Welcome to day 14 of our 40 Day Retreat 2009.
Today, I want to speak to you on the subject, ‘The world is as we see it’. The world is as we interpret it. The world really exists in my Being, so I am the centre of my world; I am the centre of my Universe. Because I exist, my Universe exists. In this there is a lot to think about.
Our Interpretation is Unique to us
This means it is all about us and not about anybody else. Because we are constantly interpreting the Universe, everybody is having a different experience of the same Universe. Everybody sees differently when they come into a space. No matter who they are looking at, no matter what the event is, what they are going to see is what they interpret the event to be, or how they interpret another person. What they are going to carry with them as an impression and is their interpretation.
There is a lot to think about here because this gives us a different view of the world. Suddenly we begin to take responsibility for what we are creating in terms of interpreting our Universe, and what we are carrying with us as a result. Therefore, when we begin to compare ourselves with others and say, “This person is experiencing this but I am not”, we forget our unique nature. When we become jealous of others, thinking they have arrived and we have not, again we are not being aware of our own journey, our individual journey and how unique that is to our experiences.
Therefore, on this journey it is important not to compare yourself with anyone, no matter what their experience is; not to look at who is getting and who is not getting. That is not your business. They have their own world and you have yours. What you bring into your world and how you interpret your world is extremely important. All the baggage that you carry from every event, this is what you have created. This is how you interpret your world.
How do you Perceive your World?
From every event you are the one who carry the impression and you are the one who interpret the event. It is extremely important how you perceive your world. Your world exists in your Being because you are carrying your world. You are carrying all these impressions within your own Being and in your own consciousness. This world will exist in your consciousness. It is a result of what you are seeing. It is a result of your perception inside you. Does this make sense to you? When you spend all your time comparing yourself to others, what are you doing? What are you bringing into your Universe? It is more important to begin to observe how you are seeing the Universe, and to look for the interpretation that can uplift you to freedom.
When we think that we are in a certain position and we are helping out the world, and the world cannot do without us, that is not true. That is a huge thought of pride that we create in our inner space. You know the story about those who lift themselves too high, when the fall comes, it is quite a big fall.
Every Event - an opportunity to grow
We therefore need to see the world as an opportunity. Every event in the space is an opportunity for us to learn and to grow. And it is not about anybody else. It is about the opportunity given to us in every event to become free and to practice the teachings. At the end of everything we are going to be with ourselves and the Universe that we have created. Nobody else will be important. We are constantly with ourselves in every experience we are having, even of pleasure. It is all about what is happening inside of us. Think about it. It is what you are getting from the experience. It is not about the other. You think it may be about the other but it is really about the whole sensual experience inside of you.
Taking Charge of Your Inner Space
It is therefore extremely important to observe what is happening in your world, and to see the world in such a way that it helps you on your way to freedom. When someone becomes angry towards you, how are you going to interpret that event? The world seems to come with this huge energy of anger towards you, and how are you going to deal with this? How are you going to interpret this event? Are you going to be hijacked by it into all kinds of negative thoughts and responses, and then carry that impression with you in your Being? Is that the gift from that event for you? Or are you going to say, “Let me now take charge of this event”? What am I going to carry from this event? What is the learning experience for me? What is the memory that I want from this event?”
It is not about the other; it is about what you are carrying in your Universe. Then when you think about this, it is not about the other; it is how I am treating this event, how I am interpreting this event. It is about the opportunity that this event is presenting to me to uplift myself. Then suddenly, you begin to take responsibility. You say, “Let me treat this event differently because I want to keep in my storehouse a different imprint of this event, a different impression of this event”. Then every event in our world becomes important. It will be interpreted by how we deal with it and what we carry with us.
It is About me, not the Other!
It is not about anybody else in this world. It is about us! If you decide that you are going to carry everybody’s baggage with you, and that you are going to become weighed down, they are all going to go on their own path. They will all forge their way to freedom and you will be left carrying all that heavy baggage with you that you created in the first place. And you blame the other, that person made me angry and that person is the result of this. And you are left carrying all this baggage with you whilst they are all happy on their journey.
