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Part 1: The Peace Tree and the Restless Mind: Lessons from Lake, Tree, Saint, and Rain Brahman paramasukharam kevalam jñānam uratim dhitaṁ gaganasadrasyaṁ tasmāsyādilakṣaṁ ekam nityam vimalacalam sarvaddhi-sākṣibhūtaṁ bhavādhitaṁ madriguṇa-rahitaṁ Satta Guru Dhamma Dhamam Yam Śānti Śānti... Vinaya Bhagavān In the ocean, in the river, in the lake—according to the explanation of creation, there are three categories of life on this planet: jalchar (aquatic), thalchar (terrestrial), and nabhachar (aerial)—creatures that live in the water, on the ground, and in the space. The lake gives shelter to countless creatures within itself. Anyone may come to the lake and drink water; the lake is ready to give. See, it never refuses. It does not say, “No, you are from that country, I will not give you water,” or “You are from that region, I do not wish to give you water.” There is no duality, only non-duality—one way. You can bathe, you can wash your clothes, and the lake is not angry with you. “Why are you polluting me?” it never utters. We can take as much water as we like; the lake will never say, “No, enough, do not take water.” So it means the lake lives—or exists—for the sake of others. And therefore, they always tell us, “Do not pollute us. That is our life, servant.” In Canada there are vast forests and many lakes. I think perhaps you do not know what water truly is. But people in countries like Australia, India, and many parts of Africa know exactly what water means. I come from the part of India called Rajasthan, a dry region. If we are fortunate, we receive perhaps one month of rain, and rain may fall only three or four times. We must survive the whole year with that water. So, my dear ones, when it rains here, you say, “Oh, terrible weather.” And when you say that, it hurts me, because I know what rain means for us. There is a song taught to small children in schools: “Rain, rain, go away.” The new India—you know, Indians are learning English again, and they have English as a subject in the schools, and the English teacher, without thinking, teaches this song. The children come and sing, “Rain, rain, go away.” I tell them, “Oh, what are you doing? Please, say, ‘Rain, rain, come again more. Water is life.’” Jala Jahan Jagadīś, Jala Jahan Jagadīś—where there is water, there is God, because water is life and life is water. We humans, out of greed or ignorance, have begun to pollute the soil and the ocean. Because the system was announcing that Swāmījī also works for humanitarian and environmental causes, you may not believe what I am about to tell you now. I personally experienced that when you rinse your mouth—take a sip of water and clean—you then think, “Where shall I spit this water?” and you look around for some green grass or a patch of earth, so that you may place the water there respectfully. So, water is holy. Water is the blood of this planet, the water element. Sarvar Tarvar—a tree. It does not matter what kind of weather it is: hot, cold, snow, sub-zero temperatures, or storm. In every situation, the tree stands there, survives, and gives shelter to many, many creatures—from the tiniest insects to large birds, and humans and animals sit beneath it, under different kinds of trees. Fruit trees—if you throw a stone to get some apples or cherries, the tree does not catch the stone and throw it back. Instead, it gives you fruit. The tree offers very pleasant shade and oxygen. The tree is not attached to those who plant it, nor is it angry with those who cut it down. So the tree is holy. The tree is holy. The tree is our life, as the Native American saying goes: “When the last tree is chopped down and the last fish dies, then, O human, you will realize you cannot eat your money.” The tree is holy. It stands there. In India, we celebrate the trees. We worship the trees. There are some trees, like the banyan tree, that give forth abundant oxygen. And we have prayers for the trees. Some holy saints realized that people might not respect the trees sufficiently, so they placed certain holy symbols around them. Thus, in the month of April, when it is spring and the hot season approaches and water becomes scarce, they said, “Young girls who wish for a very good husband should go to the tree every day, water it, circumambulate it, and tie a holy thread upon it.” And they do this. In big cities and small towns, we adore those trees. To cut that tree is a sin. Even if the tree is growing in the foundation of your house and the house will crack, they will not cut down the tree. Such is the adoration for Mother Nature. Therefore, a tree is holy, a tree