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It’s always a joy to
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greet you all during our Convocation
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and to welcome you in God and Master’s name.
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I often think of us all as being
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a part of Master’s army
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spread throughout the world.
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And we’re here
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bonded, you might say, soul to soul.
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We’re all united
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whether we know it or not.
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I think outwardly we become so
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— what shall I say —
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we know each other’s names
and what we look like,
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our personalities and so on.
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But there’s something much deeper
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that bonds us, that ties us together,
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and creates, you might say,
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a certain kind of subtle power on earth.
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Now I understand we have
a subject tonight to discuss.
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Many of you have heard stories that I’ve told
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of our Gurudeva over the years,
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there on the tennis court at Mother Center.
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But our tennis court tonight has expanded somewhat.
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When Master gave lectures
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he often started by saying,
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“This is a vast subject.”
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And it was interesting because
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no matter what the subject was
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it was vast.
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And when he started you would think
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that he was not really talking about
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that particular subject at all.
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But when he finished
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he had circled the universe, shall we say,
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and pulled it all together
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so that we could understand
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the in-depth meaning of every subject.
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Because where do those come from,
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where do they have their base?
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They have their base in spirit.
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So tonight we’re going to talk about prayer —
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trusting God in every circumstance of life.
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Now we all know that Master’s written
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quite a lot about prayer;
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and many of us here — I suppose there
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probably is no one here
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who hasn’t had some kind of personal experience
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having to do with prayer.
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And we think of prayer — what is it exactly?
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Master said that true prayer
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is the expression of the soul.
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You might say it is a call
from our soul to God.
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Prayer. And the more we pray, the more
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we create an intimate relationship with God,
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a stronger bond, a stronger connection with Him.
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And Master said to talk to Him
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in the language of our own hearts,
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in the language of our own souls.
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And our revered president Sri Daya Mata said,
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“To me, conversation with God,
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talking with God,
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to God as a near and dear friend,
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is a more natural, personal,
and effective form of prayer.
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And so as we pray,
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we become closer to God.
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He becomes for us a greater reality.
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And what do we do in prayer, as a rule?
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We ask for God’s help and for His guidance;
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realizing that He is the divine power,
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the One who can help us
to fulfill all our needs.
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He’s the Source of all that we seek.
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And Master always guided us
to go directly to God,
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to consult Him, shall we say, personally
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rather than relying on outside sources
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or on our own abilities.
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I think we can all relate to this.
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The moment we have a difficulty we think,
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“Oh, who can I go to?
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Who will know
about this particular problem?
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Who can give me help, guidance?”
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Or we think,
“Well, what can I do about it?
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What are my resources
to help the situation?”
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That’s all right,
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but we do need to remember
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that we cannot do it alone.
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We need the help of God and Guru
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in all that we do in life.
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Why? They are omnipresent,
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all-knowing, all-powerful,
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and they can do more for us
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than anything or anyone else.
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Master said, “The superconscious law of success
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is put into operation through man’s prayers
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and by his understanding
of the Lord’s omnipotence.
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Do not stop your conscious efforts
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or rely wholly on your own natural abilities,
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but ask divine aid in all that you do.”
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And so as we pray and try inwardly
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to follow the inwardly guiding voice
of God and Guru,
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we need to remember,
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make it a point to remember
that God is the doer.
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Our part is to try to be in tune with Him
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and to allow Him to work through us.
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i think so often each day there are
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little things that take place,
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sometimes you scarcely notice them.
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I remember recently I had to attend a meeting
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at, shall we say the last minute,
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and I had an appointment with someone.
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That person called shortly thereafter
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cancelling the appointment
because she couldn’t come.
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Things that are so much
a part of our daily activities
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that we scarcely think of them
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as being a part of God’s plan;
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and He often plans for us much better
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than we plan for ourselves.
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So we need to make prayer
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a constant part of our lives, daily part.
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And it’s good to begin our days with
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a period of meditation
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and to pray deeply thereafter
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in order to attune our consciousness with Him;
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and throughout the day
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to stop occasionally to reflect
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on how things are going —
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are we yet in tune, are we allowing God to guide us,
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or are we guiding, shall we say, ourselves?
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And at night we should pray and meditate again,
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and then give to God,
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leave with Him our burdens, any difficulties,
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tremendous difficulties, that we may have.
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For two years after entering the ashram,
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I had the very good fortune to work with
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our president as her first secretary.
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We occupied a tiny office situated off the landing
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between the second and third floors
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of our administration building.
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And at that time we didn’t have an elevator,
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so Master often stopped by
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when he was on his way in or out of the building.
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And on one occasion I was answering a letter
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and he so sweetly said,
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“Always take the time to say a little prayer
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for the person you are writing to.”
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And obviously Master was never in a hurry
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when it came to the divine help
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that he gave to devotees throughout the world —
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those that were seeking his help through letters,
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through phone calls, through interviews —
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and it was obvious that that help he gave them
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came from God,
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you might say, not from himself.
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He always consulted God.
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And sometimes, not often but sometimes,
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I remember on one occasion one person came
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who was in a very, very complex situation.
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Master was upstairs and he sent word down —
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he was seeing some guests at the time —
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and he said, “I am so sorry
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that God does not permit me to help her.”
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Interesting.
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Interesting because
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we have lessons to learn
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from every circumstance
that we find ourselves in
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no matter what it may consist of,
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no matter how bad it may seem.
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Someone contributed
the following example of a prayer
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from a person asking for God’s help.
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“Dear God, so far today I’ve done all right.
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I haven’t gossiped and I haven’t lost my temper.
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I haven’t been grumpy, nasty, or selfish,
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but in a few minutes, Lord,
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I’m going to get out of bed
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and that’s when I’m going to need a lot of help.
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Master talked to us about prayer-demands.
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He said throughout his teachings that we should pray
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with the consciousness of being the children of God;
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that we belong to Him, we’re His own,
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and we should not adopt the role of being a beggar.
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He said, “God does not wish us to pray like beggars,
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wielding Him to give us what we want.
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Like any other loving father, He delights
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in fulfilling our worthy wishes.”
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That’s a sentence to remember:
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He delights in fulfilling our worthy wishes.
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"Therefore, first establish your identity with Him
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through meditation.
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The secret of effective prayer
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is to change our status from beggar
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to child of God.
