7. RIGHT CONDUCT AND SURRENDER.
True surrender is love of God for the sake of love and nothing else, not even for the sake of liberation.
True surrender is love of God for the sake of love and nothing else, not even for the sake of liberation.
R
Only when Self, the truth of love, is known, will the knot of all the severe problems in life be severed. Only when the pinnacle of love is attained can even liberation be said to be attained. Love is verily the heart of all religions.
–
R
Now, I will ask you a question. When a man gets into a train, where does he put his luggage?
Q Either in the compartment or in the luggage van.
R
He doesn’t carry it on his head or in his lap while in the train?
Q Only a fool would do so.
R
It is a thousand times more foolish to bear your own burden once you have undertaken the spiritual quest, whether by the path of knowledge or devotion.
–
Q Will not right conduct be enough to secure salvation?
R
Salvation for whom? Who wants salvation? And what is right conduct? What is conduct? And what is right? Who is to judge what is right and what is wrong? According to previous samskaras [mental impressions or predispositions], each one regards something or other as right. Only when the reality is known can the truth about right and wrong be known. The best course is to find out who wants this salvation. Tracing this `who' or ego to its original source is the right conduct for everyone.
Q Will not the practice of good conduct lead to salvation? Several books state that it will.
R
It is said so in books. Who denies that good conduct is good or that it will eventually lead you to the goal? Good conduct or sat karma purifies the mind and gives you pure mind.
The pure mind attains Jnana [knowledge], which is what is meant by salvation.
So, eventually, Jnana must be reached, that is, the ego must be traced to its source.
Q What about motives? Are the motives for performing actions not important?
R
Whatever is done lovingly, with righteous purity and with peace of mind, is a good action.
Everything which is done with the stain of desire [craving] and with agitation, filling the mind, is classified as a bad action.
Do not perform any good action through a bad means, thinking `It is sufficient if it bears good fruit.' Because, if the means is bad, even a good action will turn out to be a bad one.
Therefore, even the means of doing actions should be pure.
–
Q In the case of persons who are not capable of long meditation, will it not be enough if they engage themselves in doing good to others?
R
Yes, it will do. The idea of good will be in their Heart. That is enough.
Good, God, love, are all the same thing.
If the person keeps continuously thinking of any one of these, it will be enough.
All meditation is for the purpose of keeping out all other thoughts
Q So one should try to ameliorate suffering, even if one knows that ultimately it is non–existent?
R
There never was and never will be a time when all are equally happy or rich or wise or healthy. In fact none of these terms has any meaning except in so far as the opposite to it exists. But that does not mean that when you come across anyone who is less happy or more miserable than yourself, you are not to be moved to compassion or to seek to relieve him as best you can.
On the contrary, you must love all and help all, since only in that way can you help yourself. When you seek to reduce the suffering of any fellow man or fellow creature, whether your efforts succeed or not, you are yourself evolving spiritually especially if such service is rendered disinterestedly, not with the egotistic feeling `I am doing this', but in the spirit `God is making me the channel of this service; he is the doer and I am the instrument.'
If one knows the truth that all that one gives to others is giving only to oneself, who indeed will not be a virtuous person and perform the kind act of giving to others ? Since everyone is one's own Self, whoever does whatever to whomever is doing it only to himself.
–
Q It is said in some books that one should cultivate all the good or divine qualities in order to prepare oneself for Self–realisation.
R
All good or divine qualities are included in spiritual knowledge and all bad or demoniac qualities are included in ignorance.
When knowledge comes, ignorance goes and all the divine qualities appear automatically. If a man is Self–realised he cannot tell a lie or commit a sin or do anything wrong.
It is no doubt said in some books that one should cultivate one virtue after another and thus prepare for ultimate realisation, but for those who follow the Jnana marga [path of knowledge] Self-enquiry is quite enough for acquiring all the divine qualities, they need not do anything else.
–
Q Is there predestination? And if what is destined to happen will happen, is there any use in prayer or effort or should we just remain idle?
R
There are only two ways in which to conquer destiny or be independent of it.
