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1.1.1 FNS

I will speak regarding the path of a spiritualist. You know, spiritual life is not some high and esoteric experience for a few great and dedicated souls. It is something that is the birthright of every human being and accessible and available to everyone in all walks of life. Spirituality is that which uplifts the human spirit. So if you want to be a spiritualist, you must engage in those activities and those thoughts which uplift your spirit and the spirit of others. Then you will be a spiritualist. So to be a spiritual being, to be a person who follows the spiritual path is to be a person who engages in activities which uplift the human spirit. So to uplift the human spirit, one must be in harmony with the essential nature of your humanity. And what is your essential nature, your essential dharma? What is your dharma as a human being? What is your nature? What is your essential path? It is to go towards that which is infinite, that which is the very source of your personal existence. To search for that mysterious expression which is in the very core of your existence is the very fundamental calling of a human being. It is Bhagavad Dharma, the dharma of a human being.

Now if you are to search for this essential nature, if you direct your mind, your heart, your spirit towards uplifting sentiments, towards uplifting thoughts, what will you be directing towards? You will be directing towards that unified consciousness which is in the core of your existence. It is the journey of the soul, the journey of the spirit. From ignorance to knowledge, from darkness to light which uplift the human spirit. So if you want to be a spiritualist, you must set your feet upon this path of blessedness, towards one essential consciousness. This the true life of a human being and when your humanity is realized in its fullness, you will recognize the divinity which lies within you. For at the core of your humanity is your divinity. It is your essential nature to search for that which lies at the core of your humanity. And it is the life of a spiritualist to thread the path towards that unity of Self. And it is the threading of this path towards the light, towards the wholeness, towards that love which is infinite and indescribable, that is uplifting quality and characteristics, the uplifting action in the human life.

Now I was saying that to be a spiritualist, you need not be a great yogi or a great monk or nun cloistered in some high Himalayan monastery or in some great cathedral. You need not wear orange robe or take vows of poverty. These things are good and well for some, but they do not constitute a spiritual life. For there are those that wear robes of differing kinds, who do not really lead the spiritual life and there are those who are in the most humble stations, who are great spiritualists and who uplift their own spirits and the spirits of all around. So it is not the outer garment or the outer identity which you wear, which makes you a spiritualist. That is not what constitutes spirituality. You may be a great spiritualist while being a Yogi in high Himalayas or while living cloistered in a monastery. Or you may be a selfish and self-centered person who cares not one iota what happens to any other, while you seek your own liberation. So one cannot judge by externals the quality or caliber of any man or any woman. It is not the externals which make you a true seeker of the light. It is a hue and color of your own heart that constitutes the truth of your spirit.

So if you want to comprehend the spiritual path, you need not become anything that you are not externally. You may be in any walk of life, you may be differing life styles and yet you may be great in spirit. And that greatness is due to the quality and characteristic of your own heart, that you bring your yearning for the Divine into yourself, that you walk the path of spirit, to that which uplifts you, to that which is the culminating point of your humanity, to that unity of individuality and divinity, to that wholeness which is complete, resplendent, all-encompassing, indescribable and wholly yours. Never think that this noble task is only for others who are more dedicated than yourself. Never think like this. It is for all. It is for everyone. It is your path as much as anyone else's. I would encourage you all each day to take a few moments of your time to contemplate the Divine, to read the inspirational materials, to contemplate the nature of your own existence, of who is that you are, to contemplate the love within your heart, that you feel for all beings and to give that love to others, to find it in yourself, to find the Divinity in yourself, in the core of your own heart, in your own self. Find the culminating point of your humanity, find the truth which lies within you, within your "I" feeling. That truth that exists in you, in the very essence of your existence lies your divinity, your divine nature, the unity with all beings, for you are not this body, you are not this little person that you associate with, you are not this activity that you are doing. You are the very self, the very pure underlying existence manifesting and forgetting appearing to be something other than yourself.

And in the dance of forgetting you have lost all memory of who you are. It is time to awake and to remember, what you are, who you are, for the divinity within you is your essential nature and your birthright. For that pure love of the divine self, that divine presence, that is at the core of all existence is yours. And if you would find it, look in the very feeling of your own existence and there you will find that which is infinite, that which is boundless, that which cannot be contained or defined. That culminating point of human existence, the supreme consciousness, the infinite indweller of your own existence, so go to Him, go to deep within yourself, find the indwelling spirit, the indwelling self, the Atman. And then you will find the Paramatman, you will find the supreme consciousness Parama Purusha, for that supreme consciousness lies within you and within whole creation. He is the indweller of all existence, of all creation. And He is the indweller within you. So you see, He is not far away only there for the great Yogis with the noble........No. no. He is there for everyone, He is completely available to everyone, each and everyone of you, has the complete right and the complete capacity to know that divinity within you and let no one says differently.

Now I will take the questions if there are questions tonight.

Q: I have question Baba. I am understanding more clearly the relationship of reincarnation, samskaras, the mind and evolution

of consciousness. Can you tell something about the influence of celestial or stellar bodies on the evolution of consciousness for human being?

Yes, this is a very good question. In fact, the stellar bodies do have influence on. The configuration of these interstellar bodies, planets, stars, celestial stars have a very strong impact on the development of a human being. You see, when this change, the consciousness, the vibrator frequencies, the configurations of manifest energies within the universal structure shift. For each of these heavenly bodies is alive. And they are exerting influence upon each other. And that influence upon each other creates influence upon those entities who reside within the planetary system. So there is a great impact of these different living bodies upon each other. And when there is a shift in the galactic formation, there will also be a shift in consciousness. There are interwoven and if there is a cosmic shift within the cosmos, within the microcosmos, there will likewise be a shift within the expression held within the planetary systems, within the human frame and within the microcosmos, within the cellular structures, in the electro-magnetic structures. All of the things are affected. And therefore the development of mind is affected. So these things are of significance. And the same attempts the astrology, attempts to define in a somewhat simple way, some . . . experienced influences and it is good and well for what it does. But in fact, there is very scientific phenomena there which can be explored in a very systematic fashion in due time when more is known about the kind of waves that are emitted from all of these different planetary bodies. These waves are not yet discovered. And that is why this science is not understood today.

Are there more?

Q: Baba, it seems to me that there is a lot of suffering in the world today, especially recently with the war in Bosnia and many people are dying from diseases. I am wondering if you have any thoughts or comments where the world is heading and if you have some ideas on this.

You know, the suffering and joy, they are the same. Pleasure and pain, they are the same. Whether the chains are of iron or gold, they are nonetheless chains. Human beings caught of human existence, divine essence caught believing itself to be . . . infinite, will suffer. It will suffer individually and it will suffer collectively. There are times in human history when the suffering is great, times when it is less. Despite these facts, it is the human responsibility, of each and every human to do what they can to eliminate the suffering of their fellow beings, physically, mentally and spiritually. This is the work of human being, to serve others to reduce their pain. Now, there are many events which will be forthcoming, which will be challenging for many people. And so it is best to dwell into one's own spirituality, to create within this realm, as much light, as much brightness as you are able, and to serve your fellow beings in all of your waking hours.

This is the right of a human being. Is it not?