0:00

We have a crisis

0:02

in the world, world, crisis

0:04

and also also in

0:06

our consciousness, in us. in

0:09

us. I I see the

0:11

urgency. change, radical revolution,

0:13

mutation in the mind.

0:15

I see it. It is it is

0:17

necessary. There is

0:20

come. complete quietness of

0:22

the mind, mind, and that

0:24

which is silent has

0:27

vast space, only

0:29

then that which is

0:31

nameless comes into into being.

0:34

This is This

0:36

is change, of Change, modey

0:39

podcast. Bliss

0:49

is not pleasure. ecstasy

0:52

is is not brought about by

0:54

thought. thought. It is an is an entirely

0:56

different thing. thing, and you

0:58

can only come upon that when

1:00

you understand the nature of thought. the

1:03

nature of thought. Hello and

1:05

and welcome to to

1:07

257, urgency Change. Each

1:11

episode of the podcast is based on

1:13

a significant theme of his

1:15

talks. theme of his from

1:17

the archives have been selected

1:19

the represent been different approaches to

1:22

these universal and timelessly relevant

1:24

themes. to these universal

1:26

and theme is bliss, ecstasy

1:29

and benediction. theme is

1:31

bliss, ecstasy and topics are

1:33

mechanical living. are

1:35

mechanical living, seeing. This

1:40

is a podcast from from Foundation

1:42

Trust, based at Brockwood Park

1:45

at Brockwood Park which is also home

1:47

to the also home to the Krishna Meti Retreat

1:49

Center. in the beautiful

1:51

countryside of the South of the

1:53

Park, National Park, the offers retreats

1:56

individually and in groups. and

1:58

in groups. The focus is on in

2:01

light of Krishnamerti's teachings.

2:03

Please visit krishnamerti center.org.uk

2:05

for more information, including

2:07

our volunteer program. You

2:10

can also find our

2:12

regular Krishnamerti quotes and

2:14

videos on Instagram, Tik-Dok

2:16

and Facebook hat Krishnamerti

2:19

Foundation Trust. If you

2:21

enjoy the podcast, please

2:23

leave a review or

2:25

rating on your podcast

2:27

app. This

2:31

episode on Bliss,

2:33

Exorci and Benediction,

2:36

has five sections.

2:38

This first extract

2:40

is from Christian

2:43

Merti's second talk

2:45

in London, 1969,

2:47

and is titled,

2:49

Bliss is not

2:51

pleasure. Thought thinking

2:54

about an incident,

2:56

an experience. a

3:02

state in

3:05

which there

3:07

has been

3:10

a disturbance,

3:13

danger, grief,

3:16

pain, brings

3:19

about fear.

3:21

Thought, having

3:24

established a

3:27

certain security.

3:31

psychologically. And

3:33

not wanting

3:36

that security

3:38

to be

3:41

disturbed. Any

3:43

disturbance is

3:45

a resistance

3:48

and therefore

3:50

fear.

3:53

is

3:55

responsible

3:58

for

4:00

fear, as

4:05

thought is responsible

4:07

for pleasure thought

4:10

right? And for

4:16

pleasure. Right?

4:19

has had a

4:22

happy experience, thought

4:27

thinks about it, and

4:31

wants it

4:33

repeated, perpetuated.

4:36

perpetuated. that is

4:39

not possible, there

4:41

is a resistance, there

4:44

is anger, there is

4:46

despair There

4:48

is anger, fear.

4:51

and fear. So is

4:54

both responsible

4:56

for fear as

4:58

well as

5:00

pleasure as right?

5:05

This is

5:08

not a

5:10

verbal conclusion. verbal

5:13

conclusion. is

5:15

not a

5:18

formula for

5:20

avoiding fear.

5:23

avoiding fear. That is,

5:26

That is, where

5:28

there is

5:30

fear there is is

5:32

pain and

5:35

pleasure. Pleasure goes

5:37

with pain. pain.

5:40

The The two

5:42

are are and

5:45

thought is

5:48

responsible for

5:50

both for

5:53

right? If

6:01

there was no

6:03

tomorrow or the

6:05

next moment to

6:07

think about either

6:10

fear or pleasure,

6:12

then neither exist.

6:14

Right, sirs? Shall

6:16

we go on

6:18

from there? Not,

6:20

please bear in

6:22

mind, not as

6:25

an idea. but

6:28

an actuality, the

6:30

thing that you

6:32

yourself have discovered

6:34

and therefore real.

6:37

So you say,

6:39

by you I

6:41

have found out

6:44

for yourself that

6:46

thought breeds both

6:48

these things. You

6:51

have had sexual

6:53

enjoyment, pleasure. Then

6:58

you think about it,

7:00

the image, the pictures,

7:03

you know, the whole

7:05

business of it. And

7:08

the very thinking about

7:11

it gives strength to

7:13

that pleasure which you

7:16

have had. And when

7:18

that is thwarted, there

7:21

is pain, anxiety, fear,

7:24

jealousy, jealousy, jealousy, So

7:34

thought is the

7:37

origin of both.

7:39

And we're not

7:42

saying that you

7:44

must not have

7:47

pleasure. Electricity is

7:49

not brought about

7:52

by thought. totally

7:54

different thing. And

7:57

you can only

7:59

come upon that

8:02

when you understand

8:04

the nature of

8:06

thought, which breeds

8:09

both pleasure and

8:11

fear. And when

8:14

a mind seeks,

8:16

bliss or ecstasy,

8:19

and there is

8:21

such a thing

8:24

which is not

8:29

and to understand

8:31

that there must

8:34

be real inquiry

8:36

and understanding of

8:39

fear and pleasure

8:41

which is brought

8:43

about by thought.

8:46

So then the

8:48

question arises, can

8:51

one stop thought?