One is to enquire who undergoes this destiny and discover that only the ego is bound by it and not the Self, and that the ego is non–existent.
The other way is to kill the ego by completely surrendering to the Lord, by realising one’s helplessness and saying all the time ‘Not I, but Thou, Oh, my Lord’, and giving up all sense of ‘I’ and ‘mine’ and leaving it to the Lord to do what he likes with you.
Surrender can never be regarded as complete so long as the devotee wants this or that from the Lord. True surrender is love of God for the sake of love and for nothing else, not even for the sake of salvation.
In other words, complete effacement of the ego is necessary to conquer destiny, whether you achieve this effacement through Self enquiry or through bhakti–marga [meaning the path of bhakti, devotion, love].
–
Q It is said that the whole universe is God's play of consciousness and that everything is full of Brahman. Then why should we say that bad habits and bad practices should be discarded?
R
Suppose there is some wound inside the human body. If you neglect it, on the assumption that it is only a small part of the body, it causes pain to the whole body. If it is not cured by ordinary treatment, the doctor must come, cut off the affected portion with a knife and remove the impurities. If the diseased part is not cut off it will fester. If you do not bandage it after operating, pus will form. It is the same thing with regard to conduct. Bad habits and bad conduct are like a wound in the body. Every disease must be given appropriate treatment.
–
Q Should we then not think of and work for the welfare of the country?
R
First take care of yourself and the rest will naturally follow.
Q I am not speaking individually but for the country.
R
First surrender and then see. Doubts arise because of the absence of surrender.
Acquire strength by surrender and then your surrounding will be found to have improved to the degree of strength acquired by you.
–
Q Surrender is impossible.
R
Yes. Complete surrender is impossible in the beginning.
Partial surrender is certainly possible for all.
In course of time that will lead to complete surrender.
Well, if surrender is impossible, what can be done? There is no peace of mind.
You are helpless to bring it about. It can be done only by surrender.
–
R
Let one not doubt whether God’s Grace, the great support, has been bestowed on one or not, for the fact that one’s mind is much interested in enquiry, having a great liking for release from bondage, is itself sufficient proof that God’s Grace has been bestowed
Only when Self, the truth of love, is known, will the knot of all the severe problems in life be severed. Only when the pinnacle of love is attained can even liberation be said to be attained. Love is verily the heart of all religions.
–
R
Now, I will ask you a question. When a man gets into a train, where does he put his luggage?
Q Either in the compartment or in the luggage van.
R
He doesn’t carry it on his head or in his lap while in the train?
Q Only a fool would do so.
R
It is a thousand times more foolish to bear your own burden once you have undertaken the spiritual quest, whether by the path of knowledge or devotion.
–
Q Will not right conduct be enough to secure salvation?
R
Salvation for whom? Who wants salvation? And what is right conduct? What is conduct? And what is right? Who is to judge what is right and what is wrong? According to previous samskaras [mental impressions or predispositions], each one regards something or other as right. Only when the reality is known can the truth about right and wrong be known. The best course is to find out who wants this salvation. Tracing this `who' or ego to its original source is the right conduct for everyone.
Q Will not the practice of good conduct lead to salvation? Several books state that it will.
R
It is said so in books. Who denies that good conduct is good or that it will eventually lead you to the goal? Good conduct or sat karma purifies the mind and gives you pure mind.
The pure mind attains Jnana [knowledge], which is what is meant by salvation.
So, eventually, Jnana must be reached, that is, the ego must be traced to its source.
Q What about motives? Are the motives for performing actions not important?
R
Whatever is done lovingly, with righteous purity and with peace of mind, is a good action.
Everything which is done with the stain of desire [craving] and with agitation, filling the mind, is classified as a bad action.
Do not perform any good action through a bad means, thinking `It is sufficient if it bears good fruit.' Because, if the means is bad, even a good action will turn out to be a bad one.
Therefore, even the means of doing actions should be pure.
–
Q In the case of persons who are not capable of long meditation, will it not be enough if they engage themselves in doing good to others?
