All karmas (actions) spring forth in the divine consciousness called Brahman. The illusion that they are being performed by different people is called Maya. Knowledge is that, which realises the doer of all actions to be One. The first step towards this knowledge is to realise that we are just a witness in this creation. To realise that ‘‘I am a witness’’ is Atmagyan or self-knowledge. To realise ‘‘I am the Doer of all actions’’ is Brahmagyan or cosmic knowledge.

 

Wisdom is knowing that everybody is an instrument in the hands of the divine. When we are just an instrument, then the question of a good or bad action or the question of praise or criticism does not arise. The wise do not criticise the one who does a bad action, nor is he overwhelmed by praise.

 

Forgiveness is a balm to soothe the mind which is full of hatred and aversion. Normally when somebody has done a bad action its doer ship brings guilt. Asking for forgiveness frees one of this guilt.

 

Similarly forgiving others frees one from anger and hatred. The person with little knowledge forgives others to save himself while an egotist expects others to ask for forgiveness to satisfy his ego.

 

Those who give or seek forgiveness are not established in knowledge. The wise does not forgive! For he knows that the culprit indeed is not the doer. He realises that he is beyond the purview of causality. What is the need to forgive when there is no other?

 

When someone’s ego is hurt, he becomes destructive and hurts others, justifying his own pain as the cause for his actions and reinforcing his ego.

 

There are three levels of knowledge. At the first level, the person thinks ‘‘some one else can hurt me’’. At the second level, a person thinks ‘‘I am hurt’’. A person suffering from pain wants to get rid of it and resorts to prayer. At the third level, the wise knows that he is beyond hurt, stays untainted at all times and recognises the play of karma and stays surrendered at all times.

 

If you are not surrendered, then you get into the cause and effect of actions and the cycle of karma continues. The wise will always find good in other people, because he sees them all as instruments of the divine. He sees divinity even in a thief. An average person will sometimes see divinity, sometimes negativity in others and hence stays in conflict. But one who is emotionally disturbed will find fault even in a saint.

 

In Christianity the emphasis is on forgiveness and not on the cause-and-effect theory. The main objective here is to save the mind and have compassion. In Jainism, the emphasis is on non-violence. While in Jainism, you ask for forgiveness from people, in Christianity you only ask for forgiveness from God. There is a festival in Jainism called Kshamavani (which is held in end August-early September) where one asks for forgiveness for mistakes committed consciously or unconsciously.

 

Thus Christianity uses forgiveness to calm violence and anger in oneself, while Jainism uses forgiveness to reduce violence and anger in others.

 

However Ashtavakra (the great sage who is the author of the famous treatise Ashtavakra Gita) uses forgiveness as a tool to free one from bondage. Guilt and anger also cause bondage, and hence forgiveness is used to free oneself from these emotions. Ashtavakra advises forgiveness only for the seeker, not for the enlightened, when he says that ‘‘the seeker should be forgiving, focussed and compassionate’’.

 

Ashtavakra uses forgiveness in the beginning of his treatise, while Jesus uses forgiveness in the end, when he says, ‘‘Forgive them for they know not what they do.’’ Ashtavakra begins where Jesus ends.

Old people are no different from children! You should treat them like kids. Like children, they are adamant and repeat the same things! They talk about the same thing over and over again, without realising they have already said it several times! When a pattern sets in them, you accept them as they are. They are the best practical example for you to demonstrate that you have followed the first principle of the Art of Living – “Accept people as they are”. They come into your life and make you realise that. You cannot change old people overnight, or even in a period of time. You need to accept them.

 

See, there is some wisdom in what they are saying. Sometimes, you are unable to see wisdom in what an experienced, mature person says. They speak from their own experience, over the years. Understand that they have a different set of experiences than yours. So don’t get upset if they don’t change! If you accept them as they are, a miracle will happen. If you give them space, love and compassion, they slowly start changing. But you need to have a lot of patience. You will learn patience dealing with old people, with grannies, who have certain patterns!

 

Also, don’t take their moods too seriously! If they’re upset, don’t take it too seriously because then, you won’t be able to communicate with them. Don’t try to convince them. Sometimes, they just want to pour out their heart to you. If they are grumbling, they are just grumbling. They’re saying it, but they don’t really mean it! If they say, “I’m so upset” – they may say it, but they will still go and have their food, watch television and do all their things – but when they see you, they say, “Oh, I’m so upset, I never ate food, I didn’t do this, I didn’t do that!” If you take all their complaints seriously, you become miserable, and won’t be able to help them. You should realise it’s only their way of communicating. People who are very aged or sick just want to communicate with you, but what is it that they can share? When people don’t have enthusiasm, they will only share their grievances. That doesn’t mean that they are purely miserable. There is a corner in them that is untouched by any amount of misery. Whether it is extreme joy, happiness or misery, there is a part in every human being that remains untouched.

 

It is the same with people who appear to be very miserable. In reality, they are not that miserable, but they talk, talk, talk and talk! Especially when you know that someone cares for you, you don’t always go to him (or her) with a smile and with joy. You go to him (or her) with all your problems and complaints! This is the normal course of things in the world. Isn’t that so?