8:53

You're following all

8:56

this? If

9:01

thought breeds fear

9:03

and pleasure, and

9:05

where there is

9:08

pleasure, there must

9:10

be pain, which

9:12

is fairly obvious,

9:15

then one asks

9:17

oneself, can thought

9:19

come to an

9:22

end? Which doesn't

9:24

mean the ending

9:27

of perception of

9:29

beauty? the

9:34

enjoyment of beauty.

9:36

It's like saying

9:39

the beauty of

9:41

a cloud or

9:43

a tree and

9:46

be completely, and

9:48

enjoy it totally,

9:51

completely, fully. But

9:53

when thought says

9:56

I must have

9:58

that same. tomorrow,

10:02

that same delight

10:05

which I had

10:07

yesterday when I

10:09

saw that cloud,

10:12

that tree, that

10:14

flower, that face

10:17

of that beautiful

10:19

person. Then it

10:21

invites both disappointment,

10:24

pain, fear, and

10:26

pleasure and pleasure

10:29

Obviously, is

10:32

that? So

10:34

can thought

10:36

come to

10:38

an end?

10:40

Or is

10:42

that a

10:44

wrong question

10:46

altogether? It's

10:48

the wrong

10:50

question. because

10:54

we want to

10:56

experience an ecstasy

10:59

of bliss which

11:02

is not pleasure.

11:04

Therefore you hope

11:07

by ending thought

11:10

we'll come up

11:12

on something which

11:15

is immense, which

11:18

is not the

11:20

product of pleasure

11:23

and fear. So

11:25

then our question

11:28

then is, what

11:31

place has thought?

11:33

in life. Right?

11:36

Not how to

11:39

end thought. What

11:41

is the... What

11:44

is the... What

11:47

is the... What

11:49

is the... in

11:54

action and

11:56

in action.

11:58

Right? What

12:03

is the relationship

12:05

of thought, of

12:08

where action

12:10

is necessary, and

12:13

what is and

12:16

thought come into does

12:18

thought come into

12:21

existence at all

12:23

when there is

12:25

complete enjoyment of

12:28

beauty, So so

12:30

that it doesn't carry

12:32

it over it. I

12:36

want to

12:38

find out where

12:41

thought is

12:43

necessary, and

12:45

it is necessary in

12:47

action. in

12:50

action. And I

12:53

also see also

12:55

see there is where

12:57

there is complete

12:59

enjoyment of beauty,

13:01

of a mountain,

13:03

of a beautiful

13:05

face or a

13:07

a of water,

13:10

face or a why

13:12

should thought come

13:14

there there and give

13:16

a twist to it it

13:18

say, I must have that

13:21

pleasure again tomorrow? pleasure

13:23

again tomorrow? So I have

13:25

I have to

13:27

find out what

13:30

is the... a

13:34

of thought

13:37

in action, of

13:39

and thought must

13:41

not interfere, which is

13:43

is when

13:45

there is no

13:47

action of

13:50

thought at all.

14:05

The second extract is from the

14:07

third talk in San Diego, 1970, and

14:10

is titled, talk in Total

14:12

Revolution. 1970 and is

14:14

titled our life,

14:17

of a life of conflict,

14:20

a life that has

14:23

really no meaning

14:25

as it is. conflict. A

14:27

life that has really no meaning

14:30

life that is a

14:32

battlefield, a not

14:34

only in yourself but

14:36

also in your relationship, in

14:40

your a

14:42

life of a

14:44

life of division, routine,

14:48

routine, monotonous,

14:51

and a life that is, when

14:53

you look at it very

14:55

deeply, at it utterly lonely, utterly

14:58

a life

15:00

that has no

15:02

beauty. And

15:06

that is our

15:09

life, and we are

15:11

not exaggerating it. it,

15:14

if If you

15:16

observe yourself very

15:18

carefully, without

15:20

any prejudice, bias, you

15:22

look at every you

15:25

look at every

15:27

human being right

15:29

through the the saint, the

15:31

the saint, the priest,

15:33

the priest, the

15:37

specialist, the

15:39

courieress, the

15:42

ordinary the are

15:44

all caught in this, are

15:47

all caught in

15:49

and we

15:51

want to

15:54

escape from

15:56

it. And

16:03

so you

16:05

escape through

16:08

nationalism, through

16:10

beliefs, through

16:12

innumerable forms

16:15

of entertainment,

16:17

in which

16:19

it included

16:22

the religious

16:24

entertainment. That's

16:27

our life.

16:35

comparing ourselves with

16:37

something that should

16:39

be, comparing ourselves

16:41

with greater, with

16:44

the nobler, with

16:46

the more intelligent,

16:48

with the more

16:50

spiritual and so

16:53

on and on

16:55

and on, and

16:57

therefore conflict and

16:59

fear. This is

17:02

our life. And

17:07

in the very

17:10

search of security,

17:13

psychological as well

17:16

as physical, we

17:19

bring about destruction.

17:22

These are obvious

17:25

facts. And from

17:28

this we want

17:31

to escape. Because

17:35

man has lived

17:38

like this for

17:41

thousands and thousands

17:44

of years, with

17:47

sorrow, confusion and

17:50

great misery and

17:53

mischief. And without

17:56

changing all that

17:59

complete. radically,

18:09

mere outward revolution,

18:14

changing a particular

18:16

system for another

18:18

system, does

18:20

not solve

18:22

this aching

18:25

agony. There

18:33

is only one revolution, one

18:36

the inward revolution.

18:39

the inward

18:42

revolution. So,

18:45

spitting on

18:47

society, on

18:50

society, blaming

18:54

society for your

18:56

condition, is

18:59

obviously blaming something

19:01

which you have

19:04

created. which

19:06

you have It is

19:08

your society, your you

19:11

have built it

19:13

have built it. By your

19:15

greed, envy, ambition,

19:19

competitiveness, comparison, but

19:21

one's own

19:23

and inward own

19:26

and inward hatreds, So

19:28

that is

19:30

our life, really

19:33

quite

19:36

insane life.