is divine, it is life. Sarvar Tarvar. Śānt Jan—a holy saint, a saint. See, all that a saint speaks is for the well-being of the entire planet, not only for humans but for all beings, and not only for a particular religion or a particular group but for everyone. The lake… water is for all, trees bear fruit for all, and so the words of wisdom are for all. If I were to say, “No, no, this is only for you—close the door,” that is not the saintly way. And the fourth is the rain. Rain makes no distinctions. When it rains, the clouds do not say, “This is a thorny bush, I will not rain here,” or “This is a dirty place, I will not fall here.” Rain falls everywhere, without any dualism. And so: Sarvar Tarvar Sant Jan, Chotha Varsemi Paramarat Ke Karne Charo Dari—for the well-being of all, these four have manifested in this world. So this is the peace tree and the wish-fulfilling tree: peace and wish. If you have any wish, go and touch the tree and repeat your resolution, your saṅkalpa. It will come true. But I taught the tree here today, inside, only positive saṅkalpa. If anyone harbors negativity to harm others, do not play with me. Yes, we performed a very beautiful abhiṣeka for the tree—mantras. Oṁ Tryambakaṁ Yajāmahe Sugandhiṁ Puṣṭi Vardhanam, Urvārukam Iva Bandhanān Mṛtyor Mukṣīya Mā’mṛtāt. We gave the soil, we gave the water, we gave the blessings, and now the tree has received life. Now, that tree itself has become a blessing for us. After giving this initiation and blessing, I, who was giving the blessings, also asked Mother Nature to bless me. So this was a wonderful day, and now you have a beautiful, beautiful peace tree. There is a World Peace Day, a Day of World Peace declared by the United Nations. On that day, in the morning or evening, you can go with a candle and meditate, or if it is a beautiful day, go and sit there, look at the tree, and you will receive immense positive energy and blessings. Concerning this tree, there is a story about human restlessness. There is a lot of restlessness, a lot of trouble. This story comes from Yoga-Vedānta philosophy, the use of this tree, and it is especially for people who practice yoga. Even if someone does not practice yoga, they can also adopt these techniques and find peace. When a person is very ill and there is no help, the doctor may say, “Only this injection can save you.” And you will reply, “It does not matter if it is nectar or poison; give it to me if it helps.” We are ready to drink poison if it helps us. Martā kyā kartā? If you know you are dying, you have no other choice—take anything. So, one farmer went to his farmhouse; he had 2,000 hectares of land and forest with many wild animals. One day, the farmer was walking peacefully through his forest. Farmers are always healthy because they live in nature. A strong point, Mr. Dean. Now, you may believe it or not. Some people believe, some don’t. Okay, but belief does not change reality. If I believe that tomorrow the sun will not rise, I can’t really believe it, but the sun will rise regardless. So, believe or not believe is on the surface. Reality is that which no one can change. Truth is that which no one can change. Now, a ghost came out of the forest, with muscles bigger than a deer. But the farmer was not afraid. He said, “Ghosts are only in our mind, not in the forest.” The ghost approached and became a little unpleasant. The farmer said, “Why are you unfriendly to me? What is happening? Who are you?” The ghost replied, “I am a ghost.” The farmer said, “Oh, I have heard many people speak of ghosts, but today is the first day I meet one. How nice. So, what do you want?” The ghost said, “I will kill you.” The farmer said, “What? You will kill me? Why? What have I done to you? Even if you walk through my property, I would say nothing to you.” The ghost insisted, “No, no, I will kill you. Come and fight with me.” So the farmer said, “Well, we must have some conditions. What should be the result? What will happen when you win, or what will happen if I am the winner?” The ghost replied, “The loser will obey all the instructions and commands of the winner.” The farmer said, “That sounds good. Let us begin.” They began to fight. (By the way, Mr. D, one day I was walking through the forest here in British Columbia, you know, and I met big bears—first time in my life, wild bears. Life is dear to everyone, you know. There had been a storm the day before, and a tree had fallen across the walking path. I wanted to get to the other side. It took me some time to climb slowly over and reach the other side. And then a mother bear with small cubs looked at me. I said to myself, “Maheśvarānanda, go