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Part 1: The Divine Instrument: A Call to Surrender and Bliss You suddenly have divine consciousness within you. When you are in Sahasrāra Samādhi, you are deeply content, a very divine light. This was a picture; here sits Mahāprabhujī, he is a divine master. This is the time when Mahāprabhujī sat there and entered Mahāsamādhi. No, not Mahāsamādhi, Sahasrāra Samādhi. So this is a Sahasrāra Samādhi, spontaneous. And suddenly, a divine consciousness at that time—I saw, the photographer said it was an immense power, it was such a strong compulsion and love and so on, try to give everything you have. Give everything, give it all, everything to… to someone. I do not mean your clothes and your money and your house and so on; you can give those in measure, yes, but not everything. But open your inner feelings. So every day, get up and say to yourself: God, today I give up my doubts. I will never live in doubt. Dear, I will die, but not in doubt. Doubt is like sand in the salad. This is a good, prepared dressing, has good salad and is very good, but not well washed; there are stones inside. The next day you get up and say: thank you God, but I still have something more to give, to resolve. From today onwards, I will never be jealous again. God will say, God will one day cough before you and say: be careful what you say, so that you do not suffer then. On the third day, I get up and say: Lord, God, I will hate no one, so whether it is an enemy or a friend, my countryman or someone else, whatever hatred is, Lord, take it away forever, for eternity, from my phenomena. There is no hatred. On the fourth day, you fast and say to God: I will give up all my greed from today onwards. I will not be greedy to eat an ice cream. I will not be greedy in eating carrots. I will not be greedy for anything with my small longing. I will not be greedy. And on the last day, I stand up and say again: oh God, I will see all living beings as your children, as my siblings and brothers, how important they are. And so on, every day letting go of one’s own attachments, and along with that singing beautifully and bringing beautiful things into life, carrying them there, whether it is pain, still trying to reach that place. And now we will sing a song about Franz, from Assisi, the holy Franz. Okay? And there we will all stand firm, just like that. And then, no matter which day you feel sad or have doubts at some point, sing this song. And because you cannot sing that, then sing O Satī Dhanānanda, O Satī Dhanānanda. And if someone asks: why are you so happy? From where did you learn this bliss? Then he says, of course, I have learned from my master. Next. Om Maheśvarānanda, Om Maheśvarānanda,... Om Maheśvarānanda and so on. Let life enter into the plan. Love for God. So, when God comes to you suddenly and says: I only want devotion. Who has devotion, who has love, is never lonely. Those who possess devotion are never lonely. And he is never alone and never forsaken. And always in the light. And always in a beautiful assembly hall. And all things flow to where love is. And all negative things flow to where there is darkness, where the heart is closed. So the heart is like stone; where does the softness come from, the butter. So now we continue. A beautiful song by Saint Francis of Assisi. Om Śrī Dīp Nārāyaṇa Padmanābhatā. And so it is very important for those who have recognized what life means and who have felt or realized that God offers His life completely to God. That means: O Lord, take my body, mind, soul, and consciousness and let them be an instrument, your instrument, through which your love and truth shall flow. Those who have not dedicated their life to God, who have not sacrificed it to God, waste their time and their life. So try to make it your own, not just the singing—it was very beautiful, it sounds beautiful, it is beautifully written, it is incredibly good, but that is so little. Try to realize it in your daily life; that is what yoga in daily life means. Try to realize this in your life and truly strive to be an instrument of God. That reminds me again of these faces, you know the border, these faces from Bambu, yes? Oh yes, so should I just tell the faces? No, no, no. So, this story is the story of the garden of God. Every day, the Lord God rises, thank God, and I also go to sleep, otherwise I would get high blood pressure here. So, every day, he gets up and walks through his garden before breakfast, a small, flowing walk, even barefoot. It is healthy on the green grass. It is a natural acupuncture that Lord God has shown us. And he goes to every flower, to every tree, to every plant and says hello, I love you, good morning, how wonderful that you are here in the garden, and it happens. That all the flowers, all the trees, all the plants, the grass, and all who lean also in the direction where the Master passes by and say: yes God, we love you very much. So, dear God, passes by His garden daily. Well, in his garden there is everything. All kinds of flowers and roses and lotus flowers, even cactus, also, what is it called, bamboo and everything. Toxic and non-toxic. For God, everything is good. God cannot be poisoned. It does not affect Him. God is like the sun. If someone wants to take a handful of dust and throw it at the sun, he says: throw dust at the sun. What happens? It starts back at the head. And so it is. Also, in the garden watchtower, the little Bambu is standing there, and the bambu had the feeling that something might not be right. At some point, I will have to leave the garden. So, Bambu said: Master, I love you very much. The Master said: yes, I love my little Bambulein, but Master, I have a wish, he said: what does it mean to have a wish, can you have several wishes? He said: I have only one wish, that I love you so much and please, my wish is always to be here in your garden. The master said: yes. Every day, good morning, dear little Bambulein, he says: yes, good