19:40

life. Now,

19:43

the the

19:45

question is, how

19:48

can that life

19:50

be changed? life

19:53

be Not

19:56

gradually. but

20:02

immediately, otherwise

20:06

you're are

20:08

sowing the

20:10

seed of violence,

20:13

violence. Though you

20:15

may want peace

20:17

you are

20:20

actually sowing the

20:22

seeds of

20:24

enmity, sowing misery. enmity,

20:26

misery. So seeing all

20:29

this non -verbally,

20:32

not as

20:34

an

20:36

explanation, not

20:40

as an idea, idea,

20:43

but seeing it actually

20:45

as it is, feeling

20:48

it as

20:50

you feel is, feeling

20:52

it as therefore

20:54

being intimately related

20:56

to it. And

21:01

you cannot be

21:04

be beautifully related

21:06

to this living,

21:08

we call which we

21:11

call life, as you

21:13

as long as

21:15

you have any

21:17

form of escape

21:19

from it, it, any

21:21

form of any form

21:24

of distortion. So,

21:35

awareness without choice

21:37

to be aware

21:39

of this whole

21:43

choice, to

21:45

be aware of

21:47

this whole phenomenon

21:50

of existence, not

21:53

someone else's

21:55

existence, not not

21:57

being aware of this.

22:00

of our life according

22:02

to somebody, somebody, some

22:04

philosopher, some guru,

22:06

some psychologist, but

22:09

being aware

22:11

of it of it

22:14

actually, because you

22:16

yourself see it.

22:26

If one is so

22:28

completely aware of

22:30

it, aware and

22:33

one must, and

22:35

one must. Because because

22:37

one cannot

22:39

possibly live as

22:41

we are

22:44

living, we are living. We

22:46

are talking we

22:48

are talking inwardly,

22:51

psychologically, life a

22:53

life that is torn.

23:01

And if we

23:03

want order, order,

23:07

and order

23:09

is virtue, is

23:11

to learn not to

23:14

order demands

23:16

discipline, to that

23:18

is to

23:20

learn not

23:22

to to not

23:25

to imitate, learn. but

23:27

to learn, And to and

23:29

to learn about the

23:32

disorder, which

23:34

is our life,

23:36

to observe it, to

23:38

learn. it, to learn. And

23:40

in that observation comes

23:43

an extraordinary discipline, not

23:48

imposed by anybody by

23:52

anybody, because

23:54

the

23:56

observation itself

24:00

has its own

24:02

discipline. In the

24:05

very act of

24:07

observing your learning,

24:10

and therefore that

24:12

learning is the

24:15

discipline. Please do

24:17

see this because

24:20

we have imposed

24:23

upon ourselves so

24:25

many disciplines. the

24:30

business discipline, the religious

24:32

discipline, the family discipline.

24:35

Of course the military

24:37

discipline is the most

24:40

absurd kind of discipline.

24:42

But we are. We

24:44

have got so many

24:47

disciplines, the must and

24:49

the must not. Always

24:52

conforming, imitating, suppressing. and

24:56

being suppressed, wanting

24:59

to fulfil. All

25:01

that is disorder.

25:04

So to understand

25:06

order, to learn

25:08

about order, not

25:11

what order should

25:13

be, but to

25:16

learn about order,

25:18

not what order

25:21

should be, but

25:23

to learn about

25:26

it. One must

25:28

learn about disorder.

25:31

Right? Are we

25:33

following each other?

25:36

Or are you

25:38

being slowly being

25:40

mesmerized by words?

25:43

Well if you

25:45

are, it's up

25:48

to you. We

25:55

said one must learn

25:57

about disorder. which

26:01

is our life, which

26:04

is our mind, our

26:06

heart, our very core

26:08

of our being, is

26:11

disorder. Because if you

26:13

say there is a

26:15

soul, there is the,

26:17

according to the Hindus,

26:20

the artmen and so

26:22

on, there are just

26:24

theories. Philosophy has nothing

26:27

to do with living.

26:31

And we are trying

26:33

to understand what living

26:36

is. And we see

26:38

in that living there

26:40

is disorder, utter disorder,

26:42

the battle, the misery,

26:45

the confusion, the agony,

26:47

the guilt, the fear.

26:49

So one has to

26:51

observe without any choice

26:54

this disorder which is

26:56

you, which is you,

26:58

which is me. to

27:04

observe it, not what

27:06

you want it to

27:09

be. Then you create

27:11

conflict between what is

27:14

and what should be.

27:16

And where there is

27:19

conflict, there is disorder.

27:21

Please do understand this

27:24

thing very simply. Once

27:26

you understand this, you

27:29

will find... that

27:31

by observing disorder

27:33

in oneself, without

27:35

any distortion, without

27:37

wanting to bring

27:39

about order out

27:41

of this disorder,

27:43

trying to impose

27:45

what you think

27:47

is order upon

27:49

disorder, but observe

27:52

it without any

27:54

choice, without any

27:56

distortion, then out

27:58

of that observation.

28:01

supreme order, the

28:03

highest good. And

28:06

in that there

28:09

is a total

28:11

revolution. And from

28:14

that, inward radical

28:16

change, then it

28:19

comes outward order.

28:22

Not the other

28:24

way around. We

28:27

want outward order

28:30

first. And it's

28:32

never been possible.

28:35

Every revolution, including

28:38

the communist revolution,

28:40

said forget about

28:43

the inward order.

28:45

Let's have state

28:48

order. And you

28:51

know what's happening.

28:53

Every revolution has

28:56

done it. try

28:59

to bring about

29:02

outward order without

29:05

paying any attention

29:08

whatsoever to the

29:11

psychological supreme order

29:14

within oneself. And

29:17

order means also,

29:20

not only virtual,

29:23

but love. And

29:31

what

29:34

is

29:37

love?

29:40

How

29:43

will

29:46

you

29:49

find

29:52

out?

