Words from the Master

Move away from seriousness. Somehow, we always associate Spirituality with seriousness. It is a big conception. Seriousness can never be religion or spirituality.

Why do you think I keep telling you so many jokes and small stories? If I don’t tell you all these things, you will start becoming very serious and when you become serious, you become dead and heavy. You will not be alive and light. I am not here to make you heavy.

I am here to unload you and make you light. I am here to show you that your seriousness is nothing but a form of your ego. I am here to show you what you are not. I am not here to reinforce what you already think you are.

People who are loaded with the past and the future are always serious. They don’t know how to laugh spontaneously. They feel that it is their duty to shoulder the past and future and be immersed in it in all seriousness. This is a very highly egoistic attitude. They feel that if they don’t do it, there is no one to do it for them.

First of all, there is no need to shoulder the past and future. Just be in the present, that is enough. These people are completely missing the present. They are completely missing the laughter in their lives.

Laughter is that which brings in a ray of Energy from your Being to your body. It totally rejuvenates your whole Self. It can heal like nothing else can. It gives you such wonderful glimpses of the present, which you try to achieve through other difficult meditation techniques. Laughter is the most powerful meditation technique.

Laughter is the greatest spiritual quality. Sincerity and laughter always go together. As I said earlier, seriousness can never co-exist with laughter. Either you are serious or you are laughing. When you are sincere, you can laugh and do your duty sincerely.

______________________
This excerpt has been taken from the book: Guaranteed Solutions.

Words from the Master

I am not saying to deliberately make mistakes. That is foolishness again. I am only saying, do things to the best of your intelligence and enthusiasm but without worrying about whether it might be a mistake. The moment you are worried that it might be a mistake, you are worried about your ego getting hurt.

When you are not so concerned about your ego getting hurt, you will have the courage to take any jump. All your so-called worry is actually about your ego getting hurt. When you are free from it, you will act with more freedom and courage. You will be more willing to explore.

A small story:

In a clubhouse, one man had finished his round of playing cards and was leaving.
He went to the coat stand and was putting on his coat, when suddenly a meek voice spoke behind him, “Sir, but are you Mr. Philippe?”
The man turned around and replied, “No, I am not.”
The voice said, “Thank God. I am Philippe and that coat is mine.”

(Laughter!)

We are so afraid that we might make a mistake and hurt ourselves, our ego. So we work with such cordiality and seriousness thinking that we are humble and what not. These are nothing but passive forms of ego. You are so terrified of your ego getting hurt and so you behave in these ways. Drop all your guard of your ego and move about freely.

______________________
This excerpt has been taken from the book: Guaranteed Solutions.

Words from the Master

And one more thing: Have the courage to make mistakes. Serious people are always afraid to make mistakes. They take themselves too seriously. They think too much about themselves. It is too much to make mistakes and have someone point it out to them. Actually I tell you, these people who are afraid of making small mistakes, end up making big blunders!

What is wrong in making mistakes? You will say, “Swamiji, I can’t afford to make mistakes in my work, that’s why I am so serious.” What you say might be true; your work may not permit you to make mistakes, but that is not the point I am trying to make here. When you make a mistake, people will point it out and you will not be able to bear it. Your ego is bound to get hurt and you are very sensitive to this; you know this. So to avoid getting your ego hurt, you try your best not to make mistakes.

You plan so unconsciously and continuously to keep guarding your ego. But the reasons you give are all different. It is not that you are lying. No! It is just that you are not aware of the subtle way in which your system works, your ego works. But if you deeply analyze and see, you will understand what I am saying.

There is nothing wrong in making mistakes. In fact, by making a few mistakes, you come to know clearly how to avoid making mistakes, because you have experientially understood it. The more you learn from mistakes, the more you know about how not to make mistakes.

Knowing how not to make mistakes is a very important thing. Only then you have seen both sides of it; only then you have explored the two sides experientially. Else, there is always the danger of falling into the unknown side at a critical time when you really can’t afford to.

Only one thing: Don’t make the same mistake again! Your mind always repeats patterns. Don’t do it with mistakes also. Make new mistakes! And move on to better and better understanding!

______________________
This excerpt has been taken from the book: Guaranteed Solutions.

Words from the Master

Don’t harp too much on perfectionism. I tell you: Perfectionism can make you neurotic. Whatever you do, do it wholly, totally. Then automatically, whatever you do will be total and you don’t have to worry about perfectionism at all.

Perfectionism is always something from your mind. It becomes a goal for you. You work towards it as a goal. And when you work towards it as a goal, it becomes dead and mundane. But when you are total, you are established in your heart, and it becomes a deep experience. The outcome then has to be beautiful and it will give you joy also. Then, whatever you do, you will be in tune with Existence.

Perfectionism never gives you joy, it only fulfills your ego. Even if you feel fulfilled at the end of it, it is only a fulfillment of your ego, never a fulfillment of your Being. Be very clear: Perfectionists are the biggest egoists. They miss the dimension of being total. And know one thing: Totality is possible when you enter into it deeply. Perfectionism is never possible because it is in your mind and your mind keeps changing its definition of perfection.

______________________
This excerpt has been taken from the book: Guaranteed Solutions.