Excerps from this article were published in the Finiancial Express e-Paper.
First Develop your Consciousness
When we speak of enlightened development, we must first develop our own consciousness. Everything must start with meditation. Without meditation you won’t be able to realize what is happening in the world, you won’t perceive spiritual power, (dharam), and you won’t even understand your own nature.
Meditation is such a power that you can understand what goes on around you, perceive the force within you, and you can even understand every person’s nature.
I’ll share this small example that you can see for yourselves. When I was a young man, I didn’t even have a beard yet, the vision came to me that Russia would one day become a very spiritual country. I had never even heard of Russia. When I asked someone about Russia, they told me if you take the name of God in Russia they will kill you. But I told them what I had seen in my vision. And when I went to Russia I found proof that spiritual power is literally erupting in Russia. There was so much evidence that even in the average person, I could see dharm, I could see love and I faith, saw truth within each one.
What is there to convert?
One problem must be addressed immediately: we must stop those who want to convert others to their religion. This movement must be stopped. I ask what dharm is there to change. The person is the same, he has the same features, all we need to do is just change his thoughts. When a person’s consciousness changes, then the person changes.
Now people are talking about converting others to their religion. I have always been against this practice from the very beginning and today I still take a firm stand against conversion.
Someone people are concerned, even suspicious that Babaji might come to change our religion. What is there to change? I come to change people’s consciousness, to improve their habits, to change their way of thinking,
What is dharm – it is love and faith. How can we change that? All those who have come in the name of God, the Prophets and Messiahs, have come and changed people’s consciousness. When good thoughts come then the conditions in a country will change for the better. As long as people’s thoughts are bad then they will incite conflict and revolts in their countries.
So we should take this cue and first develop our consciousness. But our consciousness will be only changed through meditation.
The Scientist and the Dervish are after the Same Truth
My feeling is that the scientist and the dervish are not separate. They both are in search of Truth. One looks within themselves for the Creator, the other searches for the essence of nature. The dervish is 24hours a day absorbed in his search for the Creator, trying to plumb the depths of his consciousness, and will one day find God. Similarly, the scientist is totally focused on his research on Nature. When the scientist discovers the essence of nature he extracts power from that. The telephone, television, and so many other inventions have come through the mind of man. This is the work of science.
And yet there are many things which have been revealed by Dharm (spiritual power) which science has not yet discovered. There is still so much to be grasped.
According to my vision, there are 14 planets with human beings. There is life in the universe. They are very beautiful people, advanced in science and very good people. And I can tell you that in a short time scientists will discover this and begin to speak about it. There is much going on in the universe that we have yet to discover.
Let Us Learn to Love Each Other and Live in Peace
So that’s why I tell you that we must learn to live as brothers and sisters. And learn to love each other. The Prophets have told us to love our neighbors, but our neighboring countries are also our neighbors. Let us learn to live in peace.
But we don’t possess love so what can we do? Take love from the source that is filled with love. Jesus one day said to his disciples, you only come to me when you have nothing else to do. What kind of love is that? Come to me when you are busy and leave your work to come. I don’t need that useless love you bring when you come to me only after you have finished your work. Love comes from within. Take that love from me and then share it. This is the rarest commodity in the world today.
Why Should Poverty Exist at All?
The purpose of this forum is to discuss why poverty should exist at all.
Everyone is talking about getting rid of poverty. The whole world is crying let’s get rid of poverty but poverty still exists. Every country puts forth their own representative, all organizations put forward their own speakers, but poverty continues unabated. So let’s understand that poverty does not really exist. With full faith, I want you to realize this.
I am not from a rich family. I came from a very poor family where we never had enough to eat. But I made up my mind that I should not beg from anyone. I thought, ‘Let’s get up and work. Share with the people and feed yourself.’ Now I can tell you that I have a surplus of everything. And everything I have is for the people. We organize medical camps, bring the Doctors, provide food, and I go and preach for the uplift of those in need.
We Will Rid the World of Poverty
I want you too to feel that you can get rid of poverty. And we will from today make a commitment to rid the world of poverty. People may well ask, “how can you go into such an area or country?” Go everywhere, but maintain your program.
I want to share something with you. Raise yourself so high that God comes and asks, “What can I do for you?” “What do you need?” Why run after people?