29:59

Only. will find

30:01

out what it

30:03

is through what

30:05

it is not.

30:08

Through the negation

30:10

the positive comes.

30:12

But if you

30:14

pursue the positive,

30:16

then it is

30:18

the pursuit of

30:20

the projection of

30:23

the mind. So

30:27

when you deny

30:30

all the projections

30:32

of the mind,

30:34

by denying in

30:36

the sense, setting

30:38

it aside, negating,

30:40

then you'll find

30:42

out what it

30:44

is. So that's

30:47

what we are

30:49

going to do.

30:51

Find out what

30:53

it is not.

30:56

to find

30:58

out what

31:00

it is.

31:02

Is this,

31:04

can we

31:06

go on?

31:08

Right. We

31:10

said what

31:12

is love?

31:14

You know

31:16

that's one

31:18

of the

31:20

most important

31:22

things in

31:24

life. Then

31:29

there is

31:32

no conflict.

31:34

Then there

31:37

is no

31:39

evil. There

31:42

is great

31:44

bliss. The

31:53

third extract is from Christianity's

31:55

sixth talk in New Delhi

31:57

1963 and is titled ecstasy.

32:02

is an

32:04

extraordinary thing.

32:07

There is

32:10

an extraordinary

32:12

beauty in

32:15

it. It

32:17

gives mind

32:20

sensitivity, a

32:22

heightened sharpness.

32:30

so that your

32:32

whole life is

32:35

completely fully in

32:37

the active present.

32:40

For most of

32:42

us do not

32:45

live totally with

32:47

all our conscious

32:50

and conscious state

32:52

and beyond. We

32:55

only touch a

32:57

peripheral touch we

33:00

call living, with

33:02

all its agonies,

33:05

contradictions, bestialities, cruelties,

33:07

flatteries, insults, and

33:10

all the rest

33:12

of the human

33:15

existence. That's where

33:17

we touch. We

33:20

are talking of

33:22

a meditative mind

33:25

that is totally

33:27

aware. not

33:30

only the

33:32

peripheral movement,

33:34

but the

33:36

whole content

33:38

of consciousness

33:40

and thereby

33:42

to go

33:44

beyond it.

33:46

Otherwise there

33:48

is no

33:50

meditation. Otherwise

33:52

it's mere

33:54

self-hypotism. Court.

33:59

a series of of ideas,

34:01

in in images, a

34:05

conditioned projection of

34:07

Christ, your Sri or or

34:09

your or your particular guru,

34:11

and seeing visions and getting terribly

34:13

excited about those terribly excited about

34:15

responses which have no meaning

34:18

at all. responses which

34:20

have no meaning at all.

34:22

So we are talking about

34:25

are talking about something entirely different. We

34:30

are talking

34:32

about a

34:34

meditative mind

34:36

that is

34:38

in the

34:40

full flow

34:42

of life

34:44

full fear, life

34:46

without fear, and therefore

34:48

without hope, without despair,

34:50

and seeing

34:52

beauty, beauty,

34:55

living in

34:57

a state

34:59

of complete

35:01

cooperation, and therefore

35:03

in a state of love. That's what

35:05

we a into. love. That's

35:08

what we're going into. As I

35:10

I said, we

35:12

said just now, now,

35:15

to to understand

35:18

or to find

35:20

out the beginning

35:22

of meditation, meditation, the the

35:25

beginning. If

35:28

you don't understand the beginning, you'll

35:30

not understand the end, because

35:33

the the the

35:35

end. Because the beginning,

35:37

the beginning, not away

35:39

at the therefore

35:42

you to understand

35:44

completely what

35:46

what the beginning is,

35:48

completely, But all your being.

35:59

So don't please

36:01

if I may suggest

36:04

or request, don't say

36:06

at the end, you

36:09

haven't taught me how

36:11

to meditate. I haven't

36:14

a silent mind. What

36:17

am I to do?

36:19

Those are questions that

36:22

are utterly immature. Those

36:28

questions indicate a

36:30

mind that has

36:33

not gone into

36:36

itself and discovered

36:39

the whole process

36:41

of its own

36:44

thought, the unflowering,

36:47

the flowering of

36:50

this whole being.

36:52

So all we

36:55

know... is

36:58

the observer

37:01

and the

37:03

observed, which

37:06

is the

37:08

experiences and

37:11

the thing

37:14

experienced, or

37:16

the thinker

37:19

and thought.

37:21

That's what

37:24

we know.

37:28

which you find

37:30

out for yourself

37:33

and you observe

37:36

yourself. The thinker,

37:39

trying to control

37:42

thought. The thinker,

37:45

trying to shape

37:48

thought. The thinker,

37:51

trying to impose.

37:58

trying to understand

38:02

this thing that

38:04

wanders away from

38:06

moment to moment,

38:08

this thought. And

38:10

so we know

38:13

only the contradiction

38:15

and the conflict

38:17

between the thinker

38:19

and the thought.

38:21

Please, you are

38:23

not listening to

38:26

me, to the

38:28

speaker. You're

38:31

observing yourself. What the

38:34

speaker says is very

38:36

little importance. What is

38:39

important is to observe

38:42

how your own mind

38:44

is operating and merely

38:47

to listen to the

38:50

speaker so that he

38:52

acts as a mirror

38:55

for that he acts

38:58

as a mirror for

39:03

And you will

39:05

see how this

39:08

process, this conflict

39:10

is our life.

39:12

From the moment

39:15

we are born

39:17

till we die,

39:20

this battle goes

39:22

on day after

39:24

day endlessly. The

39:27

thinker accumulating, chastening

39:29

his thoughts and

39:31

his thoughts or

39:35

controlling, and what

39:38

he wants is

39:41

to, is to

39:44

so completely control

39:47

all thought, so

39:50

that he a

39:52

state of sterile

39:55

decay because he

39:58

is controlled. And

40:01

that's all what

40:04

your meditation means.

