Likes & Dislikes

The root cause of our problem is likes and dislikes. This creates all the drama in our life. All diseases are of the mind. One has to make a conscious effort to let go of likes and dislikes. Only a wise person recognizes the truth and lets it go. Ektaji explains what steps are required to let go. One who sincerely practices masters himself and attains bliss.

Transcript

Good.

Awesome.

The joy of Satsang is amazing,

No?

The newcomers must be wondering,

What Satsang,

Why are they singing these songs?

Right?

No?

There's crazy people.

No,

When we sing songs with lyrics,

We start imagining.

And what happens when I imagine?

The mind again goes into the past or future.

Yes?

And what is there in the past and what is there in the future?

Past is full of regrets,

Anger,

Pain,

Pain.

Yes,

Anger and future?

Yes.

You don't know what is going to happen in future.

It's just anxiety and fear in the future.

Do you see this?

When you sing songs which do not have any meaning for this mind,

Names of Gods put together in a rhythmic fashion,

Just to,

You know,

Your energy gets pumped up but the mind still cannot think.

Are you seeing this?

It is a journey from mind to no mind.

That's why Krishna,

Govinda,

Beyond the point,

There is no meaning to it.

After that the mind shuts up.

Are you seeing this?

And when the mind shuts up,

Your joy wells up even more.

Do you experience that?

That's why you got up and started dancing.

More than half the people go behind dancing.

Because the mind shut off.

Maybe a few seconds but the mind was completely gone.

The entire spiritual exercise is to move from mind to no mind.

You see,

Mind is the root cause.

It's not just a man.

You see,

Mind is the root cause of all problems.

I want this,

I don't want this,

I like this,

I don't like this.

Mind does these things.

Gets caught up in something it likes.

Now it likes somebody,

Now it wants to possess that somebody.

You be with me.

And then the drama begins.

Possessiveness,

Jealousy,

Anger,

Hatred,

Love and hatred.

You see,

Full drama of the mind.

Are you seeing?

Just with a simple like it begins.

For example,

What is the newest like in the market?

What is your new gadget?

What is your gadget?

IWatch.

IWatch.

I saw the i's on the right.

I watch,

I want,

I watch,

I want,

I watch.

That thing in the mind,

I want that new apple iWatch.

I want to possess it.

That goes on,

That feverishness goes on.

But warm dad will not let me have it.

And come on,

Warm dad,

It's so expensive,

It's not worth it.

And that conflict goes on,

That drama goes on.

Where did this drama begin?

One little like,

I like that and I want it.

Can you just appreciate something which is beautiful and stop at that?

Tell me something,

Can you possess everything in the world?

But everything in the world is so beautiful here.

Not everything.

No,

No,

You should possess everything in the world.

You cannot say,

Oh this much only,

I don't want this much.

Everything is so beautiful.

Recognize this tendency of the mind.

One little like becomes a big drama in the house or in the mind.

Are you seeing this?

One little dislike,

Oh I do not like this.

Whatever you do not like.

Somebody talking to you,

Somebody,

Somebody's face.

God gave him that face.

No,

The mind goes on chewing on these silly little things.

And I don't want to see Mithesh,

I want to run away from Mithesh.

What will happen?

I am here.

Mithesh is here again and again.

I do not have an option,

He is there.

I know.

Nothing is happening to Mithesh.

What is happening here?

I am the one that is churning and boiling in my hatred or dislike.

Are you seeing this?

One little light led to so much drama and one little dislike led to so much drama.

Recognize this.

My mind is doing this.

So what is a simple way out of this?

What is the solution technique?

Something beautiful comes.

I appreciate it.

Wow,

Beautiful.

You are looking so beautiful.

But that does not mean I have to possess everything that is beautiful.

Yes,

Something is not so beautiful.

I don't like it too much.

Does it matter?

Don't go into hatred because you are spoiling your internal environment.

Yeah,

You are noticing just singing,

Dancing,

We were so happy,

Joyous right now.

