Question & Answer

Question: Why does the human mind fear death and dying? How does this fear affect the last window of enlightenment which is offered to the soul-body as it leaves the earth?

Swamiji: I will begin with the first question, “Why does the human mind fear death and dying?” First we have to discuss, “What is the human mind?” Is there such a thing as the human mind? What is the mind? Is the mind real? Where is the abode of the mind? Where does the mind exist? There is no place of the mind because the mind is what the mind uses to create itself. The mind is but an assimilation of billions and billions of thoughts that assimilate and coagulate into the ego concept. First of all, the mind itself is not an entity—that is the first illusion of mankind. To think that you have a mind is your first flaw. There is no mind. The mind is an assimilation and accumulation of a multitude of thoughts that are not even yours. So what is it that truly fears death and dying? I won’t say it is the mind. What I would say is that, it is the ego that is fearful of death and dying. Because it is truly only the ego, with all of its attachments and desires, that relies on the human body. There is only one thing in all of creation that is fearful of anything, and that is the ego because the ego is the only thing that is tied to the physical being. Spirit has no fear because spirit is in truth: it knows it never dies. But the ego knows that it has died because it is chained to the physical body.

So first of all, it is not the mind because there is no mind. It is the ego creation of the human being that is so fearful of death and dying. Since you were born, you have had the idea of a name and a form of all things you like and dislike. Everything that is familiar to you is wrapped around the ego-concept that you have built up over many births. So this ego-concept is the only thing that is fearful of death because if the ego doesn’t have a body, then what is it? It is nothing. The main toy for the ego is the human body: its existence lies in the senses of the body. If the body is not there, then the ego is gone because it has the belief that it exists only because of the human body.

The second part, “How does this fear affect the last window of enlightenment which is offered to the soul-body as it leaves the earth?” Enlightenment is about expansion. Fear is about constriction and restriction. Light has to expand into light: light cannot constrict into light. Constriction is darkness. That is the effect of fear on the ego. It keeps the soul encapsulated in a shield of darkness via the medium of fear; therefore, its chances of enlightenment are diminished. This is why the truly enlightened are not fearful of death. They are welcoming of death.

Question: You speak about the ego. Is the ego also just an accumulation of thoughts?

Swamiji: The ego is an accumulation of samskaras (impressions), karmas (actions) and your concepts of ‘I-ness’ from past and present lives.

Question: When something is your karma, is it bound to happen or is it just a tendency that one has to overcome?

Swamiji: Karma is the sole basis of “as you sow, so shall you reap.” Very simple principle, but no-one fully believes in this principle. If people believed in this principle there would only be peace and harmony in the earth. But no-one believes in the principle “as you sow, so shall you reap.” We are bound by actions because we are bound to the physical body. The physical body has one medium to evolve itself and that is through the evolution of its actions. Karma itself has the ability to either liberate you or take you deeper into ignorance.

Karma has to be created and has to be cancelled. So when you do one action, you have to do another action to counter-balance the first. The only way one can reduce their negative karmas is through the movement of good actions through your body and through the dedication of spirit or soul. By dedicating oneself to the higher force in the universe—God, universal consciousness—that dedication itself forces you along a path that produces positive actions on your behalf. Only those positive actions can reduce the effect of the negative actions of this life and previous lives.

Can karma be completely undone? No. Can karma be reduced? Yes. Your karmas can be reduced but cannot be completely written off. You will always have to pay some seed for all karmas produced by the human body, be they good or bad. Hopefully you have good karmas and will have good experiences in life. Unfortunately, you might have some bad karmas and will also have some negative opportunities and experiences in life. But it is what you do in the negative experiences in life that produces or changes the result of the future karmas, future actions. If you do not have the strength to take a bad and turn it into a good, then at least find the strength to take the bad and stay quiet, be silent. You should at least find the strength to take it and accept it as part of your life path. But be silent. If, however, you have the strength to make that negative movement positive, either by learning something from it or doing something good, through either forgiveness or service to God and humanity in appreciation of your evolution, then that should be done.

In extremely rare cases, the true Guru has the ability, through his relationship to universal consciousness, to dramatically reduce or completely absorb the karmas of devotees who have surrendered their lives at his feet. This only reinforces the fact that karmas must be worked out in the physical body, either within the individual’s body or the Master’s.

Question: How can I help my family become closer to God when I don’t know what is in their heart and mind? Should I just ask for God’s grace?