40:07

Just to control

40:09

your feelings, your

40:12

thoughts, the duties,

40:15

the responsibilities, the

40:18

responsibilities, the once

40:21

life. And in

40:24

that framework, you

40:26

try to meditate.

40:29

Therefore, you may

40:32

alter character a

40:35

little bit here

40:38

and there. You

40:41

may become a

40:43

little more quiet,

40:46

more considerate. But

40:49

character... which is

40:52

really the reaction

40:55

to a particular

40:58

society, however necessary,

41:00

will not bring

41:03

freedom of a

41:06

mind that can

41:09

meditate, that is

41:12

in a state

41:15

of an extraordinary

41:17

ecstasy. And there

41:20

is that ecstasy.

41:25

The question

41:27

is, it's

41:30

possible to

41:32

remove this

41:34

conflict totally

41:36

between the

41:38

thinker and

41:40

the thought.

41:42

Please see

41:44

the problem,

41:46

understand the

41:48

problem first.

41:53

If you exercise will,

41:56

to bring about. a

41:58

complete harmony

42:01

between thought,

42:03

and the

42:05

thought, the between

42:07

the innumerable experiences

42:09

of the past and

42:12

the present movement

42:14

of experiencing, which

42:16

is the response response of

42:18

the past in the

42:20

present. If

42:28

You don't, you merely

42:30

exercise a a decision,

42:32

exercise to to

42:35

control, who is the entity that

42:37

who is the

42:39

entity that until the

42:42

that will? it the is still

42:45

the thinker. You

42:47

may call it the all the

42:49

of or give it all

42:51

kinds of superficial or traditional

42:53

names, but it is still

42:55

within the field of thought. Therefore,

43:02

what is within the field

43:04

of thought yet not the real, a

43:07

thought is real. the response of memory. You

43:09

merely the response of

43:11

memory. believe in You have been

43:13

brought up to believe

43:15

in might not be and another

43:17

man might not be brought

43:19

up to believe in

43:21

anything. You are

43:23

just condensed. not, because you repeat the word,

43:25

you repeat the word,

43:28

use the word you're you

43:30

are not godly, to

43:32

find God, to to

43:34

realize that extraordinary

43:36

thing. need a

43:38

mind that is

43:41

astonishingly new, innocent,

43:43

new, innocent, a mind that is,

43:45

mind that energy which

43:47

is that energy

43:49

which is not

43:51

contaminated by conflict. The

44:00

fourth extract is

44:03

from the sixth

44:06

talk in Madras

44:08

1981 and is

44:11

titled the benediction

44:14

of living a

44:16

life that is

44:19

whole. Meditation is

44:22

unpremeditated art. Have

44:24

you got it?

44:36

Am

44:38

I

44:41

right?

44:43

I

44:45

said

44:47

meditation

44:49

is

44:51

unpremeditated

44:53

art.

44:55

You

44:57

can't

44:59

prepare

45:02

for

45:04

meditation.

45:07

No method. The

45:09

system, the method

45:12

is premeditated. Somebody

45:14

has thought he

45:17

has meditated, invented

45:20

a system, and

45:22

we follow that,

45:25

hoping something to

45:27

get. So one

45:30

has to find

45:33

out what it

45:35

is. premeditated,

45:38

which is

45:42

meditation. You

45:45

understand, sir?

45:48

I'll go

45:51

into it.

45:54

First of

45:57

all, We

46:01

can banish all

46:04

the systems, all

46:06

the methods, the

46:09

postures, the breathing,

46:11

forcing the mind

46:14

thought to control

46:16

and so on

46:19

and so on.

46:21

The controller is

46:24

the controlled. Right?

46:27

Thought creates the

46:30

controller and then

46:32

the controller says

46:35

I must control

46:38

thought in order

46:40

to meditate, or

46:43

rather to meditate,

46:46

which is so

46:49

obviously silly. So

46:51

systems, methods, the

46:54

idea of controlling,

47:00

or thought identifying

47:03

itself with something,

47:06

a picture, an

47:08

image, a symbol,

47:11

and concentrating on

47:14

that. I don't

47:17

know if you're

47:19

following all this.

47:22

And there is

47:25

this nonsensical transcendental

47:28

meditation. which

47:31

is really a glorified

47:34

racket. Money making racket.

47:36

I know you won't

47:38

like some of you

47:40

who probably have done

47:42

this. You pay to

47:44

your somebody 10 rupees

47:47

or 10,000 rupees and

47:49

if you get it

47:51

straight from the horse's

47:53

mouth, you pay all

47:55

your income. And he

47:57

gives you a mantra.

48:08

I have been told told

48:10

a – the

48:12

root meaning

48:14

and the depth

48:17

of that

48:19

word – and the

48:21

depth of consider, word

48:23

means ponder, consider, becoming,

48:26

upon not and

48:33

absolve, dissolve

48:35

all self -centred

48:37

activity. That's what

48:39

that word word means,

48:42

but look what

48:44

it has become. You can

48:47

repeat without going through You

48:49

can repeat, without

48:51

going through to

48:53

money to somebody to

48:56

tell you the mantra,

48:58

you can invent your

49:00

own mantra own mantra. Coca-Cola. Coca-Cola. don't

49:03

laugh, you are all

49:05

doing it, all doing

49:07

or any other it for 20

49:09

minutes in the repeat it

49:11

20 twenty minutes in

49:13

the morning, twenty minutes

49:16

in the afternoon, twenty minutes in the

49:18

evening, and the rest

49:20

of the day you can do

49:22

all the mischief you want, the myths if

49:24

take a take a siesta. You you understand

49:26

a siesta, what it means? what

49:29

it means? 20 minutes

49:31

rest. go to

49:34

sleep, put your brain to

49:36

sleep by repeating, repeating,

49:38

repeating, repeating, the afternoon,

49:40

so on, so on,

49:42

so that's not meditation.

