Online Weekend Retreat
with Mooji 26 - 28 June 2020
(with subtitles) This Is Exactly What the Buddha Discovered 26 June 2020 | Satsang Excerpt [Mooji] This concept of a purpose for one's life, sometimes it is handed to us by our parents, sometimes just from society. Sometimes it comes untraceably. It comes. 'I need a purpose.'
'What is the purpose of my life?' And sometimes,
people try many things and find that, that is not the true purpose of my life! They have not found something. The purpose of your life,
if you want, I can say I would rather propose something that is not so much the purpose
but the opportunity of the life. Because as long as you are personal, you cannot read life truthfully. And your mind will present so many things, 'Yes, this thing to do, that thing to do!' And it just keeps you
on a treadmill of thinking, 'Yes, the next thing, and the next thing', and you pay very little attention to yourself. You say here, 'However I have the feeling that
I cannot grasp the purpose of my life, for I wish to serve a God
who doesn't need to be served'. In a way, there is something in that. It's not that we are serving God.
God is not disabled. [M.] 'Oh, I need all these humans
to do this for me because I can't quite move today'.
Service does not mean that. Service is for you, service is for us to grow, and to grow in unselfishness,
generosity and kindness. There is a path called 'karma yoga', which is the path to God
through selfless service. It means that we serve humanity,
we serve life, all of life, without wanting to get something out of it, like, 'We serve
because we feel compelled to serve'. I have met
some beautiful beings like this in India, even on my recent trip. They take a joy in service. Even with some task others may see,
'Wow, but how could you do that? It's so hard carrying all these things
up this hill to this place!' And they are not doing it like bodybuilders
to build up some muscles. They are doing it out of love.
It feels like that. They are not doing it because,
'Oh, God will be pleased!' Some people feel,
'I am trying to please God'. This is OK.
At least it is not trying to please their ego. Unless they are trying to please an ego that likes to feel that it's pleasing God. I don't know. I can just say that
there is something in us that, as we become more true,
our discernment becomes much more pure. 'I wish also to be part of his plan, but also understand that
there is nothing to do.' It's something to do with, maybe,
a kind of Christian orientation, and now discovering more yourself, not as a person,
who is going to be rewarded by God and find its purpose
from that paradigm of looking, but more discovering that you are consciousness. And consciousness is not just
the lazy man's way to enlightenment! Consciousness is discovering that, actually, it is not so much about the doing, but rather to know yourself
as the very being itself. And that the doing, the activities and actions, are the play of the life force or the prana. The life force
is the animating power of the universe. Maybe this isn't easy to understand,
for many people. The sense of doing good,
OK, let's leave it like that, 'I do this and I do that', for now. We say, 'I do', 'I do this thing'. But what we see in many cases is that this feeling of 'I',
often accumulates arrogance and pride, a sense of specialness,
or the other extreme of unworthiness, feeling unsuccessful, rejected and these things. As long as the feeling of 'I' in us
takes a personal mode, then we enjoy and suffer the consequences of identifying as an 'I' personally, or the 'I' that is consciousness,
which is impersonal. This is why I said earlier, Don't make your stand
as 'I' in the body-mind field. If your 'I' is placed as consciousness, everything becomes beautiful, more smooth. I will continue with this great letter, 'I wish to be a part of God's plan,
but also understand, there is nothing to do'. This is a mental thing, to an extent, because even to understand ...
It's not that there's nothing to do, activities will still continue to happen. But yourself acting as the doer of them will diminish in its sense of importance. Because it is not just the doing,
but who you are in that doing. It is not just the actions, actions, actions, but if you feel, 'I am the doer of it',
pride may come. If you see,
by paying attention to your own being, that things happen unexpectedly, and very often, when you are quiet and open, you see that these happenings, although they appear to be
spontaneous and unexpected, they somehow carry you within them in a way that seems cared for and harmonious, this is the one that is not doing. You see, activities happen through this body, but still, there is a sense that
I am not really doing. Many people in satsang,
when they work together, like, for instance, when we had to travel
to another country for satsang, our team may have to go to an ashram that hasn't been used for some months, so it looks neglected, and it needs cleaning. And we all come together to work together. And many people will tell you,
'It is like we were wind assisted. It was like the wind of grace has carried us. We felt that we had to do so many things,
get so dirty, but it turned out to be such a joy! We felt privileged to be part of this group because if we sweated,
our sweat tasted sweet to us because it was a joy. We were pulled into
an unexpected vibration of much joy, and we simply became unafraid
of participating like that.' In a sense, they are saying,
'We forgot our self. And we became our Self.' [Mooji] So, Daniel,
let me read a bit more from you. 'Although there is always
more silence in my life, there is also a huge worry
that I won't be useful to God'. Let me tell you something. In this play of life,
whether you like it or not, you play a role that
has been designated to play. OK? The role in itself, in its outer expression,
is one thing, but you are to understand inside your being,
your true nature. Someone can be awake to the fullness
of the Truth of who they are, and they may continue to be a shoe-shiner, or a dustman, or a doctor, or a politician,
on the outer side. They are doing that, but they have fulfilled their life's opportunity and purpose.