I have full faith that one day the current conditions will change and you yourselves will see a change in the world.
This is God’s mission, and mine. Naresh never sleeps because it is his mission to rid the world of poverty. Even in his dreams he is thinking about this. And one day it will happen because God wants poverty to be eliminated. God will listen to your prayers.
Poverty is nothing. It has no basis.
We Are the Government
One thing I saw when I went to Russia. People don’t work. They think the king will give us a home, feed us and will take care of all our needs. That’s why poverty has spread throughout the country. Forget these ideas. The king is management. Cooperate with him, work along with him, and he too will change. He will change and wealth will come if you begin to work.
What is government? We are all government. If we need electricity – that’s government. Setting up a speaker, that’s government, the one who grows the food.
This is not a drama where we continually hold meetings just to talk of poverty, eat and then go back to our homes. Take this to heart and if any of you have any questions, please ask them. Give full force to your questions. I will definitely answer you in any way. And don’t be shy and don’t be afraid. I am most happy with the person who asks the toughest questions.
There is No Such Thing as Poverty
So please ask any questions, I have shared my feelings. What’s the use of repeating the same thing? Whether I tell you once or repeat it over the course of the year, I will share the same thing: “There is no such thing as poverty.” There is no poverty. This is something we’ve created. It is man made. It has no basis – no roots. Get rid of it. Share with those in need.
Share – Don’t Hoard Your Wealth
Those who become rich are sitting comfortably on their wealth. Why? That’s not God’s teaching. Share with those in need. Share with the people. What are you going to do hoarding your wealth? If one of your children is irresponsible he’ll blow all your wealth and you’ll be left with nothing.
And when you die, you’ll be beaten. They’ll tell you, “You never did anything for the world.” Here people may salute you but there you’ll be beaten. They’ll beat you up. They will question you, ‘when you received all this you were told to share, why didn’t you do it?’ So that’s why I tell you let all adopt these things. Share your thoughts. Share your work. You will have to work. If you don’t work, even those things which you have will one day be exhausted.
So share whatever God has given you, work with the poor and share among each other. If you want to become good human beings you will live by this simple formula:
- Respect those who have more
- Make friends with those on the same level
- And show kindness to those beneath you.
- You will never be disappointed. You’ll always live happily.
You Will See the Change With Your Own Eyes
So let’s practice these things and the change will come. It will definitely come. It is my firm faith. One day you yourselves will see these changes. Today you may not be able to accept what I say. But the changes will come.
When I first went to Russia, I told them conditions will change. Half the people said, “How can that be possible, the fires of unrest are burning in our country.” But I told them according to my vision, change will come.
Now They See Darkness but Good Will Come
They see darkness, and live in darkness. All they see is the negative actions (the killings and the corruption in the world) Those actions will stop. Evil will be crushed and good will develop.
People are responsible for the events in the world. One good person stands up and the whole world changes. The majority has never brought change to the world. Whenever the world has changed, it is because of those of quality. What is the majority? Sheep are standing in the field. One lion appears and roars and half of them die from fear.
So don’t look at numbers, develop quality.
Take God’s blessings. Your door to God is closed and you’ve left the door of your mind wide open. Your mind will only create worry for you. You can’t see beyond your own limited thoughts.
You must have many questions. Feel free to ask me whatever you want. Demand proof and even if you are not polite) ask with disrespect, I’ll still be happy. No problem. You are all blessed.
This is Naresh’s program. He works day and night. He is trying to put my ideas into practice, so naturally we are all with him.
So please ask anything you want. Even if you get angry, it’s all right. Speak up. I’ll definitely answer you. Go ahead – speak up.
Babaji’s Closing Talk
When I look at the gathering here today, I remember that I had once seen in my vision, that people from leading countries, very intelligent people would come together. I’d always heard the words of Guru Nanak Dev ji
“all are part of my community I don’t see anyone as an outsider.”
But the position in the world today that I’ve observed for many years, is that the authorities in the Mandirs refer to themselves as Pujaris and those in Gurdwaras claim they are the only ones who can do ardas (offer prayers). They talk a lot and take your money. But this is not dharm.