morning, master, please let me be there, and so on. But God once said: whoever thinks thoughts beforehand, those thoughts will be realized. Where does this thought come from, that you always say: let me be in your garden. Why are you afraid? Do I have to take your fear away once? And so, one day, Lord God came, his hands were behind his back, and now it happens through a few gardens, Good morning, Good morning,... the wanderers, Good morning, and so on. And now, the heart of the General, the Bambu, trembles, and the Master approaches Bambu and says: Good morning, my dear Bambu. To which he replies: Yes, good morning, Master, why do you have your hands behind your back today? Bambu says: I have to tell you something. Today I will bless you. Why, Master? What have I done to you? What mistakes have I made towards you? And if I have made mistakes, then only you as God can forgive us. And especially you want to give me a bamboo, I do not understand that. The master says: yes Bambu, I don’t understand it either. But it must be. But if you say it must be, then please explain it to me once, and then I will tell you to be grateful. Because you will do it anyway, whether I want it or not. But it would have been easier for me to endure these pains, to go through pain more easily, because I mostly was. The Master said: Bambu, you have made no mistakes at all. You have made no mistakes at all. Then why must you make me suffer? Then you said: what is this? Please listen. It is like this: the hearts of people have become as hard as stone. I would like your help to soften the hearts of people once again, as soft as butter. Did you say: Master, I don’t understand that at all. Please don’t hurt me here, you can do that without me. Did you say: it won’t work without you, I need your help? Also, Master, I do not understand at all what you are saying. Please explain it to me in more detail. Also, God said: Swāmījī, I will cut off your arm. And from this arm, I will make a flute. And then in you, through you, I will breathe my prāṇa, my śakti, my power into you. And you will help me, what I simply breathe into the air, you will let it flow beautifully further, so that all will hear it, touching their hearts. And thus the flute of God Kṛṣṇa came to be. When Kṛṣṇa has played his flute, not only the people but also the plants. And even they have begun to bloom in a season. And the birds flew there, whole wild animals went there. It was such a sweet sound, that was Kṛṣṇa. So try to be Zipambu. Try to be that through which God flows. So Nāhaṃ Kartā there is a mantra. I am not the doer. I am not the doer. Oh Lord, only you are worshipped. So Lord, make me an instrument of Your love. How beautiful. Be so grateful that God has chosen you right now. Millions of people are perhaps waiting and praying day and night: Lord, give me a small sign of yours, just once to me, so that I can pass on you, your love. Everyone can work selfishly—for children, for their own house, for their own friends, partner; everyone works. Every bird seeks nourishment for its own little chick. But the yogi, the God-realized person, transcends this boundary and brings forth the prose of God. And that was already clear to me, because I was already two, three years old, knowing what I wanted. Mahāprabhudīp Karatā Purī Jī, Siddha Purī Jī, Siddha... Purī Jī, Amitābhā Amitābhā... Love God in all living beings. Love God in everyone. And love God and try to be His instrument. Then through the flute, your spine, the divine prāṇa will flow, and your kuṇḍalinī will be thoroughly washed and purified. And only your cakra, only divine power will flow forth. Open me. Give. Give. He gives because God said: if you give 1%, then I will give you 2%, and if you give 2%, then I will give you 4%, and if you give 4%, then I will give you 8%, and if you give 8%, then I will give you 16%, and if you give 16%, then I will give you 32%. So you always receive more, and when you reach 100, I give you 1,000, and when you reach 1,000, I give you 100,000, and when you reach 100,000, I give you millions. Also, abundantly gifted by God. Those are rich who are inwardly content and possess devotion and love for God. And they are the arms like a dry tree, a corpse without a soul, lost, lonely, in pain. No devotion, no love for God, and the gathering after suffering in doubt. So, my friends, enjoy life. Okay? Yes. Don’t worry. It will be all right. In the name of God. So always sing: I am, ich bin, bliss. I am the light, consciousness, and the highest bliss. God is always with me. Always think so. In every respect. And wait for his blessing. It is very beautiful, earlier in this song it was sung about the holy Yogananda, day and night, day and night, oh Lord, I wait for you day and night. And how beautiful it is to wait for someone, day and night, that is nothing at all. And how long he has already been waiting, that is important. So wait as well, learn to wait, patience. Keep your door wide open. Do not close it if a mouse comes in once; do not be afraid. Or if a cat comes, do not let it come. A bird flows in, you do not know, perhaps it took the form of a bird and flew in. Knowing whether you truly leave the door open or not. And then he comes in, then he transforms into another form. Then you say: I do not want you to be here. You came unannounced. Once a yogi meditated and he heard absolutely nothing. He is sitting by the riverbank, and next to the riverbank was a cemetery where the bodies are cremated. And at midnight, where this Kṣementi was, during the day they burned a corpse and there were many glowing embers inside. And now the yogi makes his cāpātī, a cāpātī, that is, bread, and now he roasts his cāpātī on the embers where the corpse was burned. It is corpse and path, it is all purified, it is only fire. But the god Śiva and Pārvatī, his Gatsin, begin to happen together. And Pārvatī was as angry as women always are. She said: Lord Śiva, I do not understand you at all now. You said: why? The people who do bad business, who