back.” So when I crossed—climbing the tree to get to the other side—it took me some time. But then going back the other way, it was very quick, very quick. Then I asked Mr. Deenji, “What do you do when you meet a big bear?” He said, “Then you make yourself big.” How should I make myself big? I have no siddhi. I have no perfections, so he showed me how to make myself big. Is it true? Oh yes, you taught me. Yes, we had a weekend seminar. Now, do you remember? It’s true? Yeah, you said, “Make Swāmījī big like this.” Is that true? That’s it. So, how should I make him bigger than I am? He demonstrated like this. Now it’s true? That’s it. You must practice more prāṇāyāma to have better memory, dear one.) To return to the story: the fight began. The farmer was the winner; the ghost was the loser. So the ghost said to the farmer, “Okay, but one thing more.” The farmer asked, “What?” The ghost said, “I am your servant now, but you have to give me work. If you do not give me any work, I will kill you. I need work, that is all.” The farmer, thinking “I am so happy to get a worker,” said, “Good. Your duty is to make a fence around my old properties—2,000 hectares.” The ghost said, “No problem, I used to make things like that.” And within no time, the entire 2,000 hectares were fenced. “Give me work,” the ghost demanded. “Clean all the dry wood and debris,” the farmer said. In an instant, like a storm, it was clean. “Give me work.” The ghost was thinking, “Before sunset, I will kill this farmer and be free.” Whatever work he was given was done like magic. The farmer thought, “Now what to do?” The farmer had a master, a very wise one. So he ran to the master, came to the master, and the master said, “Oh, Mr. D, what are you doing at noon? You should be working in your field.” He replied, “Master, I am in trouble.” “Sit down. What trouble do you have?” So the farmer told him everything. It is said that where a holy person lives, where a positive person lives, where there are holy pictures, where the name of God is chanted, ghosts or negative energies will not come near. They will remain at a distance of 150 meters. So, due to one spiritual person, the whole neighborhood is protected. The farmer said, “You see, Master, that ghost is sitting over there.” The Master said, “No problem, drink tea.” The farmer protested, “Master, it is no problem for you, but for me, it is a problem.” The Master said, “Sit down. Go and tell your ghost to bring the largest tree from the mountains of British Columbia—nearly 100 meters high.” So the farmer went toward the ghost. The ghost demanded, “Give me work.” The farmer said, “Yes, bring the largest tree from this area.” The ghost disappeared and in no time returned with the huge tree. “Here it is. Give me work.” Again the farmer went to the master. “Master, the tree is here.” The master replied, “Good. Tell him to plant it here. Put it in the earth.” So the ghost took the tree and planted it firmly. The tree stood there. “Give me work.” The farmer ran to the master. “Master, Master, what should I do now? The tree is standing.” The master said, “No problem.” The farmer insisted, “But it is a problem, sir. He is asking me for work.” The master said, “Yes, I have good work. Go and tell him: Your work, your duty, is to climb up the tree. When you are up, then come down. When you are down, go up. This is your work. It has no end. Up and down, up and down. If you stop, I have a big stick in my hand. Whenever you need some other work, say, ‘Come, go and clean my field. Go and bring the feeder for my horses and cows.’ Then make him go back to working day and night, up and down, up and down.” The ghost realized, “This clever Swami, he has spoiled all my plans.” So, dear one, this body is the field. You are the farmer in this body. And in this body, the ghost is your mind. Your mind does not let you rest. It is in the mind. The mind can make you very happy, or the mind can make you very unhappy, depending on how you think. But what? Many, many yoga practitioners say, “I am meditating, but my mind is so restless. I am full of stress, not peace.” So you meet the master of your viveka, your intellect, your wisdom. Use your wisdom. Tell your mind and give it work. The largest, biggest tree in our body is our spinal column. And in the spinal column, there are many energy centers, what we call the cakras. So whenever you are busy, work. When you finish your work, then tell your mind, “Sit in meditation, and let your mind go up and down through the spinal column with the breath.” Inhale, ascending and descending, breath awareness through this spinal column, to purify all the energy cakras in