They have awakened to the Truth. If there is a God who is going to judge you, He is not going to say,
'Listen, I made you with so much potential, and you just end up working in a supermarket. What am I going to do with you?' No. That is a very human thing. No. Your realisation,
your realisation is what is important! That you wake up to the Truth of who you are. That is your work!
That is your purpose and opportunity! Above all things, because whatever human beings have done,
it largely gets forgotten. Even by our own self. Let's think of yesterday. Yesterday was, in some way,
just like we are sitting now, and I can look at you, or you can look at me,
you are sitting here, you are aware of your sense of presence
and all of this now. Yesterday had the same quality of perceiving. [M.] It was rich, it was in the moment, [Mooji] the pulse of life
was very exact in each moment. Like that. [Mooji] But it is gone. It is gone. I cannot reach back
and take a sample of yesterday and bring it back and show you today. That is the nature of the play of life, of the nature of forms, shapes and time.
It is a continuous flux. OK? And yet, there is something here
that is not in flux. It is aware of movement, and it is aware of movement
by itself being totally still. This is how it is. We have to realise, what is that principle?
What is that, that all of life in all of its
most rigorous expressions cannot affect it? A great sage, Sri Nisargadatta Maharaj,
said this thing, he said, 'I am that principle that witnessed the dissolution of the entire universe, yet, I remain untouched'. A little man from Mumbai, smoking beedies,
is saying this. A giant of spirituality and realisation. It is not so much about what you do, but what you come to realise
about yourself and what you are. This satsang, this gathering today,
is just for that opportunity. That is the opportunity.
You are fulfilling your opportunity and purpose by being present to check within yourself, and to look and to come
to the place of such total stillness, such total perfection
as I perceive within this body-mind, and know without any doubt that, that is the fundamental reality of yourself. And it is not a concept. It is not a philosophy.
It is not a religion. It is not even a path! 'When will non-doing become service?' When there is non-doing without a non-doer, the greatest service is rendered. There is a Buddhist saying which says, 'Chopping, chopping wood ... Before enlightenment, chopping wood ...' And something about water? 'Fetching water, chopping wood,
before enlightenment. After enlightenment,
fetching water, chopping wood.' They said that. I read it, you know.
But I added something. I said, Before enlightenment,
chopping wood and fetching water. Same way. After enlightenment,
chopping wood and fetching water, and I said, But no wood-chopper! No water-fetcher. What does it mean? The identity of being the doer of it is like giving a natural universal happening, the shape of an individual doer accomplishing it. But it is happening by itself, and it is happening in front
of your own presence and consciousness. But when consciousness plays as a human being, it wants the recognition of being a person,
'I did this!'. 'Oh, I did this really well!'
'I did this better than you!' That is where the false subject
comes from, actually. But it doesn't go away so easily. And I will tell you,
don't try to force its leaving. Only try to understand this. And also, not just to understand,
but to verify, to prove it. You see, you are experiencing anyway. You cannot go and say,
'OK, today I have experienced enough! So tomorrow ...'
'Yesterday, I have been experiencing so much, today I am taking a day off from experiencing. I'm not going to experience anything.' [Mooji] You can't stop experiencing.
Experiencing is just happening. You are not the doer of experiencing. Experiencing takes place in consciousness,
witnessed in consciousness. Who is this witness? You are here. Give this a chance because I feel that we have been too deeply impregnated with this concept of being a doer.
