|
|
Begin to enjoy all glories in life In the following excerpt from Thirty Years Around the World, Dawn of the Age of Enlightenment, Maharishi offers his profound knowledge in a lecture fondly named ‘The Treasury and the Market’. In it, he expresses his purpose in coming out of the Himalayas. He tells us that ‘the values of wholeness of life are pure consciousness, absolute bliss, absolute bliss consciousness, which is the reservoir of all wisdom, the ocean of happiness of eternal life’; and then shares that he came out into the world to bring that knowledge to everyone, ‘not only in words of wisdom but in the day-to-day practical life of man.’ Maharishi: ‘The philosophy of life is this: life is not a struggle, not a tension. Life has not to be suffering. Life is bliss. It is eternal wisdom, eternal existence. Absolute bliss consciousness is the natural characteristic of life. Yet somehow we have happened to miss it. As a matter of fact, this absolute bliss consciousness is the very nature of the soul or the Self. But if it is the very nature of the soul, how is it that we can possibly miss it? We cannot miss it. ‘If we find we have missed it, it is only like the missing of the glasses, which even remaining on the eyes, get out of awareness. Many times, if the glasses are on the eyes, you begin to say, “Where are the glasses? Where are the glasses?” Just like that. Not really missed, but for practical purposes they are out of awareness. ‘Both have to be balanced—inner values of life and outer joys of the world. And it is there, open to us, what we choose to be, what we choose to enjoy; both are there. The glory of the treasury is there, and the value of the market is there. If all the time in the market, you feel empty pocket, and that creates tension. When the pockets are empty in the market and the man is not allowed to go to the treasury, connection with the treasury is lost, somehow the cheque-book is lost—that creates tension. ‘The only one thing necessary to prevent tension in the market is not to lose the cheque-book! Get the connection with the bank maintained so as not to lose the way to the treasury, and then—that’s all! Just five minutes in the treasury, and a full day in the market is quite certain. ‘You need not be all day in the treasury. No, just five minutes in the treasury, and you come out full. Just dive within. A few minutes in the Kingdom of Heaven, and then come out into the kingdom of the world; both are to be enjoyed, both have their values. Outside world of multiplicity has its value; inside world of eternal glory and Kingdom of Heaven has its eternal value. Both are the two aspects of life. One without the other is incomplete. ‘Transcendental Meditation is just the simple technique of going within, and there you are! To go within is so simple; it is so natural for every man to go to a field of greater happiness. That is our everyday experience. To go to the field of greater happiness is everyone’s natural tendency. Every man wants to enjoy more. Very easily the mind would shift from a field of lesser happiness to greater happiness. It needn’t be trained to enjoy life. Already the thirst is there to enjoy more. ‘Who is not prepared to enjoy more in life? Could you believe him when he says so? Only he doesn’t know that he can enjoy a better life! ‘Outside in life, a man is already tired. He goes from one thing to another just to enjoy, in the hope of finding more joy. But the joy he finds is never sufficient to satisfy his search for happiness. Nothing in the world seems to be so gripping as the desire to satisfy the search for happiness. Mind wants to enjoy more and more and more. And to enjoy more is the legitimate desire of man. So many joys, varieties—millions of varieties: variety in the field of objects of the senses of sight, hearing, smell, taste—variety in the field of the world is there to be enjoyed. ‘The eternal life of unity is there inside. It is all-pervading, pervading all diversity. And that is there to be lived too. That state of eternal bliss consciousness is there to be lived, naturally lived in the midst of the diverse, objective experiences of the world. Both are to be lived and both should be lived, hand in hand. The cold of the verandah and the warmth of the living room—both have to be lived. ‘And if there could be a position from where both could be enjoyed at the same time, it would be worthwhile. It would be a way to enjoy that eternal harmony of the inner life and outer life without rejecting any aspect of either—all aspects of the outer world, and the whole aspect of the Divine within. Both should be enjoyed, hand in hand. Just a technique for beginning to enjoy is needed, and that technique is the simple system of Transcendental Meditation. ‘And how can it be simple? The question arises because constantly I am emphasizing its simplicity. All this message of the inner life and outer life is not new, the same age-old message of the Kingdom of Heaven within. “First seek ye the Kingdom of God and all else will be added unto you.” It is the same age-old, centuries-old message, but the message emphasizes today that it is easy for everyone. Without exception, born as man, every man has the right, the legitimate right to enjoy all glories that belong to him, all glories of the inner world and all glories of the outside world. And here is a process every man can directly experience for himself. ‘Another reason for its being easy is that we have the tendency to go to the field of greater happiness very naturally. We do not need training to go to a field of greater happiness. If you are listening to one radio playing and another radio starts playing a more attractive melody, no training is necessary to stop listening to the first radio and to listen to a better melody! Before the question of training can arise, you are already enjoying! ‘Absolutely no training is necessary for the mind to begin to enjoy the Kingdom of Heaven within, because the very tendency of the mind is inviting greater happiness. The fish need not be trained to drink the water in the pond. If it is feeling thirsty, it is only necessary to open the mouth. It is as simple as that. ‘And absolutely there is no exaggeration in my saying so. I’m speaking this on the basis of the experience of thousands of people all over the world. See, just on the basis of common sense: mind wants to enjoy more, and the great joy is there. Why should it take a long time to enjoy? It is only necessary to begin to enjoy, just begin to enjoy! Common sense doesn’t allow that it could be difficult. How could it be? If it is Kingdom of Heaven—great happiness—and if it is within me, then I have not to try to find it outside. ‘What is the Self within? You are that already. Only begin to look. Feeling thirsty, begin to drink. No training, no loss of time, no suffering. No, no, none of these things are necessary. ‘“Life is a struggle” is said by those who do not know how to live! . . . It’s only necessary to first seek the Kingdom of Heaven, and all else will be added unto you. First thing in life, first thing in the day—experience of the Self.’
© Copyright 2011 Global Good News®
|
|