do bad business and earn so much money, Amitābha Amitābha... Especially precisely at this cremation ground, Śiva, it is said, said, well, he does not want to. She said: that is very easy to say. He wants nothing. Don’t tell me that way, he wants nothing. He wants, but you do not want. Give it to him. And I will see how he can take nothing. Śiva said: yes, Pārvatī, I have often tried to give him something, but he has no understanding. He is blissfully happy, blissfully content. She said: I stand here, I insist that you go and give him something, a blessing, and that he will have a happy and beautiful life. He said he is happy. She said no. So please, a man must do what a woman says. So that the eternal conflict ceases. And a woman must do what a man says. So that the eternal drama ceases, ends. So Śiva said: Pārvatī, you will stay here in the darkness, here behind the bush. And I go there, and I will give to Śiva, ah now the Yogi is supposed to give something. So now the yogi is sitting there, carefully roasting a Cāpātī, his bread, and Lord Śiva comes and stands behind him, giving him his blessing, his blessing, he gives his word. He is blessed, so God shall be, God is with you. The Yogi continues, it is not, we say surprised or he is dry. Again Śiva said: Oṃ Namaḥ Śivāya, I am the Śiva. He said: I am pleased with you. In English, I would say: I am pleased with you. Then Śiva says: the God Śiva is here. So the Yogi did not agree and he continued in Samādhi and said: I said, aha, and why has he come here? Why has he come here? To give you something. When have I ever prayed to you? When did I pray to you to give me something? Śiva said: in whatever difficulty, Pārvatī sent me into it. And Pārvatī listened to everything. So God said: yes, you have not asked me for anything, but now I am here and I do not want to leave without giving something. Because always, because it is in my principle, it is divine law, that when God appears, then something happens. What do you want to give? He said: well God, if you are truly merciful and want to give me something, then give me peace. That means, do not disappear either. I have said, it shall be. Without God, we have now departed. And he went to Pārvatī. Have you all been listening? She said: yes truly, he is so content. Truly, he is so blissful. So happiness, contentment, and prosperity do not mean all luxury, but inner satisfaction. Wherever you are, open yourself, unfold, and go happily, without fear. Feel God within you. Tomorrow we will begin early. What time? At four or five o’clock? Jan, when please? Half past seven. Half past seven is already too early, isn’t it? Would you like to sleep a little longer? Because everyone wants to sleep and enjoy the weekend. Right? Otherwise, you come completely tired. Last time, you came home completely tired. So, āsanas start here at 8 o’clock. Agreed? And when is breakfast, please? Half past eight, but we can also do that later. Breakfast is not so important; it doesn’t play such a precise role. Okay, so from 8 to 9 there will be āsanas here. And before that, from 7 o’clock in the morning, from 7 to 8, there will be meditation here. That means general meditation, individual meditation. Anyone can come here, sit, and meditate. From 8 o’clock, there will be āsana. But please not that you come at 1 o’clock and then go out and come in and go out again. Then for the one who comes here to meditate, it will be a horror. So come in before 8 o’clock ready, so that you don’t have to leave again like a lapdog. Sit here and meditate. And if you don’t want that, then you should come in at five to eight. And at 8 o’clock, āsanas begin here, the body in motion. Who leads the āsanas? People, who is doing āsanas? Not me. This time. This time āsanas. So I would like to do it. Really? But if someone guides me, that is... And Markus will perhaps do the āsanas this morning, alright? Yes? Markus demonstrates āsanas. And then until nine. Also, 40 minutes of āsanas and 20 minutes of prāṇāyāma. Part 2: The Discipline of Practice and the Reality of Time You do not need relaxation because you have complete rest throughout the night. From nine, nine-fifteen, ten—that means quarter past nine—you can start breakfast. We have breakfast until ten o'clock, or quarter past ten. Amitābha, Amitābha... The seminar will end at quarter to one. And one more thing: I believe we have to check out of the room by eleven o'clock. This time it's not so bad; we can easily go until noon. We have no guests, do we? So, also in the inn. And I ask you, also, also. Yes, I mean, from 10 o'clock to 1 o'clock, I am here anyway. So, if it is okay, then okay; otherwise, I don't have to. I mean, I am here, so I am not going there. When I come here at 10 o'clock until 1 o'clock, it doesn't make any sense. Lunch is at 1 o'clock, and after lunch, we should start around 7 o'clock. Okay? Because Mataji has to ride and fly away tomorrow, and I don't want that. The wait, does it fly to the train station? 3:30 PM, 5:30 PM, 5:20 PM. The people from Hamburg must be at the train station in Zürich by 3 o'clock. At 3 o'clock? Very good. Also, I have a request: perhaps someone needs to go to the train station; they have to leave at 2 o'clock. Or is there a bus here, post office, bus? It is 2:50 a.m. here. 2:50 a.m. Amitābha. I did not carry it either, but now I have realized that it is intense. But I have to open this now. It is beautiful that it rained yesterday. It has cooled down a bit. So, today we will begin a program that will start first with questions. That was simple. Because yesterday, the day before yesterday, we spoke a lot about cakras, and now we try, since someone has questions... I receive no answer. And those who have no questions can continue. We begin with questions. Monika, yes? You always say that with the A-type exercises, one should not hang anything around. I would like to touch on the reasoning here, because I am repeatedly asked in the course, why should one do this? I can only ever say