Video Link:

http://www.vimeo.com/8513184

B:Namaste to you all! I wish you all a very very happy new year!

Tr: Thank you Bhagavan.

B: So Shall we go ahead with the questions?

Question 1 in Russian

B: I will understand the question in English, and then I will give the answer.

Question 1

Marina from Russia asks:

Bhagavan we know, that physical+psychological+ existential suffering = constant. I have clarity about physical suffering. Speaking about psychological suffering, I've faced two aspects of it - my personal suffering, which I observe and experience; the second thing is when I am in the society, I feel collective suffering, I observe it as well and it's transformed into peace. But I do not know what to do when I face existential suffering. The deeper I come into it, the more depthless abyss is, the stronger depression is, the stronger unwillingness to live, and there is no end to this suffering. These periods of depression are very long, especially lately. How should I deal with existential suffering?

Bhagavan: Of all the forms of suffering, the most difficult to understand, as well as the most difficult to solve, is the suffering which we call existential suffering. Now, it's not that you experience existential suffering; you are equal to existential suffering. So I would say, it is not you, who is experiencing existential suffering, you equal to existential suffering. As long as you exist, you should have existential suffering. Because when you exist you become separate from all the rest. This is separation which we call existential suffering.

What must be understood here is, you do not suffer from existential suffering; your very existence is existential suffering. It is not you who are suffering but you are equal to existential suffering. The truth is there is no you, there is no person, there are only personalities which are arising and ceasing, like waves on the ocean. Waves arise, waves cease, waves again arise. Personalities arise and personalities cease. There is no person.

Or let us say, you get very close to a TV, the TV screen, you probably see only dots. If you get very close to LCD screen, or whatever screen is there, you only notice dots, there is no picture at all, as you get very close. Similarly, if you are to slow down a video film, you'll find no continuous movement. There are breaks in that movement and you have the illusion of there is a continuous movement. But if you get close or slow down the video film, you can not see a continuous movement. When you sit closer to the television, you only see dots, there is no form at all there.

Similarly, as you become intensely aware as to what is going on inside you, it does not matter what is going on. What matters is you have to get very close to where the action is, what's going on inside you. If you can get sufficiently close and look, you will see that you vanish. You are not there, because the observed, what is there, is creating the observer within you. If the observed is seen differently you also disappear. Like if you get close to the TV screen, there are only dots, there are no forms. Similarly, if you intensely observe anything, the observed sort of disappears. Like dots on the screen, it's very, very different when you get very close to what is happening inside you. When the observed changes, the observer also changes. What happens is the observed is gone, the observer is gone. Both are gone. And you realize the observer, the observed and the act of observation, are all one. When that happens you are gone. When you are gone, suffering is also gone. Because that "you" only is suffering.

So what you have to do is, you must become intensely aware, not at a single day, but little by little, you can become more and more intense and just see what's going on. Often you are concerned about what is going on, that is the problem. That is not important. Can you see what is going on? And if you see what's going on, you'll discover that the observer and the observed are in fact one. Therefore what is there is merely the experience, the experienceris gone. There is merely seeing, the seer is gone. There is merely the thought, the thinker is gone. There is merely what is there, you are gone. And with that existential suffering goes away.

Even if this should happen only for 5 minutes, you would have such a powerful insight that you do not exist, thereafter you never again get into the trap of existential suffering. That's what would happen, so lets work in that direction. That is the answer to the first question. We move to the second question now.

Question 2

Ekaterina from Ukraine asks:

What is money? What does its presence shows? Should I settle for the present level of income or should I put maximum effort into to get more? I have settled down good relationship with my father by now.

Bhagavan: There is an Indian word for money, which is called nanayam(?). What this means is integrity. That is, the name means integrity. The name for money is integrity. If money is rightfully earned, it indicates your contribution to society. What have you done for society, whereby you've earned that much money. It's an indicator of your contribution. Now, as to how much money you want, that's up to you to decide. That is left to the individual's discretion. My job is to only help you to get that money. That's my function. How much you should get depends upon you. And now that you say your relationship with your father is completely alright, there should be no problem in getting as much money as you really want. Not greed, but what you really want. There should be no difficulty in getting that much money. That's the answer for the second question.

