THE MASTER ANSWERS PART NO.18, Mysticism, reading, forums, Numerology, Sun Signs, Divination

Posts: 5115 · Posted: Fri Sep 24, 2010 8:23 am

Q Speaking of this desire, now, for instance ---?

A By desires is meant attachment to the worldly possessions and worldly things, always hankering after them, and if we do not get them we miss them. That is desire. There is no harm in possessing worldly things, but our desire for possessions should not be to that extent that if we do not have them, we miss them day and night. That missing creates an attachment within us. And Shabd detaches us from all that. The possessions in themselves are not harmful. It is our attachment to them or our desire for them that is wrong. We should not analyze all these small things too minutely.

Q Master, will you please tell us what happens when a person dreams?

A Dreams, mostly, are projections of our own mind. Whatever our daily associations with the world are, they come in one form or another in a dream, but sometimes we have a very meaningful dream. For example, something which is going to happen with you, you witness all that in a dream, and that something happens with you after some time. We have no explanation why, as that cannot be an association of our mind, because that hing has not happened and is yet to happen. So these are meaningful dreams but dreams are after all dreams, and it is not in our power to get them. So, we should try to work for reality rather than depend upon dreams. Good dreams are good dreams, that is all; but there is no reality in them.

Q We know that the psychologists try to make use of our dreams.

A This is what they explain that dreams are nothing but association of the mind with certain things, that our mind receives impression, and as we get a release in this state of semi-consciousness, that is in a state of sleep, all those impressions are projected to us as dreams.

Q Would you explain to us what are spiritual dreams?

A That is what I tried to explain. Sometimes we have good dreams about things that have not happened so far and later these very things happen to us. These are, we can say, pure dreams or elevated dreams. If we have love for God, we attend to our meditation at the time of going to sleep, in addition to our regular time, then generally we get very good dreams, like flying over the hills and trying to reach a certain destinaton. These dreams have associations with the soul. The soul tries to get release from the body and tries to fly back to its origin, and because we have so much karmic load that we cannot do that while in the conscious state, the soul gets a little release in the unconscious state of sleep. As a result we have dreams of flying. We cannot however, depend upon these dreams in any way.

Supposing you have a dream that you have met a friend tonight, a friend whom you have not seen for ten years, and you even dream under what circumstances you meet him. You are simply surprised because you have not thought about him; then suddenly you find the next day all that happening -- you are going to that particular place and experiencing all those circumstances and you meet him. Naturally, psychologists cannot give any satisfactory explanation as to why such dreams occur.

Q Do you mean to say that these spiritual dreams have some connection with intuition? Meaning something you think about --- it is not a dream -- but it is something that you think about will happen and it happens?

A After all, everybody does not have that intuition. It must be due to some purification of the soul that a thing that is going to happen, you feel that is it is going to happen, or you know that it is going to happen. To some extent that comes as a development of your mind, development of your soul. You call it intuition. It happens sometimes, definitely.

Q I would like to touch on another subject which I do not think anybody has questioned you about here. For six years I have studied psychology. I became on of the finest hypnotists in the business, if I want to call it that. And brother Replogle told me that the Master will not allow me to sue this type of psychic therapy. Will you please elaborate on that?

A This hypnotism, as you call it, is trying to dominate somebody's will power, controlling somebody's mind with your superior mind, and to make him do what you want him to do. That is all. It is never good for the man who practices it and never good for the man on whom it is practiced. And this is far removed from spirituality. I do not think satsangis should ever dabble in these these things at all. It is extremely detrimental to our spiritual practice as well as to the one who is hypnotized.

Q What about self-hypnosis, in which a second party is not involved? You put yourself in a state of suspended animation and you probe your own subconscious and you can reach a level where you can see your last incarnation. If you go back further you can see your previous incarnations. Now, in this state, are you going up to beyond Trikuti or is this all residing in the subconscious?

A No, no. Absolutely not. You cannot be beyond the first stage at all in those circumstances.