what I think, but that is something one can learn from you. I think it has to do with the fact that in the prāṇa practice, one practically charges the body with prāṇa, and so this cloak protects against losing the prāṇa immediately again. How are your legs? Good. Good? I would very much like that. Have you done Akanāda? Well, yesterday Markus did Akanāda for me. Today again? It was not yet time, but... Yes, please. And? Second? Everything. Very well said. It is like that, also... So, physiology, physiology... Physiology, physiology... And secondly, everything. Very well said. It is like this, also, it is physiological, and indeed during breathing the body becomes warmer, through breath control, yes. And one begins to sit more easily, very easily, or a lot more so; it simply comes a little more into surrender. And after the prāṇāyāma, one should meditate for an hour, an hour and a half, or so. Prāṇāyāma calms the mind, soothes the nerves; overall, it is the very first phase of calming after prāṇāyāma. And that means one has a meditative feeling, and then one should sit for a long time and meditate. So that means, even after the Prāṇāyāma you have finished, you do not need to change your seat, not to move back and forth, but rather keep your body upright, remain still, and draw deeply into meditation. And then it happens again, the blood pressure goes down again, and now we need to cool down. There is also the possibility to cool oneself. And in such situations, when one catches a cold, it may last for a long time. It is not suitable for cooling, so one experiences a kind of cycle—for a few hours you feel very cold, then very hot, and then cold again, and so on. For meditation, virtue, and the hall are always very important. And then you have a feeling that your own energy field is denser all around you. Would it then actually be more important in meditation than in Hanayama? Yes, but Prāṇāyāma is also about changing. It should change beforehand. Nothing afterwards, then afterwards Prāṇāyāma, then you take your cloth and drape it, then you take your cup cloth and then fasten everything, and then the seated one, then this subtle preparation is complete again. Prāṇāyāma, what you did is long gone. And it is always important to be able to continue sitting motionless. And our journey is still ongoing after 10 minutes. We are waiting to see if we should truly change our seated posture. Where are three hours of meditation, and where are ten minutes? That is already a good sitting posture. But practice makes perfect. Sit one minute longer every day. Not too much. Do not strain the body. Just one minute more each day. So today one minute longer, tomorrow two minutes longer. Tomorrow, just three minutes longer. So, in one year, how many minutes do you already have? 60. How many hours does that make? 6 hours. 6 hours? Congratulations, because next time I will come after 2, then I will just say, meditate, please sit, and then I will go hiking. Then I come back and only change my clothes. So, just one minute, right? One minute. And if now someone says, please sit for six hours, oh God, six hours, that is impossible. But in this way, one takes one thing after another, feeling the entire pressure. So continue, keep practicing, you know. So, who else was there? I would say, to become aware of the Mūlā Cakra, you say, contract the anal muscles. Is that the anal muscles or the perineum? Perineum. What do you call Perineum in German? Damm. Damm... Dam. Dam. Damn. I still have a question about this contraction of the anal muscle. I often have the problem that I find it difficult to do this regularly in the rhythm of the breath. I prefer it that way because I am lazy or have some resistance, to do it like that every two breaths. This is a spiritual lecture about Yoga in the Indian tradition... What is it that you adjust in your considerations, or for those who clearly say to themselves, I want to do it this way or that? All the people who have received a mantra from me, I explained it very clearly during the mantra initiation. I have explained to everyone five techniques, various techniques of mantra, plus fasting, once a week and before Monday. And then they will have a true rest. And those who do not follow these instructions will not have proper rest. And then you don’t always have to repeat it every time, like, “Be careful, now the full moon is coming again.” Do not forget to fast. So automatically all my students enter the daily calendar when the full moon is, and from time to time there is also a little free time here, so one can almost see when the full moon is, then one looks at the daily calendar and is aware. Second, that would have been the work, the task of the organizers, their rounds of questions, and here organizing the kitchen. And now, because we are not eating, but they have prepared food for us, it rained; they will be upset that we ordered food, now the food will be, how do you say, destroyed. Discarded. And that is why I did not say a single word yesterday. Fasting means to take one meal. Either only breakfast, then no lunch or dinner. So only evening and no noon or morning. Or only noon and no evening and morning and so on. Only one meal to be taken. One can drink liquids, tea, lassi, water, juice, coffee, cocoa, whisky, lassi, and so on. This is very important. It is very important for an aspirant to establish a certain discipline. The very first fasting for me primarily means discipline, and the word "disciple" in English comes from "discipline." Whoever lacks discipline is not a disciple, a student, and a student means a period of learning where one is supposed to learn. And whoever wants to succeed must establish certain disciplines. Yoga is not the modern computer system, but rather an ancient wisdom that is thousands or millions of years old, not concocted here by the human brain like a rotary device or something similar, but it is a compilation from cosmic elements, cosmic forces, so that a person, no matter from