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When you appeal to Him from that consciousness,
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your prayer will have both power and wisdom.”
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He said, “God is not a mute, unfeeling being.
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He is Love itself.
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If you know how to meditate,
to make contact with Him,
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He will respond
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to your loving demands.
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You do not have to plead.
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You can demand as a child.”
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And that brought to mind
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the part of the biblical quotation,
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“Seek and ye shall find,
ask and it shall be given to you.”
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In “Whispers from Eternity,”
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Master said, “My purpose
in presenting these sacred demands,
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received in the course of my various
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fruitful communions with our Father,
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is to enable my fellow beings
to contact Him effectively.
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These sacred demands are logical,
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devotional, deep soul-outbursts.
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If one prepares the mind by concentration
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and then deeply,
with ever increasing faith and devotion,
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affirms these scientific divine demands,
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one is bound to receive results.
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To reestablish your unity with the Divine Father
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as the son of God
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is your most important demand.
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Realize this truth
and you will have received everything.”
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So he’s telling us to first
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to reestablish our unity with the Divine Father.
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By so doing,
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we automatically are the inheritor, shall we say,
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of His blessings.
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Master gave in “Whispers from Eternity”
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prayers that he himself had spiritualized.
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He had used them
until he received response from God.
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And they give us some,
shall we say, food for thought,
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something to concentrate on, something to focus on,
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and they help us to guide our thinking
into deeper realms.
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And he said also to pray with determination
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and with faith — faith that our prayers will be answered.
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He said, “You must believe in the possibility
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of what you are praying for.
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If you want a home and the mind says,
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‘You simpleton, you can’t afford a house,’
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you must make your will stronger.”
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Do you ever use such language with yourself?
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“You simpleton, you can’t afford a house.”
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He said, “When the ‘can’t’ disappears from your mind,
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divine power comes.”
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In other words, we abolish
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that possibility of can’t — “I can’t do this. It’s not possible.”
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He said, “A home will not be dropped down to you
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from heaven.
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You have to pour forth will power
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continuously through constructive activity.
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When you persist, refusing to accept failure,
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the object of will must materialize.”
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Why? This is in accordance with the laws of God.
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You’ll remember in Master’s “Autobiography,”
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the concerns he experienced when he received
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an invitation to serve as a delegate from India
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to an International Congress
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of Religious Liberals in America.
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He immediately sought the guidance of his guru
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Sri Yukteswar, and asked if he should go.
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And Yukteswarji replied, “All doors are open for you.
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It’s now or never.”
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Master didn’t know English too well.
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And of course you remember
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his own father was dismayed at first.
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But Master’s greatest concern
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centered around the stories he’d heard
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about the West — that’s us.
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00:19:57,796 --> 00:20:00,966
“To survive in this atmosphere,” he thought,
265
00:20:00,991 --> 00:20:04,545
“an Oriental teacher should be hardy
266
00:20:04,570 --> 00:20:09,074
beyond the trials of any Himalayan cold!”
267
00:20:11,076 --> 00:20:13,912
India is different in its temperament,
268
00:20:15,647 --> 00:20:17,349
very different.
269
00:20:18,150 --> 00:20:20,986
In another excerpt from this part of the book
270
00:20:21,086 --> 00:20:24,491
he said, “Early one morning I began to pray
271
00:20:24,690 --> 00:20:27,859
with an adamant determination to continue,
272
00:20:28,260 --> 00:20:34,139
even to die praying, until I heard the voice of God.
273
00:20:34,700 --> 00:20:37,536
I wanted His blessing and assurance
274
00:20:38,103 --> 00:20:40,472
that I would not lose myself
275
00:20:40,939 --> 00:20:45,110
in the fogs of modern utilitarianism.
276
00:20:45,410 --> 00:20:49,756
My heart was set to go to America,
277
00:20:49,781 --> 00:20:53,485
but even more strongly was it resolved
278
00:20:53,785 --> 00:20:58,056
to hear the solace of divine permission.”
279
00:20:58,757 --> 00:21:03,862
Now Sri Yukteswar had already said yes to this,
280
00:21:04,997 --> 00:21:09,401
but Master, being Master, required more.
281
00:21:10,836 --> 00:21:13,038
He said he prayed and prayed,
282
00:21:13,538 --> 00:21:15,140
muffling his sobs,
283
00:21:15,474 --> 00:21:17,676
but no answer came.
284
00:21:18,810 --> 00:21:21,146
“At noon I reached a zenith;
285
00:21:21,813 --> 00:21:25,050
my head was reeling under the pressure of my agonies.
286
00:21:25,751 --> 00:21:28,820
I felt that if I cried once more,
287
00:21:29,354 --> 00:21:32,291
increasing the depth of my inner passion,
288
00:21:32,791 --> 00:21:34,660
my brain would split.
289
00:21:36,161 --> 00:21:38,964
At that moment there came a knock at the door.
290
00:21:40,198 --> 00:21:41,400
Answering the summons,
291
00:21:41,900 --> 00:21:43,802
I beheld a young man
292
00:21:44,403 --> 00:21:47,739
in the scanty garb of a renunciant.
293
00:21:48,040 --> 00:21:50,042
He entered the house.
294
00:21:50,642 --> 00:21:52,844
‘He must be Babaji!’ I thought,
295
00:21:53,545 --> 00:21:55,847
dazed, because the man before me
296
00:21:56,014 --> 00:21:59,718
had the features of a young Lahiri Mahasaya.
297
00:22:00,385 --> 00:22:05,157
He answered my thought. ‘Yes, I am Babaji.
298
00:22:06,058 --> 00:22:09,127
Our Heavenly Father has heard your prayer.
299
00:22:09,661 --> 00:22:11,763
He commands me to tell you:
300
00:22:12,364 --> 00:22:14,399
‘Follow the behests of your guru
301
00:22:14,800 --> 00:22:16,301
and go to America.
302
00:22:16,935 --> 00:22:21,239
Fear not. You shall be protected.’
303
00:22:22,507 --> 00:22:24,676
After a vibrant pause,
304
00:22:24,676 --> 00:22:26,845
Babaji addressed me again.
305
00:22:27,679 --> 00:22:29,715
‘You are the one I have chosen to spread
306
00:22:29,715 --> 00:22:32,984
the message of Kriya Yoga in the West.
