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When memory is awakened, the impressions stored in our subconsciousness emerge as vṛttis through association with some object. For a long time, you may not remember something, and then suddenly, while sitting, you remember. This means the vṛtti is now active. Remembrance can create happiness and inspiration, supporting our spiritual development and sādhana. In such a case, this vṛtti is an akliṣṭa vṛtti—a positive vṛtti with no disturbing thoughts. If, however, the vṛtti arising from memory (smṛti) disturbs you, shakes your confidence and faith, and creates an obstacle for your spiritual development, then such vṛttis are kliṣṭa vṛttis—destructive, negative, and not good. These vṛttis must be purified. You should purify such vṛttis by thinking positively, through forgiveness, by giving clearance to your thoughts. Everything in our life has two sides. Sometimes an event is unpleasant, but after some time, even years, it becomes a source of pleasure. It brings happiness. Conversely, some vṛttis bring a feeling of joy at the time but later bring unhappiness. As I often say, the joy of joys has less joy than the sorrows. That joy which comes suddenly, without analyzing the facts, is fleeting. Memory can change a person entirely, in either a positive or a negative way. We possess ample wisdom. All of you sitting here are very wise. If you are so wise, then why do you have problems? How does this function? Because wisdom and problems cannot coexist. So you are very wise, yet you are very troublesome. The reason is that we do not apply our wisdom to ourselves. We do not utilize our wisdom for our feelings. For all the problems we have, we do not use our own wisdom to overcome or solve them. If someone with a problem comes to you for help, you are so wise. You speak so wisely: "No, it's alright. Forget it. It can happen to anybody. Take it easy. That's nature. In nature, there is life and death. I know it's a big problem, but take it as it is. Change your thinking." Kṛṣṇa spoke like this to Arjuna. Mahāprabhujī spoke like this to his bhaktas. Jesus spoke like this. In yoga, it is like that. Now you see how much wisdom you have. You have a great deal of wisdom, but you do not utilize it. If you were to use your own wisdom, be assured you would have very, very few problems. And when a problem does come, you would be able to master it. A problem becomes stronger or more intense when you begin to compare one thing with another, or one person with another, and when you begin to blame. Therefore, do not compare. Dissatisfaction begins when you start to compare. Someone has black hair and someone has white hair. If you compare and wish to have black hair, you color it. But you are still not satisfied. Whenever you look in the mirror at your black hair, the vṛtti will arise: "They are very nice, but they are colored." You know the truth. Sometimes people color their hair a different shade and are happy for just ten days. After ten days, reality emerges, and you see how different it looks. You become unhappy again because you tried to hide, to cover the reality, but you cannot. Clouds cannot hide the sun forever. The clouds will move, not the sun. So do not compare. Troubles begin where we begin to compare. That person is beautiful, this one is not. Problems between husband and wife begin when the husband starts comparing his wife to someone, or the wife compares her husband to someone. Do not compare. We can recognize a world-champion sportsman and compare ourselves to them. But we should give credit that they are disciplined practitioners, and that is their aim. We are not that kind of practitioner, and we do not have that aim. Therefore, we should congratulate him or her for being the world champion. We can be happy for them. Then there is happiness and no problem. The problem arises only when you begin to compare. Try it. Go jogging with them. How long will you keep it up? The condition is missing. Do not compare. Then comes the giving of judgment, blaming. I always say, never blame anyone. It is you who is to be blamed. Something happened that you did not want, and now you blame someone. Still, I would say it is not another's mistake; it is your mistake. Which mistake? That you didn't want it? Even though you didn't want it, you are still the cause. If you were not here, it would not have happened. Therefore, take it upon your own shoulders. It is very easy to blame others. This is a form of psychological self-protection, a reaction of self-protection, but in the wrong way. To put dirt on someone's head is not right. You should clean the dirt from someone's head. This is what vṛttis always bring us: many, many life problems. We are here to master ourselves. We are here to learn. We should learn to accept. And then we shall learn to purify all this with wisdom. Recording location: Czech Republic, Strilky, Summer seminar