Question:
Where does the Source come from?
Sri Vasudeva:
Does it have to come from somewhere? Can it just exist? Why do things have to have a beginning and an end? In a universe of all possibilities, why can’t we have something that has no beginning and no end? It’s one of the many possibilities that we have.
Question:
You talk about how there is a Universal Being that supports the whole universe and there’s an Individual Being that supports the individual. Is the Universal Being the same as the Universal Guru and the Individual Being the same as the Inner Guru?
Sri Vasudeva:
What does ‘Guru’ mean?
Reply:
It’s the universal teacher.
Sri Vasudeva:
Where does the Universal Teacher come from? It must come from a source. The Source is able to create everything and by virtue of that, the Source can have many roles. Do you think the Universal Teacher can be one of the roles of the all powerful Source? And if there is being within us as it is in the whole universe then there must be a teacher within us. The being from inside of us can take the role of teacher. It’s another aspect of the source.
Question:
Do animal and plant life have consciousness?
Sri Vasudeva:
Consciousness is a quality that allows something to be aware. I’m sure that a dog or a cat or an elephant, all have a certain degree of self awareness. If something is happening to them emotionally, they are caught up in the experience of it, so they must be in a state of sadness. There must be an experience of what they are having so their consciousness inside must be involved in a certain experience. When we see animals do a complicated task then we know that they are processing, they are reflecting. If a dog can accomplish a feat, then the dog has to have some sort of consciousness to do that. And if a plant knows how to trap an animal – the bud opens to trap insects - then it must know when an animal is coming. It must have some kind of consciousness to be aware that what it is looking for, is around. That’s a kind of awareness - consciousness. So anything that can perceive something and act upon it or react to it - means they are conscious of whatever is in their space. And they are responding to whatever is in their space. And if they can respond in an even more involved way by having a sequence of responses, then it means then there is some kind of intelligence there and of course, some kind of consciousness.
The level of consciousness in the human being is much greater that what we see in animals and plants. In one of my slides I show an animal cell making a decision when it’s at a junction. It goes this way and then says, ‘No I don’t want to go this way, maybe I need to go that way.’ It tests the boundaries and decides to choose one. That requires a certain kind of consciousness. It shows that there is some kind of consciousness in the universe manifesting in plants, in animals, in human beings and in life. But the human consciousness, of course, is a very special one because we’re able to do so much more with the consciousness tools that we have. And by consciousness tools, I mean the mind and inner senses. And human beings are aware that they are conscious and that makes it a little deeper than with animals.
Question:
So there is visible and invisible energy also (with animals)?
Sri Vasudeva:
There must be. Animals respond to love without speaking. Dogs respond to your fear without you saying anything. Animals can sense your energy. So there must be some kind of invisible thing within them. Animals are able to sense the environment and they can sense subtle things before they happen so it must mean they also have this deeper sense. That’s the invisible part of us. So the universe is showing that it exists. If plants are around wonderful energies, they seem to grow better. If they are around soothing music or if you extend love to plants they seem to grow better. So they are responding to subtle energies. And so there must be a subtle energy body in the plant that is being impacted upon.
Comment:
I would like to thank you for the morning talk. It wasn’t just what you said that made an impact on me but the way you said it. I watched how passionately you were speaking and it made me realize that it isn’t what you say or what I say that makes an impact on people but the way you say it and the connection you make with your audience, how important that is to really make sure that the message will come across
Sri Vasudeva:
Well it’s a little more than that. It’s not just using the tools of communication which is how I look at the audience or how passionate I am. It is because I live from where I speak or I live what I speak and that’s makes a difference. That’s where the excitement is because I am actually seeing what I’m telling you. I’m actually feeling what I’m telling you. So that’s what you are recognizing. That brings about a passion and vitality and everything else.
Question:
You say if we really want to understand the universe we need to go inside and understand ourselves. Does it mean that understanding the universe is the ultimate goal?