307
00:22:33,719 --> 00:22:38,023
Long ago I met your guru Sri Yukteswar
308
00:22:38,323 --> 00:22:39,725
at the Kumbha Mela.
309
00:22:40,192 --> 00:22:41,693
I told him then
310
00:22:42,094 --> 00:22:46,231
that I would send you to him for training.’ ”
311
00:22:48,288 --> 00:22:52,575
When you think about these stories
that Master has told us,
312
00:22:52,600 --> 00:22:57,651
You realize the extent of the divine plan
313
00:22:57,676 --> 00:23:00,846
or at least some minor portion of it,
314
00:23:01,713 --> 00:23:03,648
that is in the ether
315
00:23:04,416 --> 00:23:07,185
for the welfare of all mankind.
316
00:23:08,520 --> 00:23:11,590
But for us to really realize that
317
00:23:11,957 --> 00:23:17,596
we must be in tune with the Divine One
318
00:23:17,829 --> 00:23:22,000
who has created this, shall we say,
319
00:23:22,000 --> 00:23:25,237
vast universe of which we are a part.
320
00:23:25,670 --> 00:23:27,939
And it’s interesting to note also
321
00:23:28,440 --> 00:23:31,910
that Gurudeva wanted definite assurance
322
00:23:32,544 --> 00:23:35,981
that he would, shall we say, be able to manage
323
00:23:36,281 --> 00:23:38,817
in these United States.
324
00:23:40,018 --> 00:23:45,056
And he put forth all the power he had
325
00:23:46,191 --> 00:23:49,127
possible effort in his prayers from within,
326
00:23:49,361 --> 00:23:51,196
and, as a result,
327
00:23:51,496 --> 00:23:56,565
the great and blissful Babaji paid him a visit.
328
00:23:57,369 --> 00:24:00,639
He didn’t give up until his prayer was answered;
329
00:24:01,239 --> 00:24:03,475
and we, too, must learn to develop
330
00:24:03,475 --> 00:24:05,577
that kind of persistance,
331
00:24:06,244 --> 00:24:08,380
and I would say insistance.
332
00:24:11,383 --> 00:24:13,819
You remember in the book “Mejda,”
333
00:24:14,586 --> 00:24:17,255
authored by one of Master’s brothers
334
00:24:17,722 --> 00:24:19,858
Sananda Lal Ghosh,
335
00:24:20,459 --> 00:24:22,961
he wrote that as a small child
336
00:24:23,528 --> 00:24:26,031
Master could not understand why
337
00:24:26,064 --> 00:24:28,066
his parents and his older brother
338
00:24:28,066 --> 00:24:29,935
received letters from others
339
00:24:30,335 --> 00:24:32,471
but he received none.
340
00:24:33,472 --> 00:24:36,341
So he decided to write to God
341
00:24:37,275 --> 00:24:40,345
and ask Him to send him a letter.
342
00:24:41,379 --> 00:24:43,682
And on a sheet of paper he wrote,
343
00:24:44,316 --> 00:24:47,686
“To Your beautiful lotus feet, my Bhagavan.
344
00:24:48,220 --> 00:24:51,968
How are You? Are You ill?”
345
00:24:56,461 --> 00:24:59,030
It might be a good idea to check in with the Lord
346
00:24:59,030 --> 00:25:01,766
now and then to see if all is well.
347
00:25:04,102 --> 00:25:05,770
“I talk to You every day
348
00:25:05,770 --> 00:25:08,340
and ask You to send me a letter.
349
00:25:09,107 --> 00:25:12,410
Probably You have forgotten my request?
350
00:25:13,144 --> 00:25:14,846
I am very hurt.
351
00:25:15,347 --> 00:25:18,083
You know that many letters
come to my father and mother
352
00:25:18,083 --> 00:25:22,220
and eldest brother;
but no one sends a letter to me.
353
00:25:22,521 --> 00:25:24,656
Certainly You will send me a letter.
354
00:25:25,357 --> 00:25:27,551
Please write quickly.”
355
00:25:33,066 --> 00:25:35,536
Demand?
356
00:25:36,948 --> 00:25:39,203
“Don’t forget about it.”
357
00:25:39,471 --> 00:25:40,972
Another demand.
358
00:25:41,806 --> 00:25:46,111
“What else shall I write? Father and Mother are well.
359
00:25:48,146 --> 00:25:50,582
Thus bowed, Mukunda.”
360
00:25:52,551 --> 00:25:56,321
So he carefully folded this letter and posted it,
361
00:25:56,621 --> 00:25:59,958
addressed it “To Splendid God, Heaven.”
362
00:26:01,701 --> 00:26:06,698
Ten days passed and no answer came.
363
00:26:07,566 --> 00:26:09,901
Impatiently Mejda [Master] prayed,
364
00:26:09,901 --> 00:26:13,038
“Is it so difficult to run the world
365
00:26:13,038 --> 00:26:16,274
that you cannot find time
to write a few words to me?”
366
00:26:20,045 --> 00:26:21,713
He was quite hurt by this,
367
00:26:21,713 --> 00:26:24,482
so he resolved not to write to God again.
368
00:26:24,950 --> 00:26:27,552
But he didn’t give up his prayers.
369
00:26:28,600 --> 00:26:31,751
“Why are You so cruelly silent?
370
00:26:32,057 --> 00:26:35,160
I talk to You every day and sent You a letter,
371
00:26:35,560 --> 00:26:37,362
but You did not reply.”
372
00:26:39,931 --> 00:26:42,141
More days passed.
373
00:26:42,922 --> 00:26:45,737
But Master did not cease his one-sided
374
00:26:45,737 --> 00:26:47,138
argument with God.
375
00:26:48,573 --> 00:26:51,676
So one night Master was awakened suddenly
376
00:26:51,676 --> 00:26:54,079
by a great light in his room.
377
00:26:55,046 --> 00:26:58,416
God replied to his letter in that divine light.
378
00:26:59,718 --> 00:27:01,353
I think that would be the best way
379
00:27:01,353 --> 00:27:03,722
to receive a letter, don’t you?
380
00:27:05,090 --> 00:27:09,060
No postage required. No paper to write on it.
381
00:27:11,930 --> 00:27:15,133
So, we have to think in terms of how
382
00:27:15,266 --> 00:27:18,503
to develop faith and determination
383
00:27:18,503 --> 00:27:20,872
through effective prayer.