R
Yes, it will do. The idea of good will be in their Heart. That is enough.
Good, God, love, are all the same thing.
If the person keeps continuously thinking of any one of these, it will be enough.
All meditation is for the purpose of keeping out all other thoughts
Q So one should try to ameliorate suffering, even if one knows that ultimately it is non–existent?
R
There never was and never will be a time when all are equally happy or rich or wise or healthy. In fact none of these terms has any meaning except in so far as the opposite to it exists. But that does not mean that when you come across anyone who is less happy or more miserable than yourself, you are not to be moved to compassion or to seek to relieve him as best you can.
On the contrary, you must love all and help all, since only in that way can you help yourself. When you seek to reduce the suffering of any fellow man or fellow creature, whether your efforts succeed or not, you are yourself evolving spiritually especially if such service is rendered disinterestedly, not with the egotistic feeling `I am doing this', but in the spirit `God is making me the channel of this service; he is the doer and I am the instrument.'
If one knows the truth that all that one gives to others is giving only to oneself, who indeed will not be a virtuous person and perform the kind act of giving to others ? Since everyone is one's own Self, whoever does whatever to whomever is doing it only to himself.
–
Q It is said in some books that one should cultivate all the good or divine qualities in order to prepare oneself for Self–realisation.
R
All good or divine qualities are included in spiritual knowledge and all bad or demoniac qualities are included in ignorance.
When knowledge comes, ignorance goes and all the divine qualities appear automatically. If a man is Self–realised he cannot tell a lie or commit a sin or do anything wrong.
It is no doubt said in some books that one should cultivate one virtue after another and thus prepare for ultimate realisation, but for those who follow the Jnana marga [path of knowledge] Self-enquiry is quite enough for acquiring all the divine qualities, they need not do anything else.
–
Q Is there predestination? And if what is destined to happen will happen, is there any use in prayer or effort or should we just remain idle?
R
There are only two ways in which to conquer destiny or be independent of it.
One is to enquire who undergoes this destiny and discover that only the ego is bound by it and not the Self, and that the ego is non–existent.
The other way is to kill the ego by completely surrendering to the Lord, by realising one’s helplessness and saying all the time ‘Not I, but Thou, Oh, my Lord’, and giving up all sense of ‘I’ and ‘mine’ and leaving it to the Lord to do what he likes with you.
Surrender can never be regarded as complete so long as the devotee wants this or that from the Lord. True surrender is love of God for the sake of love and for nothing else, not even for the sake of salvation.
In other words, complete effacement of the ego is necessary to conquer destiny, whether you achieve this effacement through Self enquiry or through bhakti–marga [meaning the path of bhakti, devotion, love].
–
Q It is said that the whole universe is God's play of consciousness and that everything is full of Brahman. Then why should we say that bad habits and bad practices should be discarded?
R
Suppose there is some wound inside the human body. If you neglect it, on the assumption that it is only a small part of the body, it causes pain to the whole body. If it is not cured by ordinary treatment, the doctor must come, cut off the affected portion with a knife and remove the impurities. If the diseased part is not cut off it will fester. If you do not bandage it after operating, pus will form. It is the same thing with regard to conduct. Bad habits and bad conduct are like a wound in the body. Every disease must be given appropriate treatment.
–
Q Should we then not think of and work for the welfare of the country?
R
First take care of yourself and the rest will naturally follow.
Q I am not speaking individually but for the country.
R
First surrender and then see. Doubts arise because of the absence of surrender.
Acquire strength by surrender and then your surrounding will be found to have improved to the degree of strength acquired by you.
–
Q Surrender is impossible.
R
Yes. Complete surrender is impossible in the beginning.
Partial surrender is certainly possible for all.
In course of time that will lead to complete surrender.
Well, if surrender is impossible, what can be done? There is no peace of mind.
You are helpless to bring it about. It can be done only by surrender.
–
R
Let one not doubt whether God’s Grace, the great support, has been bestowed on one or not, for the fact that one’s mind is much interested in enquiry, having a great liking for release from bondage, is itself sufficient proof that God’s Grace has been bestowed