which corner of the Earth they come, back then there were no religions as we have today, no religions, cultures, or such things at all. And so, how a person can reunite with God. Why? Because there were two great difficulties. First great difficulties in the surroundings, such as wild animals and weather conditions, sometimes very cold, but also floods or extreme heat and dryness, as well as illness, infections in the forests, and so on. Amitābha, Amitābha... One attains success. There are all the paths to do something that one cannot do properly. And here as well, as long as one does not pass the exam properly, one does not get a lecture hall. It doesn’t matter, you can go through it 20 times, but you have made mistakes. And as long as the Master does not see that you have truly done well now and answered all the questions well, that you know them by heart, then okay, you will get a lecture hall. And when the leader truly is, not just because of you, but so that you may speak for yourself and others. Imagine there are 50 people in the street, and now he does not know which is the coupling and which is the brake. So, what is gas modulation? Start by braking, then give gas again. So, it is very important to understand that the system of discipline has absolutely nothing to do with culture or religion. This is what people think today. The culture, what is called culture and religion here, as far as it concerns the Earth, is very limited. This culture is as limited as our intellect. When one dies, heaven is not greeted. Welcome, Doctor, Engineer, Policeman, Inspector, President. There is only one law in the divine, there is only one door, and through this door, everyone must enter, no matter who—whether a king or a peddler, an ant or a cow or a pig or a hare, everyone must go through this door. There are no different doors to enter there. And these doors are called death. Who dies means having passed through this door. And when you enter, only the path that remains open to you will be guided by your Śikṣarā. And we have mentioned the Śikṣarā here. And this Śikṣarā guides us. So in divine consciousnesses, astral planes, these two things do not exist, contrary to what we believe today. Culture, religion, intellect, and well-being, education—these are only here. And Ārāma Yogī strives to discover those principles, the invisible elements and principles of the cosmos, so that an individual may succeed in progressing through this reason and self-discipline. And I can tell you, the day comes in life for everyone. Each one of us here will experience a day and say, oh God, what a pity, I have wasted all my time on nothing. It was a program, on television there was a program, titled "Theme," what was it, workaholism, so alcoholism and so on. And then, when I also participated, I was involved in this program discussion and so on, in short, the very next day I traveled to Germany and in Düsseldorf I met someone, a woman. She said, yes, it is very interesting, she knows a therapist, I believe she was in Thailand, or in America, and he also provides therapy to people who are alcoholic, workaholic. And work is somehow such that they work very well. And not just work, work, work. Breakfast, lunch, dinner, all eating at the work table and so on. And forget the women, forget the children, and whether you were literally dragged away or not, it doesn’t matter. And she said, the therapist prescribed yoga to him and said, I don’t want that. And the various therapies said, I do not want that. Then at the end he said, I have a very good therapy, very simple and easy. He said, yes, I would like that very much. He said, because I do not want to leave my work unfinished, don’t you understand that? He said, alright, where is the work, where is the office? He said, there and there. Mr. Nier from the cemetery said, yes, good. Then he said, go for a conscious walk for an hour daily in the cemetery. He received therapy, walking for an hour daily in the cemetery. They say, well, what do I get out of it? We will talk about that later in the month, until the next session. Or take a book or something, sit there and read, or do some work, whatever you want, but go to the cemetery. And he actually went to the cemetery every day for an hour, reading aloud the names, or sometimes he experienced certain things there in the burial ground, and so on. And slowly, slowly, he returned in his thoughts, truly, what is it, what have I received from life? Now, the general director of this company, the director of this company, all are already beneath the earth here. And what did they take away with them? And then I read, aha, he became that, and then it happens so quickly, so quickly, most directors die very quickly. So this cemetery then gave him a reflection back into himself, and he changed his life once again. One day will come when we will all say, I have meditated little, or I have prayed little. And the end for everyone is more certain, because we say, tomorrow I will do everything. But why don’t we think like that? In India, it is always thought this way; we are taught in our actions not to think, "I will do it tomorrow when I have enough time," but rather to think that if you want to start tomorrow, it means you have already lost one day. And perhaps especially at your farewell from this world, you are almost at perfection, only one day is missing. And if one day is missing, that means you must return in the next life to regain that one day again. But with what consciousness and feeling, and where you are born again, that is another matter altogether. There is a joke: four farmers went to heaven, when a choir came down from heaven and took them away, saying, "Where are you going? Take us with you." They said, "Dear God, come to heaven, and we will take you directly to heaven." He said, "Alright." So the farmers were very happy and came much closer from the journey from heaven. And a farmer said, wait, wait a moment, I forgot my beer pit and my children, whether it was