And the doer-idea in us makes us largely overly responsible,
or not responsible, and pride, arrogance,
and all of these things came in with it. 'When will non-doing become service? How can I serve even before completing
my task of realising my true nature?' Realise the task ... I wouldn't even put it as a, 'Task of realising'. I say it is the opportunity and the joy
of realising your true nature. That is the single most important opportunity. The highest realisation in the human kingdom is to wake up to the Truth of what you are. That is what happened
in the case of the Buddha, of Lord Christ, of Lord Rama,
Sri Anandamayi Ma, Papaji, Sri Nisargadatta Maharaj,
Sri Ramana Maharshi, so many who have gone before. And it is the same for you.
It's the same for you. These Masters awakened
to the Truth of themself. Some of them became very quiet.
Some became very active. It doesn't matter.
Whatever is your prarabdha karma, meaning, whatever this body was brought in to do, the function, it will happen,
but it will not affect your realisation. [Mooji] I am so with you on this one.
I am so with you, Daniel. [Questioner: Daniel] Yes.
[Mooji] Yes, yes. [Q.] I feel like I have no more control, or no more influence
over that process of Self-realisation. And I feel like,
even when I get fed up with searching, it just goes on by itself
and the moments just come. The realisations, the smaller realisations,
the inner wisdom ... [Mooji] All of that is the activity
of the mind-body consciousness. Right now, for everyone who is here, I would just say, just like I am putting this
beautiful letter down, let's just for a moment be willing
to let go of our questions, just put them aside for a moment. Whatever thoughts are coming in the mind, you cannot take them out
and put them somewhere, but something just as good, is to just be willing
to ignore them for a moment. Like the children are crying,
but everything is fine. Just leave them for a moment. I need your attention
for just a couple of moments. Simply don't be giving attention to anything that appears
or arises in your mind. Just for the moment!
Afterwards you can go back and do this. But I want to see,
if it is really possible for you to be totally, totally empty for a moment.
And by empty I don't mean, 'Something is sticking in my brain,
and I can't get it out'. No. Just leave it for a moment.
Don't give it your attention. Not giving your attention to something
is itself emptiness. You don't have to go and take it somewhere
and detonate it by some bomb, to get rid of something.
Simply, you're not giving your attention. Your attention ...
Attention is one of your super powers. It is so potent inside your being, that wherever your attention goes,
whatever it lands on, you are calling it your experience. Attention has been given
a very, very high standing. But still it is not you! So much so that,
if attention is erratic or restless, you are able to say,
'My attention is very ... I can't focus right now.
My attention is all over the place.' Something witnesses even attention. That in which attention
or inattention is witnessed, is greater than attention.
So don't worry. All I say is, don't give out your attention
to anything at the moment. Just for a few moments.
Leave everything for now. Just as though a space has opened,
and everything is just [exhales] out. And do it. You can. It is very safe. I am here with you. Just allow this now. So, whatever thought of past or future, or even of your most intimate
personal identity and memories, just leave them for a moment. Just like when you go into sleep
and deep sleep is happening, all those are nowhere to be found. But now, you are doing it consciously. Consciously leave everything. It is possible. It is possible. Do it. And it does not take long. Some people can be in this state in an instant. If you say, 'Yes, but some thoughts are still buzzing around like wasps',
it doesn't matter. Don't give them attention. Leave them there.
Learn to do this! If you don't succeed tonight,
keep practising and see, it becomes easier. Leave everything, leave everything right now. Hold on to no shape at all. If everything that was perceivable, was taken away, one by one or all together,
so all are gone, as it is now, are you not here? [Q.] Yes.
[Mooji] Yes. [M.] So, when I say 'you',
I mean even all your history, your personality, your albums, your relationships,
your aspirations, your projections, everything that you could associate with,
all of that leave aside. There remains something here
that cannot be taken out, cannot be removed. Are you aware of this? [Q.] Yes. [Mooji] Are you dead? [Q.] No. It is just my presence. [Mooji] You say that this is your presence? [Q.] I think so, I can't give it any name. [Mooji] Yes, don't create! Don't imagine. It needs no help from anyone,
including any sense of you. It is simply here.
In fact, it is more here than you. It is more here than the 'you' that
you consider yourself to be. No imagination, no creative thinking,
no time is needed. This, This that you are paying attention to, is this a religion here? [Q.] No.
