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All of us, regardless of who we are or where we come from, have had many different experiences and circumstances in life. Some we like, and some we do not. Liking and disliking are merely states of the mind, and you cannot simply clear them away. Therefore, there is only one way: first, analyze the nature of the problem or the happiness. What is the cause of the problem, and what is it connected to? Some people have a problem or fear; they are scared of darkness in a room and cannot sleep without light. Find out the cause of this. Others have a fear of dogs, cats, or small creatures like spiders or ants. Until you find the cause, the roots, you cannot treat that problem. In your anuṣṭhāna, you have time and the free choice to decide on which subject you would like to work. Take your time and find out what the problem is connected to—which person, matters, or anything else. Suppose you now know when the problem began, how it began, and with what or with whom it began. That is very good. Now, make clear to yourself what is called deśa and kāla. Deśa means the place where you are. Kāla means the time. It refers to a particular time and place where a situation occurred. Can you change that situation, or can you not? If it is within your power to change it, do so. Otherwise, you may create more problems. You are in trouble because you do not understand and respect the law of deśa and kāla—the place and circumstances. Every country has its law and constitution, and you must respect the constitution and law of your country. You might wish to be an exception, but it is not possible. That law applies not only to the citizens but also to anyone who enters or lives in that country. Similarly, when you go to someone's house, every house has its own rules. You are only a guest, so you should know your limits: how far you can go, what you can do, what you should not do, what you can ask for, and what you should not ask. When a certain problem, circumstance, or event becomes clear to you, first place yourself in that deśa and kāla—where it happened and what the situation was. Consider the time, and here I would add your age: how old you were, how dependent you were, whether you were alone or had someone to help you. Create a clear vision. Yes, it happened. You are going into the past. Now, come to the present time, deśa and kāla: where you are and what the situation is. At this minute, you are sitting here in the hall with hundreds of your Gurū brothers and sisters, all yoga practitioners. You are safe and protected. No one can do anything wrong to you. So, why are you scared? At that time, you were alone or not strong enough. Things may have happened out of ignorance. Perhaps your parents went out, closed the door, and thought they would return in an hour. You were sleeping deeply. They turned off the light, and you woke up. It was dark; you couldn't find anything, and you called for your parents, but they were not there. This darkness caused you great fear. But now you are not so little. You know where to turn on the light. You have a battery, a torchlight. So why are you still afraid? In this way, we analyze the situation, consider the time, and realize that now everything is okay. Some people prefer to have light when they wake up. You can have a dim light or a sensor light that turns on when you sit up in bed. How nice. Light is ever ready for you. But some people forget about the sensor light. They wake up, sit up, and the light goes on. They say, "Oh God, there is a ghost." It is not a ghost. There was a different situation. In a hostel for students, every day at 11 o'clock at night, the light would automatically turn on. No one was there to switch it on, so everyone was convinced there was a ghost or some spirit. They called electricians, who said everything was okay. They called the director and the warden, but no one could find anything wrong. They even stationed someone to check if the students were playing a joke. A person sat there while the students slept, but at 11 o'clock, the light still went on. Who could do this? Only a ghost or some extraordinary power. It didn't matter if it was positive or negative; no one wanted to sleep in that hostel. Every child said, "I don't want to sleep there." It was in the newspaper. Can you imagine how people were thinking? After two months, it stopped happening, so they thought the ghost was gone. Maybe someone was repeating a mantra, and after three months, it started again. Some said the ghost went on holiday. Finally, while thinking, they arrived at a clear solution. Someone came and researched everything, asking what time the light went on and off. He was told, "Evening at 11 o'clock, the light goes on, and in the morning at 5, it goes off." He then researched the powerhouse. In India, we have a system where, after midnight, when people use less light, a special phase of power is allocated for farmers and machines. In Europe, there are heaters that warm up at night and stay warm during the day. It's called a three-phase system. Two-phase light is for normal domestic use, but three-phase light is for machines, pumping water, and other purposes. At 11 o'clock, they switched to the three-phase light. The light was so strong, and due to a loose connection, the entire light came on. When they turned the three-phase off, the light went out. People said, "Well, it's crazy; it's not like this." To solve the problem, they went to the powerhouse. At 11 o'clock, when they switched the light on, it came on in the hostel. They asked the person to turn it off for just one minute, and he cut the power—the light went off. Everyone said, "Oh my God, there is no ghost. We were afraid for nothing." That night was one of the best nights; they could sleep without fear. Previously, everyone had a stick near their bed. When the situation became clear, the inner fear vanished. Ādi Guru Śaṅkarācārya gave a beautiful example: a person walking in the street sees, from a distance of about 50 meters, what appears to be a snake lying on the path. Of course, everyone is afraid of snakes, so the person is frightened. Out of curiosity, they go a little nearer and look carefully—it was not a snake but a piece of rope. This is Dṛṣṭi Doṣa: from where the snake came and how much fear was there, and now where the snake disappeared, leaving only the rope, and where the fear is gone. You are the same person, the rope is the same, but your imagination and thinking were different because you lacked the knowledge that it could be a rope. Normally, a rope is not lying on the way. He had always walked there. When you see something dark lying on the road, you might say, "Oh, there's something like a snake." In many countries, including ours, there are snakes, though here it is a little better. There are snakes, but not so many. So you need not worry. Even if it is a rope, sometimes you might think it's a rope, go near, and find it is a snake. Therefore, check twice. Make sure to analyze; do not judge immediately and then accept. If it is a rope, walk through and remove it. If it is a snake, walk carefully, make a little noise with your feet; the snake will run away, and you can walk peacefully. Deśa and kāla: at that time, you were not capable of answering the situation, fighting against it, or finding a way out of the misunderstanding and fear. Suppose it was only a rope, but the imagination of it as a snake, viṣa, is not cleared from your consciousness. It remains in your memory, and you will go home and tell your family, "You know, I was so scared." They ask why, and you say, "Because there was such a big snake on the way, but then I went carefully nearer and saw it was only a rope." Even after 20 years, you might speak with friends about that situation: "Once I changed a rope into a snake. I thought it was a snake." The impression will never die; this reflection will remain in your unconscious or subconscious. But it is your viveka, your buddhi (intellect), that will give you a clear answer, and you will no longer have fear. Things are there; you can forgive, you can neglect, but you will not forget. Perhaps some unpleasant situation in your life was necessary and became a master or a school for your life. It warned you, and you learned from it. So, in meditation, in your special Kriyānusthāna, and through my lectures, whatever you experience or whatever is called from your memory, peacefully give judgment. Recording location: Czech Republic, Strilky, Summer seminar