Dharm is what we see developing here today in which everyone is included. I am firmly convinced that this movement will spread throughout the world. You are from leading countries and you are extremely intelligent. You are opinion leaders as well; some are leading scientists, some leading politicians, some leading thinkers.
So I want to tell you, you must forget the idea that religious places are the domains of any one group,.
The Church is for all, the mandirs are for all, gurdwaras are for all. Break these monopolies. They have destroyed our countries.
No Doubt the Guru’s Have Done Great Things, but What Have You Done?
What is the state of the world today? Those serving in Gurdwaras stand and repeat what Guru Gobind Singh and Guru Nanak did. No doubt they have done great things, and they are still present in the world today, but what have you done? Do something yourself. Stand up and make a statement. Leave behind these thoughts of divisiveness. The fires that are burning in the world today are because of these divisions we have created so break down the forts. Open the doors of your mind.
You’ve seen all the weaknesses. The church, the gurdwaras and the mosques have been so controlled, dominated by sectarian leadership that they have created hatred and jealousy among us.
Their teachings are wrong. One will say those who don’t take amrit will be punished. The others say those who don’t accept Jesus will be punished. They can’t even see beyond this world. Look at the here and now. You are receiving the punishment now because of them in the form of the anger and the jealousy that plagues the world.
So from this gathering I can see that my vision and my goal will be fulfilled. It will definitely be fulfilled. When you all come together. Then we will be able to say dharm has come.
Today we can say that we had a dharmic meeting because all people are sitting together: the leadership, those who may be leaders in their own religious traditions, political leadership, scientists, and worldly leaders. By our coming together the conflicts in the world will end. The conflicts in our families will end.
One day Jesus was speaking and said see me in the flowers, the rivers, in the green grass, the cool breezes, in the mountains, don’t lock me up. But today the Christians are the one’s who are the most restrictive.
I’ve been talking about this for years. I have no enmity with anyone, I love everyone. Prayers to Jesus is going on 24 hours a day. So it never enters my mind to think Jesus is a Christian. I feel he is ours. At the mosque people recite their nimaz and it never occurs to me that the Prophet Mohammed is a Muslim. I feel he is ours.
So that’s why with folded hands and great respect I request you, I’m not ordering you, but with great love I ask that you speak on these points and follow them. Then when we meet next time, come together next time, you will tell me that they were a source of great happiness, and you have seen great changes.
But we are not together today. You yourselves know that this is the cause of the conflict in the world today. Someone gets up to speak but they have no vision. They can’t see anything about God or the future of the world. Yet they just begin talking. They have no idea about heaven but they want to lecture everyone.
Those who are enlightened say: “I have no desire for life or death for heaven or earth”
So with folded hands I ask that you adopt these ideas and then my talk will be worthwhile and your coming here will be worthwhile and we’ll celebrate with great joy.
You are My Guests
Those of you who have come are all my guests. It is my duty to feed you well, give you a comfortable place to sleep and make sure all your needs are met. But what has happened in this country. Those who call themselves gurus steal from the foreigners. They are only looking to see what they are bringing for them. They don’t consider you guests. We should think of how we can serve you. Let’s try to serve each other. Come as guests and go as guests. Let’s go with joy. This is my mission.
I always laugh when I hear someone say that Jesus is mine. I laugh when someone says that Moses is mine. They’ve never even seen Moses. Those who say Jesus is theirs have never seen Jesus. If they had they would see Jesus in me. Jesus said love thy neighbor. Jesus is in your neighbor. They’ll see him in the trees, in the fresh air. He has no one camp. This is my vision, my inner feeling. And it is true. If you too believe it it’s good.
I’m very happy. You’ve all spoken very beautifully. You have no jealousy in your minds and bear no enmity for anyone. So I will pray for you that the whole world becomes like this.
You might be surprised. Some might even feel “what is Babaji saying?”
But I’m telling you those things that are true. What the world is saying is 100% wrong.
My apologies, but let the world come together. Let all countries come together. Let all our thoughts come together.
Share all you have. Don’t grasp it tightly to yourself. You don’t know what will happen tomorrow.
The Gurus say that after a person dies: We don’t even keep the dead for a few minutes. We want to get rid of their body as soon as possible.
Even the little hut is blessed where one sings God’s praises
The mansions are worthless where God is forgotten.