Swamiji: You cannot bring anyone to God. No matter how hard you try, you cannot bring anyone to God. Each person has their own time and their own evolution, their own space and their own willingness to come to God. The only thing one can do is be fully dedicated and genuine in their search. If you are that positive light in the home of love and dedication to God, then one day hopefully they will be inspired by that light, that feeling, that happiness, that peace that they see you exude. One day they may be inspired to want to taste a little bit of that peace and happiness, to want to interact with that peace and happiness. There comes that window of opportunity for that soul. Until then, you have to leave them be because it will only cause them suffering, and in turn, they will make you suffer.

Take it upon yourself that if you are the one in the family who is chosen to show the path of God and light, you show it a thousand percent. You show it a thousand and one percent, two thousand percent, three thousand percent by complete and full dedication in all of your actions and spirit to being that example, which you want one day for them to be a part of. You can never bring anyone towards God. Never. That is between their soul and God. It is not up to you. It is not your place. You have to just love them and support them but you have to be authentic in your own path and search for satchitananda—truth, consciousness and bliss.

People who are not spiritually inclined or religiously inclined, they see your hypocrisy very clearly. That hypocrisy reinforces in their belief system the fact that this “love for God, this spirituality” is not real. It is only some game you are playing that is not real. To be real you have to be truly dedicated. And I have seen it. Those who have truly dedicated themselves to the spiritual path, find that their parents and siblings, who were completely against their spiritual path, finally come to accept it. They themselves secretly inquire to learn how they may find a little bit of peace and happiness in their own lives. That only comes from those individuals who are truly dedicated in their spirituality, not just when they come to church or satsang, but when they live at home. In satsang, all look very dedicated; but when you go home, it is a different story. It’s natural. But this is the problem; your family sees the different story at home and they do not believe in you and your spiritual path. You are truly doing a disservice when you do not live a truly dedicated life, yet you want them to come along and join you in your spiritual journey. No, that is foolish. They see right through you, as they should.

Question: Why do we perform japa one hundred and eight times?

Swamiji: I do not know. I do not know what that has to do with anything. If you want to do it a thousand times, two times, three times, however much you want to do, you do it. All these rules and regulations are only for the material mind, not the spiritual mind. While the mind is in the material plane, it clings to such things as a hundred and eight japa, walk around a tree seven times, stand on your head for forty-eight minutes. Only in the material mind do these things matter. Once you transcend the mind to a spiritual mind, calling the name of God just one time with love is worth millions of rosaries, millions of japa malas. The intention is what matters, not how many times you do anything. Feeling is what matters. One can do rituals their whole life like a dry riverbed with no feeling. Yet another soul, in a movement, can do one ritual with so much love and affection that they are carried across the sea to God directly. Feeling, emotion, love, and passion for God: that is what you should look for. Not the numbers, not the rituals.

Question: The desire or want to do sadhana (spiritual practice), thoughts come and go, why does this happen? I feel like at one point I am close to you and then at another point I am far from you. To act higher, is it enough to do sadhana even though you don’t want to. Is that acting higher?

Swamiji: I think the question is simply, “Do I have to do my whole spiritual practice?” Yes. While you are bound to the plane of the material mind, spiritual practice is very necessary. Spiritual practice is necessary because it brings a confluence of thoughts related to that sadhana. When you have money problems, family problems, husband problems, wife problems, children problems, car problems, work problems, boss problems, instead of sitting in those mind thoughts, which will get you nowhere and will only make you suffer, do your spiritual practices which will only bring in spiritual thoughts. And that will be there until you transcend the material plane to the spiritual plane. While you are bound in the material plane you have to make the best of the thoughts you have and encourage positive, Godly-thoughts. That is part of training the material mind. That is also called attuning to the spiritual mind. The attunement to the spiritual mind, by encouraging the wave of spiritual thoughts into your consciousness, will help you transcend the material plane to the spiritual plane much more readily and much more smoothly than if they are not there.

Your spiritual practices are very important. When your mind says, “No, I don’t want to do it,” you have to say, “Yes, I’m going to do it. You don’t own me I own you.” You always have to treat the mind as your servant and say, “You will do what I want you to do, not what you want me to do.” Once the mind is trained in this way, that is a big step towards the spiritual plane. Once you get to that plane, we’ll discuss how you actually have no mind. But you cannot understand that yet because of being part of the material plane. Only when you reach the spiritual plane will you really understand the feeling of being without a mind and the non-existence of such an entity.