384
00:27:21,573 --> 00:27:24,409
Master taught us that will power,
385
00:27:24,943 --> 00:27:26,611
and in-depth thought,
386
00:27:27,297 --> 00:27:29,850
are essential.
387
00:27:31,650 --> 00:27:34,797
If we pray and affirm,
388
00:27:35,186 --> 00:27:37,949
sending out positive thoughts,
389
00:27:38,690 --> 00:27:42,227
this sets into motion subtle forces
390
00:27:42,627 --> 00:27:45,530
that bring about what we want or we need.
391
00:27:47,316 --> 00:27:49,418
Now this doesn’t mean to
392
00:27:49,495 --> 00:27:54,094
anxiously force what is needed.
393
00:27:54,850 --> 00:27:59,720
But calmly, steadfastly, to proceed in our efforts;
394
00:28:00,445 --> 00:28:02,947
and sometimes thinking, “All right Lord,
395
00:28:04,149 --> 00:28:06,518
if it is not Your will that I
396
00:28:06,818 --> 00:28:10,388
receive whatever it is I’m asking for, so be it.”
397
00:28:11,489 --> 00:28:12,924
Not too easy is it?
398
00:28:15,727 --> 00:28:17,328
But we leave the matter in His hands.
399
00:28:18,029 --> 00:28:22,500
When I speak about forcing,
and always being in a hurry,
400
00:28:23,501 --> 00:28:26,671
I reflected back on — I was reminded of
401
00:28:27,238 --> 00:28:31,209
one of our older sisters — years ago.
402
00:28:32,577 --> 00:28:35,947
I remember being impressed by the way she drove a car.
403
00:28:37,036 --> 00:28:39,484
She would slowly go around to one side.
404
00:28:39,509 --> 00:28:42,587
In those days we didn’t have the devices we do today.
405
00:28:42,818 --> 00:28:45,790
She would open the one side for the passenger,
406
00:28:45,958 --> 00:28:49,227
walk around on the other side, and open the other side.
407
00:28:49,227 --> 00:28:54,833
She would get in and adjust everything
before starting the engine.
408
00:28:55,411 --> 00:28:57,869
So we would get off onto our trip.
409
00:28:58,893 --> 00:29:01,773
And you’d think, “Well we might be late, you know,
410
00:29:01,840 --> 00:29:07,078
with this approach,” shall we say.
411
00:29:09,592 --> 00:29:12,305
And she didn’t drive too fast.
412
00:29:12,873 --> 00:29:15,453
But each time I was totally amazed.
413
00:29:15,478 --> 00:29:17,856
We always got there before anyone else did.
414
00:29:24,375 --> 00:29:29,134
Master said, “God does respond
when you pray deeply to him,
415
00:29:29,267 --> 00:29:31,836
with faith and determination.
416
00:29:32,804 --> 00:29:35,740
Sometimes He answers by dropping a thought
417
00:29:35,874 --> 00:29:37,809
into the mind of another person
418
00:29:38,443 --> 00:29:41,546
who can fulfill your desire or your need.
419
00:29:42,384 --> 00:29:46,775
That individual then serves as God's instrument
420
00:29:46,924 --> 00:29:49,698
to bring about the desired results.”
421
00:29:49,698 --> 00:29:51,723
And I’m sure you’ve seen this too.
422
00:29:52,457 --> 00:29:55,560
Others step forward and give you something you need.
423
00:29:55,989 --> 00:30:00,698
And, there’s been no exchange of communication there.
424
00:30:01,119 --> 00:30:03,902
But the need is fulfilled through someone.
425
00:30:05,234 --> 00:30:09,707
He said, “You don’t realize
how wonderfully this great power works.
426
00:30:10,286 --> 00:30:12,443
It operates mathematically.
427
00:30:13,344 --> 00:30:15,346
There is no ‘if’ about it.
428
00:30:16,281 --> 00:30:18,883
And that is what the bible means by faith.
429
00:30:19,517 --> 00:30:22,187
It is proof of things unseen.”
430
00:30:24,222 --> 00:30:29,394
So when we pray,
we may not necessarily receive exactly
431
00:30:29,828 --> 00:30:31,896
what it is we’re praying for.
432
00:30:33,998 --> 00:30:37,101
Or it may not come in the way we expect it to come.
433
00:30:38,570 --> 00:30:40,138
But we can be sure
434
00:30:40,772 --> 00:30:43,374
that if we keep trusting and doing our part,
435
00:30:44,008 --> 00:30:45,844
the answer will come.
436
00:30:51,816 --> 00:30:54,419
Master said, “The Omniscience alone,
437
00:30:55,019 --> 00:30:57,322
who knows the hearts of His children,
438
00:30:57,889 --> 00:31:00,358
answers their prayers in many ways.
439
00:31:01,426 --> 00:31:03,761
Devotion shown to God always evokes
440
00:31:04,429 --> 00:31:10,401
some kind, some form,
of plain or mysterious response.
441
00:31:11,139 --> 00:31:15,540
No true devotee is ignored by God.
442
00:31:19,758 --> 00:31:23,348
Never think that God does not answer your prayers.
443
00:31:24,382 --> 00:31:26,451
Every word you have whispered to Him,
444
00:31:27,085 --> 00:31:28,920
He has written in His heart,
445
00:31:29,587 --> 00:31:31,623
and someday He will answer you.
446
00:31:33,024 --> 00:31:34,726
If you keep watching for Him
447
00:31:34,759 --> 00:31:38,062
in the many ways in which He does respond,
448
00:31:38,563 --> 00:31:42,367
you will know that in fact
He answers you all the time.
449
00:31:44,035 --> 00:31:48,406
If you are very eager,
He will answer you in greater ways.
450
00:31:50,629 --> 00:31:54,433
Only by persistence can He be persuaded.”
451
00:31:57,435 --> 00:32:00,652
And we need to trust, too, that God knows
452
00:32:00,859 --> 00:32:03,321
what is really best for us.
453
00:32:05,423 --> 00:32:08,393
Sometimes He allows us to go through certain
454
00:32:08,726 --> 00:32:11,029
experiences or challenges
455
00:32:11,330 --> 00:32:13,965
that are not easy for us, at all.
456
00:32:14,776 --> 00:32:16,167
But why?
