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Part 1: The Mountain Path to Crystal Clarity Hari Om. Hari Om. Praṇām to Swāmījī. He is in the moment in Kathu where Mahāprabhujī was living. And I greet you all here in this Bhakti Sāgar where we are. All brothers and sisters, devotees and friends around the world, I am very happy that Swāmījī gave me the task and the challenge to speak today about the spiritual path. It is a very good subject because all of us who are sitting here and listening, we are all on the spiritual path. So what is this spirituality? I love most the definition which Swāmījī gives. Spirituality means crystal clear purity. If a crystal, which was not clear, undergoes much pressure and high temperature in the earth, and then much working on it, it becomes like a crystal, completely clean. That is the aim of the spiritual path: to become like a crystal, clear, and then you can see inside your real nature, which is only Light. So if you look at a crystal, you see that the light is coming inside, and thousands of colors are there. It is beautiful. It is pure purity. That is why, in the beginning, I was singing some mantras, for instance this one: Oṁ Pūrṇimāda. Pūrṇimādam, that means that God is complete, and as we are a part of this completeness, we are complete as well. Like if you take a drop of water from the ocean, the water is the same as the water in the ocean. And if you take one piece out of the completeness, the completeness remains always complete. So the aim of our path is to reach this crystal clear purity, where the light of knowledge, of jñāna, can sprinkle, where God can give us the knowledge and the wisdom of our true nature, which is Sacchidānanda, the consciousness of the truth and the eternal happiness. For all of us, now we come to a very practical thing, and I want to go with you on a mountain, a very high mountain, because the spiritual path is also going to the high, high level, like going on a mountain. On the top of the mountain, if you have ever been on a very high mountain, you feel that this is wonderful because you are in the absolute ākāśa, like the divine consciousness. There is nothing anymore around you, and you are standing above everything. And there is another thing. There is this light which is shining outside of you. And it is the path toward completeness. That is the path of spirituality. As I told you already, I think nearly every one of you has gone on a mountain, haven’t you? No one was living only in the desert, no? And even in the desert, we have a little mountain here in Jadan, Kelash. And there are all the same principles for how to go on a mountain, especially on a high mountain. So, first of all, if we go on a path, what is needed? What do we need first? First of all, when we start from point A, okay? We start from here, Jadan, let’s say. What do we have to know first? Yes, we have to know where we are going, no? Isn’t it? So it is an important thing, you know, because if we go out on the street now and we do not know where we are going, what will be? You go nowhere, and you will meet nobody, and you will end in nothing, actually. You are lost, actually, no? You go out, you go right, left, this, that, this, nothing. So the first thing is, you have to have a determination. Like in the morning when you go in your car, or you go by foot, or you go by plane, or on the horse, or on the camel, it does not matter how you go, you should know where you are going. And this is an important thing. And you only, you yourself, you should decide what is your aim. And if I come again to the mountains, yes, let’s say we go on a 3,000-meter mountain, yes, this more or less we can force, okay? Would you run now? We say, "Okay, tomorrow six o’clock we start, go on 3,000." Would you start and run up? Like this? No, it is not. And why not? Because you will crack down somewhere in the middle, okay? Because you are not prepared. So we have to know, first of all, our aim, our determination. But then it is very needed that we know how we go. So, in the mountains, it is like this. You should never go too quick, never. And you should not change your tempo, you know? Let’s say one of you, you want, you press in front. But you will be very soon tired, and you have to stop. But the other one, who is going step by step, step by step, step by step in a very regular walking, where his whole body, his blood pressure, his heart, everything can adapt, he will endure and go to the first level. Yes, so it is not advisable to run and fall over, yes, over certain things on the way, on stones, etc., out of your tiredness. There is a small story. There were two men, and it was in the dark night, and they did not find the way. The one was a very intelligent and high professor, a university professor, and the other one was a simple farmer. They were walking in the night, and they did not have a torch, they did not have anything. And, by luck, then suddenly a weather came, and a flash, it is called flash, no, a glare. A lightning? Thank