Q Where is the knowledge that they are receiving? Is it false knowledge that the mind is feeding out?

A All the knowledge is coming from the mind. It is control of the mind to some extent, a sharpening of the mind, nothing else.

Q Well, is there any value in practicing self-hypnosis to control the mind? One apparently can receive a high degree of control of the mind through self-hypnosis. Would there be any value in pursuing that as a stepping stone to--- ?

A No. I do not think so. That would be a block in your way towards spiritual progress.

Q Because, for example, a person who has highly developed himself in this, can sit still and immediately, with just his thought, stop all sounds. He cannot hear a thing from the outside. He can stop all body movement. if that could be achieved with the mind through self-hypnosis, could he not reach the eye center quicker that way?

A No. It is a block. It is a definite block in spiritual progress.

Q Why is it a definite block?

A Because you would not go ahead at all. You would be lost, lost, just in that. At the most, you would see yourself. You would think that you are the master of yourself, you are God, and you would be just lost in that state and would not make any further progress at all.

Q So, one should leave self-hypnosis alone then?

A I do not think we should allow ourself to be hypnotized, nor should we try to dabble in these things. Absolutely not. Those who do, generally meet with a terrible fate. If we analyze what has happened to those who dabbled in hypnotism or spiritualism, we find that their end is tragic. It is difficult to describe what they have to face at the end of life, or even much earlier.

Q Master, would this also pertain to telepathy, between two persons, the mind?

A Telepathy is something natural. Sometimes you feel you are going to meet a friend, and suddenly you meet him at a corner. Something told you within that you were going to meet him or see him. It comes, but that is something different. This intuition also, after all, is also of the mind. Call it intuition or give it any other name.

Q When we speak of "I" this, "I" that, is this particular personality speaking, is this a true "I" speaking or is this a false "I"?

A Brother, it is mind that is speaking. All that we say is "mine", is "I", is of the mind. Our soul is dominated by the mind. Mind has ego, and that ego brings the "I--ness" in us. But when the soul will have the upper hand over the mind, then everything will be "thine". You see, minus ego is all "yours", meaning the Lord's; with ego, is all "mine".

Q Carry this a little further. Now, if we say I read a certain book, for instance; or I say I am going to do this, I am going to do that or I am going to get initiation, I think this and so on; what is this? This has to be the soul to make that decision, does it not? Mind would not want us to do that, would it?

A Do not confuse language with "I--ness". This is our way of speaking, "I am going to do". It is a mode of expression. But the "I--ness", the instinct of possession, the ego, that is something different.

Q I see. In other words, then, whenever we use this personal pronoun, it does not mean that it is the ego or the false "I" speaking?

A No. When I say, "I'm going today", it does not mean the ego is speaking. It is just an expression. After all, this body has to be referred to as something. But "I-ness" is something different. That is the instinct of possession: "Mine", "This is mine", "This is my son", "This is my wife", "This is my Country", "This is my wealth". When the instinct of possession overpowers you, that is "I--ness".

Q If the soul is, as we say, responding to God, responding to spiritual vibration, then that overcomes this over-excessiveness of "I-ness".

A Then we begin to think that everything belongs to the Lord. "I am only playing my part. Nothing is mine. Everything is His. "It is not the language; it is the feeling within; it is our attitude. We are mentally detached from those things. Our attachment is with the Lord. That is the main thing required, not the words. Words are just a means to express our thoughts.

Q How is it that we can erase this veil of ego since, especially in this Western civilization, the "I" seems to be the dominant pronoun? Can we erase it by praying to say, "we", not only say, "we", but also praying with the thought of being united with others within?