But right now I tell you think of the person you hate or you don't accept.

See how his smile went away.

So much power you have given that person here.

Why?

He is probably enjoying his saturning evening somewhere.

You have no idea.

And you thinking about him right now,

Here,

All the bitterness churning is here.

He is enjoying.

So what have you done?

You have given the remote control of your life into somebody else's hands.

Have you seen this?

He has my remote control and he presses any button.

I start laughing.

He presses another button and I am sad.

He presses a third one and I am really angry.

Yes?

So recognize this tendency of the mind.

My mind runs away into likes and dislikes and creates a lot of drama.

That's step number one.

That's homework for the week.

I recognize what am I getting stuck in.

And step number two after I recognize,

What should I do?

I just don't do.

What is beautiful,

I just appreciate it and drop it there.

The next step after appreciation is what?

I want.

Drop this I want,

Grabbing tendency.

Anyway what you want will come to you.

Don't worry.

Whatever you deserve has to come to you.

There is a higher power that is taking care of you.

Have this faith.

Whatever you believe in,

Guru,

God,

Consciousness,

Supreme Energy,

Doesn't matter.

It's all the same.

That will take care of you.

Have that highest faith.

Because only faith can get you through life I tell you.

Not your likes and dislikes.

Your likes and dislikes only churn you inside.

You churn more emotions up,

Anger,

Jealousy,

Hatred,

Greed.

Doesn't all this happen?

Yeah then you say,

Now what do I do?

But there is no solution to the emotion that has come up.

The solution is where?

At the mind level.

Are you getting this?

What is an emotion really?

What is an emotion?

Emotions have certain locations in the body where you feel love.

Love,

Joy,

Yeah.

You've experienced this.

Hatred also you feel here only.

A burning sensation.

The opposite feeling you will feel at the same location.

Where do you feel jealousy?

Stop.

Are you noticing this?

How is it like that?

Did you ever wonder?

Where the mind meets the body,

Those are called chakras.

There are seven chakras in the body.

The heart chakra has love and hatred and fear.

The chakra in the stomach has greed,

Jealousy,

Generosity and joy.

Every chakra has different emotions.

You have gratitude and you have grief also.

When you are very sad what happens?

Throat chokes.

When you are really grateful,

Singing love song for Guruji.

Singing something for the consciousness.

That devotion comes up,

That gratitude comes up in your heart.

Again throat chokes.

Have you seen this?

So these are chakras in the body.

So chakra is nothing but where the mind meets the body.

The mind expresses itself at a physical level.

That is where you feel the emotion.

That is an emotion.

Got it?

So emotion is not really different from the mind.

So recognize this.

If any day you are feeling some emotion.

You see somebody else bought that Mercedes and I want that Mercedes car.

I want that Mercedes car.

You are feeling that jealousy.

Just observe it.

Observe it.

Observe it.

When you keep observing it what happens?

It reduces,

Reduces,

Reduces and it turns around.

That jealousy becomes joy for him.

Whoever got it.

Turn it around.

There is hatred for somebody and you are feeling that burning feeling in your heart.

I don't like this person.

I don't like this person.

Keep observing the hatred.

It will turn around and become love.

This is actually a meditation.

Most of us know about it.

Hari Om meditation.

It is even available online on YouTube for free.

Art of living Hari Om meditation.

You can actually look it up and it takes you through each chakra.

If you feel that today some emotion is really bothering you a lot.

You stop at that chakra.

Yes?

So work on this.

First let me dissolve that emotion that has come up.

Second recognize that this emotion has come up because of a like or a dislike.

There is no third thing.

It is only a like or a dislike that has brought this emotion up.

And let me stop at the like.

Appreciating the like and accepting the dislike.

Whatever is,

Is.

However difficult this situation is or however intolerable this person is doesn't matter.

What is,

Is.

I just be with it.

By you hating the person does the person change?

Have you noticed?

How much of you keep shouting,

Screaming does the person change?

