TV Channel

To better accompany those who are dying, to make the process of dying and letting go easier for them—we can only accompany them until their last breath. One comes alone and will go alone. Each of us has our own path, and death is like leaping into an empty space. You must overcome yourself and leap in. We can only accompany until the last breath: give warmth, give a feeling, give trust, read sacred scriptures, speak about God, speak about the light, speak about the journey into another consciousness. Life is a dream. The breath is never born and will never die. Only your body dies. It is like taking off a garment and seeing a fresh or new garment. We can give feelings, explain, and accompany, but beyond that, you have no need to come seeking anything else. It is a border, an immigration border. Only those who have a boarding card and passport are allowed to enter. Others remain here. We came alone, and we will go alone. We always say: what have you brought with you, and what will go with you? Why are you fighting here? Are you arguing for something? We fight for our house, for our money, for our belongings. We wage wars for our country. One dies. And what has he taken with him? Nothing at all. Everything remains here; nothing goes with you except your experience and your karma, your actions. They will then come back to you in your next lives—what you have done. Not even this body will go with us. Everything stays here. There is a beautiful bhajan: O Lord, please be so gracious that I may repeat Your name again and again. That I constantly repeat your name, and in the last minute of my life, may Lord Krishna stand before me and play his flute. And that I think I am giving up this life while I sing your name. That I never forget your name. O Name, abode, day, night, song, O Lord, may I sing your Name, day and night. Govinda Dhammodara Mahadvaiti. Dearest Kale Tum Samanehu, my beloved, you stand before me. You play the flute, enchanting the mind, and you draw my spirit into you. Gate Yehi Nam, Tananata Tyagu, while you sing this Name, oh Lord, then I shall surrender my head. Govinda Damodara Mahādvaitī, your name, O Krishna, O Govinda, O Damodara. One sings, saying: O my Lord, please, bestow your grace, so that my life does not pass away meaninglessly, so that I may realize in my life what I wish to realize. I have done much, accomplished many things in ignorance, much done through my anger and hatred, jealousy and suffering, longings and many misconceptions. But Lord, now I know what I want. Without your light, your love, your grace, my life will vanish completely empty. Many things happen in our lives, both good and bad. But one of the worst tragedies or catastrophes that can happen is that one dies without God-realization. This is one of the greatest catastrophes in life. So do not die before you have attained realization. You say, God, please wait. I must first realize here and then come to you. To see the blue light of the heart with reverence and love, one needs the right glasses, the right perspective. Śrīdīpa Nirañjana, Sabhā Dukkha Bhañjana, Prabhudīpa Nirañjana. This is the mantra. This is the wisdom. Through this mantra—that is to say, through your mantra—your mind becomes pure, your consciousness becomes pure. Then the light will come. The light means wisdom. The light, the inner light in the heart, the light of God and Ātma, is different from material light. Do not expect to see light as bright as there. No, that is a completely different light. Indescribable, there is neither darkness nor light. This is completely different. So, purify your consciousness. All data, all thoughts should be positive. Repeat the mantra. Mantra is the only path that will give you everything; everything will open within you. But one should not repeat the mantra in a fixed way. You have to lock a telephone, but not a doorbell. Not that. Or continuously connect to a tape recorder and only listen to the mantra—not at all. So this is an illness. Repeat the mantra quite naturally. And then, whenever you have time, what is important is love, devotion. And it should come from the heart. What is this ignorance like? When, why, and through what did it happen? I am surprised that you still know nothing. That is it. One scientist said, now I know that I know nothing. It is very interesting that we are in ignorance and we do not know what ignorance is. Ignorance is present, and it has been created through our actions, through our deeds. We have forsaken reality and have chased after unreality. Because of this, the distance is so great that we do not know where the truth or reality lies. Everything we see has become an illusion. Every minute, every second that has passed becomes like a dream. What was yesterday, was yesterday; it will never return. Our life has only two days. There is no third day in our life. One day was yesterday, and the second is today. We know nothing about the day