Question 3

Nailya from Kazakhstan asks:

Dear Bhagavan, how can I come to love myself? I have realized that all my material and psychological problems are directly associated with non-acceptance of myself. Being your channel to transfer your love to other people, how I can come to love myself?

Bhagavan: We have said: in the external world you've got to be active, in the inner world you've got to be passive. Now, what's happening here is, you've realized that you're not able to accept yourself, that you're not able to love yourself. Up to that point it's OK. But the problem is, you're trying to accept yourself, you're trying to love yourself. That's because you have condemned the fact that you do not accept yourself. You've condemned the fact that you do not love yourself. That is not the oneness teaching. What the oneness teaching is saying is: see, look, be aware of the fact that you do not accept yourself, intensely aware. Be intensely aware of the fact that you do not love yourself. If you were to condemn it, if you were to try to change it, nothing is going to happen.

It is simply that awareness. You should not even think it is bad. If you say "Oh, it's very bad, I do not accept myself. I must accept myself." - that is not awareness. That comes under contemplation. Awareness is just to see what is going on. What it is, is of no consequence, is of no matter at all. What is going on there is, you're not accepting yourself. Now, if you were to really see it, you won't even say "I'm not accepting myself", because it's happening in the moment, it's not a concept, it's not what happened in the past. It's happening right there at that particular moment and you're just being aware of it. When you do that, something happens. I do not want to talk about that, because that again would become a concept and you would be looking for that.

What happens is, the mere awareness is all that there is. There's nothing beyond that. If you are aware of what's going on, that is the first step, that is the last step. There's nothing more to do and nothing can be done. But what you're doing is, you're naming it "Ah yes, I do not accept myself" - you've named it, you've condemned it, you want to change it. That's where the problems are arising. Up to that point, what you've done is right. Now you must realize there's nothing to do. Not even make a statement like "I don't accept myself". No. That means you're not seeing. You've done contemplation, but then you're not really seeing. Simply see what's going on.

I would not speak more than that, because then you start making concepts and ideas about it. Just do it and see what happens. That's the beginning, that's the end. That's awakening, that's enlightenment. That's all that there is to life.

People are daydreaming. They're caught up in thought. All the time they're daydreaming. They're missing the moment. A moment later they're aware of what's going on, that is of no use. It must be almost immediate. That's when you're awakened. Right now, you're fast asleep. To be awakened is to be enlightened. Therefore, note this thing very carefully; whatever is happening is not at all important. You're looking through a microscope, you're looking through a telescope, what is there is not important. Are you seeing? That's all. If you think "that must be there, this must be there", you're not seeing at all. Just see.

And don't think something's going to happen, because the seeing is the happening. You see and something won't happen, seeing is the happening. If you see it's all over. Seeing is all that a human being can do. If you do that, all things which we have been speaking about are natural consequences. Seeing is the be all and the end all. One who sees is a seer. That's all. So I'll be helping you with that.

*After russian translation*

Bhagavan: In these 3 minute meditations, what I'm trying to do is, I'm trying to help you see what is going on inside you. I'm trying to actually see the way you are seeing and make you see the way I am seeing. That's what I'm doing in these 3 minute meditations. And as you get used to me and I get used to you, we'll be extending these meditations for a longer time and the whole purpose of these meditations is to help you see. That is the purpose of these meditations. So you should begin the effort by starting with a little bit of breath awareness and try to see what is going on inside you. That's all you've got to do. Initially, of course, it could be difficult but I'll be beginning to help you by supplying that energy whereby you could see. As you begin to see, it'll become more and more easier and it will become greater and greater seeing, until you finally are able to see for a very long time. That's what these meditations are there for. I hope this explanation will help you understand what is going on in these meditations.

*Meditation*

Bhagavan: Love you all! Namaste!

Tr: Namaste! Thank you Bhagavan, we love you too!