 

Suppose you are at a big party, you will go find your very close friend and complain, “The party is good, but this should have been better and that should have been better. They should have put that thing there. This light is not good. That curtain is a little crooked and you know there is no salt in this food…did you taste the food?!” You will find your close friends and talk, but you won’t complain to the host. Out of good manners, you won’t go and complain to someone new! The same is true of elderly people!

 

There is a nice story. A man earned a lot of money and then gave all his property to his son. When his son got everything, he built a small out-house behind the main house for his parents and he told them, “Now you have to stay there.” So the old couple stayed there, while their son and his family started living in the big bungalow. One day, while playing, the grandchild came into his grandfather’s home, where everything was old and in a very poor, pathetic condition – old utensils, old chairs, all unwanted goods. Things that could break at any time were kept in that house. So the grandchild came and told his grandpa, “Grandpa, be careful with your plate and your chair. Don’t break them!” When he asked why, the child said, “Because tomorrow, my father needs all this.” The child’s father heard this and was shocked. That little boy saying, “Grandpa don’t break it because tomorrow, when I grow older, I’m also going to send my father here. So better save this!”

 

One does not realise this fact. You are also going to be old one day, and are going to be like them. If you find that the elderly people in your home are complaining, and you don’t like it, you better not do it today, and if you see them as being so generous, so calm, so serene, so loving, you better start being that way right now. And I tell you, if you’re on the path, in the knowledge, and if you keep doing your meditation and the breathing exercises, your ageing reverses! That enthusiasm to learn will exist and your alertness, focus, attention – everything – increases in life. You will not become cynical and senile as you advance in age.

Everybody asks for blessings. Usually people say, “Guruji, please give me blessings”. Even if someone doesn’t want anything, they need blessings! Whichever Guru you go to, the only words which come out are, “Give me blessings”. And these are mere words tumbling out of your mouth. But how do we obtain blessings? We have not learnt this.

 

There is no dearth of blessings. You get more blessings than necessary. There is sunlight, a burning blaze of bright light all 12 hours of the day, but your doors and windows are tightly shut. Then, how is it possible for light to enter? If the sun’s light has to reach you, you cannot sit in a dark room and keep chanting on a microphone, “I want sunlight, I want sunlight!” This will not bring the sunlight in. You have to open the doors and windows, so that light may enter on its own.

 

When you ask for blessings, you should have an honest and clean mind. When you have a truthful mind, that mind becomes capable of receiving and absorbing blessings. When does the mind become truthful? When there is nothing to hide, no dirt in the mind and the mind is open. Blessings should only be asked with an open mind.

 

If somebody asks, “How are you?”, you answer saying “I am fine”. You, in reality, will not be fine at that point in time. In spite of that, you say, “I am fine, doing very well and on top of the world” and you are boiling inside! When you communicate without hiding anything inside you, with an open and innocent mind, only from this level will you acquire the capability of receiving blessings.

 

Now, why are we not honest in this way? That is because we are not communicating with ourselves. We are not living with the real truth in us. We are under the illusion that we may get something in this world of objects. The most common comment that people make often is that politicians are not honest. Why are not many politicians honest? That is because their mind is only outward bound. They are always calculating and keeping watch of how much and what they can loot. If they want to loot people then it is not possible to be honest. Why? This is because they are dependent on somebody else. If you have to depend on somebody, then depend only on the divine power. The powerful God is the strength of the powerless.

 

It is not that we always obtain whatever we wish. Many a times, our desires will not be fulfilled. There are many times when we regret our desires and wonder why we ever wished for them. Isn’t it? You desire something and then you regret as to why you desired it. We live under the illusion that we will live happily when we obtain all objects of our desire. You should keep observing your desires. Only then you will know whether you will really derive happiness from your desire or if you will land in more trouble because of the desires.

 

It is said that, “Daivadheenam Jagat Sarvam, Mantradheenam tu daivatam” which means that the whole creation is under the control of Gods and the Gods are under the spell of mantras. All that you are seeing in this gross world is just a reflection arising from the subtle world. The one who works in the subtle world is known as Devatha or God. Surrender to the Gods in the subtle plane. This is known as “Ishwara Pranidhaana”. God does not mean that you simply visit a temple and break the coconut and come back after offering a prayer.

 

There is one honest corner in our consciousness. Just go and sit there. The moment you sit in that silent, honest corner of your consciousness, that very moment, you are tapping divine energy. “All the forms in the world reside in my consciousness,” this experience will gradually begin to happen to you. You will realise that you are not only the body. You are that consciousness which is very vast and spread everywhere, on all sides. It is necessary to realise that you are not just the body. “Who am I? This body is only a small window, that is all. I am really the Sun. When the Sun enters the window, does the window itself become the Sun? No. Sun only enters through the window. Moonlight is entering in, but the Moon is very far away. In the same way, I am far away from the body. In spite of being far away, I am still in the body”. This feeling should arise in you again and again. For that you need honesty. This requires practice.

 

Then, even if you don’t need, blessings will always be showered on you!