damn to attaining super powers because their whole focus is on GOD – and GOD TESTS them a lot – such men and women go through many sufferings because GOD always puts those on TEST whom he loves the MOST!
Chanting God’s name fructifies in the true sense when your MIND becomes STILL. In this AGE – it is only chanting the name of the GOD – that can help you STILL the MIND. When you start chanting – don’t let thoughts distract you – focus on the ‘Japa’ – chanting – stay deeply rooted within.
Many times people give up. They stop chanting the holy mantra – because they are so much impatient that they want to eat ‘Ghee’ today and become ‘Strong’ tomorrow! Even to give birth – a woman takes 9 MONTHS – and that is only a physical birth – not spiritual birth!
When Jesus says “ You have to REBORN” – Jesus is referring to your spiritual birth! Physical birth happens through your mother – but spiritual birth happens only through the benevolent GURU – the divine MASTER!
Indeed there is a very close similarity between the MOTHER and the MASTER – because both births happen through them – and that is why the FIRST GURU is always the MOTHER – through her this physical body has arrived – and the SECOND GURU is the MASTER – through his spiritual womb – the new spiritual life is born – that is what JESUS refers to when he says to Nicodemus “To experience God – you have to REBORN”!
Nicodemus is a very old man and one of the greatest scholars of Jerusalem – and yet he is unable to meet Jesus during the daylight because “what will people say? That a great scholar is going to meet a carpenter’s son!” and so Nicodemus chooses a dark night to meet Jesus – he goes and meets Jesus and Jesus is sitting beneath a tree – Jesus says to Nicodemus “Why have you come to me? What is it that you want from me?”
And Nicodemus says “ Jesus – I want to experience God.”
Jesus laughs and says “ You cannot meet me during the daylight – even to meet me you have chosen a dark night – how are you going to face GOD? To experience GOD – you have to REBORN”
Nicodemus is confused. It happens – when you are focused on the outside – your mind remains confused. You cannot understand the message that is conveyed to you! And so Nicodemus asks “ What do you mean when you say ‘ I must Reborn’? Should I go back in to my mother’s womb?”
Jesus says “ The death I am referring to – is not physical death – but death of all your illusions – your ideas, your notions, your EGO – and your learning. Unless you drop all that you have learned – unless you drop your EGO – unless you become a NOBODY you cannot experience GOD.”
The REBIRTH that Jesus is referring to is your SPIRITUAL BIRTH – and spiritual birth happens only through the benevolent MASTER – the GURU!
And the spiritual birth can happen at anytime – to some it happens early and to some it happens late – when it happens is NOT of much significance – because as Jesus says – it doesn’t matter whether you come early in the morning or you come late in the evening – you will be receiving the same ‘wages’ (blessings) – there is going to be NO DISCIMINATION based on whether you come early or late!
Reminds me of a story – a beautiful story that Jesus used to share with his followers and since today is HIS birthday – there can no no other beautiful moment than the moment that is NOW!
Once it happened, there was a very rich man. And he needed some laborer to work on large farmland.
The rich man send his servant to bring laborers from the marketplace. Some laborers came early in the morning. A few laborers came in the afternoon. And then there were a few more laborers who came late in the evening. The rich man employed all of them. And when the sun started setting down and it started becoming darker – the rich man gathered all of them and paid them equally. Obviously those who had come in the morning became disappointed and said, “What injustice! What type of injustice is this? What are you doing? We came in the morning and we worked the whole day and these fellows came in the afternoon; just for two hours they worked. And a few have just come, they have not worked at all. This is injustice!”
The rich man laughed and said, “Don’t think of others. Whatever I have given to you is it not enough?” They said, “It is more than enough, but it is injustice. Why are these people getting when they have just come?”
The rich man said, “I give them because I have got too much, out of my abundance I give them. You need not be worried about this. You have got more than you expected so don’t compare. I am not giving them because of their work, I am giving them because I have got too much… out of my abundance.”
The rich man represents GOD.
And GOD does NOT see who has come when – GOD only sees that you have come and that is more than enough!
Jesus says some work very hard to achieve the divine, some come just in the afternoon and some when the sun is setting, and they all get the same divine.
It doesn’t really matter when you start turning inwards – when you start moving towards realizing the significance of GOD- CONSCIOUSNESS – as long as you begin – as long as you come to work in the ‘farmland’ of GOD!
In the eyes of GOD – nobody is a SINNER and nobody is a SAINT – because a SINNER can become a SAINT and a SAINT was someday a SINNER!