457
00:32:16,886 --> 00:32:21,506
We need them in order to grow, spiritually.
458
00:32:23,361 --> 00:32:27,679
We develop spiritual qualities and inner strength
459
00:32:27,996 --> 00:32:30,848
by going through such experiences.
460
00:32:32,784 --> 00:32:34,352
And when we go through them,
461
00:32:35,253 --> 00:32:40,258
then we better see, how God guides and sustains us.
462
00:32:41,125 --> 00:32:45,063
And this, in turn, strengthens our faith.
463
00:32:49,667 --> 00:32:51,769
So we have to use common sense
464
00:32:52,870 --> 00:32:55,073
and take necessary action,
465
00:32:56,240 --> 00:32:59,110
all the while praying, as did Master,
466
00:32:59,277 --> 00:33:03,214
“I will reason. I will will. I will act.
467
00:33:03,681 --> 00:33:06,918
But guide Thou my reason, will, and activity
468
00:33:07,185 --> 00:33:09,821
to the right thing that I should do.
469
00:33:12,957 --> 00:33:15,493
When we have to make decisions, it’s best
470
00:33:17,595 --> 00:33:19,998
to think about them, maybe make notes,
471
00:33:20,865 --> 00:33:25,069
and then distance ourselves
a little bit from them for a time;
472
00:33:25,656 --> 00:33:28,773
and then go back to them, later,
473
00:33:29,413 --> 00:33:31,542
and see what we think then.
474
00:33:32,436 --> 00:33:36,981
Basically we’re turning
all of it over to God and Guru.
475
00:33:38,952 --> 00:33:40,752
And we’re saying to them,
476
00:33:41,867 --> 00:33:43,888
“I will do the best I can,
477
00:33:44,227 --> 00:33:47,492
but You know what is right for me.
478
00:33:47,562 --> 00:33:49,394
I leave it in Your hands.”
479
00:33:50,862 --> 00:33:52,630
And then when the time is right,
480
00:33:53,641 --> 00:33:56,367
the right solution is found.
481
00:33:59,103 --> 00:34:01,672
I came across this story,
482
00:34:02,056 --> 00:34:03,941
someone brought it to my attention.
483
00:34:06,203 --> 00:34:10,547
And I think it is a very good example
484
00:34:11,353 --> 00:34:15,219
of how God does not answer our prayers
485
00:34:15,219 --> 00:34:17,455
always in the way that we want,
486
00:34:18,168 --> 00:34:22,927
but in the way that we
need to have them answered.
487
00:34:24,161 --> 00:34:25,630
This is our story.
488
00:34:26,341 --> 00:34:28,933
The order had come down at last.
489
00:34:29,387 --> 00:34:32,255
The ground invasion of Kuwait
490
00:34:32,306 --> 00:34:34,725
was about to commence.
491
00:34:34,911 --> 00:34:38,775
My battalion would cross the Kuwaiti border
492
00:34:39,078 --> 00:34:42,080
as part of Operation Desert Storm.
493
00:34:42,719 --> 00:34:47,217
I was the second in command of 130 brave marines
494
00:34:47,585 --> 00:34:50,955
who were about to face the most daunting challenge
495
00:34:51,255 --> 00:34:53,609
of their military lives.
496
00:34:54,391 --> 00:34:57,428
We’d already dodged heavy artillery fire
497
00:34:57,671 --> 00:35:02,800
and now we’d likely face more dangers
498
00:35:03,568 --> 00:35:06,471
like land mines and oil fires.
499
00:35:08,005 --> 00:35:10,074
Thousands of Iraqi troops
500
00:35:10,294 --> 00:35:13,060
waited just beyond the Kuwaiti border.
501
00:35:13,778 --> 00:35:17,593
It was time for us to make the final strategic push.
502
00:35:18,426 --> 00:35:23,855
“Dear God,” I prayed,
“help me to lead my troops wisely.
503
00:35:24,255 --> 00:35:26,724
Watch over us. Keep us safe.”
504
00:35:28,088 --> 00:35:31,195
I walked from one group of marines to another,
505
00:35:31,525 --> 00:35:33,798
talking to them about the mission
506
00:35:34,142 --> 00:35:36,701
and trying to keep their spirits up.
507
00:35:37,298 --> 00:35:40,771
Hunched against the dry, biting desert winds,
508
00:35:41,239 --> 00:35:44,876
we wrote letters home — maybe our last.
509
00:35:46,110 --> 00:35:48,412
Just before dawn the next morning
510
00:35:48,746 --> 00:35:50,882
I gave the order to move out.
511
00:35:52,114 --> 00:35:53,818
The skies were clear.
512
00:35:54,619 --> 00:35:57,889
We slung our gear into our humvees
513
00:35:58,556 --> 00:36:00,791
and began advancing toward the border.
514
00:36:01,921 --> 00:36:04,195
I felt a drop of rain,
515
00:36:05,463 --> 00:36:06,531
then another.
516
00:36:07,098 --> 00:36:09,467
In a matter of minutes it was pouring.
517
00:36:11,068 --> 00:36:13,804
The rain came down hard and fast,
518
00:36:14,423 --> 00:36:17,494
so thick we could barely make out
the desert landscape
519
00:36:17,519 --> 00:36:19,057
ahead of us.
520
00:36:19,475 --> 00:36:21,112
It went on for days.
521
00:36:22,079 --> 00:36:24,849
Each morning we’d awaken soaked to the bone
522
00:36:25,119 --> 00:36:29,353
after another night with only camouflage netting for cover.
523
00:36:30,588 --> 00:36:34,058
Bad enough we had the enemy to worry about,
524
00:36:35,246 --> 00:36:38,262
now the elements were against us too.
525
00:36:39,230 --> 00:36:44,068
I prayed, “Father, please make this rain stop;
526
00:36:44,423 --> 00:36:45,870
and protect us.”
527
00:36:47,271 --> 00:36:50,441
The rain continued to pound us relentlessly
528
00:36:50,975 --> 00:36:54,178
until we finally neared the Kuwaiti border.
529
00:36:54,958 --> 00:36:57,114
There the battalion halted.
530
00:36:57,838 --> 00:37:00,184
On the other side the enemy waited.
531
00:37:00,807 --> 00:37:04,789
Rain or no rain we’d soon be going in.