towed away or not, but never mind. And she said, the therapist prescribed yoga for him, and he said, no, I don’t want that. And he tried therapy and said, I don’t want that. Then at the end, he said, I have a very good therapy. Very light and simple. He said, yes, I would like that. He said, because I do not want to leave my work unfinished. Do you not know that? He said, alright, where is the work? Where is the office? He said, here and there. But closer to the cemetery, he said, yes, good. Then he said, go for a conscious walk for an hour daily in the cemetery. He received therapy, a daily hour-long walk in the cemetery. Well, what do I get out of it? We will discuss that later in the month. Until the next session. Or take a book or something, sit there and read, or do work, whatever you want, but go into the spring. And indeed, every day in spring, it lasted for an hour. And then he reads the names aloud, or sometimes he has also experienced something in the realm there, and so on. And slowly, slowly it came to me, to his thoughts, truly, what are, what do I have from them? Now, the managing director of this company, the director of this company, all have already passed away. And what did they take with them? And then they read, aha, he was born there, and then it all happens so quickly, so quickly. Most directors die very quickly. So this cemetery has once again given him a reflection of himself, so he has changed his life once more. One day will come when we will all say, I have meditated little and I have prayed little. And the end for everyone is more certain, because we say, tomorrow I will do everything. But why don’t we think like that? In India, it is always thought this way; we are taught in our actions not to think that you will do it tomorrow when you have enough time, but rather to think that if you want to start tomorrow, it means you have already lost one day. Part 3: The Discipline of Fasting and the Journey of the Soul Perhaps especially at your farewell from this world, you are almost at perfection—only one day is missing. And if one day is missing, that means you must come back again in the next life, to raise that one day again, to attain it. But with what consciousness and feeling have you become again, so that you then have something different again? There is a joke: four farmers went to heaven. A choir came from heaven and took them, asking where they were going and to take them along. They said, "Dear God," and were told, "Come to heaven, and we will take you directly into heaven." They said, "Very well." So the farmers were very happy and came much closer from the journey from heaven. And one farmer said, "Wait, wait a moment, I forgot my beer pit and my pipe." So, well, he was told, "You like that, you don’t need heaven." He said, "Well, is there no whistle in heaven?" He was told, "No, no." He said, "Then I will go back again." So just because of a whistle, he came back from heaven. And so, just because of one day of laziness, one misses out—one does not know how many things we have missed. So, every day becomes shorter and shorter for us. So, everything we do is called discipline. Discipline is upward. Discipline in thought, discipline in walking, discipline in everything. And that is where Yoga begins—with discipline. To fast, to practice daily even when you do not want to, that is how you can maintain your discipline. And when one then encounters difficulties, one understands what that means. When one is very thirsty, very very thirsty, and there is nowhere to drink from, then one truly knows what water is. When you swim in the swimming pool or stand under the shower here in this nice hotel, you do not know what water truly means. Each of us flushes away 200 or 300 liters of water, which we waste while showering or even more perhaps. We shower for 10 minutes, water flowing and flowing. And when you are in Australia or somewhere in the desert and have only a small water bottle, you take care of every drop. So, one comes into such a situation, but sometimes it is then too late. You have not been told, Kriyogī, that you must do this, but rather that you should cultivate your own discipline and, through overcoming your subtle elements, gather all your powers so that you may then continue on your spiritual path. Each of you sitting here has a family profession and very little time. But all of you have taken your time, a brief vacation, and you are sitting here while we practice yoga and meditations. Why? Because we want to realize ourselves in the goal. Then why do we not succeed? Because we make little effort. So if you are not superficial, but fully present with your whole self, with your whole heart, then you will progress very quickly. And secondly, fasting here means health. There will be a remainder given, a sending of rest, a harvesting function, and perhaps the remnants that have not yet fully settled, and so on; on the fasting day, everything is needed. So it is thoroughly cleansed then, so to speak. Fasting cleanses our body and is healthy for us. Jāṭharāgni becomes stronger. Jāṭharāgni is a digestive fire. And no extreme fasting. Extreme fasting is a cure. This is a cure. This is a spiritual fasting. Eight days of fasting, ten days of fasting, that is a cleansing regimen, once a year or so. And of course, you should do this under the guidance of someone who is well-versed and knowledgeable about diet, the body, and so forth. And another thing is, it has been calculated that if all people fast once a week, hunger will no longer exist in the world. And economy is also good. If not, today you do not need to have anything for your food. So there are many, many things, but they may also be vulnerable. Yet, it is meant to be. But it is like this, there is indeed something to look back upon. Does it have to be absolute? No, it does not have to be. It does not have to be. Then even a strong heaven can descend into hell. That does not matter. You don’t have to go to heaven. Then it is okay. So