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1.1.1 FNS

Tonight the topic which we will cover shall be, the relationship between your spirituality and your personality. You know, there are those who feel that spirituality is something very unattainable, something that takes great deal of effort and to experience true spiritual love requires not only many years of practice, but also rigorous training. Now, it may be true that for those people who which to cultivate a consistent experience, this training may be helpful. But in fact, the spirituality is the birthright of every human being, it is the dharma, the innate inherent nature of every human being to long for and to experience the divine. That is part and parcel of your humanity. Your experience of divinity is the maturation of your humanity. So to become an ideal human being, to become a great human being means to know what is your humanity, what is essential nature of your being and recognizing that essential nature to move with it.

Now it is the quality and characteristic of the human being that they may reflect upon their condition. And so reflecting they come to realize their own nature. This is the specialty of human beings, that a human being has the capacity to recognize, to realize one's own nature. One may reflect, who am I, who is this person who is here at this moment in this place, who is this individual whom I call myself and who does so many things, who has so many types of experiences and who will engage in so many different activities. Who is this person whom I call myself. What is the very core nature of this individual, this little person whom I believe myself to be. This self-reflection is the gift of every human being. every human being has this capacity but many people do not utilize it. But those who are wise they realize that this capacity is a very special gift they have and which is wise to utilize. Utilizing this gift they look within themselves, who is it who is the person who is sitting in this room, who is that person who is listening to the talk, who is the person who is thinking, who is behind the thoughts, not the thoughts but behind the thoughts. Who is that individual? But say: "I", I am sitting here in this room and listening to the talk. Who is "I"? Who is that one who is listening? That one is the very key to your spirit. Do you know the individual who is experiencing this very moment, what is the essential nature, the very basic experience of the Self "I", I exist. I exist in this very moment and I am experiencing the external world, I am experiencing my thought, I am experiencing my feelings. But who am I? This little "I" does so many things, but when one uses the gift of self-reflection to look upon the little "I", one discovers this little "I" is not the doer. The actions are done, the experiences of the senses, the experiences of the world, of the thoughts of the mind are witnessed on the screen of this observing "I". But this "I" is even more subtle, more penetrating than all of these experiences. They are the passing mirage which goes before the eyes of the eye within you. And in that very self, in that "I" feeling is the core of your existence, is one who is the witnessing entity of your life, who knows, "I" exist, who may say : I know that I exist. This one who knows "I exist" and I am experiencing all of these phenomena, all of these thoughts, all of these feelings, all of these actions. I am witnessing my entire existence. The one who is the witness of your existence, that one is the one who is closest to you, so close: if there is anything, anyone who is closer than this "I" , that witnesses your life, your existence, your actions, it is the most intimate entity that you will come across.

And who is this "I" who witnesses your existence? Who is this witnessing entity from whom all of your life is played out, who is behind the dance of your existence? That one is the Self. In that Self, in the little "I" that has witnessed your all existence is the very cornerstone, the very edge of the great divinity for your spirituality is the maturation of your humanity. And your humanity is realized in the very nature of your own existence. In that feeling of Self, the little self who has witnessed all of your experiences, from the time of your birth, that little self is not different than the great Self who witnesses the entire Cosmos, who witnesses the rise and fall of this manifest expression, who is in every particle of this manifest universe and who subsides into the endless stream of unexpressed divinity. The little self within you who is the witness of your creation, of your life is the very self that is in all of this expression, like the drop of water is in the sea.

So if you want to know the divine, you need not travel far, you need not go through rigorous trainings, for years on end to become a holy person. You need only know your own self. It is not be found faraway, it is to be found within you. Within you is the door to Divine Love, to Divine compassion, to beauty that is beyond the comprehension of the mind. The door lies within you, within your own experience of your existence. There is the doorway to the Infinite. The salt doll once thought it would take a swim in the ocean. You are like the salt doll. Go back to self within you and when you do like the salt doll that will swim in the ocean , you will find that the divinity that you are dissolved in the greatness of all divinity, the greatness that underlies all the creation, the divine flow of infinite love is not only around you, it is within your essential nature and it is your dharma, your calling as a human being to search for that divinity within you. So I would encourage you, each and everyone to take some time each day to contemplate this and to go within yourself and recognize your essential nature, your divine nature. For it is your greatest gift as a human being that you have this capacity. Utilize it to the utmost.