The person changes when he or himself wants to change from inside.

Right?

By you screaming and shouting even his little desire to change will be gone.

You are beating that desire down to improve a change in life.

So move away from this hatred,

From dislike,

Jealousy whatever the negative emotion is towards that person.

And move towards positivity.

Let me accept this person as he or she is and then take an action.

Action is required but with a calm mind.

If it's all agitated and a mixture of emotions how will your action be?

What will it be?

You just do.

You react.

Don't act.

I will just go back here.

Recognize this.

We have to move from reaction to response.

I keep reacting,

I keep reacting.

Recognize where is the reaction coming from?

It's from the emotion.

This emotion that is churning.

The moment I recognize,

Oh right now there is an emotion.

Let me just observe that emotion.

Observe means what?

I am feeling hatred.

Okay I just close my eyes,

Sit with it.

Just observe that feeling,

That bitterness.

Keep observing,

Keep observing.

Whatever happened it doesn't matter.

Drop the person towards which,

Towards whom this hatred is,

His or the action he did.

Just observe the emotion.

Clean up.

Vacuum clean the house.

Vacuum clean yourself first of that emotion.

That is dirt,

It's garbage.

So vacuum clean first the emotion.

When the mind calms down,

After the emotion is gone the mind definitely will calm down.

When it calms down then you take an appropriate action.

Unless the mind is calm any action you take is going to be useless.

It's going to be a reaction not an action or a response.

You see the difference between reaction and response.

Let's move from reacting to situations to responding.

Any questions?

Very simple.

Yes everybody is an expert.

So easy.

Drop like dislike.

What is that?

Easy no?

Rise above.

So many lifetimes we have wasted just disliking,

Hating,

Feeling jealous.

Being greedy,

Being angry.

First curse no stop,

Enough how much more?

Aren't you tired?

That requires an effort you know this?

It's so much of an effort,

Extra effort to hate somebody or an extra effort to dislike or feel jealous.

It's so easy to just be.

You like to do easy things right?

Why you choose the hard ones I wonder?

Move from the difficult things to the easy things.

Just be.

What is is worse?

It is like this.

It is horrible.

It is the worst financial situation I could be in.

It is.

It's okay.

Make this the mantra of your life.

It is okay.

The most horrible health condition you cannot even get up and walk around doesn't matter.

It's okay.

Because by you feeling bad about it,

Feeling negative about it,

It doesn't get better.

You know this no?

It is really scientifically proved now that 80% of your diseases are all here.

They are not really here.

Your mind created them.

Your anger has created your stress.

Have you noticed this?

My blood pressure is very high.

Why is my blood pressure high?

This whole day you keep shouting and screaming what else is going to happen?

Recognize it.

And there are people who will not shout and scream through the lips.

In the mind they are boiling.

Volcanoid.

Isn't it true?

You may not speak but if you are boiling inside it's the same word was wake up really high time.

Then it becomes pressure cooker.

Perfect summary.

And that pressure cooker which bursts.

When you were a bad cook in your earlier days remember?

How many times you have seen the rice on the street?

Exactly that is what is stress.

It's nothing else.

I tell you if you learn this one little skill of letting go of likes and dislikes.

Right at the root.

At the beginning.

All this anger,

Jealousy,

Hatred all this will not come up.

And there will be no need for psychologist or psychiatrist on this planet.

Recognize this.

Speak up to this.

Move from mind to no mind.

This mind is the one that is here,

Here,

Here,

Here,

Here,

Here.

Now also is it going on?

Are you noticing it?

I like what she is saying.

No I don't like what she is saying.

I agree with this.

No I don't agree with this.

Are you saying this?

It goes on and on and on.

Only a wise person recognizes oh there is a lot of noise here.

And I have to do something about it.

Ya.

So move towards wisdom.

How long are you going to be lost in this chitter chatter of the mind?

Recognize this has been long enough.

Enough.

Alarm.

What is alarm?

