nn 1,2

1.4.8 spir. in practice

Question 1: Baba, you have said we should enjoy the universe but you have also said we should not seek the pleasures and pains of this universe. Is this not a contradiction?

In this world, there are so many colors, so many attractions which can bring a person towards them. If a person would like to enjoy the colors of the world, there are an infinite number of attracting experiences, attracting objects which they may find enjoyable. But in this joy lies the seeds of suffering, for all of the objects, all of the attracting phenomenon of this manifest world are temporary. They will come and they will go. If pleasure is found in these objects, then they are the cause of joy, but they are also the cause of suffering due to their temporary nature. The longing of the living being for happiness, for lasting happiness, cannot be fulfilled in a permanent fashion in this temporal world. If the living being desires permanent happiness, the object of their desire must be lasting, it must have the quality of permanence. Then the seeds of suffering will not be inherent in the very joy of coming close to that object. That is why it is said that the phenomenon of this world are not only the source of pleasure, but ultimately lead only to suffering. So, it is true that happiness must be sought in a shelter which is more lasting, or else that happiness will only turn to sorrow.

Now, what is more lasting, what is unaffected by the movement of time? What is beyond the scope of time, which cannot be destroyed as the time goes forward? That which is permanent, which cannot be destroyed, is the spiritual aspect of a person. It is the essence which lies quiescent in every object, in every experience, in all the phenomenon of the manifest universe. This spiritual essence is in every object, in every person. You cannot say it is not here or not there, it is everywhere. So, if you want to enjoy this manifest world, you must enjoy it in the proper fashion, you must enjoy it in the knowledge of its permanency, not for its temporal values.

This cosmos, this manifest universe lies within the scope of the mind of the cosmic entity, it is His internal projection. So, if you want to find happiness in this manifest universe, you must recognize the very nature of the objects around you, of the phenomenon around you. Then you will begin to understand the nature of permanent happiness. It is not that you should become a person who takes no delight in your life, that you should become dreary or drab saying "Oh, I am unattached to the world, therefore I will involve myself with no one or nothing. I am detached. I only desire to know God, so I will not involve myself with all of these objects which will cause suffering, I will visit no one, I will see no one, I will like nothing", no no no, this is not the way, this is not the way. This will not serve the proper purpose.

For proper understanding, there must be an open heart, an open mind. It is not to make yourself little and confined, but to expand what you are, not to run from the objects and phenomenon of this manifest universe, but to open your heart and your mind fully so that you see in those objects the very Divinity which you are seeking. The attachments you form, you must form to the divinity and not to the temporal nature of the objects which surround you, of the creatures which surround you, of the life which you are living. You enjoy life fully, but you remember what it is that you are enjoying and you enjoy it in pleasure and you enjoy it in pain, you enjoy that cosmic entity in all of the experiences which come into your life. And you enjoy that entity in its pure quiescent form also.

So, to enjoy the pleasures and pains of the world is not a separate experience from spiritual life. It is not in the experience of the world, but in the experience of the Divine Consciousness which underlies all expressed manifestations that the true delight must be taken. "Oh I am loving so and so, I love them with all my heart". Is this a crime? No no no, it is no crime. Know the infinite which has manifested in the form of this one whom you love. It is most important to become consciously aware of the very nature of those people, those creatures, those objects which you love, to become aware that it is the Divine who has taken this form and is before you, attracting you with its attraction, with its attracting qualities.

When this knowledge is there, then the truth begins to dawn in the mind and the attachment comes for all of creation, for every living being, for the entire universe and for that entity in which the play of the manifest expression is focussed. So it is not to close the heart but to open the heart fully. When love expands beyond the normal realm of simple attachment, then it goes very deep and that love brings the experience of that being who is inherent in all the expressed universe. So it is not to abstain from love of the manifest universe but to love with knowledge and with whole hearted sentiment, so that the Lord is seen all around, you are surrounded by the Lord and the Lord is speaking to you in every voice, in every creature, in every experience. What was seen as pleasure, what was seen as pain will suddenly become the same, the pleasure and the pain are only the different faces of that most gracious entity who is enjoying the play of creation.

When this insight is gained and when the love in the heart is very open, the feeling of love is strong, then you can be assured that the delight taken in this manifest universe is not a bondage but it is delight in the very Lord who is omnipresent in all creation.

It can be said that attachment to the objects in this world is the cause of endless suffering. That this attachment must be broken if a living being is to find lasting happiness. It may also be said that to open ones' mind and ones' heart and enjoy thoroughly this manifest universe, to love every living being, every expression of the Divine Entity is indeed a blessing, and a proper action for one who would realize the Divine.

So fill your heart and your life with love. Do not become dry and useless. To hide yourself in fear from the world, fearing that you will be attached to this, attached to that and you will fall from the golden path to god, is utter nonsense. If you want to know God, open your heart in love to that Divinity in all the infinite forms that that expression has taken. When this is done, when the heart is open and the devotee dances in love singing the name of Lord and seeing the Lord all around him in the animals, in the plants, in the stars, then there comes such a joy, such a knowledge, that all become unified and delight is complete. That delight is of a permanent nature. The objects rise and fall, rise and fall in the endless cycle of creation but that which underlies these phenomena is permanent and will never change. All of these objects in there rising and their falling are the very expression of the love of that Divine Entity. So, you dance with Him in every moment of your existence, in this world and beyond.