[Mooji] No. [Mooji] Does it have any purpose? [Q.] No. [Mooji] Can it be sick or frustrated at all? [Q.] No. [Mooji] Can it belong to one nation,
or one person, and not to another? [Q.] No. [Mooji] I want to ask this for all of you also. This, This that is simply here,
can it be pushed away? [Q.] No. [Mooji] Can it fade? Can it fade? OK, use your imagination. Tomorrow you have to go to work and so on.
Can it go away? Is it a mood? [Mooji] Is it a feeling? Did you create it? [Q.] No. [Mooji] Can it judge? [Mooji] Does it judge anyone?
[Questioner shakes head 'No'] [M.] Does it look
towards a sense of a 'you' and say, 'Oh, what have you done with this opportunity and purpose that
I've made for you?' Is there anything like that in it? Was it born? Does it have a date of birth? Can it end? Can it die? Is it happy that we are speaking about it? [Q.] I am just so lost right now. [Mooji] Who? Who is this 'I' that is lost? [Q.] I cannot find it.
[Mooji] Ah! [Mooji] Do you know why you cannot find this 'I'? Because it cannot exist here. [Mooji] Don't panic, I am here.
I am here. OK? The mind is saying, 'Oh, I'm lost, I'm lost!
Where am I? I can't find it.' But it is just wind. You are here. This is you, too. In fact, this is you, your Self, what you are.
Not personally! This is you totally, in fact. [Mooji] Here, do you have a history? You see, as long as you are holding on
to the past, mind, or identity, some fear might come here. But if you truly leave them aside,
you are finally home. This is exactly what the Buddha discovered. This is at the heart of Christ Consciousness,
of Krishna Consciousness. This is your God Self, your consciousness Self. It has no history. It is uncreated, imperishable. Can it suffer from thoughts? Can it have bad days? Look for yourself, all of you. Is it personal? The person and the personal
are highly overrated and imagined. This is your true place. This is the only place that you can say is eternal or timeless, deathless. This is your imperishable life. Of course, the mind is going to rebel and say, 'Oh, look at that, you're lost.
What are you going to do? Where's your future going to be now?
Who will want to be with you?' And all this kind of stuff. And if you are clinging
to those old regimes of identity, fear will come for you. You see, although this is my natural state, functioning in the world happens. I can still send an email
or speak like I am speaking now. I enjoy my meals. I love going to walk in the forest,
I speak with friends, and everything is natural for me. But nothing is really sticking. And it need not be sticky. I have a family. I have a son and a daughter. All these things are here with me. But, can trouble come?
Yes, some things can come like this, but they are so superficial,
and none of them stay. Everything that comes, goes. This is the nature of things. That is the nature of shapes.
All come. All go. There is nothing bad in that. It is truthful. From the beginning of the play of time,
it has been like that. But here, that I am pointing you to,
there is no time. We have not really understood. Sometimes we have brought our own concepts here, wanting our conceptual identity
to have a role here. But there are no roles here. Here there is only the pure bliss of the real. Here the perfume is love,
peace, joy, and harmony. Here, when you speak, wisdom comes. Am I speaking about a positive state?
It is beyond positive and negative. It is pure, and whether you like it or not, it is your fundamental nature. But you can only know this
when you wake up to it. If there is a sadness, it is that a life is lived in the plane and in the notion
or mode of only ego, and to be asleep to this,
to not be aware of this. Because here I am not pushing life about. I need not hold on to ambitions about life. I am not thinking about a future because in every instant, my life is as it is. And it is enough, and it is complete! We search for happiness. Why?
Because we are unhappy. You search for success because you feel that
presently you are not successful. But the Truth is beyond success and failure. I am at this place. [Q.] You know, Guruji,
I came to Portugal, looking for you, but I never expected to find you in this way. So, thank you very much. [Mooji] I am very happy
when I read your letters, and I don't see you 'there'. I see you behind it, here with me. I read your letter, no?
I read the words of your letter. The words that come also from your mind,
from conditioning and culture. I understand these words, I understand them.
I understand this life. You see, they are not alien to me,
I understand them. But I want to introduce you to the one
who is before all of this, and after all of this, who is always present. That is your true nature,
eternally happy and at peace. Are you capable of
feeling sadness and anger? Yes, all these waves can come,
but none of them stick. Everything can flow.
