Live In Love And In Joy

Everyone wants to live in love in joy. However, most people live in some love and joy and loads of disagreement and sadness. So how can we change that? This podcast will guide you to experience that love and joy is always available to you but you just have to know how to unfold it.
For more information and for Shree's book Knowingness Meditation: Enlightenment is Now and her Meditation Teacher Training Manual go her website.

Transcript

Satsang Podcast with Shri Live in Love and in Joy It's impossible to live your life in a state of love and joy if you're living in the waking state.

This might sound like a very strong statement,

But this is the absolute truth.

The yogi knows that there's four states of consciousness.

Every night when you're asleep,

You experience two of those states because you're either in deep sleep or you're dreaming.

And then,

As soon as you wake up in the morning,

You're in the waking state.

So the waking state mind is based on movement,

Just like air.

The air can be still and peaceful,

Or the air can be very turbulent and violent even,

Like in a hurricane or a tornado.

In the same way,

The human mind in the waking state moves in an array of different patterns.

Sometimes you can be happy,

Joyful,

Peaceful,

Other times worry,

Agitated,

Fearful.

These emotions,

They're like waves of perception,

Whether they're thoughts,

Which we call the mind,

Or whether they're feelings,

Which we call movement reactions in the mind and body,

They're movement,

And they can be violent,

Like in the tornado or hurricane,

Or they can be placid,

Like a calm lake.

And most human beings experience that movement into all these different emotions and thought patterns.

However,

As I've said many times,

And I'm saying again now,

Every night in the deep sleep there's a placidity,

There's a calmness,

Because the mind isn't functioning.

So it becomes very clear then that the problematic state of consciousness is only in the waking state.

The dream state can also be that movement,

But they're dream images,

And as soon as you wake up,

You cancel them,

And you say,

That was just a dream,

Now I'm in the reality,

The waking state.

So for the average person,

This is all that can be known,

The waking state of consciousness during the day,

Where you say,

I woke up,

And then whatever conditions of your day,

Whatever thought patterns are in your mind,

Whatever challenges or difficulties you're experiencing,

Whatever positive emotions are coming towards you from other people,

From those that you love in your life,

That will be your experience of your life,

Based on everything external to yourself,

Whatever's happening in your world,

In your direct experience.

And now we can say,

When you watch the news especially,

And you see all the horrible things that are going on in the world,

And all the suffering and all the pain,

How could you possibly live in love or live in joy?

Again,

Basing everything on that which is external,

Then when things go according to your preferences,

You can be happy or joyful.

When things don't go according to your preferences,

Then you would be sad or miserable.

And for most people,

There's absolutely no control of this,

Because the nature of the mind is chanchal,

Is movement.

Again,

Like that air,

You can't control the hurricane force winds by holding up your hand and stopping the wind.

You can't control your mind by telling your mind to stop and not to function the way the mind functions,

Because this is the way the mind functions.

So if you're living a state of consciousness just based on these three states of consciousness,

That's what we call the human consciousness,

The human being,

And you'll be a victim to whatever is happening externally to yourself.

Now the one who begins the practice of meditation,

Yog Sadhana,

Becomes aware that there's another state of consciousness.

We can call it the fourth state of consciousness.

We can call it Turiya Avastha,

The state of highest knowledge.

We can call it Kevalya,

As Patanjali calls it,

The vision of oneness,

Pure,

Free forever state.

The meditator becomes aware that this state actually is everywhere,

That there really are no other states of consciousness.

This is the ultimate state of awareness.

But the practice has been to live in the waking state.

The training has been from the very childhood to forget that bliss that we see in the baby when you look in the baby's eyes and just have such wonder and joy and love for everything around him or her,

And everybody just wants to cuddle and hug,

Kiss this sweet baby because the baby is living that love and joy state of consciousness.

There are no worries because the mind hasn't developed yet.

But as soon as the mind develops in the small child,

Then all the worries,

Doubts,

Fears,

And joys,

Happiness,

Sorrow,

Gain and loss,

That all begins because this is the training of the human being to live in that waking state,

To study all the subjects so that you can become knowledgeable.

But no attention is given in the school system and in most families to how to live a peaceful,

Happy,

And joyful life right now.

Sometimes the teachings are,

Well,

When you have the house with the white picket fence and the two children,

Then you'll be happy.

When you have the career success,

Then you'll be happy.

When you find the right partner,

Then you'll be happy.

This is what the training is.