A Brother, first I assure you that ego is not more in you or in the West than it is in Indians. You have the instinct of possessions because you have them. We have the instinct of possessions because we are trying to get them. We do not have them. But as far as the ego is concerned, it is the same here, it is the same there. There is absolutely no difference. Some people have possessions and some people are dying to get them, but practically, the ego is the same. It is the attitude of the mind. The ego is the instinct of the mind, so we have to conquer our mind. We have to subdue our mind before we can drive the ego from us. As I have said so many times, the mind is fond of pleasures. Unless we give our mind better pleasures than the pleasures of the senses, the mind never leaves the desire and craving for possessions in this world. Therefore, saints always advise us to withdraw our mind by Simran, by Dhyan, back to the eye center, and to attach it to that sound, to see that Light. When we are attached to that, we are automatically detached from the senses, the desires and cravings for possession.

The Lord has provided the means of attachment within us. When we attach ourselves to that, we automatically detach ourselves from the worldly things and worldly objects and faces. The ego will naturally, automatically, go out of us. Then we are not attached to this world. Then we are attached to that Love, to that Nam, to that Shabd. Devotion to the Lord comes in. When devotion to the Lord comes in, that devotion, that faith, that love of the Lord drives everything else out of us. So, we have just to develop that devotion, develop that love of the Lord within us. When that love is there, the question of ego does not arise. After all, mind is the same, whether you pull it down, or whether you take it up. When the mind is up, it cannot be pulled down.

Q Then the way of diminishing the dominance of the ego, aside from that in ordinary life, is to think in universal terms?

A The only process of driving out ego from within us is to attach ourselves to that Sound, attach ourselves to that Light. Unless we are attached to that Shabd or Nam, we can never detach ourselves from this world, from nation, friends, relatives, possessions, gold, dollars. Only attachment can create detachment. When the mind is attached to something better than the senses, then we do not have ego in us. Ego is in us only as long as the love of the Lord is not in us. When the love of the Lord takes its place, there is no place left for ego.

Q How can I kill the ego in me?

A Well brother, that is a moot question and a very important question. Ego comes with the mind. This is the instinct of the mind. As long as ego is there, the soul can never go back to the Lord. We can drive that ego from within us only when we see that Light, when we hear that Sound., the Word of God, the Holy Ghost. You may give it any name. Every saint has tried to explain the same thing. Guru Nanak described it as Bani, Gurbani; Muslim saints as Kalma, Ism-i-Azam, Kalam-i-Ilahi; Chinese philosophers call it Tao; Greek's have given it the name of Logos; in the English Bible it is called the 'Word'. The same thing has been described by different names. That power, that Audible Life Stream is wtihin every one of us, here, at the eye center to merge into that Sound, to merge into that Light. Attachment to that, automatically detaches us from the senses.

The more we travel on the path, the more humble we become. The more we get the devotion and love of the Lord within us, the more humble we become. The more we are in love with the Lord, the more we realize His Greatness, and the more insignificant we are in our daily life, the more humble we become. The more we are away from Him, the more the ego increases and we think 'I am doing it', 'I am supreme'. When we find the real Supreme, we know how humble we are at His Feet. Then the real humility comes. That is why Christ to the meek and humble of heart. Every saint has tried to tell us that we have to develop that humility in us. Guru Nanak said, "I am a slave of the salves. My actions are very, very low." Such is the humility of the saints, which comes only by devotion and love of the Lord within us. When our whole body is filled with love, the ego is gone and only humility and meekness remain. When that love and devotion is not in us, the whole body is full of ego. We have to detach ourselves from the world and attach ourselves to Him. Only by the spiritual practice, only by that meditation, can we kill the ego.

Q Master, how may we safeguard against the intrusion of unexpected or unrecognized ego when we attempt to judge ourselves, like if we are attempting to make certain improvements in our character, in our life, in our efforts? How may we reach some sort of balance, so we do not give ourselves too much credit and yet do not chop ourselves too low?

A Brother, it is a life-long struggle; it is very difficult to know when ego is there and when it is not there. Sometimes, when we make a research of our humility, we find it is another form of ego. So, when we think that we have no ego, actually we have it.

Q That is the tricky things about it and I have been wondering, are we supposed to judge ourselves at any times?

A We have just to try and then His grace is always there.