University of New Mexico; Albuquerque, New Mexico, USA

24 April 1974

Dear sisters and brothers, we are all seekers, seekers of the Transcendental
Truth; therefore, we are sailing in the same boat. In the spiritual life realisation
is our first goal, revelation is our second goal and manifestation is our third goal.
Today I wish to give a short talk on realisation.
To ordinary human beings, realisation is an ideal and nothing more. To unaspiring
human beings, realisation is something useless and harmful. They
consider it useless because they can remain on earth without it. They feel it is a
mental hallucination. They consider it harmful because it is something strange.
Now they are enjoying ignorance and they have become part and parcel of ignorance.
They feel their earth-bound consciousness will burst into pieces when the
realisation-sun dawns. They are afraid that the realisation-light will expose them.
But a sincere seeker, a lover of Truth Transcendental, knows that the spiritual
life will never expose his imperfections. It will only illumine and perfect him.
Realisation is a slow and steady process: It is like going up a hill. We cannot
achieve realisation in the twinkling of an eye. Getting realisation is not like
getting instant coffee. We have to pray for realisation every day, every hour, every
second. The mind that indulges in relaxation is not meant for realisation. The
heart that indulges in vacation is not meant for realisation. Our mind needs
vigilance and discipline. Our heart needs regularity and enthusiasm.
Realisation is like a tree. One individual can come right up to the tree and
touch the bottom branches. Another can climb part way up the tree. Someone else
can climb up to the top of the tree, if his aspiration is most intense. Naturally, the
realisation of the person who climbs to the top of the tree surpasses the
realisation of the others.
In order to realise God, we need aspiration, the inner mounting cry. This
world is governed by two mighty powers: desire and aspiration. Desire-power
binds us. Aspiration-power expands us. Desire-power makes us feel that we are
of the finite. Aspiration-power makes us feel we are of the Infinite. Our aspiration
has to be intense. When we aspire unconditionally and soulfully, we minimise
our earthly needs and increase our capacity to receive the infinite Peace and
Bliss.
A real seeker every day feels the necessity of aspiration. He feels that his
realisation will one day loom large in his aspiration. But his aspiration depends
on God’s Grace, God’s unconditional Grace. This Grace eventually enables the
seeker to dive deep within to discover Peace, Light and Bliss in infinite measure.
Before realisation the seeker thought that his personal effort was ninety-nine per
cent responsible for his achievement and God’s Compassion was one per cent
responsible. After his realisation he sees that the reverse is true: his personal
effort was only one per cent responsible and God’s Compassion was ninety-nine
per cent responsible. Then he looks around and sees his dear ones, his relatives,
his acquaintances still wallowing in the pleasures of ignorance. How is it, he asks
himself, that he was chosen? Who made him cry for the inner Light? It was his
Inner Pilot. Who wanted him to wake up and run along the sunlit path to realise
his eternal Beloved, the Supreme? It was the Supreme Himself. Finally, when he
starts assimilating his realisation, in the process of his assimilation he comes to
realise in an unmistakable way that even his one per cent personal effort was
nothing short of God’s Grace. He realises that it was God’s boundless Compassion
which was fully responsible for his God-realisation.
There are three brothers who help us considerably in our life of aspiration:
concentration, meditation and contemplation. It is their help that eventually leads
us to God-realisation.
What is concentration? Concentration is our one-pointed attention or focus on
a particular subject or object.
What is meditation? Meditation is the act of emptying our inner vessel and
filling it with God’s Light and Delight.
What is contemplation? Contemplation is the inseparable union of lover and
Beloved.
When we concentrate, we try to put an end to our thought-waves. When we
concentrate, we try to minimise our earthly needs and extinguish the desire-flame
in us.
When we meditate, we try to grow in silence; we try to become receptive so
that the Lord Supreme can place His divine Throne in the inmost recesses of our
heart.
When we contemplate we try to become one with our Inner Pilot and
surrender our tiny ‘i’ to the universal ‘I’.
Concentration tells us, “Run, run towards the Goal!” Meditation tells us, “The
Goal is inside you. In perfect silence you will discover your Goal.” Contemplation
tells us, “Go on, dive deeper, fly higher. You will realise that the Goal is none
other than your own highest part, your own most illumined existence.”
In our life of aspiration we feel the necessity of devoted service and surrendered
oneness: devoted service to the Inner Pilot and surrendered oneness
with our Inner Pilot. Our devoted service is not an act of outer compulsion. No!
It is an inner urge that compels us to be one with the Inner Pilot and to serve Him
soulfully and devotedly.
Right now the Goal is ahead of us. We have to reach the Goal soulfully,
devotedly and unconditionally. But our road can be shortened if we have divine
love, divine devotion and divine surrender. Our road can be sunlit if we cheerfully
offer to God what we have and what we are. What we have is a constant and
conscious inner cry. And what we are right now is a sea of ignorance. So if we
can give to God what we have and what we are, then our road becomes sunlit and
short.
Time is a great factor in our journey to realisation. There are people who say
that since God is living in His eternal Time and we are His children, then we can
also live in eternal Time. So why do we have to worry about God-realisation?
God-realisation can take place in its own time. But if we love God, if we love
mankind, then we feel the necessity of devoted, dedicated and unconditional
service. If we are not awakened, how can we awaken others? If we are not
realised, how can we help others in their realisation? A sincere seeker feels that
he can be God’s chosen child, His perfect instrument, only after he has realised
God. God will grant us realisation, true. But we can expedite His offering, His gift
to us. His blessingful Gift we can achieve sooner if we sincerely and soulfully
aspire. The sooner we achieve God-realisation, the sooner we can prepare ourselves
for God-revelation and, finally, for God-manifestation.
God-realisation is our preparation for God revelation and God-revelation is
our preparation for God-manifestation. What is preparation? Preparation is our
self-giving and God’s Self-giving. Our self-giving is all ignorance, limitation,
bondage. God’s Self-giving is all Compassion.
A seeker knows and feels that he can live without food, without water,
without air, without everything on earth, but he cannot live without God’s
Compassion. God’s Compassion is the seeker’s Immortality. When he starts
drinking the nectar of this Immortality, then he realises himself. When he realises
himself, he feels that in and through him God is manifesting His highest Reality,
that God is singing His Song of Eternity and dancing His Dance of Immortality.
When a seeker drinks ambrosia, he feels that Heaven is not somewhere else.
Heaven is in his consciousness. We do not have to go to a particular state or
country or kingdom called Heaven. No! Heaven, which is perpetual Life, the
infinite Life within us, is a state of consciousness. This consciousness an aspiring
seeker is bound to attain when he drinks nectar. And this nectar he gets on the
strength of his self-giving, his unconditional self-giving. Today’s self-giving is
tomorrow’s God-becoming.