you. A lightning came, and by the lightning, everything you can see. And the professor was looking up, but in the moment he looked in this lightning, he was, how do you say, blinded, and he could not see anything. But the other one, the very simple one, was just looking at the floor. And then he saw which road, which way he had to go. So it is also important that you should be very careful where you are going, how you are going, with whom you are going. And do not make yourself blind by, "I want in one year, I have to have a city." And if this will not work, then this or that, or I go to a guru who shows me a miracle. I have a guru who does not show miracles. What is this? This is not a guru, you know. This is this éclair, but it goes quickly, and you are just blind, and that is all. And you do not follow your way, so the guru, the master, he can guide you, and especially yoga in daily life, the whole system that Swāmījī created. This is this little step, you know. Go step by step. Do not wait on the lightnings, please. The light will come alone, in one day, in one month, in one life, in ten lives, in a hundred lives, but it will come. The main thing is that you, one time, decided to go to this aim. And when you go on the spiritual path, one step towards God, He will come a thousand steps towards you. And this is just a reality, and I think every one of us has experienced this. So we have also in our bhajans, which are from Holy Gurujī and Mahāprabhujī, one bhajan which is really a mountain bhajan, and it is exactly describing, my Prabhujī, this spiritual path, how to go, but I will just be in the practical. The moment, so means do not fall, fall... Falling? Do not fall in the trap of the lightning. That is important. Look, what kind of people are these who are going beside you? And which kind of steps do you have to take? And if you have a high step, then a high aim pattern, then take always small steps, small steps. Are you sure? Steps, you know, one time, you know, we have one, one in yoga, one very wonderful practice. This is called Yoga Nidrā, yes. And in the Yoga Nidrā, that is a deep relaxation technique, you can make a Saṅkalpa, means a vow or a decision on. The beginning is the end, and because the yoke is on the very subconscious level, it is working very much on your subconscious, yes. And that means the saṅkāra which you are taking is much more stronger than if you take it on a normal level. Yes, so on the beginning of the end, there is also a very beautiful bhajan of Mahāprabhujī, Yogī Janong, and in this he described that even in your nether, you can have self-realization. It is a very beautiful bhajan, and anyhow, in, and, and I took, I am person. Also, what I speak to you is experiences, you know, it is not out of the books. And I am also a person to take high aims, you know. I was, maybe I mean, still I am, but I am careful on the steps now. Anyhow, one time, some years ago, I took, like... Saṅkalpa, like self-realization, something like this, you know? Yes, please, something similar, something like this. And you will not believe, so many things happened, but not good, you know? I do not know, I, you know, in the work, this happened. The car cracked down, everything. It was a disaster, really. Next month, and I said, "What is going on? Is it astrology or what is this?" And then I realized, oh my goodness, I made such a saṅkalpa. And if you make such a saṅkalpa, God is listening to you. You must know he sees everything, and he listens to everything, and he knows everything. And he says, "Okay, my dear, if you want, no problem, but you have to go through all your karmas now." So one came after the other. So I changed, and when I realized this, immediately I changed saṅkalpa. I said, no, no, just a little bit less angry or just relaxation. So these are such small things, you know, but God is listening. Believe me, this is everything, and he is fulfilling your wishes. And this can sometimes not be so easy. So anyhow, we were now starting from our base point, yes, going to Mount Kailāś, a higher one. It is another one, 3,000 meters. And so we said we have to know where to go, right? And we decided we will look at the past, yes? Okay. So, what we need, what we need, and what can happen if we go up? What we need is you will go barefoot. So, a good equipment, actually, no? It can be a glacier, maybe at 3,000 already, no? It can be traps. It can be a waterfall, many things can be so. A good equipment is necessary, a good equipment, and good equipment you get from a good shop, a sport shop. So in this case, it is not a sport shop, it is a spiritual shop, and a spiritual shop. Yoga and daily life: four thousand centers around. They will give you the right equipment, good shoes. And then, what is more needed? You know you have to go through forests and stones and this and that, and there is no road. When you come up very high, there is no path anymore. You have to find your path. So what is good to take in this case with you? A guide, a guide, a