your body. And you will find your peace. You can attain your spirituality. So, well, we will practice this technique, this meditation, today after this. Thus, the ghost is within us. Good and bad both are within us. From the very beginning of creation, two forces developed: devī śakti and āsurī śakti. Devī śakti means the divine power or positive energy. Āsurī śakti means the satanic or devilish or negative force. And both are fighting within us. Sometimes our positive thoughts, positive feelings, and positive intellect make us very happy and relaxed. And at other times the asuras come: anger, hate, jealousy, greed, and what not—that makes us unhappy. Our positive way of thinking and living can help all. And our negative way of thinking and speaking can also destroy. Protection and destruction both reside within the human mind. Therefore, there are many different kinds of pollution, but the most dangerous pollution is mental pollution, in the form of greed, in the form of ego, in the form of hate, in the form of jealousy. That power can destroy our very self. Therefore, it is said: if you cannot dry the tears of others, do not be the cause of their tears. Do you have understanding for every individual’s feelings? Life is very dear to us, and that is why we follow the principle of non-violence: ahiṃsā paramo dharma. Do not kill. Do not cause trouble. Physically, mentally, intellectually, socially, politically—there are many kinds of violence. Hiṃsā means violence, and ahiṃsā means non-violence. Suppose you are walking near the water, and someone is fishing; they take a fish out of the water and place it aside. If you look with your two eyes connected to the two petals of your heart, how this creature, endowed with life, is suffering! How much pain does it feel? It speaks by moving its mouth: “O humankind, do not do this to me. Let me be myself. Let me live in my kingdom of the water element.” It is not only that you kill, not only that you eat. But the pain, the suffering, and that karma come back to us. Every action has a reaction, and every reaction will have an action. So, do you understand? Do you feel others? And who are we to judge? Therefore, we always work with our heart and with our viveka, our buddhi, our intellect. We coordinate, we balance, we purify, we harmonize, and then we work with both brain and heart. Only the heart is not good, and only the intellect is not good. Both hemispheres must be balanced individually, and especially in human beings. Then peace of mind, the peace within us, will be there. Then it does not matter what happens. What is happening is not reality. Brahma satya, jagat mithyā. Ultimately, one who searches for the truth—and whatever you find is not the ultimate truth—because the truth is that which is everlasting; that is the reality. Unreality is that which is changing. Whoever comes will go. Whoever is born will die. Whatever appears will disappear. But finally, what is everlasting? That alone is the truth. Part 2: Brahman Satya: The Illusion of Separation and the Peace Within That is Brahman, Brahmasatya, and we are a part of that Satya, that Brahman, the truth. It is not about whether someone was doing bad or not doing good, and so on. He, she, they—these are temporary, a bubble that will very soon finish. We are a bubble on this planet. Yesterday someone was singing, “Make me ocean.” Waves and ocean are only duality; we see the waves. In reality, the ocean and the wave are the same. No ocean, no waves. So Brahman, the supreme truth, is that. And that truth is your ātmā, your divine self. The soul is individual. We sit here as so many individuals, as souls, and yet, sitting here together, we are not so many. We are only one, because we are the Ātmā, and that Ātmā is the truth, the supreme, the Brahman. When I blame you, I am blaming myself. When I do something wrong to someone, I am doing it to myself. When I help you, I am helping myself. Whatever I do is mine; I am. It will reflect on me because you are mine, and I am yours. Once, there was nothing, only the earth under water and ice. Then slowly the land emerged. Someone said, “It is my kingdom,” and it was distributed to farmers. The farmers measured the land. Now someone bought a piece of land and converted it for construction, for residential use. Now these walls stand here—this is a hall, a reception hall, a kitchen, bathrooms. This is the space of the hall; this is the space of a room. The day we dismantle this building, there will be no bathrooms and no halls, only one space. Similarly, the body, mind, senses, and intellect—all this is temporary in this field of the farmer, and one day it will