How are you treating your Universe? It is all about you; it is your Universe. It is all happening in your consciousness. How are you treating your Universe? Is it pulling you down into bondage? Are you staying there? Are you looking at all those who are practicing and then say, “Now I will practice because everybody is practicing.” Are you waiting on somebody else to inspire you? And to say, “They are not doing it, so I am not doing it.” Is that what you are going to do? Is it about the other and not you? Or are you going to take the opportunity and say, “It does not matter how many are not doing it, I am going to do this because it is important to me.”
Release your Baggage
All those of you who compare yourself with others, who carry others within you, blame others and blame the world, it is your baggage! I learned that very early in the game, so I released all those baggage. In fact, I remember when I went to an ashram in India that really inspired me, all I could see were egos in this place. Everybody wanted to control you. I became a little sad with all that. How can all these big egos exist in this place?
Soon enough I learned that was not the posture I should have. I needed to be humble and to be in learning. I said to myself, “If this is what the Universe has created, let it be! This is a place of value to me. I love its energy. I love the teacher. I love what he is saying to me. I love the knowledge”. And I stuck to that. I did not see anything else. No matter what existed in the space and no matter how much gossip came to me, it really did not matter because I did not see it. I refused to see it. I refused to bring it into my inner space. I kept only one thing before me, the words of the teacher, the presence of the master and the energy I felt. All the rest was garbage. I did not need it.
Focus on Your Goal. Do not be Distracted
I remember very early in the game when I visited this ashram in India, someone invited me during the ten o’clock break to a little restaurant outside. The person said, “Let us go and have a drink.” I thought it was a short break so people will be having a little drink but when I went outside I saw everyone was having meals, and smoking and drinking. Utterly surprised I thought, “Look at this! This is not a place of yoga. This is not a place of discipline. This is a place of indiscipline”. I saw how so many people were out there and I thought this is not a place I wanted to be. So I kept inside the ashram. I kept within the energy field and left the restaurant out. No matter how many people were going out there, and who were smoking and having their fill, that did not bother me any more. I was focused on the teachings. I was focused on what I wanted. I was focused on my own discipline. And whatever gossip I heard about anybody, it did not really matter.
Learning to See Things Differently
Sometimes, I got what you may call dirty seva. I had to clean all the toilets in the garden area, about six of them. I remember a man from Australia was telling me: “Ram, (they called me that then) do not worry about that. You got the best seva. That has a lot of grace in it. You go and clean all those toilets and you will receive such grace. Instead of thinking how oppressive that seva would be, I felt this was the Universe speaking to me. From that day it did not matter how many toilets they gave me to clean; for me that was grace. He taught me how to see it differently.
That is how I have been viewing my world. It is not about anybody. Every situation is an opportunity for me to see it differently and to take responsibility and to use that event or process to go higher. Life is constantly challenging us with all the forces around us, but we are in charge of our inner space. What do I take from this event? What are the positives that I take from this event? How do I leave the garbage out? How do I take responsibility for my own journey? And in every event that opportunity is there.
Importance of Awareness
You are surrounded by gossip every day. You are surrounded by people with negative thoughts and negative energy every day. You are surrounded by challenges that tempt you to come into lower energies. You are challenged with jealousy, pride, and self-righteousness. How do you deal with these? And what baggage do you carry after or what powerful impression of mastery you carry after to support you on the journey? I think this is important awareness for the student. This is an awareness that helped me so much on the journey, that I thought it was important to say it to you.
The world is as we see it. The world is in our consciousness. How we interpret the world and how we treat the world is dependent on us. We carry all those experiences with us. Do we want to carry baggage or do we want to carry supportive impressions? You can delay the journey or you can accelerate the journey. The choice is yours. I made mine and I am extremely happy.
Choose wisely! Be a master, not a slave or servant. The life of a servant or a slave is a miserable life. The life of a master is a life of freedom.
back to top |