Now I will take questions.

Q: Ba'ba', I heard people refer to female spiritual energy as Shakti and I heard this word used many times to describe certain creative powerful feminine types. But I am not really sure what Shakti is and how does it manifest in the spiritual female and is it of subtle force or is it something more obvious? How would you explain what Shakti is?

Each and every person has this Shakti, whether they be male or female. Shakti is the creative power of the universe. There is consciousness and then there is the operative principle, the creative force which has coalesced and loaded consciousness into various forms and expression which we consider the manifest universe. It is by the operation of this energy that all creation exists. And within each and every person the Shakti also exists. And each and every person has the capacity to utilize the Shakti, to bring the consciousness from the outer expression and the outer experience inward to pure formless divinity. This Shakti rises through the spinal column, from the base of the spine in Muladhara chakra through the spinal column this Shakti will rise to Sahasrara chakra where all of creation will dissolve into the ocean of infinitude. This is the process of the unwinding the Kulakundalini. So Shakti is not something that is female or male. It is something which exists within the human being and within the Cosmos.

Q: How do we know if we are on the right path if we are doing without realize we should be doing?

This is a very good question. To know you must develop your sense of discrimination. This sense of discrimination may be covered by so many different external experiences. In order to hone your discrimination you must go deep within yourself so that you may be deeply connected to your own divinity and in that connection, in the light of your soul you discriminate what is towards the wholeness within you towards the development of love within you, towards the development of your spirit that which nurtures, that which gives you love. You decide what it is which brings you towards the light, which expands the brightness within you and bring that towards you. That which creates darkness, disharmony, differentiation which leads away from the truth of your heart is in the wrong direction. But only you can know what to do and what not to do. And you must develop within yourself this capacity to discriminate. Quiet your mind each day, take a little time for your personal contemplation and meditation and there you allow yourself to be in your heart and to open the love within you and from that love you will find discrimination.

Q: Baba, I find myself going from one, not going from one spiritual practice to another, but trying different things and finding difficulty in knowing what's right for me. Is what you are saying what we need to look for is what brings us the most joy?

Not enjoy in the external sense, but the joy that comes from the completeness of the spirit, the joy when the heart cavern is open and there is the flood of love which is unconditional, joy that comes when all become united in love, in luminosity of spirit. In that joy there is truth, truth, love ,divinity. They are not separate. It is not the practice that you do. All the practices are designed to direct like the bow man shoots the arrow. The practice that is done to train the mind, to train the eye, to train the hand is all them in order to be able to release the arrow straight into the target. The same is the truth for all the spiritual practice, it is to hone the mind, to train the mind, to train the discrimination so that you may shoot the arrow of your mind to the core of your heart and there find the soul within you.

Q: When you have done practice, actually going within and you have a great sense of what is it that you want to do , that you meant to do, that connects on inside where you feel that's right, how do you pass the fear, how do you get pass . . . to actually doing that and getting pass that fear? What are some practices or something that you can do for inside in order to bring about that extra push for transformation?

You love yourself. You love yourself unconditionally. Always look on the bright side. Take always positive thoughts of that you can do, what you can accomplish and be very loving to yourself. Then these fears will dissolve and you will find your way. Believe in yourself. These are the keys and then the brightness of your heart will shine more and more in your life. There are always those who will criticize you, who will say you can not make it, you can not do it, you do not have the capacity, look what is wrong with you, look at the problems you have. Everyone has problems, do they not? Is there a person you know who has no problems. Believe in yourself, believe in love, believe in divinity, believe in your connectedness believe in divinity, believe in your own connectedness with your soul and your heart and in that way you may open your heart more and more so that you may live in your life from your spiritual heart.

Sita: In the last several years or more, I experienced the weakening

of life immune system. What can I do to strengthen it, to heal it?

You take the herbs to strengthen the system. Lead a balanced life, not too much sleep, not too little sleep, not . . . food, sentient food. Purify body and mind and the herbs will help to strengthen you. Utilize this balance then the body grows stronger. If there is exercise, meditation, pure foods, sentient foods and the balance of sleep, not in excess, not diminished, all in a balance. This way body grows stronger.

You all be blessed.