49:44

So that's not meditation. So So

49:46

going to find out

49:48

what is meditation. is meditation. If

49:50

you are really you are

49:52

really interested in finding

49:54

out, out, not how to how

49:57

to meditate. what

50:02

is the

50:05

depth and

50:07

the beauty

50:10

and the

50:12

reality and

50:15

the immense

50:17

possibility of

50:19

meditation. The

50:22

word means

50:24

ponder to

50:27

think over.

50:31

be concerned,

50:33

the dictionary

50:35

meaning of

50:38

that word.

50:40

But the

50:43

word is

50:45

not the

50:48

thing, right?

50:50

The word

50:53

meditation is

50:55

not meditation.

50:59

Why should

51:01

one meditate

51:03

at all?

51:06

Is meditation

51:08

separate from

51:10

life, that

51:12

is, our

51:14

daily living?

51:16

The office,

51:18

the family,

51:21

the sex,

51:23

the... pursuit

51:26

of ambition, daily

51:29

life. Is that

51:31

separate from meditation?

51:34

Or is meditation

51:36

part of life?

51:39

You understand? You

51:41

understand my question?

51:44

Part of life.

51:47

if it is separate

51:50

and you meditate in

51:52

order to live better

51:54

life, in order to

51:57

be better, you follow,

51:59

then You

52:01

are imposing certain

52:04

concepts on actuality,

52:06

certain experience of

52:09

others, essentially of

52:11

others, on what

52:14

you think should

52:16

happen. Now, if

52:19

you can deny

52:21

all that. You

52:24

understand? Please,

52:27

this is very

52:29

serious what we're

52:31

talking about, to

52:33

understand. You are

52:35

really very serious

52:38

to go into

52:40

it. Don't play

52:42

with it. It

52:44

is to deny

52:46

everything that man

52:48

has thought about

52:50

meditation. About silence,

52:52

about truth. about

52:56

eternity, whether

52:58

there is

53:00

a timeless

53:02

state and

53:05

so on,

53:07

to be

53:09

free of

53:11

other people's

53:13

knowledge completely.

53:15

And that

53:17

goes very

53:19

very far.

53:21

That is.

53:25

to deny

53:27

your gods,

53:30

your sacred

53:32

books, your

53:34

tradition, your

53:36

beliefs, everything

53:39

wiped away.

53:41

Because you

53:43

understand they

53:45

are the

53:48

result of

53:56

which means you're

53:59

totally not

54:02

dependent on anything, which

54:10

means you

54:12

are free of

54:14

fear, are free of

54:16

fear, no no

54:18

longer touched by

54:20

sorrow, by

54:23

which doesn't

54:26

mean that

54:29

you become

54:31

hard, bitter,

54:34

cruel. become hard, better,

54:36

cruel. And

54:40

without love and

54:43

compassion and is

54:45

no meditation, is no

54:47

meditation. So life, life

54:50

every day in

54:52

this world, is

54:55

corrupt beyond

54:57

words, words, which

55:00

is immoral, immoral, destructive,

55:05

a sense sense, lack

55:07

of integrity, living

55:11

in this

55:13

world surrounded by

55:15

all this. surrounded

55:17

by all this. To have

55:19

have that

55:21

sense of total

55:23

freedom, is

55:26

absolute is

55:28

absolute freedom, you

55:30

because you have

55:32

denied that

55:34

man has thought

55:36

out, except

55:41

technological work. don't

55:43

have to repeat that

55:45

over and over

55:47

again, have to repeat that over and

55:49

over then you then

55:52

you are, into

55:54

quite a

55:57

different which

55:59

is mind, mind.

56:02

Not not you

56:04

enter, there

56:06

is the mind.

56:09

is the mind. Mind is

56:11

entirely different entirely

56:13

different from the

56:16

brain, that

56:18

mind and

56:20

that mind

56:23

cannot be

56:25

understood or

56:28

known or

56:30

perceived unless the

56:32

brain, with

56:34

all its sensory

56:36

responses, is

56:39

understood. That

56:42

is, see to

56:44

see something, the seed,

56:47

the sea, the sheet of water,

56:49

of water, or

56:52

anything of nature with

56:54

all your senses, with

56:59

all your senses, not

57:01

not with your eyes with

57:03

one thing, with all your

57:06

senses, one when you perceive

57:08

all your all your senses

57:10

there is no recording, your there

57:13

is no There is

57:15

no I. It's only It

57:17

is only when

57:19

we perceive something

57:22

then the the

57:24

partial thing creates the me,

57:26

which is partial. So

57:30

when the brain

57:32

the brain

57:34

is totally

57:36

free from

57:39

all accumulated

57:41

psychological knowledge, knowledge,

57:43

then there is

57:45

then there

57:48

is the

57:50

mind. I

57:57

won't go into that. Then that

57:59

becomes it. a You understand?

58:01

one has done

58:04

all this, actually

58:06

you can test it

58:08

out. you

58:10

can You can it out.

58:13

You it in your

58:15

daily life. in your daily

58:17

life. If that is

58:19

not tested out

58:21

in daily life it

58:24

is not worth

58:26

it. in daily life, it's not worth

58:28

there is this

58:30

absolute denial of all

58:32

the psychological of

58:35

all the psychological the

58:37

mind, when

58:39

the brain becomes

58:41

very quiet, mind,

58:43

when the it

58:45

hasn't to be

58:47

induced to

58:49

be quiet. be induced

58:51

to be quiet. Then Then

58:54

illumination is not

58:56

an experience. Illumination

59:03

means to see

59:05

things clearly as

59:08

they are clearly

59:10

to go beyond

59:12

them. and to go beyond them.