532
00:37:05,807 --> 00:37:08,426
We awoke on the day of the invasion
533
00:37:08,926 --> 00:37:11,762
to to clear skies and glorious sunshine.
534
00:37:12,426 --> 00:37:14,732
As we closed in on the border,
535
00:37:15,700 --> 00:37:19,637
we couldn’t help but stare
at the astounding sight before us.
536
00:37:20,505 --> 00:37:24,775
The torrential rains had washed away the sand
537
00:37:24,989 --> 00:37:29,240
to reveal metal disks planted all across our path.
538
00:37:29,744 --> 00:37:33,177
It was an Iraqi minefield.
539
00:37:35,253 --> 00:37:37,054
I thought that was marvellous,
540
00:37:37,287 --> 00:37:40,758
because that relentless rain revealed
541
00:37:41,780 --> 00:37:45,363
those mines that had been planted in that field.
542
00:37:47,702 --> 00:37:51,068
Otherwise, they would likely have all been killed.
543
00:37:52,903 --> 00:37:57,275
And I would imagine the tremendous responsibility
544
00:37:57,797 --> 00:38:01,279
that anyone in the army would have
545
00:38:02,431 --> 00:38:07,485
in order to maintain the safety, shall we say,
546
00:38:07,920 --> 00:38:10,372
of his troops.
547
00:38:12,189 --> 00:38:14,458
To try to cover a few more points,
548
00:38:16,494 --> 00:38:18,362
remember that meditation
549
00:38:18,829 --> 00:38:21,299
increases our receptivity,
550
00:38:21,899 --> 00:38:23,901
our faith, and our attunement;
551
00:38:25,255 --> 00:38:27,938
and thus it strengthens our faith.
552
00:38:29,194 --> 00:38:32,977
It’s the most potent and effective way to do this.
553
00:38:34,663 --> 00:38:37,682
It gives us the experience of God’s presence.
554
00:38:37,715 --> 00:38:39,647
It makes Him real to us.
555
00:38:42,000 --> 00:38:43,954
And when we feel His presence,
556
00:38:44,943 --> 00:38:47,758
it deepens our connection with Him,
557
00:38:48,406 --> 00:38:50,861
our faith in Him, our trust.
558
00:38:52,547 --> 00:38:55,399
So the results of prayer are real.
559
00:38:56,661 --> 00:39:00,638
There is no limit to what God
and Master can do for us
560
00:39:00,905 --> 00:39:03,140
when we are in tune with them.
561
00:39:09,080 --> 00:39:12,183
In one of his recorded talks he said,
562
00:39:12,266 --> 00:39:15,619
"The best time to pray is after meditation,
563
00:39:16,641 --> 00:39:20,858
after you have stilled
your restless thoughts and feelings,
564
00:39:21,520 --> 00:39:24,829
and have focused your inner concentration,
565
00:39:25,165 --> 00:39:29,321
and your will power, on God alone.”
566
00:39:29,867 --> 00:39:32,536
Master said, “God’s voice is silence.
567
00:39:33,596 --> 00:39:38,442
Only when thoughts cease
can one hear the voice of God
568
00:39:38,676 --> 00:39:41,946
communicating through the silence of intuition.
569
00:39:43,887 --> 00:39:47,685
That is God’s means of expression.”
570
00:39:49,987 --> 00:39:52,287
Sometimes we have the tendency
571
00:39:52,495 --> 00:39:55,226
to feel that we need to think,
572
00:39:55,593 --> 00:39:57,995
to do and to act all the time.
573
00:39:58,429 --> 00:40:00,865
But this isn’t necessarily so.
574
00:40:00,890 --> 00:40:04,169
We need to take little breaks in between,
575
00:40:04,533 --> 00:40:08,038
to see where we’re going
576
00:40:08,063 --> 00:40:09,640
and what really is happening
577
00:40:09,640 --> 00:40:11,575
and what we really should be doing.
578
00:40:14,445 --> 00:40:16,664
What should we pray for?
579
00:40:17,289 --> 00:40:20,084
We should pray for attunement with God’s will,
580
00:40:20,309 --> 00:40:22,627
His understanding.
581
00:40:24,688 --> 00:40:27,131
Master said, “It is not wrong
to tell the Lord
582
00:40:27,156 --> 00:40:29,093
when we want something.
583
00:40:29,118 --> 00:40:32,089
But it shows greater faith if we simply say,
584
00:40:32,433 --> 00:40:34,165
‘Heavenly Father,
585
00:40:34,165 --> 00:40:37,601
I know that Thou dost
anticipate my every need.
586
00:40:38,746 --> 00:40:41,505
Sustain me according to Thy will.’
587
00:40:42,473 --> 00:40:46,076
Sometimes the Lord denies our little prayers
588
00:40:46,410 --> 00:40:51,081
because He intends to
bestow upon us a better gift.
589
00:40:52,216 --> 00:40:53,784
Trust more in God.
590
00:40:54,251 --> 00:40:58,956
Believe that He who created you
will maintain you.”
591
00:41:04,328 --> 00:41:06,997
There’s a wonderful little prayer from someone
592
00:41:07,765 --> 00:41:09,567
who, in growing older,
593
00:41:10,008 --> 00:41:13,170
had gained some unique perspectives,
594
00:41:13,170 --> 00:41:15,495
and was sharing her thoughts with the Lord.
595
00:41:15,573 --> 00:41:19,210
She said, “Lord, keep me from being talkative
596
00:41:19,416 --> 00:41:21,589
and particularly from the fatal habit that
597
00:41:21,614 --> 00:41:25,384
I might say something on every subject
on every occasion.
598
00:41:28,722 --> 00:41:31,155
Release me from the belief that I can
599
00:41:31,155 --> 00:41:33,624
straighten out everybody’s affairs.
600
00:41:35,732 --> 00:41:39,864
Keep my mind free
from the recital of endless details.
601
00:41:40,146 --> 00:41:43,336
Give me wings to get to the point.
602
00:41:46,270 --> 00:41:48,272
Teach me the glorious lesson
603
00:41:48,383 --> 00:41:53,666
that occasionally it is possible
that I may be mistaken.
604
00:41:57,091 --> 00:41:59,817
With my vast store of wisdom
605
00:42:00,116 --> 00:42:03,447
it seems a pity not to use it all.