go. What will remain behind? Your good deeds or your bad deeds. God gives us strength. God gives us power to do something. When you do good things, you are peaceful. When you do negative things, you are restless. Whoever has fear is restless, and fear again comes from the dying self. Your mind creates fear. Therefore, we always think, or try to think, that we are all one. So my master used to say, “One in all and all in one.” The eternal peace we are all searching for is neither in our wealth or property, nor in our age—young, middle-aged, old—nor in beauty or ugliness, whatever. We are never happy. God is so disappointed in us. Whatever we have, we are not happy. We want to change. We want to change, because we are in a world of change, and what is changing is not reality. What is not changing, that is reality. So peace, love, and harmony are within, in our ātmā, and that ātmā is also there. You can be peaceful only if others are peaceful. You can relax only when all are relaxed. If someone is crying beside you, if someone is screaming, you cannot. So my work is to see the Ātmā and not to think of this temporary life. They will come, and you will remember, “Yes, there was one Indian Swāmī who came with the long beard and was talking. That guy, what he said, there was some sense in it. I want to speak to him, but he is gone.” So it is with this. Do not think about who will go first. It does not depend on whether one is young or old. If we knew that our number is first, that we would die before David comes… Thanks to God that He placed this all somewhere, so that our intellect does not know the day, the date, how, or where. Only we know that one day we will go, and we pray to prolong our life, to be happy. So accept this life situation, accept as you are, and accept that love—that love has no boundaries, that love is eternal, the supreme truth. Without that, we cannot be. This leads us through the practice of yoga. Now, yoga is one of the most ancient wisdoms. My experience, my realization about yoga is this: first there is the space, endless space, and that is called the mother’s body. And that is why God is a problem. But thanks to God that this body is not forever; otherwise, we would always be in desires and problems. That tendency is called Eko’haṁ Bahusyāmi. I am one, and now I will multiply, resurgent. How? There is nothing. The space is space. Space has given us the space. Consciousness can do nothing, but the energy, the desire—that is the one. Prakṛti becomes that. And so that Spūrṇā is awakening in resonance, the sound. The Veda says, if you would like to know the form, how the Supreme looks, then He is from this Brahman. Then His second form is the resonance, the sound. And that resonance is beyond time; an endless universe begins. Like an earthquake, no one can imagine how much energy is there—it moves even the ocean and the earth. Similarly, in the universe, there is a sound that is declared by the śāstras, the Vedas, the Upaniṣads, and the yogīs. It is called Oṃ. Aum Kar Vendu Santam Nityadayanti Yogina. Therefore, every day, the yogī meditates on that resonance of the home. Everything came from home, exists in the home, and will merge again into the home. It is very interesting. One yogī made a beautiful poem: “The calf of the cow is made of flesh. Chamde kī bachhṛā, or chamde kī cow, and also the cow is made out of this. And Chamraya Duhanwala, and who is milking the cow, he also is killed. And Chamrayā Pī Jai, and that one also drinks it.” How is that? Everything comes into it, merges into it, and disappears into it. Om Kāra Bindu Sayuktam Nitya Dāyana. So when that Nāda, the Rūpa of Parabrahma—that resonance, that universal, cosmic resonance—out of that vibration, the fire element manifests. That is called Svayaṃbhū. It manifests the Svayaṃbhū. No one has created Him; it is He who has manifested Himself from this. That resonance of the Om is the Svayaṃbhū, Śiva. And that first manifestation is then after the resonance, the jyoti—Śiva jyoti, the flame, the light—ātmā jyoti, the flame of your soul, your ātmā. Within thy heart, there is a beautiful, tiny flame, and everything is there because of that flame. Like a queen honeybee is there, and all other bees are there, we are working for that. Similarly, for that one ātmā, all functions are in the body. When that flame goes out, all functions will be resigned; nothing will remain except this mortal body, without any function, without feelings, without fear. It doesn’t matter what happens, whether they bury you in the earth or animals eat you. Nothing, nothing is there. Suddenly you are gone. And where have you gone? Those