A bus.

Alarm.

Stop.

Enough.

So we come to this.

Move from mind to no mind.

Ya.

And it is a possibility right in this lifetime.

It depends on how much effort you put or how much effort you are ready to put.

Where is the effort involved?

Tell me.

Tell me.

In preventing this one little light from becoming that feeling of possession.

I want it.

Ya.

When you can stop from wow beautiful and just stop there.

For example you see the sun rise or sun set.

Ya.

And you say wow.

You stop at wow right?

You say now I want to possess the sun.

You see this?

Ya.

Stopping at the wow.

This requires practice.

For example you pick up the guitar.

Can you become a guitarist overnight?

Ya.

Can anybody become a pianist overnight?

Did you become a singer overnight?

Practice no?

So much practice is involved in any skill.

Just like that a little practice is required for this mind.

I stop at wow.

If it has to come to me it will come to me.

It's okay.

It doesn't matter.

And stopping at dislike also.

I accept this is bad or not a comfortable situation.

It's okay.

I am getting it.

I am getting the crux of it.

Ya.

Repeat what is the crux?

Stop at the wow and it's okay if you don't like something or something.

Ya.

And what will this exercise do?

Take it from mind to no mind.

Perfect.

That's the perfect summary.

The entire spiritual exercise is to move from mind to no mind.

Ya.

And how can this be achieved when this chitta chatter stops?

And what is this chitta chatter really?

I like,

I dislike.

From there it begins.

Then I want,

I don't want,

I hate,

You said this,

She said this,

This happened that I am ya ya ya ya ya ya.

It goes on.

It's an unstoppable record I tell you.

Only a wise one recognizes oh this is the root cause of the problem and now I have to stop.

And how do I stop?

Right at the root.

If I just cut the leaves of a plant will it stop growing?

Okay I will take the fruit away.

Will it stop growing?

Okay I will take few more branches away.

Will it stop growing?

What do I need to do?

Pull out the roots.

Just by saying okay I am not going to crave for this one thing and I am not going to dislike this one person.

Is it enough?

Those are like just taking the leaves out.

How many leaves are you going to keep slipping?

Are you seeing what I am saying?

Root,

Jadisinikal.

Pull it out from the roots and the root is I like and I dislike.

It's okay whatever is,

Is okay.

If you can master this skill you have mastered life.

I tell you there is no greater joy than the joy of this not speaking at all.

It's unbelievable.

There is no greater joy.

Yeah.

Your billion dollars,

Multi-million dollars whatever I don't even know after that.

Billion dollars will not give you that joy.

Yeah.

Nothing can give you that joy.

No relationship,

Nothing,

No feeling of love.

Nothing can give you the joy that a no mind state can.

How is the mind now?

Is it still chattering?

Has it reduced?

Yes.

How does it reduce?

By observing it.

Yeah.

She keeps playing because we are not looking at her.

The moment we look at her,

Everybody look at her.

See.

It's like that.

A kid will keep moving,

Keep doing his things.

Yeah.

The moment you all look,

The kid is going to be quiet.

The same thing we have to do with the mind.

Observe the mind.

Moment to moment to moment.

That's how I know,

Know the first like comes.

Oh I like Sarnesh.

The first like came up.

Yeah.

If I am observing moment to moment to moment,

Now I know I have a like.

Wow.

Sarnesh is great.

Are you seeing this?

I did not take another step.

Now I want Sarnesh to be with me only.

Only my friends.

Sarnesh will not speak to anybody else.

And then that possessiveness,

That jealousy.

Are you seeing that?

Are you understanding what I am saying?

So the skill is observing the mind from moment to moment to moment.

This is the key,

The crux of art of living.

What is the crux of art of living?

Live in the present moment.

Got it?

When you are in the present moment and observing what is happening now,

Now,

Now,

Now,

Now.

That's when you can catch that first like and the first dislike and surrender.

Drop,

Diag.

It's okay.

I am good.

Are you good?