guide. And this is the most important, actually, I think so. No, so, and that is what Swāmījī always says, and I like very much how he said this. He says, "See, everywhere you need a master. Know that the shoe master, there is a clothes master," and when. You are driving, you need guidance everywhere. So in spirituality also, you need guidance, because otherwise you can reach, but maybe you go in the wrong direction, or you go back, or you go five times your surrounding. You do not know in which way you are going up. There is again a little story. There was one blind man, and he was in a room. We have here a round room where we are sitting, but in this room, there was only one door. And he wanted to go out, actually. He wanted to measure how big this room is. And because he was blind, he could not see where the door was, of course. So what he did, with his hands, he was going along the wall. But in the moment when he came to the door, something on his head was itching. So he put his hands down from the wall, but at the same time he was walking. So he missed the door. So then he was walking again like this, like this, like this. And he came again to the door, and in this moment, his underarm was itching again. Just before the door came, and so he had to again—he put his hands from the wall, and he was, I do not know how to say this in English, scratching, thank you, scratching him. So again, he missed, and then... Again, he went to the wall, and when he passed, then the third time his back was itching, so again he put it like this and again he passed, and so this was going on and he did not find the door. And that is a little symbolic, for that many, many lives we were going in this thoracic chakra, in this circle of birth and death, and because something—this itching means some attachment, some passion. Something which holds us back in the world. It did not let us go out; it did not find the door. Because in the moment we were very near, something was disturbing us. And we put our hands away. So, and the master, he can open the door for you, and he can take your hand, and he can lead you out of this room. And guide you towards the light, so that your blindness—which, in this sense, means that you have forgotten, we have forgotten our true nature. This is a blindness, and the aim is to know our real nature, which is called ātmā jñāna. And this is needed, that someone is opening this door, so that we can go out of the blindness and see who we are in reality. So now, why did I come to the door? Equipment, guidance, yes? One point was where we go, how we go, which equipment we have, and, most important, the guide. The guide who should be, she should have what? Experience, no? It is quite good, yeah, to have experience, because it can be that the waterfall is there or some ice, and he must catch you with a rope. Yes? And he has also to have all equipment with him to save you, actually, if some of the things are happening. So now we are going on this path upwards, and many things can happen. No? What can happen? Falling, sickness, fear, avalanche. And you can, there is some trap you can fall inside, and you can have what in front of you? Suddenly, there is no road at all. I mean, there are obstacles in front of the road, for instance, an avalanche or a stone fall, you know. So, what will you do now? Yes, that is a very good answer. Pray to God. Okay, now you know, I tell you this, the obstacles are interesting. You know, when I am off sometimes, going in the Himalayas, and you must know that Himalayan roads are not normal. Roads, yes, you must know there are stones and water, and this main thing is it is curved in the stone, yes, in the rocks. And one side is a rock where sometimes the rocks can fall, yes, on the road. And on the other side, that is a thing. It just a hundred meters down, and down is just a river, yes. So if you fall down, then it is... how you... yes. And sometimes, especially in the rainy season, the rocks, or us, come down, and they block the complete road, yes. And your car, where you are... Going cannot work anymore, yes. So this happened especially in August and July, in the rainy season. And then it is very interesting, they have some bugger, you know, bugger, yes, some JCB. Yes, they came, I do not know from where. They are coming, actually. I am always completely astonished, but they, the Indian people, are very clever. So they come, and then they put the whole thing, and they put it on this side, on this side. You wait one hour, two hours, or something. And then they remove the obstacles, and I was studying this. You know, if you see the normal things in life, you can learn a lot from it. And I said, "What is needed to remove obstacles, actually? What is needed?" You know what is the main thing of this, to remove the rocks and the earth? What was the main thing? This, definitely. But he needs some action, you know. He is just on another level, no? God needs our hands. GP? GP? This is called? No. No, my goodness, the caterpillar. I