April 08 2009

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The Power of Practice - The Alpha of Bliss - Patanjali Yoga Sutras 14

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The Power of Practice - The Alpha of Bliss - Patanjali Yoga Sutras 14

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0:43

Sadashiva Smarambam Shankracharya Madhyamam Asmadhacharya Paryantam Vande Guru Paramparam

Understand when Patanjali says, he says, “for a long time without interval, without interruption, practice, so that you can firmly be grounded.” He doesn't mean, actually, when he says this long time, he is not depressing you. People come and ask me. This long time word is misunderstood and responsible for all the confusions which is there in the yoga world. Almost every interpretation, has given a meaning, different or wrong meaning to this word. The moment you say long time, they say twelve years, nine years, seven years, ten years. But, I am not asking you to practice for long time means ten years, seven years, six years. No.

Decide you will live, you are going to practice eternally, you will achieve it now!! You will achieve it now. Ability to convince your inner space, you are going to do this forever, is what you need to learn through this sutra. Let me give you the translation again -

Committed and intense practice of Unclutching, makes one firmly established in a higher state of awareness.

03:00

Deerghakala and Nairantarya means long time and unbroken. Mind is a great accountant. It can play all accounts game with you, and Patanjali is aware of that. That is why he wants you with the right words. He wants you with a, he is warning you with right words. Please understand any practice you do, decide with this one attitude. People ask me, this is a FAQ, again and again people ask me, “How many years should I unclutch to get Enlightened?” “How many years I should unclutch to get Enlightened”.

Unclutching is the ultimate technique for Enlightenment. Whenever I say continue to unclutch, continue to unclutch, continue to unclutch, they ask me, “Swamiji is it one year or two year, or three year; how many years I should unclutch to become enlightened”. Understand, decide, you are going to be Unclutching forever. The moment you decide you are going to be Unclutching forever, you will be unclutched this moment. Because your mind knows this is going to be its routine. See, your mind thrives with changes or hope for a change. If your mind knows for sure, I am going to be Unclutching as long as I am alive, it will decide better let me die now. If it has a hope after twelve years of Unclutching, you don't need to practice Unclutching, then it knows, ‘oh after twelve years there is a change’; because it thrives on change. It thrives on different things. That is why so much of desire for entertainment. So much of desire for entertainment. Even Enlightenment you think it’s a change. That is why you want it.

So much of desire for entertainment. People go on try to find some entertainment; because it's a change. Even inside entertainment different, different, different, different, different. Every three minutes you change the channel. In fifteen minutes you go one full round and come back; because mind thrives on change, mind thrives on change. When you know there is no possibility for change, suddenly you will see it just dies, it disappears, it leaves. When you are, when you decide there is not going to be any change, suddenly in an unexpected way, mind is killed. If you decide strongly, you are going to unclutch forever, this moment you will be unclutched, this moment you will be unclutched. In a very unexpected way mind will disappear.

7:13

I have a story for you. A man goes into a bar and admires the stuffed lion's head mounted on the wall. “What a great trophy”, says the man to the bartender. That guy says, “I would not call it great, the damn lion killed my wife.” This guy asked, oh is it so, you were on a safari in Africa, or you were on a safari somewhere or hunting in the forest.” Bartender says “no, no, it fell on her head.”

Understand, many times death comes in an unexpected way. If you decide, that you are going to be Unclutching forever, the death to the mind comes unexpected way this moment… and suddenly mind settles all the accounts. See, if it knows it is going to be here forever, it continues to use the credit card and using the credit card is the best way to be here. The moment it knows, no, it is not going to be here, it suddenly settles all the accounts. It starts Unclutching, relaxing, settling.

8:56

Committed and intense practice of Unclutching makes one firmly established in higher state of awareness. I can say, in the world there are different kinds of knowledge.

There are some kinds, just by listening to that knowledge you will have benefit of it.

There are some kind of knowledge, if you have access to it whenever you need, you will have benefit out of it.

Some knowledge just by listening once, understanding you will have benefit.

Some you need to again and again work with it, you need access to that knowledge to have benefit.

There are some knowledge only when you practice, you will have benefit.

Spiritual knowledge is the third type. You need to practice, live, practice, no other way. People come and ask me, “Is there any short cut Swamiji? I tell them “the one and only short cut is Practice, Practice, Practice.” The shortest distance between two points is a straight line. The shortest way is being straight. Practice nothing else. If you want the transformation, practice is the only way. How much ever you hear, how much ever you talk, how much ever you discuss, nothing can be done. Only one way – Practice, and clearly telling your mind you are going to practice eternally. With Unclutching, as long as you have a hope you can stop Unclutching at certain point, your mind will continue to exist, waiting for that point. The moment you decide ‘no, no, I am going to unclutch forever, forever’, suddenly your mind disappears, it loses its power over you.

11:19

I have one more story. Two accountants are in a bar when armed robbers burst in. The robbers line the customers up against the wall and proceed to take their wallets, watches etc. The first accountant slips something into the second accountant's hand and whispers “Here is the fifty dollars I owe you.” When you know it is going to be taken away, you settle the accounts by yourself!!

Your mind is also the first accountant. When it knows nothing can be done, it has lost all his grounds, it just settles all the accounts. As long as it has a hope it can flow, it flows. When there is no hope it just settles. So, all you need to understand is this one Truth, only this one Truth. Today I don't want to add too many ideas, I want you to understand this one Truth, Dheergkala, Narantarya means eternal, unbroken. Decide today eternally, forever I am going to practice Unclutching. There is not going to be any gap. Whether I am walking or talking or sitting or whatever I may be doing, I am going to unclutch from whatever is happening inside me; whether I am walking or talking or sitting or sleeping or dreaming or day dreaming.