friends, parents, or partners sitting and holding your hands—they don’t know which side you went. Where did you go? Nirguṇa. The formless one just disappeared. From where did it come? How did it come? How has it lived, and where has it gone? To know this is the truth. Ko’ham? Katham idaṁ jātaṁ? Ko vā karta tasya vidyate? Who am I? From where did I come? What am I doing? And where will I go? This soul is lonely, ever lonely, ever alone. In the space and time of the waves of the times, the soul is fluttering, experiencing different planets, different spaces, light, darkness, happiness, suffering. Again, this whole game is finished, and off you go. But where? It is said, “Kāśī phūṭī jhaṅkār kahā gayī?” This bowl, this bowl, has a resonance. If this has a crack, then there will be no resonance. When the crack is on this bowl, the resonance disappears. But where did this resonance disappear? Where? Kāśī phūṭī, jhaṅkār kahā gayī, aur yuddha phaṭā kahā gayā, garita? Where milk is spoiled, where butter disappeared. In the milk, you put a lemon; then you can’t gain the butter from that milk. Kāśī phūkī jaṅkār kahā gayī, dūdh batār kahā gayā, grip. The flame is blown off. Where did the flame disappear in this room? That flame is within your heart also. Even if you are in a closed box of bulletproof glass, with no small hole, the flame will go out. Man phaṭā kahāṅ ge pre. And similarly, when love is gone from your heart, then there is no more, because your heart is burnt. When love is gone, hate and revenge and darkness will cover you. So the Svayaṃbhū comes in the form of light, Śiva as consciousness, Śiva as liberation, Śiva as a blessing, Śiva as the destroyer of darkness, and after some time again moves into oneness. So meditation, yoga—yoga is not only that I do this exercise, and then I do this one, and I do this one, and then you say, “Oh, I feel so good. I will practice yoga today. Wow!” This is just physical exercise and mind here. Exercise inside the mind; it is like a mind inside. This tense sense is like a wild horse. We will not master it; you will not realize peace. We are torn into pieces, but there is no peace. So it is that pure knowledge, viveka, that can bring harmony, peace, and awaken that universal love. Then you will understand what yoga is. That is why it is called yoga, which means union. Practicing yoga means reunion between Brahman and us. There is a māyā, an illusion, an ignorance that divides us. When ignorance is gone, we are one with that. And that is the aim of practicing yoga and mantra. Put your mind to work with this largest tree in the body, this spinal column. And let go through Suṣumnā, Iḍā, Piṅgalā, these three nāḍīs, ascending and descending breath consciousness. Suddenly the Śiva Jyoti will appear in you. Then you will know, now I am. Now all these little things do not disturb you. Then the soul will go out of the body; then the soul becomes detached from this mortal world, this material world. Then it doesn’t matter how many dollars or money you have. The soul doesn’t worry, “Oh God, I must take it with me.” And it cannot take, because it does not need any more. Your relations, your house, your friends—everything will be here in this material world, and you are above that. You are rising up and up to peace. But there is one thing more. Every time I say this, whenever I come to Vancouver, this beautiful poem—I like it personally very much. Sorry, the water is cold. Sorry, my throat. Next time, a little bit. One yogī was meditating in the park. The park was on a hill. It was autumn, and there was a beautiful maple tree. The leaves became yellow, you know. Now leaves will come out a little, beautiful, and they will grow a nice green like that, to full size, and then they will become yellow and red. The wind came and blew it away. The leaf broke and was blown away somewhere, onto another hill. The leaf broke from the branch, and the wind blew it away. Now, this separation—when we will come together again, the leaves will be heated? Because the wind blows me away, far away; I fall somewhere far. Where is my origin, and where will I be? Similarly, my dear, this world is the tree, and we are as a leaf on this tree. The day will come, and the destiny of the wind will blow us. We don’t know in which direction or where we will fall. What will happen to us? Destiny. And destiny is a protection, a protection of our karma, our deeds. Karma is done through four things: tan, man, vachan, or dhan. Through body, through mind, through words, and through your social position. All these karmas—mind, speech, or wealth—through this form, if we try to do good things and not cause anyone