it does not have to be for those who suffer physically. Either someone has diabetes or something similar and must only consume food at certain hours. The Reṇukā is sitting here. Not in pieces, but continuous, two meters. Or people get migraines while fasting. Some people get headaches. So that means they do not need any purification. They have, the intestines are always so emptied, they need to have something to eat. So, in such cases, of course, one does not have to fast. But it is also said, and I mentioned this during the mantra initiation as well, in that case you should do one thing: calculate how much money, whether in francs, marks, shillings, or dollars, whatever you want to call it, it would have cost you your two meals, that is, breakfast and lunch. Because you eat in the evening, right? Skipping two meals and what does one meal cost? And this meal, for example, costs, let’s say, five francs. Now, for five francs, five francs per week, you should, for example, buy bird feed. So, something like feeding the poor animals, who truly have nothing and cannot move in such times. That means something open, from your side a virtue, openness. In India, it is such that when one breaks their fast, the evening only then awakens. Then he comes, takes a shower or washes, and so on, then he performs a beautiful Pūjā. It was very beautiful for me to see in India, and I believe here as well, in every old house you enter, there is a beautiful little altar. A small altar, a sacred image, a candle, and incense, and there is also the water, the holy water. And today, in modern houses, the civil engineers have forgotten. The engineer comes and asks, what do you want? So I can guess here, this is the TV corner, this is the computer corner, this is the children’s corner, this is this, this, this. But perhaps very few would say, do you want to have an altar? And I say, what? The homeowner, I say, what? Did you say, have an altar, for what purpose? So we have come this far. There are times awaiting, but it is still in the villages, small villages, when you pass through in India, the fragrance that comes from there is incredible. That is natural dust as well, but in every house, automatically, whether it is one from the whole family, one or two or more, they will light an oil lamp at the time of the sandhyā, even though electricity is also available, yet we will light a small oil lamp, Purījī Purījī... Where one should spend at least five minutes before God, it is spent before the television. One also comes home, checks in, even while in the shower, the television keeps running, and comes and everything as well. So unfortunately, the evening time has been taken away by television. And so here and in India, in modern house construction, very few people consider where old age is meant to be. So, it is good that during fasting, at least those who today, whether they believe or not, pray daily, well, nothing, but at least once a day they fast. There are different fasting days and different purposes, so that it is also clear. Fasting also means that you set certain goals, commit to them, or make a commitment and give yourself a Śaṅkalpa, an intention, as in Yoga Nidrā, that I dedicate myself through, oh Lord, to achieving this, and as long as I will maintain this long... Fasting, for so many days and so on, that is another matter; I will perhaps provide further clarification in the summer seminar, until there is further clarification. This means that through your mental strength, through your inner will, through your firm determination, you want to achieve this goal, but of course you must maintain discipline. And if you complete certain days, then your goal will surely be realized. But maintain discipline. And if you lose discipline, then it’s nothing again. Amitābha Amitābha... One offers one’s own prayer and afterwards, with great gratitude, offers again, and then continues with the other meal rituals. Many people fast only once a week, on the full moon day, but then neighbors might invite them, and some people sit together and first have the Satsaṅga. It is a succession. It is fasting all day, being aware all day of your spiritual goal, your spiritual existence, your true realization, and so on. When you feel hunger, you somehow have a constant thought, I am fasting, why, because of this and that. And that always makes you aware. And then come home and do your Satsaṅga. Satsaṅga is like yesterday; in the evening we had an atmosphere, everyone sang, we spoke, and afterwards everyone receives something, a few then suffer. That fulfills something in life. One feels purity—physically, mentally, and socially—a connection together, and it is with someone. And so, everyone should mark it in their calendar: there are four Yogīs, it is good to fast on Monday or Thursday and before the full moon Monday. For many, a fulfillment of wishes will come if we persevere, and the first fulfillment takes place in twelve years, the Mini-Yuga. And whoever neglects it in twelve years, naturally, this again refers to the passage of time, the continuation of twelve years. Certainly, I am sure, I can tell you, you can actually make a commitment today, and after twelve years I will ask you, exactly, how is it going? So yes, my goal was already realized eight years ago, but if something is promised, it must be fulfilled—I have to endure for twelve years, so all is well. But if your goal was already realized eight years ago, and then in the eighth and ninth years you interrupt everything, who knows, perhaps complications may arise. Be grateful that dear God has already given and fulfilled everything for you beforehand and that He carries out what you have promised. And so a yogi moves through a world, the world of beauty, through principles, through feelings, love, and devotion. That is indeed wonderful. And it does not matter whether we eat, whether we eat too much or too little, or whether we like the taste or not—we enjoy everything very much. This is, indeed, the