I don't have the feeling anymore that this should not happen,
or that could never happen. No! Anything can happen.
I see it enough times. But what I am is not a happening. What I am, just Is. It is not my belief. It is not my philosophy.
It is not my religion. It is only my Self. It is your Self also. The more you come to recognise it
as I try to point ... I can point you more easily
to what you are not. I can't point you to what you are because it is in no direction that I can see. Behind the pointing finger
and what it intends to find, you are already here
in a place of total stillness. You only have to somehow get accustomed
to your emptiness also. Emptiness and fullness
mean the same thing to me. They are just words. When I speak of the Self,
it is not a word, it's not a concept. It is not a belief.
It is not a place that I go to. It is the Self, and the Self of every being. It's not my personal Self,
so I have nothing to boast about, 'Hey, look over here, I have got the Self!' No. I am the Self. You are also the Self. But to awaken to this
and to recognise it experientially, this is the opportunity that I see, and that I try to encourage you towards. The old ways of thinking have not served you. They have made you feel like a failure. I am not showing you
a new way of thinking, necessarily. I am showing you what is timeless in you. Because if I show you a new way of thinking, it will bring its own new troubles also. I only try to show you,
where you are totally at rest, totally at peace, totally happy,
totally fulfilled. And it is not a personal accomplishment. [Mooji] And I love you.
[Q.] Thank you very much. I love you so much. [Mooji] Everything about you truly is lovable.
All of you. Everyone. Yes. Because only from the Self
can love really flourish, for the Self, to the Self,
by the Self, in the Self. I have these meetings like this just to have the opportunity
to keep reminding you, until you need not to be reminded. And it is a great joy and privilege for me. [Q.] Thank you so, so much.
[Mooji] Thank you. [Mooji] Remember, it takes ...
As I said earlier, the personal state is a high maintenance state, and it produces so little. It takes a lot of energy to be a person, but we are so used to it,
it feels like we don't take any energy. But in reality,
it takes no energy to be your true Self. But from the standpoint of the person, it is really hard to be your true Self. This is the paradox, you see. And this paradox is changing,
as we speak and as we are. [Mooji] Thank You.
[Q.] Thank you. Thank you very much. [Mooji] OK, OK, OK. I feel that it is a good note
to leave and to end on today. This session is coming to a close. My words will stop. But what I am and what you are
will never close and can never stop. That is my happy message to you. What I say, will disappear in the wind, but where I speak from can never leave. I only come to remind you
of the purity, the love. All my words have failed! All my words. Everything I say with words fails.
I cannot convey. I am my words.
I am what I am pointing you to. And you are what I am pointing you to. That is my happy message.
I say 'happy' because it cannot fail. I would like to take just a few moments
to sit quietly with you, if you allow me to do this
before we come to a close, and to thank you for your attention. I know that sometimes,
when we speak like this ... Because the mind is present, he comes, and to be truthful,
the mind has to hear this also. But he rebels while he is in this world, and while he is in the shape
that you have given him, he will rebel. He is the voice that feels intimate to you,
even a part of you. The mind is what brings
and is spoken of as the carnal self. He is largely functioning as the deceiver. When the spirit of Truth
incarnates into a body, and takes on the qualities of the form,
it is deceivable, and the mind comes
to play the role of the deceiver. Somewhere in all of this
is a tremendous love of God and of Truth that we must experience this game, and by the power and wisdom that
is latent within ourselves to transcend this realm
of illusions and delusions. It is only a question of time. For some people it is today. For others maybe tomorrow, maybe later. Maybe another life. I don't know. But I am here with you today, and I'm happy that beings such as yourself
are on this planet. Because if you were not,
if there was no interest in the Truth, I would not wish to be here. So, with this love I come to you,
just to remind you. Father is not waiting. He is always here. Truth is not waiting. It is not impatient. It is not judging. It is not like a human being.
It is perfect. And the greatest news of all,
this is the real you! Thank you. [silence] [music 'Guru Mata Pita' (traditional) by Radha, from the album 'Sahaja Samadhi'] Copyright © 2020 Mooji Media Ltd.
All Rights Reserved. No part of this recording may be reproduced without Mooji Media Ltd.'s express consent.