Sri Vasudeva:
Understanding yourself is the ultimate goal because you will find the universe inside of you. If going inside of you, you begin to understand the universe, it means at the very core of your being you are connected to the whole universe. So by going right within you, you’ll understand everything. And that’s the beautiful secret. So your self is the doorway to the whole universe – your Self.
Question:
You said that the individual being is a model of the universe. So the universe also has the structure of the chakras as energy levels. So when I focus on one of my chakras, am I connecting with that level in the universe?
Sri Vasudeva:
Yes, you are connecting with that level of the universe but not as you think. Each chakra is associated with a certain level or plane of consciousness that exists in the universe and that is called a ‘loka.’ So every chakra we have, is connected to a whole plane or level in the entire universe. So we are, in that way, a model of the whole universe. So yes, the universe has these different levels that we have within us.
Question:
In choosing the journey to the higher self, I feel more out of balance, more emotion, more physical fatigue and less mental alertness. What is happening?
Sri Vasudeva:
(Laughs) By going inside, you become stronger. In fact your strength is really coming from the inside, but you think it is from the outside. So your strength is really coming from inside of you. The strength of mind comes from inside of you. The strength of love comes from inside of you. When you are meditating or you are singing, you are really going inside. It’s a journey inside. It’s not a journey outside, it’s a journey inside. When you go inside, you are actually touching a greater place of strength. So what do you mean when you say you feel weaker? Maybe there is some kind of misconception or fear, or maybe there is some kind of misinterpretation that is creating that sort of weakness. But the truth is, it is the inner being that makes you more powerful. It is by going inside that you become more powerful. Meditation makes us powerful, chanting makes us powerful, touching that inner space makes us more powerful, and as we go deeper and deeper inside we become more and more powerful. Over the years you have been going deeper inside. You have been touching deeper spaces inside of you. And that is why you’re becoming more powerful, because you are touching more and more of the Source. But tell me more, ask me more.
Question:
Is surrendering helping me to identify more with the Source?
Sri Vasudeva:
It is. Surrendering is a wonderful quality in terms of allowing the Source to manifest inside of you. When you surrender, when you let go of the mind, let go of the other thoughts that distract you, the Higher Self is able to manifest in a better way.
Question:
How can I make my quality of surrendering more powerful?
Sri Vasudeva:
That’s something you need to contemplate. The whole environment here is based on that – learning how to give attention to the higher Self within us and in others and to let that predominate, rather than what we want to prevail.
Question:
I find it beautiful to realize that the outer senses see differences but you say at the core there are no more differences. What is it like on the way to the core? Is the difference slowly fading away?
Sri Vasudeva:
Yes, it slowly fades away. You go deeper and deeper and feel more in harmony with your universe and there are less differences. As you go deeper and deeper inside, there are less thoughts, less movement – you become more and more quiet and focused and you see less differences. The mind and heart and become quieter and then you begin to feel more of your higher Self. And when you look outside, that’s what you begin to see also. You begin to see the higher Self in people. And so the differences at the physical and mental level begin to disappear. They are no longer so important because you are feeling the higher level inside in terms of goodness, of peace, of love and you begin to recognize it in other people too. Because you didn’t have it in you before, you couldn’t recognize it on the outside. You see many differences based on your interpretation of the outside. But as you come into a quieter place, a more loving place, a more peaceful place, then you begin to see it on the outside. That is the difference.
Sri Vasudeva:
In the message, I tried to relate Source to the idea of being. The Source is not something separate, even though we may speak about it (in that way). It is a place where we go to, to feel our higher Self. I spoke about Atma and Paramatma. The Atma is the individual and Paramatma is the larger. If you want to understand what the larger is, you just need to go deeper inside and feel that more expansive level of being. We can go inside to feel the higher Self.
You may have already heard of some of these ideas but I am trying to get you, in a personal sense, to identify with it through your experiences. I want your experiences to speak to you so that you can identify certain things that I am saying.