best topic for humans; wherever we come together, after five minutes we start talking about food. What we ate, what was served to eat, and how beautiful it was, and so on. And whenever there is even a slight issue with food, emotions immediately come out from the person. And one says, yes, I don’t care, but fundamentally, the preservation is not there. That means many aggressions, emotions within us are hidden because of the food inside us. And this is so because we have experienced such situations. Hardly in the Middle East, when the war started with Iraq, and within a week, I was in Austria and so on, there was nothing, no gold to buy. The people had bought everything beforehand. And there were people who stored entire throats full of sugar, rice, and legumes by the ton. Why? Because one is afraid of starving. Take it, there will be nothing. Some students were with me in India, and parents or motherly figures, from whom I called immediately, "Take the next plane and come back, my child, who knows what will happen in India, child, are you crazy, oh God, why do I have such..." Children, come home, truly, it is happening. And he said, Swāmījī, what should I do? My mother shouts, said, Mother, when you die with Swāmījī, you will go back to heaven. What are you holding in? And they asked me whether, Swāmījī, they will return home healthy and well. As a master, you say, I said, you will come home very well and you will not notice at all that anything has happened. So when the time comes, to die, when will it die? Although one is trapped inside a glass sphere, with safety glass, bulletproof glass, right? Everything airtight and secret, and can no longer die. The soul will flow out automatically. Whatever is meant to come, will come. And therefore, this is my own experience, I get on the plane, I often fly around, and because, as I know, one always orders vegetarian food, and if vegetarian food is not available, they say, we don’t have it, and then they forget and so on, often I say, okay, but often I also get annoyed. But I get upset in principle because people deliberately choose not to be vegetarian and so on, and I want—because of love for animals, love for living beings—I always strive for people to live more vegetarian lives. And the greatest mistake, the greatest error that people have made in the past centuries is that we have always, always unfortunately only praised humans. And we have done nothing at all regarding animals, especially about animals. Some countries, where you fill out this form, state that animals are not allowed to be brought in, and if you bring one, it will be destroyed. The animal will be destroyed. This is not simply objective; these are things, but it means that over the centuries people have taken animals as objects. It will be destroyed; this is not a piece of paper or a newspaper, it will be destroyed. So this is the greatest error that humans have ever made, the greatest sin, that we have forgotten living beings and truly forgotten God’s love. And that is why people suffer, suffer,... and suffer, and people must suffer even more. And according to what people have done, the dear God is so loving that He allows only 1% of people to suffer, while He has forgiven the other 99%. What we are doing to animals today, treating them merely as sources of food, is the greatest atrocity. A cow is fed, and from its own body, it gives back again. The sagging, the chickens are fed again from their own body, chicken buttons and chicken things, food that doesn’t go further or has remained not quite fine, and so on, everything is repainted and pasted over and so forth. Poor animals are fed back with their own buttons. That means, human devours human. And then it is the end of this life. So, a beautiful house and money, a beautiful dress, do not mean that you are already in heaven. You are not in heaven at all. So, it is very important for us to think about why I am here, what I am doing, what life is, what God means, and what love is. So, love your neighbor means all love, love your neighbor. And so, discipline is very important. So, today what I have will not go with me. With me, my clothes do not go with me, my belongings do not go with me, all those sitting here around me do not go with me. When the time comes, here everyone can hold my hand, everyone can hold my head, sit with me, caress, speak beautiful sacred words, Swāmījī, don’t worry, everything will be alright. Think of God. Yes, I will think anyway. But in the end, the soul bids farewell and goes alone on its path. It is like this: you jump from the airplane when you are somewhere 15,000 or 1,000,000 km into space. And now, you leap out into infinity, into the dark space. Has anyone ever thought, just because you open your mouth, that it’s the end of your life and where the soul is headed? No children go with you, no partner goes with you, no possessions go with you, nothing at all goes with you. There is only one thing that goes along with it, and that is the vibration. The vibration in your phenomena, in your energy, where you have focused it. That means, through your disciplined love, through this love you have given to others, and through your feelings, what you have realized within yourself and asked God for, this divine vibration will go with you. Or it will resonate negatively. The more it has been portrayed negatively, the more it accompanies that. So, one cannot say that I do everything very wisely, people will notice me, so that, and I believe I am wise, that wisdom does not last. And therefore experience life more simply, let’s say, simple life and higher thinking. Higher thinking here means God, loving God. And to love God, not just vaguely in the air, God is precisely a living being, that is God. But God does not dare to dwell in the flesh again now, because people will hang Him once more. Purījī, Siddha Purījī, Siddha... Purījī, no matter what anyone does, whether you practice mantra, or you fast, or you do prāṇāyāma, no matter what you do.