59:15

And in our lives there is

59:17

our lives little beauty,

59:19

not the not the

59:22

beauty of form,

59:25

actual actual beauty

59:27

in our life. And

59:36

that beauty cannot exist

59:38

without love. exist

59:40

without love. And when there

59:42

is love and compassion it

59:44

when there

59:46

is love and

59:49

compassion it

59:51

has its own

59:53

intelligence. That intelligence

59:56

acts, which

59:58

is whole. which

1:00:01

is right action,

1:00:03

right action. All this all

1:00:05

this is meditation.

1:00:08

And there is

1:00:11

immense there is immense

1:00:13

beauty in it. sense

1:00:16

of aesthetic,

1:00:18

sense of… aesthetic and the

1:00:21

perception the perception

1:00:23

of the

1:00:25

world. And

1:00:32

in that that, is great

1:00:34

benediction, not

1:00:37

from your not from your

1:00:39

gods, but but the

1:00:41

benediction of living

1:00:44

a life which is whole.

1:00:59

The final extract in this episode

1:01:01

is from in talk in Bombay,

1:01:03

1985, the and is titled talk

1:01:05

in Bombay is where

1:01:08

you are. titled, That

1:01:10

benediction there

1:01:12

something beyond something

1:01:14

beyond all space?

1:01:16

all time and space?

1:01:18

Is there something that

1:01:21

has that has never been

1:01:23

seen before by any man. man?

1:01:28

Is there something

1:01:31

immensely sacred? sacred?

1:01:34

Is there there

1:01:36

something that the

1:01:39

brain has never touched?

1:01:42

touched? So we're

1:01:44

going to So we're

1:01:46

going to find out. if you have

1:01:49

You have done the first

1:01:51

step, which is which is rubbish.

1:01:54

away all this

1:01:56

rubbish. is

1:02:00

because you have

1:02:02

used your brain,

1:02:04

your logic, your

1:02:07

doubt, your question. logic,

1:02:09

your doubt, your question. Then Then

1:02:12

what is meditation?

1:02:14

And that's part of That's

1:02:16

part of so

1:02:19

-called religion. What is

1:02:21

What is meditation? To

1:02:27

escape from the noise of the

1:02:29

world, the noise of

1:02:31

the to have

1:02:34

a silent

1:02:36

mind, a quiet

1:02:38

mind, a

1:02:40

peaceful mind, mind?

1:02:43

And you practice

1:02:45

systems methods

1:02:47

methods to

1:02:49

become

1:02:51

aware systems,

1:02:56

methods, a mould to

1:02:58

keep your thoughts under control. under

1:03:02

control. Sit

1:03:04

cross-legged, repeat

1:03:07

some repeat

1:03:09

some mantra. told the meaning

1:03:11

I have been told

1:03:14

the meaning of that

1:03:16

word means

1:03:18

ponder over not

1:03:21

becoming. And

1:03:25

that's one of

1:03:28

the meanings. meanings. And absorb,

1:03:30

all put aside all

1:03:32

self -centred activity. That's

1:03:35

of the root

1:03:37

meanings of meanings of

1:03:40

But we repeat a

1:03:42

few and carry carry

1:03:44

on with our

1:03:47

self -interest our our

1:03:49

egotistic ways. So, mantra has

1:03:51

lost its meaning. So,

1:03:54

what is meditation? is

1:04:02

meditation a

1:04:05

conscious effort?

1:04:07

You meditate

1:04:09

consciously practice

1:04:11

in order

1:04:13

to achieve

1:04:15

something. To

1:04:18

achieve a

1:04:20

quiet mind,

1:04:22

brain. To

1:04:24

achieve a

1:04:26

sense of

1:04:28

brain. What's

1:04:32

the difference between that

1:04:34

meditator and the man

1:04:36

who says, I want

1:04:39

money, so I work

1:04:41

for it? What's the

1:04:43

difference between the two?

1:04:45

Both are seeking an

1:04:48

achievement. One is called

1:04:50

spiritual achievement, the other

1:04:52

is called mundane achievement.

1:04:55

They are both in

1:04:57

the line of achievement.

1:05:02

So to the

1:05:05

speaker, that's not

1:05:08

meditation at all.

1:05:10

Any conscious, deliberate,

1:05:13

active desire with

1:05:15

its will is

1:05:18

not meditation. So

1:05:21

one has to

1:05:23

ask, is there

1:05:26

meditation? That is

1:05:28

not. brought

1:05:31

about by thought. Is

1:05:33

there a meditation of

1:05:35

which you are not?

1:05:37

A speaker was going

1:05:40

to say you're not

1:05:42

aware of. You understand

1:05:44

all this? In a

1:05:46

deliberate process of meditation

1:05:48

is not meditation. That's

1:05:50

so obvious. can sit

1:05:52

cross-legged for for

1:05:54

the rest

1:05:56

of your

1:05:58

life your life

1:06:00

and and

1:06:02

all the

1:06:04

rest of

1:06:06

that business, and

1:06:09

you will not come anywhere

1:06:11

near the other thing, because

1:06:14

that is a

1:06:16

deliberate action to

1:06:18

achieve a result

1:06:20

– the cause

1:06:23

and the effect.

1:06:27

But the effect the

1:06:29

effect the cause,

1:06:31

so it is cause,

1:06:33

becomes the cause. So it's a

1:06:35

is there a

1:06:38

you're caught. So is

1:06:40

there a is

1:06:43

not put together by desire, by

1:06:47

will, desire,

1:06:49

by

1:06:51

effort? The

1:06:57

speaker says there

1:06:59

is, there is. don't have

1:07:01

to believe have On

1:07:03

the contrary, you

1:07:05

must doubt it, contrary, you

1:07:07

must doubt it. must question

1:07:09

it, it. As as

1:07:11

the speaker has questioned

1:07:13

it. Doubt

1:07:15

doubted it, turn

1:07:18

it apart. Is

1:07:29

there a

1:07:31

meditation that

1:07:33

is not

1:07:35

contrived, organised?