Question:
I was very interested when you spoke of the boundless energy of the Source. Since we need sleep, I realized I was very tired. In the meditation this morning, I felt plugged into a different type of energy and I felt totally revived. It actually felt like I got a new boost and that was quite awesome. Can we do that more often? Is that something we can judge in our bodies and say, “Now, my body is tired, but I can use this extra energy so I can tap into the Source,” versus knowing when to give in?
Sri Vasudeva:
We can do that too. We can revitalize the body using the energy from inside but the body needs it due as well. The body needs its time to rest and recuperate when it can shut down. So sometimes, when you are trying to stay awake but your body is so tired and the cells need to regenerate, the body will shut you down because it needs to do that. So you need to be aware of when the body needs to shut down and when it needs to be replenished. And if you’re sensitive and you can feel that and you do it in the right time and in the right way, you’ll feel the body very refreshed and revived. When we take a power nap, for example, it’s really understanding what the body needs and giving it its needs. Not eating before power naps so that we don’t interfere with the sleep, sleeping in another space rather than on the bed - in doing these things, we allow the body to rest for the time it needs without being influenced by too much food or other things that will pull it into sluggishness.
Question:
Does that mean that the ultimate Brahman goes to sleep and that the universe also has time when it goes to sleep and then it comes out?
Sri Vasudeva:
Yes, the universe has its own pattern of rest and restoration.
Comment:
In my meditation experience so far I always have the feeling that I am falling asleep and then suddenly, when you say something, I’ll be back here. I want to experience all these things they are talking about but nothing is happening – only my feeling that I’ve just been sleeping and not doing anything. So I wonder what is coming up in the days ahead.
Sri Vasudeva:
That’s OK, just allow it to happen. You’re here just a couple days now. From what I’m seeing, you’re looking better everyday.
Question:
Is ‘being-ness’ the same as ‘turiya?’
Sri Vasudeva:
‘Turiya’ is a transcendental state, it is a state of pure being. But the ‘turiya’ in particular is a state of the witness that is able to be stable through the different states of consciousness. It is called ‘turiya teeta’ which means the ‘stable turiya’ where the witness is able to stay through the different states of consciousness – whether waking or sleeping or deep sleeping, the witness stays there. It’s said to be the ecstatic or the rapturous witness. So that is the fourth state. The fourth state is the one that is established in pure being and stable in that state of pure being. But these are only names. The idea is going into the purest state of being in the human experience.
Question:
In the universe there are invisible reactions. What is the effect of the state of the whole humanity on the universe? Are there invisible reactions on the rest of the universe?
Sri Vasudeva:
Yes and the rest of the universe is also reacting upon us. So it’s not that we are the only powerful beings reacting in the universe. The energy of the sun is influencing us. The energy of every planet is influencing us. The energy of the earth, the energy of the sea, of the trees, of different things in nature, are all influencing us. And we are also influencing. And the stronger influences dominate. And the influence of a mass of people coming together and thinking the same thing and resonating with the same energy and the same vision - they are an influencing power. And the stronger powers predominate.
So if there is more negative power in a group, that is going to influence the community. And if you have more positive energies in a community, that’s going to influence the community too in a stronger way. The stronger energies, invisible energies - they are what predominate in the universe. So if there are other civilizations in the universe and they are sending out energies too, then their energies are also in the mix. So it’s not that we are the only ones and we are sending out all these powerful energies into the universe. Everything is energy and there are a lot of energies in the mix from everywhere. So when we come together, here for example, we are co-creating a field – when we sing for example - that’s why the field around us becomes so powerful because we are creating that field with us. And if everyone on earth decided to have the same kind of vision for love, peace and harmony, then we become a stronger force as a planet.