606
00:42:08,225 --> 00:42:09,894
But Thou, my Lord,
607
00:42:09,936 --> 00:42:14,661
knoweth that I want
a few friends left in the end.”
608
00:42:20,337 --> 00:42:23,474
This is acquired insight that comes with age —
609
00:42:23,574 --> 00:42:26,088
I can attest to that.
610
00:42:27,924 --> 00:42:33,817
Sister Gyanamata was
a wonderful example to all of us.
611
00:42:36,304 --> 00:42:40,151
She was once kneeling in prayer in the chapel,
612
00:42:40,176 --> 00:42:42,760
and she said, “I was thinking of something
613
00:42:42,760 --> 00:42:44,628
that was coming into my life
614
00:42:44,653 --> 00:42:46,926
that filled me with apprehension.
615
00:42:47,286 --> 00:42:49,500
I knew that it was not the will of God that
616
00:42:49,525 --> 00:42:52,192
I should be saved from the experience.
617
00:42:52,934 --> 00:42:55,773
Even at that moment it was moving toward me.
618
00:42:57,148 --> 00:43:01,258
Suddenly God told me the prayer He would listen to,
619
00:43:01,308 --> 00:43:06,225
and I said quickly, ‘Change no circumstance of my life.
620
00:43:06,264 --> 00:43:07,818
Change me.’ ”
621
00:43:08,588 --> 00:43:11,557
And instantly she felt a change within herself.
622
00:43:12,794 --> 00:43:15,384
What happened in that situation?
623
00:43:15,803 --> 00:43:18,100
Gyanamata was listening.
624
00:43:19,056 --> 00:43:22,433
She was receptive to what God wanted for her
625
00:43:22,433 --> 00:43:24,068
because she heard Him,
626
00:43:25,580 --> 00:43:29,517
she heard the prayer He would listen to.
627
00:43:30,088 --> 00:43:31,875
And I thought that was so interesting
628
00:43:31,900 --> 00:43:35,533
that He would tell her
what He would be listening to.
629
00:43:36,080 --> 00:43:38,969
That’s good communication.
630
00:43:45,941 --> 00:43:50,082
So there’s an old saying, to “Let go, and let God.”
631
00:43:55,844 --> 00:43:58,102
I’ll tell you one of the stories that
632
00:43:58,769 --> 00:44:01,071
someone reminded me of today.
633
00:44:02,162 --> 00:44:07,945
Master used to take several of us
out on little trips with him.
634
00:44:08,669 --> 00:44:12,296
Anandama, Ma's sister, would take him
635
00:44:12,818 --> 00:44:14,918
on little sojourns shall we say:
636
00:44:14,918 --> 00:44:20,124
drives to old Pasadena, old Altadena
637
00:44:20,124 --> 00:44:21,358
beautiful places,
638
00:44:21,926 --> 00:44:28,565
just so he could get away
from the pressures of his life.
639
00:44:30,167 --> 00:44:32,670
And usually he would go into samadhi.
640
00:44:34,471 --> 00:44:37,441
And then, when he came to, occasionally,
641
00:44:37,441 --> 00:44:42,379
he would look out and see
a tree in someone’s yard.
642
00:44:43,026 --> 00:44:44,715
And he would send one of us
643
00:44:44,715 --> 00:44:46,183
to knock on the door
644
00:44:46,832 --> 00:44:49,032
and find out the name of the tree,
645
00:44:49,274 --> 00:44:51,388
what kind of tree it would be.
646
00:44:51,413 --> 00:44:53,915
That was very embarrassing.
647
00:45:02,138 --> 00:45:05,269
But Master was never embarrassed about anything.
648
00:45:06,804 --> 00:45:10,474
He knew. He knew exactly what he was doing.
649
00:45:11,496 --> 00:45:17,381
But, as a rule, he would take
two of us at the same time,
650
00:45:17,881 --> 00:45:20,344
one on one side, one on the other,
651
00:45:21,028 --> 00:45:26,023
and — I think there were
six or seven of us that during that period —
652
00:45:26,307 --> 00:45:28,892
that he would take on these little sojourns.
653
00:45:29,479 --> 00:45:30,461
And
654
00:45:32,763 --> 00:45:34,965
one day in the office I was sitting there
655
00:45:35,099 --> 00:45:36,734
— I hadn’t seen master for a while —
656
00:45:37,301 --> 00:45:41,805
and a thought dropped into my mind,
657
00:45:41,830 --> 00:45:44,341
“You haven’t seen Master lately, have you?”
658
00:45:45,006 --> 00:45:47,778
And I thought that’s ridiculous,
659
00:45:47,778 --> 00:45:51,148
of course I haven’t, why should I? He’s busy.
660
00:45:51,490 --> 00:45:54,918
So I went on with my work,
and about two hours later
661
00:45:55,631 --> 00:45:57,623
I went up to my room,
662
00:45:58,088 --> 00:46:03,160
which was then in the Annex
there in the Administration Building.
663
00:46:03,185 --> 00:46:05,929
Lord doesn’t leave you alone you see.
664
00:46:06,334 --> 00:46:10,868
So I had to turn to the left,
665
00:46:10,893 --> 00:46:13,971
briefly; my room was right there on the corner.
666
00:46:14,338 --> 00:46:16,507
And I was prompted to turn around
667
00:46:16,507 --> 00:46:20,778
and I saw two devotees at the end of the hall there
668
00:46:20,803 --> 00:46:23,280
looking at me. And I picked up their thoughts:
669
00:46:23,680 --> 00:46:27,821
“She must not be in Master special group anymore.”
670
00:46:29,620 --> 00:46:31,722
So I thought, “Oh, strange.”
671
00:46:32,589 --> 00:46:36,226
I was just down in the office about two hours ago, and
672
00:46:36,251 --> 00:46:39,963
came this thought I hadn’t seen Master lately.
673
00:46:40,030 --> 00:46:41,198
What’s happening?
674
00:46:41,887 --> 00:46:45,235
And as I moved on into my room I knew intuitively
675
00:46:45,803 --> 00:46:49,973
that they were on their way out to be with him.
676
00:46:50,950 --> 00:46:56,146
Well, that started a lot of thoughts in my mind.
677
00:46:56,243 --> 00:46:57,714
“What’s wrong?