say caterpillar, yes, it is correct, caterpillar. Everybody understands around the world, hopefully. So, what you need, the main thing is, what is the right tool to remove the obstacle? Otherwise, okay, you can sit here for three years and pray to Gaṇeśa. I mean, very good, because he was sending the caterpillars, you know? That is good. No, but the caterpillar, so you need the right tools, no? It is interesting. So, you need, without the right tools, you sit there. For maybe several lives, no, before your obstacles: "I hate my mother, I hate my husband, I hate myself." That is an obstacle. So, the caterpillar has to come, you know? The dog? You know, caterpillar means yourself. You have, or you, you, some movement. Inside of you, and you remove the whole thing that is, but it is a strong energy that is needed, actually. Okay, so first of all, the right tools, and these people who are sitting in the caterpillar, you know, they... Go dangerous, really, on the board of winds, hundred meters down, very dangerous. So what they have to do? Because now we are in the caterpillar and removing the obstacles, okay? You follow me? Okay. So what is needed more, huh? Right, concentration, and with... The concentration we need is awareness. You have to be completely aware, and that is also, you know, one task, one quality which we should have in daily life: be aware. And you have to live. If you are aware, you are living in the present moment. Your thoughts, your mind is not going backwards, it is not going forwards, it is only in the present moment. That means removing obstacles. You have to know first of all what is the obstacle, because for what is a caterpillar, you can go in the other direction and not in the obstacle. Part 2: The Spiritual Ascent: Removing Obstacles and Lightening the Load You must first know which obstacles you wish to remove with the "caterpillar"—a metaphor for a powerful, transformative effort. This requires significant energy. You also need the awareness, in the present moment, that you want to remove this or that specific obstacle. This is a kind of decision we must take daily. It is very good to take a daily saṅkalpa, a resolve, but not too large a one. These are the small steps towards the summit. Yes, small steps and a small saṅkalpa every day. What kind of obstacle do I want to remove? We just had the time of Diwali. In this period, Swāmījī said we should forgive. Try to forgive the past, forgive your enemies. This, for instance, is a step. I try today to forgive whoever crosses my path. It doesn’t matter what they do; I try to forgive. So we must be very aware of what we want to remove. We need concentration and some "benzene"—some fuel inside the caterpillar as well. Without this, you cannot remove obstacles. That is it. Now we know how to deal with obstacles, and so we go further. The path now becomes a very difficult pass because you have to balance on stones, and maybe there is some ice. On this way, the guide will give you something because it will be very steep. He gives you a rope, or even a stick. This means he is now the guide, carrying and protecting you with this rope so that you do not fall down. What could this rope be? The rope which the Guru gives us to reach the top. This may be different for every master. Our master, Swāmījī, the main rope he gives us to reach our goal is the mantra. This mantra has been given through hundreds of years from our guru paramparā, originating from the high mountains of the Himalayas where Alakpurījī lived. The mantra is the guidance, the security, and the protection we need to ascend the high mountain. Perhaps now it is time to tell you about the bhajan which Mahāprabhujī wrote. In it, Mahāprabhujī tells us: "Oh my mind, go slowly, slowly, for steep is the path to the divine home, the homeland, from where we come and where we go back again. Seventy thousand rivers you must cross; these are the nāḍīs." And deep ravines you must overcome, traversing thousands of miles. Over the heaven is the house of God. God’s house is above everything. This means we have to develop our Kuṇḍalinī Śakti and go through all chakras until we reach the Sahasrāra Cakra, which is symbolically above everything and where liberation takes place. Small and slippery is the way. And dark is the night. "Dark is the night" means, again, we do not see the way. We do not know because of so much darkness. Yoga says we are often in ignorance, meaning we do not know our real divine nature and are distracted, focusing on worldly things. One beautiful definition of Brahmacarya is to always think of God. If we always think of God in this way or that—by saying mantra, chanting, or singing bhajans—that is how the light will illuminate the darkness, and you can see your path. If the way is slippery and you are sleeping, then you fall down. That means if you do not succeed in this life to reach the top—perfection, completeness—then again you have to be reborn. Mahāprabhujī tells us that 25 temptations are there. They make you dance like