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1.1.1 FNS

Spiritual Longing and Worldly Desires

June 30, 1995

Tonight I will discuss the difference between the spiritual longing and worldly longings. You know deep within every human being, there is a desire to come close to the Infinite. Deep within every human being is the desire to know God. Deep in the core of every human heart is the longing for the Supreme. It is a part and parcel of human expression. It is the nature, the Dharma of human being, the essential nature, to seek, to search for that which is its Infinite shelter, its home of homes. So this search for the home of homes, for the Supreme, for the Infinite consciousness, from where you have sprung and unto which you return. This longing is natural to a human being and it is the essential nature of the human being to search for that home of homes, that heart of hearts from which all has sprung.

So within every human heart lies the seeds of this longing. But in the day to day life this longing becomes covered by so many colors, so many environments and it instead gets expressed towards the world in so many activities, so many interests, so many responsibilities that this longing for the Supreme becomes directed externally to the physical world, to the mental world. And the longing that is deep in the core of the heart becomes covered. And instead human being seeks happiness, seeks shelter in so many finite activities, in so many finite sources. And there is nothing wrong with this, it is a part of human existence. But if at the same time there is not a search for that which is lasting, that which is eternal, that which is at the core of all external experience. If that search is not going on then a person has lost the dharma of a human being. For that is the very nature of humanity. It is in the core of your humanness.

So to be a human being is not only to possess the human body, but it is to take the qualities and characteristics of a human being, and not to lead the life of an animal. For to eat, sleep, drink, to find shelter, to meet the basic necessities, these are fundamental to your animal nature, to you physical nature, they are not fundamental to your human nature. What is fundamental in the nature of a human being, what constitutes the nature of a human being? It is called Bhagavad Dharma. That is dharma, the essential nature. Each creature, each manifestation has its essential nature. And the essential nature of a human being is to search, to long, to look for that which is the shelter of humanity, that which is infinite, that which can shelter the mind, shelter the spirit, shelter the heart, that love which has no beginning and has no end, that love which is all encompassing, all compassionate, that which is the shelter of your existence, the shelter in which you can find peace, that is uninterrupted, in which you can find love, that is unqualified, the shelter in which you can find the resting place for your soul.

The search for this shelter is essential to your nature and the finding the shelter is the pinnacle of human experience. It is when your humanity becomes divinity. So in the search there is humanity and in the finding of that for which your humanness searches, there is your divinity. So never think that your life is useless, never think that your life is unproductive, for if in your heart you are longing for the Great, you are living the life of a human being. If you are longing to do noble tasks, if you are longing to express your love, if you are longing to immerse in love then you are living the life of a human being and you are expressing and fulfilling your humanity.

So it is not that you should live in the world, that you should not enjoy the day to day activities of life. These are a part and parcel of your human existence. And so you must live in the world, you must accept the world, it has relative value. And in this world in which you are living, you see the Divine all around, expressing in all the people you meet, in all the activities you do. You see the Divine hand, all around you. But in your heart you hold a flame alive, a flame for that which great within you. For that greatness within you, can and will manifest. Never think, "I am not worthy", never think, "I am inadequate". No, no, no. You, by your essential humanity, are completely up to the task. It is your birthright to know the Divine and that Divinity is not far away in some distant place. It is not so far from you, you are not so low and the divine so high that you can not reach like the stars in the distant heaven. Some people may think like this. For that divine being is not in some high heaven, unreachable and unattainable. That divinity is within you, it is closer than close, so near that you, that no one can be as dear to you as the divine.

That divinity is as close as your own "I" feeling. It exists within you and all around you. That divine presence is within you. All you need do is remove the umbrella of ego and allow the rain of divine love to shower upon you and bring you to your home of homes. All you need do is allow that divine being to be with you, call to him, call to him, let him come to you. Remove the umbrella of ego, say: Oh Lord, I am here, I am waiting for you, come to me, come to me, that I may know the beauty of love which is beyond compare that I may know the beauty of wholeness, of peace that is an endless ocean. Come to me my Lord that I may experience this divine expression, that I may have very personal, very close experience of the divine. Let me rest in the shelter of your love, for all eternity. Let my soul, let my heart come to rest within you, so that I may be sheltered in your love. Calling like this, let go, let go of all ego, of all pretense, of all knowing, let go of all, of everything. And go within the very core of your heart, in the heart of hearts. And in your heart of hearts, in the Vrindavan of your heart you will meet your Lord. For that divinity is right with you and there in the Vrindavan, in the core of your heart, you find the shelter of divine love. Let your humanity become divinity.

Are there questions?

Q: Baba, I am in time of my life when many old beliefs dropping away and I feel there are great changes in the future and I find myself strangely calm in the middle of all of this. I wonder if you can offer some advise about finding the right direction for me as I try to discover what I should be doing next in the worldly way.

What is it that you want?

[I want to find some work that I can do that I really love that supports me.]

What is it that you really want?

[I want to be happy. I want to feel like what I am doing is what I came here to do fulfilling, good for the world, good for me. Like it is something that express the love for myself, the world, the other people.]

You know, when there is a destiny, it cannot be suppressed. What you long for you will come to, it is bound to occur. So you should not worry if you will fulfill this destiny that you feel inside. it will come, it will come. But you must be practical in your approach. Many things will open for you in the near future. So don't worry, how am I to do, what I am to do. There are those that you do not yet see. But remember this, that these feelings, this longing, it comes from within you. And it is for the divine that you long, that your hearts stirs, that your life stirs and so you are restless. Do not worry.

But be practical in your approach. This longing will find manifestation and the changes you desire will occur. But you be regular in your sadhana and keep your mind ever fixed on Parama Purusha. Then I am sure all of these things will fall into place very nicely.

[Yes, Baba. Thank you.]

Q: I want to know and I want help, what is real in my life, what is illusion? I want to know how to make that difference here?

There are three things that you may do to assist yourself. First of all you do spiritual practice, secondly you observe your life from the perspective from you inner most longing, you find where is your heart, where is the core of your heart and you go there. You go there and you stay there and then you make your life a reflection of your love. You will do very fine, very fine.