678
00:46:58,382 --> 00:46:59,983
I’ve done something wrong,
679
00:47:00,048 --> 00:47:02,753
and Master isn’t pleased with me.
680
00:47:02,782 --> 00:47:04,188
What have I done?”
681
00:47:06,630 --> 00:47:10,927
Now I have a very special gift
for this type of thing, you see.
682
00:47:14,430 --> 00:47:18,700
You can ponder an issue until it’s not recognizable.
683
00:47:22,099 --> 00:47:26,677
Now, how long this went on only the Lord knows;
684
00:47:27,017 --> 00:47:29,813
but it seemed like an eternity.
685
00:47:30,767 --> 00:47:32,482
One day I was out walking,
686
00:47:32,935 --> 00:47:36,286
back and forth to the gate,
getting a little exercise,
687
00:47:36,311 --> 00:47:38,055
and I stopped at one point.
688
00:47:38,121 --> 00:47:41,325
I looked up at Master’s window
689
00:47:41,958 --> 00:47:42,993
and
690
00:47:44,549 --> 00:47:47,452
I’ve never figured out if it was my own
691
00:47:47,477 --> 00:47:50,367
inner mind speaking to me, or him,
692
00:47:50,864 --> 00:47:51,835
but
693
00:47:55,005 --> 00:47:56,940
he said to me, “Look at you.
694
00:47:58,075 --> 00:47:59,843
When you came here
695
00:48:01,200 --> 00:48:05,215
you never thought of ever being privileged
696
00:48:05,215 --> 00:48:07,584
to go with Master anywhere.
697
00:48:10,633 --> 00:48:14,124
And now that you aren’t going out with him,
698
00:48:14,149 --> 00:48:16,326
you think something is wrong.
699
00:48:18,512 --> 00:48:19,446
But is it?
700
00:48:20,086 --> 00:48:23,400
Why were you so happy when you first came?
701
00:48:24,447 --> 00:48:28,338
You were thinking only of God,
702
00:48:28,802 --> 00:48:33,060
only of what Master manifested so perfectly,
703
00:48:33,085 --> 00:48:35,445
in everything that he did.”
704
00:48:37,591 --> 00:48:41,919
And with that, it was as though
the top of my head slid back,
705
00:48:41,944 --> 00:48:44,888
and my whole being, my soul,
706
00:48:45,150 --> 00:48:46,857
flew into space,
707
00:48:47,201 --> 00:48:48,692
into spirit,
708
00:48:50,794 --> 00:48:54,197
way beyond the things of this earth.
709
00:48:54,698 --> 00:48:56,667
And when I walked back to that gate,
710
00:48:56,667 --> 00:48:59,636
I was in a totally different frame of mind.
711
00:49:00,469 --> 00:49:01,738
I was happy.
712
00:49:02,090 --> 00:49:06,152
I was free from those
713
00:49:06,177 --> 00:49:09,746
endless thoughts of thinking
I’d done something that was
714
00:49:10,762 --> 00:49:12,883
horrendously wrong,
715
00:49:13,438 --> 00:49:16,320
and no one was telling me about it.
716
00:49:18,320 --> 00:49:19,690
I got to the gate,
717
00:49:20,578 --> 00:49:24,628
and one of those two disciples
that was in the hallway that day
718
00:49:25,262 --> 00:49:27,764
was running down the circular drive.
719
00:49:28,565 --> 00:49:30,033
And I thought to myself,
720
00:49:30,285 --> 00:49:32,169
“Is she coming toward me?”
721
00:49:33,429 --> 00:49:34,838
And sure enough,
722
00:49:35,675 --> 00:49:37,641
when she arrived
723
00:49:39,503 --> 00:49:42,635
she said, “Master has asked us to meet him
724
00:49:43,702 --> 00:49:46,369
in about an hour. He was in the city
725
00:49:47,116 --> 00:49:50,525
and we were to meet him at a particular place.
726
00:49:51,306 --> 00:49:54,470
And I thought, “My this works fast.”
727
00:49:57,829 --> 00:50:01,198
Sure enough, when we got to the car
728
00:50:01,657 --> 00:50:04,101
Meera Ma was sitting in the middle seat
729
00:50:04,521 --> 00:50:08,154
and there were three or four of the younger
730
00:50:08,179 --> 00:50:09,539
devotees in the back.
731
00:50:09,539 --> 00:50:12,642
Master was in the front seat with Sahaja Ma
732
00:50:12,861 --> 00:50:16,146
and he moved over to the middle
733
00:50:16,713 --> 00:50:19,082
and had me get in beside him,
734
00:50:19,321 --> 00:50:24,087
and he turned, playfully,
to push her a bit against the car door.
735
00:50:24,788 --> 00:50:27,424
And he looked straight into my eyes.
736
00:50:28,068 --> 00:50:29,760
and I heard him say,
737
00:50:30,158 --> 00:50:32,986
“You finally got my message.”
738
00:50:34,611 --> 00:50:39,603
Took a while but that message was,
739
00:50:39,628 --> 00:50:44,641
“Don’t depend on me in an outer way
740
00:50:45,021 --> 00:50:49,279
but remain in tune with me, from within.”
741
00:50:50,120 --> 00:50:52,749
Does that story make sense to you all?
742
00:50:53,214 --> 00:50:53,950
Okay.
743
00:50:55,551 --> 00:51:01,224
I wanted to leave with you
a few thoughts of our Guru,
744
00:51:04,477 --> 00:51:07,831
Master said, “God says, ‘When my children think
745
00:51:07,898 --> 00:51:11,835
they do not receive from me
any response to their prayers,
746
00:51:12,543 --> 00:51:15,906
they know not that I do answer,
747
00:51:16,684 --> 00:51:20,444
only differently from what they expect of me.
748
00:51:21,244 --> 00:51:24,581
I will not always respond
according to their wishes
749
00:51:25,082 --> 00:51:27,984
until they have attained perfection.
750
00:51:28,919 --> 00:51:30,854
Only when they are perfect
751
00:51:31,154 --> 00:51:35,225
will their request be governed always by wisdom.’ ”
752
00:51:37,991 --> 00:51:43,567
It’s another reason we may not hear
a response for our prayers.
753
00:51:45,457 --> 00:51:46,736
God bless you.
754
00:51:47,253 --> 00:51:49,792
Jai Guru.
54822
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