after tomorrow. And until today, no one has seen the morning. It was always either yesterday or today. It is always the present. So live consciously in this present. And if you know nothing, then listen and follow the words of the Master. Ignorance is a thick curtain through which nothing can be seen. Ignorance is like this wall here. We cannot see anything through the side. Mala, Vikṣepa, and Āvaraṇa. These are the three. Mala means impurity. Vikṣepa means disturbances. And Āvaraṇa is the veil. If it is impurity, then one cannot see through at all. Vikṣepa are disturbances. When there are many ripples on the water, you cannot see anything lying at the bottom. Or when the curtain is drawn, you cannot see through the window what is happening outside. Especially since, like Kṣepa and Āvaraṇa, these three qualities—we purify ourselves through our positive actions. Purity comes through positive thinking. Negative thinking means poisoning oneself. Think positively, think freely, think with tolerance, perform selfless actions, nothing selfish. So many such things can liberate us. Pure thoughts, pure actions, pure behavior, pure consciousness, external and internal purity. And change when there are disturbances; do not engage in activities that constantly put you under stress. Whenever you feel fear, withdraw from many, many activities. Absolutely, when it is important where your duty lies, where your Dharma is concerned, then you must act. Otherwise, withdraw yourselves. Renounce and be happy. If you wish to be happy in your life, then renounce. The more things you have, the more worries you have; the more possessions you have, the more worries you have. In the beginning, when I started my journey through the world, I carried three suitcases, so many clothes and this and that, towels and so on. And a large bag hanging on the shoulder. A camera was hanging here, a heavy handbag was there, a suitcase, other suitcases. And sometimes dragging from one train station to another. And there was no taxi or no money for a taxi. One day it suddenly occurred to me, and I said, "Oops, maybe in one of your past lives you were a donkey. And you have not carried enough with you. And now you may be fulfilling your karma. If you do not trust that you will arrive somewhere, you receive everything." And so, that was my last journey with so much baggage. So, those of you who wish to enjoy a journey, to enjoy a vacation, then take as little luggage as you can. Absolutely only what is essential. Then you have a beautiful journey, a happy journey. And thus renounce and delight. Renounce and enjoy. All our problem is this, because we are not able to renounce. We are attached; we have attachment. We have so much attachment. One suffers from attachment, otherwise not. Love and attachment are two different things. Where there is love, there is freedom, tolerance, and understanding. Where there is no love, there is jealousy, hatred, envy, fear, and sadness. Love is God, so you should have a relationship in love, not in attachment—whether it is a person, a vehicle, a house, jewelry, and so on. We know very well what troubles us. Jealousy is an undeveloped personality that has yet to realize anything. Whoever has overcome jealousy has overcome everything. And whoever has not overcome jealousy has done nothing at all. Everything you do in your daily life is for others. Jealousy is also an illness. Karma will lead us back into ignorance again. Understanding, tolerance, devotion, love, clarity. Life is truly beautiful. To renounce and live happily. When we then have such an attachment, a devotion to God... We are attached to our food because we must eat something to live. It is not that we live to eat. We are attached to oxygen; without it, we cannot live. So, what is absolutely important in life is that we are dependent on it. The more things we have, the more worries we have. When I became a Swami and renounced everything, my original intention was that I would become a Sādhu-Swami. And then I will sit under a tree and meditate. And from time to time go to the village and get food as alms. Perhaps going to some temples, living there for a while, and so on—that is what I had imagined. If I had known what I now carry so heavily on my shoulders, it has become too much. One thinks and God guides, and so it is. Although I am not dissatisfied, I like it, but it has become too much. The more Ashrams, the more concerns, the more students, the more responsibility—so there is much. But it is said in the Bhagavad Gītā: Tyāga, to let go, to carry nothing along—that is the teaching. God will give you everything you need, wherever you need it. And if you schlep along too much, it will be stolen. There is nothing you can do about it either. Or it gets lost. And so, I believe, it was also said in the testament: You should not schlep along. Trust in the Lord. That means, trust in your destiny. You will surely receive something.