Comment:
The last few months, I have been struggling because I had the feeling that I didn’t get the whole universe, that I didn’t get the point of studying and working and I found myself questioning what’s the point of this whole life? When I heard your talk this morning and after talking to you yesterday, I realised that when you go inside, you will get a universe also. So that gave me a kind of comfort and faith that when I just go inside, I will get the universe in the end, I hope, so that I can do everything again with joy in my heart. I have to finish my study and I do it because I have to but I would like to do it with more joy so I think the thing I have to do now is go inside and then go back in the world.
Sri Vasudeva:
Absolutely! I completely agree with that. I couldn’t agree more. By going inside you get everything that you are looking for. That can make you more powerful. The most powerful people are those who have touched the power inside.
Comment:
I find it difficult to see the difference between a surrounding being negative or that the source is teaching me something. You said that the people and the places around you shouldn’t be negative….
Sri Vasudeva:
I didn’t say it shouldn’t be negative. We have to accept when it is negative but if we had a choice, we wouldn’t like it to be negative. I wouldn’t like the place around me to be negative. But I wouldn’t deny or not accept it if it is. I would want to work with it and transform it. So when we find our surrounding negative, the first thing we have to do is to accept that it is like that. And then we have to think of how to transform it. So it’s not that I don’t want things to be negative. I’m hoping that things can be positive but if things are negative then I look for the lesson in it and I try to overcome it - not leave it but try to overcome it. Because you wouldn’t like to see a threatening surrounding around you and not try to transform it. You would want to change it. Right? So that’s what I mean.
Comment:
I think the most impactful thing so far is the meditation – learning to meditate at the fullest.
Vasudeva: I find the meditation during this period to really be very special. The moment I begin the mediation, I can feel that almost everybody is in a very nice space. That’s why I say it’s a period of grace - that everything is easier during this period.
Question:
I’m having different experiences when you do the Guru Gita and when you do the guided meditation. The guided meditation is always very powerful and I’m experiencing so many things inside of me. But at midday meditation, I am fighting to stay awake, sometimes. Even sometimes after the Shiva Mahimnah, it’s more difficult than in the morning after the Guru Gita. So I find myself contemplating is it because in the morning it’s a guided meditation or..?
Sri Vasudeva:
You are new to this schedule so during the day it’s hotter and the midday meditation is not guided and you have to work by yourself. And you have been working outside already, so if you were carrying the practice in your seva, repeating the mantra, it becomes easier here. So you have to begin the preparation whilst you’re doing things outside, telling yourself, ‘When I come to sit for meditation, it’s going to be nice. I’m going to make it nice.’ But I’ll give you a few hints. During the noon meditation, if you were to use the breath – learn how to use the breathing in a powerful way.
There are some breathing exercises that I do before the meditation. So if you learn those, it will improve the meditation. And when you come at noon, begin to use that. If you feel any sensation at the eyebrow chakra, that’s a good thing. Focus on the breath and focus on the eyebrow chakra and allow the eyebrow chakra to predominate, then your meditation will be better. But you have to make sure your body is revitalized before you come to the meditation.
Comment:
During the seva we are talking a lot - discussing the topic and at the same time painting the fences and the roof - and when you come here it’s difficult to change the mood
.
Sri Vasudeva:
The last hour before you come here begin to change how you are doing things. Become quieter, more reflective and begin to prepare for coming here.
Question:
In a situation where there is a lot of negativity or challenges facing you – in my case, the workplace with students - how do I change this without help?
Sri Vasudeva:
Well first, it requires you to be self disciplined and to have the power of meditation or to be in a state of inner power or control or centeredness. The more you are centered, the more you will be able to change a group around you. Doing your homework to be centered is an important thing. When you are more centered even the way you speak will be impactful. And then look at different points in the day when you can get the students to actually use some of the principles of meditation without disturbing the rest of the school environment or others thinking that you are doing something unusual. You can begin to do little things with them, like the art of concentration, the art of positive thinking, the use of mantra, what pranayama means – so you can use little techniques with them and get them excited about it and soon enough you will find them under control.
back to top |