1:07:39

organized? To

1:07:41

go into

1:07:45

go into that, must

1:07:48

must understand the brain, which

1:07:51

is conditioned, which

1:07:54

is a brain

1:07:56

which is limited, and

1:07:59

that brain. trying to

1:08:01

comprehend the limitless, the

1:08:03

immeasurable, the timeless, the

1:08:07

if there is such

1:08:09

a thing as the

1:08:12

timeless. is such thing as the timeless. And

1:08:14

for for that, is

1:08:17

sound is important to

1:08:19

understand. Sound and Sound

1:08:21

and silence go

1:08:24

together. Sound, if

1:08:26

you don't

1:08:28

understand sound, the

1:08:31

depth of sound. the

1:08:33

depth of sound. But we But

1:08:35

we have separated

1:08:38

sound from silence. silence.

1:08:42

Sound is the word.

1:08:44

Sound is Sound is beating.

1:08:47

The beating. is

1:08:50

filled filled with sound.

1:08:57

The universe in the

1:09:00

sense the whole in

1:09:02

the sense heavens, earth, all the

1:09:04

the million stars, that

1:09:06

the the whole sky the

1:09:09

filled with

1:09:11

sound. is filled with sun.

1:09:13

Obviously, you don't

1:09:15

have to listen

1:09:18

to scientists

1:09:20

about it. to scientists

1:09:22

about it. And

1:09:24

we have made that

1:09:26

sound that intolerable.

1:09:32

So we So we want

1:09:34

to have a brain

1:09:36

that is quiet, peaceful,

1:09:40

peaceful. But when you

1:09:42

listen to sound,

1:09:44

you listen

1:09:47

to sound, the

1:09:50

very listening is the silence. Silence

1:09:53

and sound are

1:09:55

not separate. So

1:10:02

meditation is something

1:10:05

that's not contrived,

1:10:07

organized. Meditation is,

1:10:10

is, it begins

1:10:13

at the first

1:10:15

step, which is

1:10:18

to be free

1:10:20

of all your

1:10:23

hurts, psychological hurts.

1:10:26

To be free

1:10:28

of all your

1:10:31

accumulated fears, anxieties,

1:10:34

loneliness, despair, sorrow.

1:10:36

That's the foundation.

1:10:39

That's the first

1:10:41

step. And the

1:10:44

first step is

1:10:47

the last step.

1:10:49

If you take

1:10:52

that first step,

1:10:55

that's over. but

1:10:59

we are unwilling, unwilling

1:11:02

to take that first

1:11:04

step. Because we don't

1:11:07

want to be free.

1:11:10

We want to be,

1:11:12

we want to depend,

1:11:15

depend on power, what

1:11:17

other people, depend on

1:11:20

environment, depend on our

1:11:23

experience, depend on our

1:11:25

experience, depend on our

1:11:28

experience, and

1:11:32

never be free

1:11:34

of all dependents

1:11:37

or all fear.

1:11:40

And therefore the

1:11:42

ending of sorrow

1:11:45

is love. Where

1:11:48

there is that

1:11:51

love, there is

1:11:53

compassion. And that

1:11:56

compassion has its

1:11:59

own. intelligence.

1:12:02

And when there's

1:12:05

that intelligence acts,

1:12:07

it always action

1:12:10

is true. There's

1:12:13

no conflict in

1:12:15

that, where there

1:12:18

is that intelligence.

1:12:21

You heard all

1:12:23

this. You

1:12:30

heard the ending

1:12:33

of fear, ending

1:12:35

of sorrow, beauty

1:12:38

and love. But

1:12:41

the hearing is

1:12:43

one thing and

1:12:46

action is another.

1:12:48

You hear all

1:12:51

these things, which

1:12:54

are true, logical,

1:12:56

sane, sane, rational.

1:13:02

but you won't

1:13:05

act according to

1:13:07

that. You'll go

1:13:09

home and begin

1:13:11

all over again.

1:13:14

Your worries, your

1:13:16

conflicts, your miseries.

1:13:18

So one asks,

1:13:20

what's the point

1:13:23

of it all?

1:13:25

What's the point

1:13:27

of listening to

1:13:29

this speaker? and

1:13:33

not living it.

1:13:35

And the listening

1:13:37

and not doing

1:13:39

is the wastage

1:13:41

of your life.

1:13:43

If you listen

1:13:45

to something that

1:13:48

is true and

1:13:50

not act, you

1:13:52

are wasting your

1:13:54

life. And life

1:13:56

is much too

1:13:58

precious. It's

1:14:01

the only thing

1:14:04

that we have.

1:14:06

And we've also

1:14:09

lost touch with

1:14:12

nature, which means

1:14:15

we've lost touch

1:14:17

with ourselves. It's

1:14:20

a part of

1:14:23

nature. We don't

1:14:26

love trees, the

1:14:29

birds. You're

1:14:32

destroying the earth.

1:14:34

And we're destroying

1:14:36

each other. And

1:14:39

all that is

1:14:41

such a waste

1:14:43

of life. When

1:14:45

one realizes all

1:14:48

this, not merely

1:14:50

intellectually or verbally,

1:14:52

then one lives

1:14:55

a religious life.

1:15:00

not put on a

1:15:02

loin floor or go

1:15:05

around begging or join

1:15:07

a monastery, that's not

1:15:09

a religious life. Religious

1:15:11

life begins when there

1:15:14

is no conflict, when

1:15:16

there is this sense

1:15:18

of love. One can

1:15:21

love another, a wife

1:15:23

or your husband? But

1:15:27

that love is shared

1:15:29

by all human beings.

1:15:32

It's not given to

1:15:34

one person and therefore

1:15:36

restricted it. So there

1:15:39

is, if you give

1:15:41

your heart and mind,

1:15:43

brain, there is something

1:15:45

that is beyond all

1:15:48

time. And there is

1:15:50

a benediction of that.

1:15:55

not in temples, not in

1:15:57

churches, not in malls. that

1:16:02

is where you are. are.