However,

As we observe the human life,

Which is really a very short span of time in the big scope of things,

Maybe a hundred some odd years,

If you're lucky to live that long,

To be healthy enough,

We become aware that that gold at the end of the rainbow doesn't come.

It's just temporarily that there's an elation when the desires are fulfilled and there's a comfort possibly when you find a better situation to live in,

An environment,

An area that you prefer with those people that you enjoy,

But the problems still arise.

And when problems come,

Oftentimes the mind can't figure out a solution to the problems because there's no solution at that moment on the level of the mind,

But the mind will struggle and try to find a solution,

Try to change the situation,

Change the partner,

Change the living situation,

Hoping again that that love and that joy will arise from the external situations all meeting your needs or what you think your preferences are.

And now we're bringing in a totally unique,

Special state of awareness where right now in this moment,

Regardless of what's going on in your physical body with your health,

Regardless of what's going on in your family,

Regardless if you have your desires or your preferences met,

You can right now in this eternal moment,

In this present moment,

Experience the bliss,

The love,

The peace that's forever residing alone everywhere.

Again,

If your attention is on the changing movement of your mind,

The movement of the air rather than the stillness of the air,

Your experience of life will not be in the moment one of love and joy and peace.

It'll be based on whatever input is going into your mind,

Whatever thought patterns you've developed,

Whatever sanskars or impressions have come,

Your ego mechanism that wants to feel good,

Even superior to others,

Your ego mechanism that gets bruised or hurt when somebody criticizes you or when somebody says something that doesn't meet your preferences or somebody disagrees with you,

The ego doesn't like it.

So if your life is based on ego,

Mind,

Intellect,

Waking state of consciousness,

That has to be your experience of life.

So we don't fight it.

This is the key point in meditation.

We don't struggle with what is,

Because what is,

Is.

Sounds like a simple statement,

But it's the absolute truth.

What is,

Is.

When the mind is functioning,

When the rapids are whirling,

When the tornado is coming,

That's the human experience,

And you can't fight it,

You can't push it away,

But what you can do is turn on the light.

Now how do you turn on the light?

This is the question that all seekers ask.

How can I live in that light?

How can I live in that joy and peace?

Well,

The first thing that you have to know,

Absolutely,

Is you can't live in that joy and peace as a human being in the waking state.

That's not possible,

Because it's not the functioning of the waking state.

Just like the ears can't see and the eyes can't hear,

The mind can't know that pure,

Free,

Forever state that you are.

You have to transcend the mind.

You have to experience and come to know a higher state of consciousness.

Now for the meditator beginning the practice,

One might say,

I'm closing my eyes and I'm watching,

But my mind is just bombarding me even more,

Because I'm more aware of it.

This is what can happen,

But no problem,

Because now the key is I am more aware of it.

So the key,

The secret,

Is in your awareness,

Because as soon as you turn your attention in meditation to that one who's aware,

To that pure awareness,

You come to separate out this mixture where you,

That awareness pure,

That life,

That love pure,

Becomes mixed with a mind.

So that very power that gives rise to your mind now says,

I am this mind.

The very sun that shines its rays on the mountain now says,

I am the light on the mountain,

But the source is the sun.

In the same way,

The source is you,

The pure awareness,

The pure consciousness.

So just by having awareness now in your meditation,

You're sifting out this mixture and you're becoming aware of that pure,

Free state that you are.

Now,

Again,

Depending on what challenges or difficulties of the waking state are going on now in your life,

You might only have brief moments of glimpses that there is a knower,

There is someone watching,

Just awareness pure and not mixed with your mind.

So no matter what is happening,

Whatever difficulties or troubles or challenges are going on,

You are pure,

You are awareness,

You are the knower.

Again,

If the training has been to believe in the mind,

To believe only in the waking state,

You'll only get brief glimpses of this.

But now,

If you practice meditation and do sadhana,

Pranayama,

Eat a healthy diet,

Do as much as you can to live a sattvic,

Light-filled,

Balanced life,

Then slowly and slowly,

Your attention now will be able to make that shift from the waking state to the fourth state,

From the problematic state,

The challenge state,

To the problem-free state,

Where right now in the eternal presence,

Love and joy is there.

In the same way,

Every night in deep sleep,

There's no problems there,

Because the mind is not functioning.

In the same way,

You can transcend the mind in the waking state,

Be awake,

And experience that bliss that comes when you're just knowing your own purity and not becoming a victim to the changes in your mind and in your daily experiences.