It happens that you may be meditating the whole day and someone comes in the evening and get enlightened within few minutes! You may argue with GOD that you have come in the ‘morning’ – then how come the man who has come in the evening has reached the state of enlightenment? But GOD has absolutely no discrimination based on who has began early and who has not – GOD has got in abundance – and so some may come in the morning (young age) – some may start in the afternoon (mid-age) and some may start in the evening (old age) – and yet as JESUS says – ‘they all get the same divine.‘
Always remember in the KINGDOM OF GOD – everybody is welcome – and the ‘wages’ – BLESSINGS are showered EQUALLY – then no matter when you come – you will be showered with equal amount of blessings! In GOD KINGDOM – there is NO HELL. HELL is a concept created by those ascetics who CANNOT accept the fact that SINNERS too have a FUTURE – that SINNERS too are welcome in the KINGDOM OF GOD – if they are willing to change their path and walk on the path of righteousness!
The so called ‘VIRTUOUS’ people cannot think that a SINNER can become a SAINT! When in reality history is witness to many such real life incidents where it is the SINNER who has become one of the GREATEST SAINT that the world had ever known!
Ratnakar – a dreadful looter and killer becomes SAINT VALMIKI – the same SAINT who scripted one of the greatest scriptures that the HINDUS hold in high regards – the RAMAYANA!
Saul – the hater of Jesus and the man who tortured many followers of Jesus – transforms into SAINT PAUL – in fact it is SAINT PAUL who build many CHURCHES in the medieval EUROPE. Saul becomes SAINT PAUL – one of the most revered Saint in Christian FAITH!
And there are many such real life examples – and this itself proves that what JESUS says is indeed the ultimate truth – no matter when they come – early or late – ‘they all get the same divine.‘
On this note – I wish each one of you – MERRY CHRISTMAS – and as BUDDHA’s says – you all need to REMEMBER – just REMEMBER – that there is NO DISCRIMINATION in the kingdom of God – that it doesn’t matter whether you start meditating at early stage of your life or late stage of your life – because GOD is RICH – very RICH – he is in abundance – and so whatever he gives – he give in EQUAL AMOUNT – the larger question that you all should ask yourself is – are you ready to receive HIS love – HIS blessings – because the whole purpose of life is to GET READY….
And it is through READINESS that you become READY! READINESS comes when you go through a certain deep suffering. READINESS therefore is the GRACE of GOD!
It is said that GOD chooses HIS men. The Master chooses HIS disciple based on HIS READINESS!
And that is the whole message on this beautiful CHRISTMAS DAY – ‘be dressed in readiness.’
Life indeed is like the candle you see. The candle enlightens its surroundings – and in the process burns out. A GURU is also like the candle you see. Jesus is like this candle, Buddha is like this candle, Mahavira is like this candle – they continue to enlighten us with their divine LIGHT OF CONSCIOUSNESS!
How to express gratitude towards such great masters – great teachers. And they are such great teachers – great masters that they never consider themselves as teachers and they never see you as a student – for these great divine masters – there is no teacher and no student – but pure sharing – unconditional sharing – unconditional love!
There is nothing to understand – so deep – so beautiful – how to express – I am speechless………
Understanding is limited to the mind. Drop the mind – and you will self-realize that there is absolutely NOTHING TO UNDERSTAND – but only to FEEL – just FEEL!
That is how the most beautiful disciples were – Peter, the fisherman, Sarriputta, Ananda, John, the baptist – they never tried to understand anything because they could only FEEL!
When Jesus says to Peter, the fisherman “FOLLOW ME” – the illiterate Peter, the fisherman simply feels the omnipresence of JESUS – and he drops everything and starts following this young man – whom the world addressed as JESUS! And Peter is meeting Jesus for the very first time in his life – and still he never asks a single question – not a single question is asked – Peter simply starts following Jesus – that is the BEAUTY of FEELING – there is nothing to understand!
All 12 Apostles of Jesus simply started following Jesus without trying to understand Jesus. Jesus simply appears before each one of them and says only two words – “FOLLOW ME” – and they all started following JESUS and then there was no looking back – then life was no more a problem but a garden of bliss! Then there was a song to it – a dance – a beautiful painting.
The message of Christmas is just that – stop understanding and start feeling. Get out of your HEAD and get into your HEART – then the celebrations can begin – only when you start following your heart!
Merry Christmas to you all and let the celebrations begin. For life is all about living in the NOW moment – you can celebrate life only when you are able to BE HERE and NOW.
Learn to BE HERE NOW. When you are living your life be being HERE and NOW – the miracle happens.
To be in the moment – is the real miracle!
Merry Christmas. Love to all my readers & followers.
Stay safe. And stay blessed.
Jai Shri Ganesha. Jai Guru.
