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1.4.1 dharma (Prana dharma of Redwoods)

You know, I am very happy that you have come to this place. These woods are very auspicious. These ancient trees have grown through the ages and have seen many types of experiences. They have watched the years roll by and they will watch the years roll by for many thousands of years to come. Now, this forest is a very good place for sadhana. It is very suitable for the tantric sadhaka to meditate in such forests. I like very much the redwood. But you know, these trees have almost come to extinction due to greediness and exploitation of capitalism. They are seen not for their inherent value but as a product for capitalistic exploitation. This is one of the tragedies of the modern world. For the inherent value of these forests does not lie in their capacity to be turned into lumber but it lies in there natural value, in their very nature. They are most sentient, they are most subtle. They are highly evolved within their particular genus.

So, you see, such trees make a very suitable atmosphere for sadhana. They create a very pleasing vibration, a very elevated mood in the mind of a human being due to their own vibratory frequency. You know, once, long ago, when the world was somewhat younger, such forests grew in great expanse. Thousands of miles these forests covered the world and beneath the canopy of these great woods, all manner of life lived in harmony, lived in happiness. And they were the rulers of that age. But now, these great and noble beings are no longer rulers, they are the remnants of a lost race, the lost species. Once, the world was covered with such forests and these great trees had great powers. They affected the minds of all who came in their midst. They could be both friend and foe and their power was greater than can be imagined. The collective mind of these forest beings was most dominant in that time. But now, the power of such beings is greatly diminished and the power of mankind has grown. It is the age of human development, not the age of great trees.

Now, the planet is not covered with ancient forests, huge and dominant in the landscape. Now it is covered with roads and buildings. It is covered with the artifacts of mankind. And the day will come like the forests that are no more, that these artifacts of mankind will be no more also. A day will come when the memory of human beings will be lost from this place like that of the ancient trees which are now gone, past in the cycle of evolution. Likewise, human beings will pass from this place. And the evolution of this planet will move onward. So, you see, everything changes, everything is in a perpetual motion. Nothing is static, nothing lasts in this material world. What is today will be gone tomorrow.

Everything that you hold as sacred, everything that you think is stable will fall apart with the passage of time. There is nothing that is permanent in this world. So, if you are wanting a more permanent life, you will have to seek beyond this material world for that which is lasting.

Today, a great dawn is approaching, the dawn of a new age, of a new era, of a time when human beings will become something apart from what they have been. It is a time when people will not cut the forests down, they will not exploit the natural creatures, they will not grow to overabundance so that they must kill each other and all that surrounds them. All of these things will be changing because the consciousness of human beings is also changing.

You know, when a child grows, there comes a time in the early teens, the time of puberty, at that time there is great tumultuous emotion in the child, the child has mixed feelings, the child may be easily upset, so many things happen, it is a difficult time because the child grows from youth to maturity at that time. Likewise, not only does this happen for the individual, but for the developing race the same process occurs. There comes a time in the development of a society, of a species when that species must mature or become extinct. There is no turning back. There is no going back to what has been, there is only the forward movement of evolution and in that forward movement of evolution, there is bound to be some turmoil, some tumultuous periods so that the child may grow to adulthood, may become mature. What has been will be changing, what has been in the past will not be in the future. The future is yet to be written, but it can be said with assurity that it will be different.

Now, these woods, these ferns, do you know what is their Prana Dharma? It is their essential nature to grow in harmony with all that exists around them. It is their essential nature to live in an atmosphere of peace and contemplation. The essential nature of these species is of this type. They are creatures of spirit manifest in the mind of a great tree. They sit quietly and watch the ages pass. They are by nature, witnesses to life and by nature, they are supportive of the smaller creatures. They feel a sense of protectiveness by nature for the smaller creatures whom they shelter. For they shelter living beings. It is their Prana Dharma to do so. These trees, these forests are the benefactors of human beings and when they grow more abundant, you will find there is more life on this planet. And they will grow more abundantly, they will not become extinct. Their evolution is not at an end. There will come a time when again great forests will rule the earth and human beings will live beneath these giant canopies in harmony with all beings of this planet. But that time is not now.

I was saying, last night, that meditation, contemplation of the Infinite is very important. And that if the mind is restless there are certain techniques which may be used to alleviate that restlessness, to direct that restlessness towards the Infinite. Now I would add that there is also one other factor which was not mentioned and that is to place ones' self in an atmosphere which creates a meditative experience, a meditative feeling in the mind as often as can be done. This is also useful to calm the restlessness of the mind.

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