Now,

This takes practice,

As we know,

Which is why listening to these podcasts and practicing your meditation,

Doing your sadhana,

Will bring about this highest result.

And slowly and slowly,

You won't be victimized by the mind,

You won't be victimized by the ego,

Where there's agreement and disagreement,

And you're trying to get others to agree with you because you feel,

For a moment,

Momentarily more relaxed or easy or less worried when others agree with you,

And less fearful of losing them.

So rather than basing everything on the external experience,

Now you're coming to know the bliss,

The peace,

That's forever present.

And then,

Because that's the Source,

Just like the sun,

Which has all the power and not just an individual ray of the sun,

Now,

With this accumulation of shakti,

Of energy,

Of power,

You can live your life from that state of freedom.

And the decisions that you make,

The people,

The company that you keep,

Will change,

Because now it'll be based on not ego gratification,

Physical needs,

Desires and preferences,

Now everything will be based on the vision of oneness.

So rather than seeing others as separate from you,

And a particular personality that you're either good with or you're rubbing with that personality,

You'll see the highest in everyone as that same self.

So now you'll connect with that.

So harmony will pursue in your life.

You'll have harmony with those around you,

Because you're not trying to change them or fix them so that you can be comfortable or happy or easy.

Instead,

You're enjoying those differences in personality,

In opinions,

And knowing that it's all different facets that make up the one gemstone,

Or different leaves that make up the flowers or petals.

All the diversity in nature is an example of this.

How would nature be beautiful if it was just all one color,

If it was just all one type of leaf or type of terrain?

The beauty is the mountains and the oceans and the deserts and all the diversity.

The beauty is all the varying colors of the flowers and types of different trees and plants,

Lakes and streams.

This is what we call beautiful,

Because we like the diversity,

Really.

But then when it comes to someone not agreeing with you,

All of a sudden you don't like that diversity.

So now the solution is not to focus on the differences,

But to focus on that one sap of nature that created all the trees and different leaves and flowers and plants,

That one essence that created all the different people and animals and societies and worlds.

Because now when your consciousness is on that peaceful existence inside of yourself,

Then the utmost ability is within you to live that peace and to transmute that peace to everyone who comes in your contact.

And this is the beginning of how to have a peaceful world.

It starts from you.

If you're watching the news and trying to make the changes only out there through politics,

That's the most that can be done.

We've seen the result in the world,

Where it's gotten to today.

But when you make the changes within yourself,

Then that flows through you to everyone you come in contact.

And then the maximum potential is there to experience peace within yourself,

Within your family,

Within your community.

And then you accept the world for as it is,

Because that's the diversity of experience of the human nature.

It can be divine,

It can be demonic.

That's the oneness,

That's how it all is.

But only you have the ability to know your own divinity.

And through you knowing that divinity within yourself,

Then you live in that divinity.

And those in your contact begin to live in that divinity and love you and appreciate you,

Because you can love and accept them as they are.

And knowing through faulty training and personality,

They've developed possibly even in a demonic way.

But the very nature of life is love and joy.

And if they're missing out on that love and joy,

That's something that you can't help for them,

But you certainly can help it for yourself.

To know,

Amaram ham madiram ham,

I am pure,

I am free,

I am forever.

And when you know that I that is pure,

Free,

Forever,

You know that same I exists within everyone,

Because the very I is pure,

Free,

Forever.

The very I is love and joy,

Not a love that changes and is based on getting your preference met or meeting someone that stimulates your senses,

And then you say,

I love that one and I don't love that one.

Not the kind of joy that's based on going to a pleasure fair or going on a beautiful vacation.

All that is just a manifestation of the very joy that you already are.

So when you know the joy that you already are and experience that in every moment,

You might not like the situation.

You'll certainly still want to change those situations that don't meet your preferences,

That don't reflect that joy that's within you,

But you'll have that reservoir of joy,

Of bliss,

Of peace that you can go back to just by closing your eyes,

Repeating the mantra,

Amaram ham madiram ham,

Knowing the power of that mantra,

Which is your own name,

I,

Immortal,

Blissful,

I am,

You are,

All this is.

Amaram ham madiram ham,

I am pure,

Free forever,

I am that knower,

The one who's watching with pure awareness and pure consciousness,

Not the dictates of the mind which keeps changing,

Sometimes up,

Sometimes down,

But I am that even,

Pure state of freedom,

Om shanti,

Om peace,

This peace is you forever.