pain or unhappiness, then your destiny may bring these leaves to the cosmic self, to the divine life. We humans do not have that knowledge. We don’t see where he or she is going. Only we can do one thing: we pray to the Almighty to bless this soul, this past, with eternal peace, cosmic peace. That is all we can do, but we don’t know. Because of the destiny of that person, we don’t know who made this person come as a holy incarnation. And you know, holiness doesn’t come with some uniforms. One does not become holy by renouncing and going to an āśram or monastery. Yesterday I spoke about the holy heart. So your heart should be holy. In a holy heart, there is no hate; there is mercy. We always say it, the Mother Maria. But it is not only that; your heart also is that one. But the condition, the pollution which we get through this tan, mana, bachana, dhana—body, mind, intellect, and our acting in social life—that creates our destiny. And that destiny will very soon take you away and say, “Come with me.” You cannot say no. No one can. It is finished; you have to follow. At the end of life, my destiny will be revealed. And you cannot see that, and that is good. Thanks to God. If you saw that your beloved one went to a suffering place, you would be very, very unhappy. So we only hope that our beloved ones, our friends, or humans—even your dog or your cat, we love all—so, param śānti, the highest bliss or peace, is for the realization of that truth. Not this truth that he was drinking alcohol and she was drinking only lemon juice and this and that. These are men; this is not true. This is human conflict, and that is why humans are suffering. The most unhappy and most troublesome are the humans. Unnecessarily, we are creating troubles. I talked yesterday: there are some people called troublemakers. If one day they didn’t make trouble, they couldn’t sleep. Then at 2:30 in the night, they telephone someone and say, “You are the stupid one.” And then they put you down. And then that person is sleeping so peacefully—troublemaker. But if you cause one trouble, a thousand troubles will follow you there. What will happen there? You will experience pleasure, happiness, joy, bliss, or unhappiness, torture, fear, pain—everything. For example, you dream: you go somewhere, and you are happy. You experience everything, but who is experiencing? Your body is in your sleeping room. Or you have a dream somewhere; you are suffering. Someone is following you, some wild animal, and you are fearful, trying to escape, to protect. You wake up. Huh, there was nothing; it was a dream. Similarly, after leaving this body, the astral body is going, and the astral body will experience pain or pleasure, happiness or unhappiness, that will be much more than in this life. So meditation, prayer, and your mantra will help you realize that eternal peace. And that is how yoga helps us live in this troublesome world. Everyone is troubled. Everyone is. So, the last story, okay? Mr. Dean was sitting in the forest, and he took his mālā and meditated. One hour, two hours. That was a farmer working on a farm. The farmer thought, “A man sitting alone must be very unhappy, lonely. I should go and talk to him a little bit, and maybe he has some problem; I shall help him.” So the farmer came, and Mr. Deer was deep in meditation, and the farmer said, “Excuse me, sir.” He said, “Yes, please.” So the farmer came and sat beside him and said, “How are you?” He said, “I am fine.” “Is everything okay?” “Of course.” After a few words, the farmer said, “Well, I came to you, my friend. I thought you are very lonely. Aren’t you?” He said, “Yes, now I am lonely.” I said, “What do you mean?” “Because before, I was one with myself. And now you have come, I am lonely. Because you disturbed me. Inside, I am lonely. You put me outside in the outer world.” So oneness is that when you are happy with thyself, and that is in your mind, working with yourself. So self-inquiry meditation, which I developed, can lead you to param śānti, param ānanda, param sukha—supreme bliss, the joy. Today is enough. Whenever God’s blessing will be heard on this, sometimes you can see me through the web. My prayer to Mahāprabhujī is to bless you with good health, happiness, and eternal peace in your heart. You become peace wherever you come. Bring peace. Don’t bring dualities, don’t bring fear, don’t bring hate, don’t bring black clouds. Bring the light and joy. It is said, “Ānandoham, Ānandoham, I am the supreme bliss.” These thoughts should be all. This I wish for you. Sarve sukhinaḥ santu, sarve santu nirāmayāḥ, sarve bhadrāṇi paśyantu, mā kaścid duḥkha bhāg bhavet, oṁ śāntiḥ, śāntiḥ.