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I have spoken extensively about the mantra. A mantra is a positive word, a word imbued with great energy. If you tell someone, "I love you," it carries one kind of energy. If you tell someone, "I hate you," it creates an entirely different situation. Every concept we hold exists as both a word and an image. It is sound and light. The light is the form you can touch and feel; the sound is its particular vibration. Therefore, every sentence, every word, contains a specific energy. Mantra originates from Sanskrit, the root from which all languages have sprung. There are many, many mantras in general use. However, ultimately, you receive a guru mantra. This means you go to a master, one who touches your heart—not merely intellectually, but profoundly, in a way that makes you feel, "Yes, this master can guide and lead me." Yet, do not be purely emotional. You must also engage your intellect. First, wait and ask yourself why you want a mantra. Second, ask if this is a master you trust and can truly adore. Will this path lead me to my aim? Only then should you decide to receive a mantra. Otherwise, do not. In life, there is only one true master. If you already have a mantra from a master whom you adore above all else, do not take a mantra from another. You may go to any master to learn, to listen to wisdom. But the question of the master in your heart is final—that master you have already chosen. Consider that you see many women; they are all our sisters, daughters, and mothers. You can respectfully address any elderly lady as "mother." But there is only one mother who carried you for nine months in her body and gave you birth. Similarly, there is only one master. You must decide whom you wish to follow, and it is a lifelong commitment to practice. It is not merely the mantra, but your devotion and your faith that will carry you far. The mantra is that resonance, that sound and light, which will guide you not only in this life but throughout your entire future, until your individual consciousness merges into the cosmic consciousness. There are mantras specifically for meditation. There are others, like the Gāyatrī mantra for greeting the sun, or peace mantras; these are general. Then there is the guru mantra and the bīja mantra—the seed syllable. This is a very great and also a very fragile matter. It is crucial to decide wisely. Do not collect mantras. You come to me and get a mantra from me. Tomorrow you go to Elizabeth and collect one from her. Then you go to František and get one from him. Then comes a Helena, and you take her mantra, then a Robert, and you take his. Now you are nowhere. It means you are no one's wife. That is the truth. Therefore, never take a mantra from any master unless you understand and realize the background—the spiritual lineage. This afternoon, perhaps, I will speak about our spiritual lineage, from the Himalaya until now. It is not that a master simply says, "Okay, come, I will give you a mantra, don't worry." In that case, I would advise you to wait a little. It is a serious step; it is your life. It is the greatest responsibility for a master to take on the task of liberating a soul. And you never know how many bad karmas that soul carries. It is very easy to catch a snake, but very difficult to let it go. You must learn to catch it and release it. But you must hold this snake for a lifetime. When you are conscious, you can hold it, but what about when you sleep? Sleep here means ignorance, doubt, or simply not caring—and that is not good. This is a spiritual matter; both sides must consider it deeply. You never know how heavy the disciple's karmas are. Yet, it is said the Master is like a light. It does not matter how much darkness—how many karmas—there are. You bring darkness in your hands near the light and open them; there is no darkness. Similarly, when you come near the Master, all negative karmas are neutralized automatically. Darkness cannot come near the light. However, if you take a mantra and then do not follow it and go astray, you will incur more negative karma. So never hurry. Never take this step emotionally. Never seek it for miracles—"Oh my God, miracles and this and that." No. The greatest miracle is that you are alive. Thanks to God. That our bodies are healthy, that all our five indriyas (senses) are healthy. God gave us good eyesight, good hearing, a nose, a mouth, hands—we are healthy. For that, we thank God endlessly. "Thank you, Lord, that we are healthy." This is the biggest miracle in our life, so do not run behind other miracles. Do not try to fly among pink clouds. The path is beautiful and lifelong. The love between mother and child, or father and child, is indescribable. You cannot put it into words. Similarly, the love between Master and disciple is indescribable and inseparable. You cannot separate them. So take your time. The right time will come.