a cobra to a beautiful melody; illusion comes to you through the 25 indriyas, temptations in all directions. You dance after them, and your way is lost (Hari Om). So we must be careful of all these temptations on the way. On our path, there is now a tea shop, a chapati shop, and on another side are lady dancers, a nightclub, and so on. Kushaṅg (temptation/distraction) is waiting. If you go there, you forget why you came and where you wanted to go. If you listen to them, you become entangled and forget to go further. That is why, again and again, our masters—all of them in bhajans and also Swāmījī—tell us about satsaṅg. Regularly attending satsaṅg will always put us back on the path. It is not only the once-a-week satsaṅg in the yoga center that is important. Even more important is the kind of satsaṅg we have with ourselves. How do we speak to ourselves? How do we judge ourselves? Do we love ourselves? How do we meditate? How do we think about ourselves? You can have love for yourself first; then you can give love to others and to God as well. So satsaṅg is not only once a week. If possible, we should always have satsaṅg and be careful about our thoughts and speech concerning ourselves and others. This is self-control. This is the stick you need to go up, to always check yourself in a loving way—not by shouting. If you shout at children, they will not listen. You should give them a little sweet. Similarly, give yourself some sweetness and do something you like. Too hard is also not good; the middle way is always best. And satsaṅg, of course. Speaking with others is also important, especially in times like these around the world. In our yoga groups, be careful what you are talking about, with whom you are talking, what you are reading. Better not to read or speak; observe Mauna (silence) and chant Oṁ inside of you if you are falling into Kushaṅg. I think this is important, and sometimes we are not aware enough of these things. So, as much satsaṅg as possible—singing, reading, speaking—is wonderful. We have the great blessing to hear Swāmījī personally and through media around the world. You can have his divine darśan, listen to his divine words. Do not judge; listen to his words, which come through a very pure heart directly to you. Now, Mā Brahmā says: "If you try to climb to the summit of the mountain without knowing the right technique, you will fall to the earth again." So you have to know the right technique, which you have already learned. He says that without a Satguru, you cannot go on the way; you need guidance. You have to go, but he is the one who has the knowledge to guide you. This is so you will not lose this great chance of having a human life. That is his aim: to guide you to perfection, to liberation. Mahāprabhujī says that finally, Śrī Devapurījī gave him this knowledge about the right guidance. He says that through the grace of a Satguru, you can reach this aim. Perhaps we can sing this bhajan? Viśvagurū Mahāmaṇḍaleśvara Paramahaṁsasvayam Īśvarānandjīgurudeva kī jaya. Maṇḍavā dhīre dhīre cala, gagana garā caraṇare bhāī, dhīre dhīre cala, gagana garā caraṇare bhāī. Caraṇare bhāī, gagana garā caraṇare bhāī, caraṇare bhāī, gagana garā caraṇare bhāī. Manavadhira is the main thing in the whole bhajan. Manavadhira means "go," and dhīra is "slow." Manvā dhīre dhīre chāla, gāna gara charanāre bāī. Azarabatthara Nadīyā Chhalā, lambī lambī kāhī... Sahasra kośa gagana ke upar Vāparaherā gurahī maṇḍavā, Dhīre dhīre cala gaṅgāra caraṇare bhāī, Manavā dhīre dhīre cala, Gaganagāra caraṇare bāī, caraṇare bāī, Gaganagāra caraṇare bāī... O mandava dhīre dhīre chāl, gāgān gār charanāre bāi. Agar cherapte pave tumhara, paroge undhikai. Mandva dīre dīre, chal gagan gar charanare bhai. Pācchā pācchī sau bhelī hokār, mohānni rāgā sunāi... Rāgā sunāi ātterā mannamohe, rastau deyā bulāhi Mandava. Dhīra dhīra chāla, Gagangara charanāre bāi. O Mandava, dhīra dhīra chāla, Gagangara charanāre bāi, charanāre bāi, Gagangara charanāre bāi. Sharanare Bhai, Gagandhar Sharanare Bhai, O. Mandava, Dheera Dheera Chal Gagandhar Sharanare Bhai, O Mandava, Dheera Dheera Chal Gagandhar Sharanare Bhai, vinnā janāyā koi ucchā charasī pārā dharā na parāyī, satta-gurubinnā mālunāi pātā mārgo jīnā bāhi, Manva dhīre dhīre chāla Gagangara charanāre bāī... Charanāre bāī, Gaganagara charanāre bāī. Charanare bhayī, Gaganagara charanare bhayī. O mandava dhīre dhīre cāl, Gaganagara charanare bhayī... Śrī Deva Purīṣa Sve Sāya Gurumera Dhīvi Sena Lakāyī... Svāmīdhī Pasaṇyāsī bole, guru kṛpāse pāī, manvā dīre dīre cala, gagana gāra caraṇare bāī... Śaraṇāre Bhai, Gaganagar Śaraṇāre Bhai... O Mandava, Dheera Dheera, Shal Gaganagar Sharanare Bhai, Manda va dhīre dhīre chālaka gāna gāra chārā nā re bāyī... I hope you were all singing on the mountain, on our path, by singing. I was also singing. What did I forget to tell? I know what I forgot, so I will tell you now. Another very important thing is this: How can I tell you? You should tell me, what is important when we go high, when it is very