These are the five modifications of the mind - Right knowledge, Wrong knowledge and Imagination, Sleep, Memory. These are the five modifications constantly happening in you. Whatever modification may happen inside me I am going to unclutch. That clarity, that clarity, that understanding if you bring it, suddenly you will see all your negativity will lose its power over you. See your depression has a power over you, as long as you believe it can come again and again to you. If you are very strong, “let the depression come, how many times let it come, I am going to unclutch.” Suddenly it loses its grip over you, it loses its grip over you. If the depression knows, it can really put you in depression, it again and again repeats. If it knows you are going to unclutch again and again, how many time it tries, it struggles, you are going to unclutch, suddenly it will stop trying. Nobody wants to fight losing war, including your depression.

14:43

Your whole life is nothing but a war between you and your mind. It's a war between you and your mind. So the moment you know, the moment you are aware, the moment you are awakened to this one Truth, understand, please understand this one Truth. Decide - whatever may happen I am going to unclutch. I tell you that moment is what I call Enlightenment. If you decide that this moment ‘whatever, whatever may happen in my life I am going to be continuously practicing Unclutching’, suddenly you know, ‘then, whatever is going to happen I am going to practice Unclutching. Then why should I have fear, why should I bother about anything else, why should I have any fear or any idea about anything.’ You will see mind just unclutches. Mind just unclutches.

So I want you to fill with this one idea, I want to fill you with this one idea, I want you to be filled with this one idea, decide today ‘from this moment whatever may happen I'll continue to unclutch. I am going to have the constant intense practice - Dheergkala, Nairantarya, committed and intense practice of Unclutching.’ This very decision will unclutch you. After, practicing is secondary. This very decision will unclutch you, will solve everything. The moment you take this decision, your mind will start moving saying ‘no, no, no, if that depression comes you can't unclutch, if this fear comes you can't unclutch, if this desire comes you won't be able to unclutch,’; it will tease you. You say ‘no, I am going to be Unclutching constantly. Whatever may come, I am going to be Unclutching.’ Then it will create the fear of death, what will happen if you die, you think you will unclutch. Who will pay your bills, who will pay your insurance, who will pay your this, who will pay that. If you take a strong understanding, if you bring firm understanding, ‘no, whatever it may be I am going to unclutch.’ That one strong will, suddenly mind unclutches.

17:49

Patanjali explains beautifully in the next sutra, a deeper method, a deeper layer of this same understanding. Next sutra is about Vairagya, the conscious withdrawal. He beautifully describes, the deeper layer of this technique. The conscious withdrawal from the objects of the senses of the body, mind and spirit. He explains about the conscious withdrawal, for this eternal Unclutching. We will see about this idea tomorrow, go to the deeper layers of this idea tomorrow. Let you be filled with this one understanding, that decide, decide, that committed and intense practice of Unclutching, makes one firmly established in a higher state of Consciousness. Only that makes you, established in a higher state of Consciousness.

Many people think they are professional seekers, they don't need to practice. I have seen, ‘no, no, no, I practiced all kinds of techniques for ten years, twenty years. Nowadays I don't practice anything, I just read and go around and listen to some things. Understand, just because you are senior, don't think without practice things can happen; maybe in the outer world it will happen. If you are a senior lawyer, you don't have to do anything, just have few junior lawyers they will do everything. You are senior accountant you don't have to do anything, just your juniors will do everything. It will work in the outer world not in the inner world.

19:58

I have a story for you. An accountant goes into the pet store, I'll read it out for you. I don't want to miss a word. An accountant goes into a pet store to buy a parrot. The store owner shows him three identical parrots and a perch. “The parrot on the left costs 500 dollars” says the owner. “Why does the parrot cost so much?” asked the accountant. “It knows how to do complex audits”, says the store owner. The guy asked, “How much does the middle parrot cost?” asked the accountant. “That one costs 1000 dollar”, owner replies. He says “it can do everything the first one can, plus it knows how to prepare financial forecast.” Accountant asked about the third parrot, “It costs 4000 dollars.” Accountant asked “so what all that one can do.” The store owner says, “to be honest I have never seen him do anything, but the other two parrots call him as a senior partner.”!!!

May be in the outer world if you are senior, you don't need to do anything. But in the inner world practice, practice, practice. 21:53

Even in our mission I have seen, these guys the moment they become an organizer, or senior devotee or think that they have become senior devotee, they don't do any meditation. ‘Ahh its ok, now I have to only teach.’ Understand, the senior accountant works only in the outer world not in the inner world. So whoever you may be, practice has to become eternal. Actually when you decide the practice is eternal, suddenly the whole thing gets unclutched and practice ends there. When practice ends, there will be nobody to practice. As long as there is somebody inside you to practice, practice. As long as there is somebody inside, something going on inside, Unclutch. Only when there is nothing, then there is no Unclutching. WHEN THE UNCLUTCHER DISAPPEARS INTO UNCLUTCHING, UNCLUTCHING ENDS. Till then Unclutching continues, continues, continues.

So continue your Unclutching till the unclutcher disappears into Unclutching. Let you all achieve this Truth and live, radiate Living Enlightenment, Jeevan Mukti. Let you all achieve and radiate the eternal bliss. Nithyananda! Thank you!

23:54