So that’s why I want to tell you my children that this is the essence of our coming together.
This is what Naresh devotes his entire life to. And he is successful and he will be even more successful.
Be Free
Those who try to clutch their wealth to them become so bound they can’t even breath.
Be free. See God everywhere. Guru Gobind Singh ji said God is omnipresent:
“In the water in the earth near and far”
So see God in the lawns, the oceans, the rivers, within us and all around us. Jesus also said that my Father is the Ruler of the Universe of all creation. He is providing everything we need.
And he spoke of the lily, saying you’re all so worried about your dress. Look at the lily, who gave it clothes? You want to look beautiful. See how soft and beautiful, how delicate the lily is.
Have Faith
Have faith. If you don’t have faith you have nothing. If you have faith God will walk with you.
I know He is with me and He won’t let anything happen to me, not even a hair on my head will be harmed. And if it happens it will be according to His order and then He’ll send me to Heaven.
I’m not really a lecturer. I’m a hard working man. But when I see all of you my feelings rise up within me and I have to tell you what a great thing has happened today.
Good Things Will Happen
The general public is good. There are a few bad people at the top who incite problems and the innocent public believes them.
What is sat yug? This can be sat yug. Love each other. Cooperate with each other. It is the same sun, the same moon. Day and night proceed as always. Let truth come in your minds. Love each other and open yourselves up. You are so restricted.
What is a birthday? A time to laugh and dance and enjoy yourselves.
Others will say: “dancing in not allowed in Sikhism. It’s bad” Show me where it is written? Dancing is not bad. There’s nothing wrong with dancing out of joy.
The Prophet Mohammed had spoken against dance. But then Christmas came and Abu Bakr, who was his father-in –law and one of his four friends, was standing at his side, when the people came dancing. Abu Bakr said “people are dancing, they’ve broken the law of Islam.”
The Prophet replied, “There are no rules today, it’s Jesus’s birthday. Everyone get up and dance”
These stories are written in the books. So remember these lessons, and keep truth and love within.
I want to tell the clergy: Let the people be free. Don’t try to control their every action. If you let them be free they’ll come home by themselves.
The people must rise above the management. Don’t run away because of their actions. If anyone has destroyed the world it’s the religious management. They have blocked the sun. They have bound people so tightly they can’t even breathe. So be free. When you are free, the blessings will shower down like rain. Why should we live without those blessings? Why shouldn’t we take all we can get?
You’ll Think When You Go Home?World Vision
I told you something yesterday that you may find hard to believe. But, my vision is never wrong. One day China, America and Russia will come together. Then you will understand that the conflicts will decrease and perhaps will even end. They will definitely come together. You may sit and wonder how this could ever happen. This is beyond you, so don’t waste any time questioning it. But, it will definitely happen. You can write it in your diaries.
Now we will visit each other. We’ve become brothers and sisters, and we’ll continue to meet.
But break those chains that keep us apart. They will just breed more hatred.
Open such a big gate that an elephant can pass easily. Now the doors of your mind are so small that a dog can’t even get through.
(To Naresh Singh) So it’s very good. Your program is very good. I’ll give you even greater blessings that you can create even bigger programs and travel throughout the world.
I remember the day we met. I was sitting in the plane and thought why don’t I meet any scientists. I mentioned this to Mary. Perhaps their might be a scientist on this flight. It must be that you have been my old companion. And you were there. A great discussion followed, about science and the world, about dharma. And you accepted what I said. And from that day, I felt whatever you were doing was right. We came together. And look today at all the people gathered today.
I’m very happy today. My happiness knows no bounds.
So I think we’ve filled our minds. Let’s now satisfy our stomachs. You might be hungry. Eat and if you’re tired or if there is anything at all you need, just let me know. This is your home. You are sitting in your own home.
This is always your home. Come whenever you want. Whatever is here is yours and whatever we don’t have, is also yours.
This is your house. We’ve named it Gobind Sadan, (God’s House without walls) where we do things together, where we speak of one community and we see everyone as one.
So today is a very happy day.
And you are still here for some time. If you have any more questions or anything comes to your mind, I will still be here and you can come and ask me. But I don’t think you have any questions left at this point. Give some time for your questions to form.