tough? What is important on the body level? Definitely strength, right? And from your equipment, what would you carry with you? What would you take care of? Yes, definitely, the snakes are there. But which equipment? What would you take? Yes, it is very important. And the food is the... Satsaṅg, actually. We are on the spiritual level. I mean, we transport, we transform the equipment onto the spiritual level. So, please, of what would you take care? You have a stick, a bag? Yes, a rucksack. So, what would you put in the rucksack? Please think about the rucksack. It is important. She said, "It should not have holes." Definitely, because otherwise the food will fall out. That is an important thing. You should always check your equipment. Checking your equipment means checking your mind when you go up. It is very good. If you have corrupt stuff—shoes with holes, a rucksack with holes, trousers that do not hold water—that is not good. But I want something from you. What would you put in the rucksack, please? Yes, that is very good. In the night, warm clothes, water. So this is a mountain. But what would you not do? We are transposing our equipment onto the spiritual level. So whatever you say, we will transport it. The torch is your knowledge, your wisdom, self-conscience, strength. The food is spiritual food, like mantra, bhajan, satsaṅg with yourself or with others. We already have the nourishment. I am now at the physical level, please. So what would you not...? I will make it easier: what you would not take. All the equipment you said is very good, but what would you take care of? Oh, yes, very good. "Not too heavy," very right. I do not think you will take three big rocks, five kilos, in your rucksack. You would not, because why? You may be strong, but you are not stupid. You should also be intelligent when you prepare your equipment. But we all carry stones in our rucksack. What is this? Yes: anger, greediness, bad habits. One very, very big rock is this: we carry our past with us. This is our biggest burden. "Oh, my mother was so, and I suffered so much. This friend, my children, this teacher, the Guru, everyone..." except me, of course. But all others, I suffered this and that. This is the biggest burden you have. It is bigger than the food and everything else you mentioned. I tell you this now, but it is not that tomorrow you will take the stone and throw it. I would be happy if you did, but awareness is the main thing. What I like the most, the best definition of yoga, is "the consciousness which never sleeps." It means awareness. Becoming aware, for instance, is sometimes just a little step. You become aware that our past experiences are mostly the heaviest burden, leaving us without enough strength to go further. So, perhaps I can give you a little suggestion at the end here. You are the one who is going; nobody else is going. You have your shoes, your equipment, and your rucksack. Every one of us has a different rucksack. We can have the same torch, the same food, but the stones we carry are very individual. I wish that every one of us takes the rucksack tonight or tomorrow morning and looks inside. See what kind of stones you have, and then try to throw them away. For this, it is also good symbolically to do something in meditation. You do not have to go to the next river; you can go to a river and take a stone. Sometimes, little pūjās or ceremonies are really good. But first you have to know what you want to give up, what you want to throw away. Otherwise, it is like going to an island and not knowing where the bay is. You always have to know what you are doing and what you want to give away. For instance, you can go to a river, but meditate first or think about what burden you really want to place there, and then give it over to Mother Earth. Mother Earth takes everything, and whatever you give to her, she is able to transform into another energy; she is a divine mother. So you can, in any form, give it to the divine mother earth. Or you can make a fire in reality—but please do not burn yourself. You can make it in reality or in a meditation. We have a very beautiful meditation in our cakra book, I think for the Maṇipūra Cakra, where you imagine a fire mentally. You imagine this, and then you put some wood beside you—one is the past, or anger, or a complex, or whatever is an obstacle, a burden in your rucksack. Then you put this mentally into the fire and watch until it burns down to white ashes, so nothing remains. I thank you very much for listening and for joining us here on our trip on the spiritual path. I hope you get a little inspiration. Mother Nature teaches everything, and you can learn a lot from everything. So whatever you do, whatever we do, there are many spiritual lessons inside. Even going to the mountains or to the lakes, God always speaks to us. So I thank you very much, and I wish you all the best on your spiritual path. Śrīdīt Nārāyaṇ Bhagavān, Akījā, Viśva Guru Mahāmaṇḍaleśvar Paramahaṁsa, Svāmī Maiśvarānandjī Gurudeva, Akījā.