Class-End The Struggle
*Sat is an abbreviation for Sathyam.
In this video, Sat talks about the causes for our struggles and suggests a few different methods for us to apply and be able to end them for good. The specific methods suggested here are Self-surrender, Be Still and Know & Stop Meditation.
Sathyam begins by leading the group in meditation: Let your thoughts take a backseat. The more we are aware of silence, the less noise we hear or we even care to get involved with. Our meditation tonight is just Be Still, just Be Still.
Meditation continues for a few minutes.
She continues: No sharing, no questions? This is your chance to ask.
One of the men says: There is something I read in a book about Buddha and we have to be careful about it since I read it in a book. And basically I didn’t realize this, but this was something that the Buddha did a long time before he attained enlightenment. He addressed his mind and said, “I have been following you for 25 years and you have led me to nothing but doom and despair, now it is time for you to follow me.” Those are some pretty powerful words to get your mind to lie down like a dog and follow you.
Sathyam: Yes, everything Buddha says is right, unless they are quoting him wrongly.
Tonight, I would like to ask and then talk about ending the struggle. Did that get everyone’s attention (laughs)? Who wants to volunteer, like one of you was quoting the Buddha, how is it for you to end the struggle?
One of the women says: For me, it is by using Stop Meditation.
Sathyam: Yes, in other words, to not use your mind as often. Anyone else? I will volunteer you, so you may as well do it while it is still voluntary (laughs).
Another woman says: Some days it is really hard to end the struggle.
Sathyam: Yes, there is absolutely no struggle outside of our Self. Impossible! You might say “What if someone comes with a knife and tries to cut my throat? It’s causing me a struggle.” It’s our reaction to his knife that causes us to struggle. If we just said “whatever” then it would be easy.
Another woman asks: That would diffuse the man?
Sathyam: No, it would not diffuse the man, which it very well could, but it would diffuse you from struggling! What I am trying to say is that every struggle is either our own mind, or a reaction to something that is happening outside.
You know when you go to a gathering and they talk about politics? There is so much friction and to Me that is a struggle, if I am looking at it from the outside. Then we have a personal struggle, what I am trying to say is very important to understand, and that is at every given moment the struggle can stop when we stop struggling.
If you really have a deep understanding that what you see, what you taste, what you hear really doesn't matter and is not the reality, at that point your struggle stops. Even if somebody cuts your body, you know that you were not the body. Death is not such a horrifying incident and you do not have to preserve yourself as the body.
So, I would not say for those of us who are still living in the mind to allow someone to cut our throat. I was just demonstrating something pretty violent to say that it is really all about how we review and how we react to things.
We know that most of us would react to death differently. Every one of us in this room would react differently if someone passes away, or someone is born, or it is someone’s wedding. Some would struggle with it; some would not struggle with it, so, it really is not outside of us. What do you think is the best way to end the struggle, now that we know what the cause of it is?
One of the women says: Don’t get involved with the story.
Sathyam: Honestly, everything we have ever said here in this class. When we drop our story, we have dropped our struggle. Another remedy is just to recognize where the struggle is, recognize where it has its home and not go with it, like one of you was saying.
Just Stop! It is Self-surrender, that’s what it is. You know we always say “surrender to God, surrender to this or surrender to that,” it is Self surrender. Does everybody know what Self surrender is?
One of the men says: I know that force of will is doomed for failure and for instance, I can only hold my hand out for so long. Sooner or later it will fall asleep and my arm will become tired- that is how I feel when I battle myself. My hand is out and my arm aches, and I think if I drop my hand I will die and I get scared. One day I dropped my hand and I didn’t die- that’s how I feel when You talk about ending the struggle.
Sathyam: And the pain was gone. Ending the struggle is resisting no evil, because when you resist evil, you have created the evil to resist it. When you don’t resist it, you are not giving any personality to it.
He continues: You know when I put my hand down, I don’t care if I die. I try to stop steering everything I do, think and say. I need to relax, let my mind go and find out what’s true and I quit being scared.
Sathyam: Yes, exactly. This is a very, very good point. But I am going to give a few methods that will really, really help.
When we are used to preserving the self or this body, it creates a lot of fear. To stop this fear and this struggle within ourselves, the best way to do it is to recognize the qualifications of the mind, take the mask off of it and to just not go with it. To Stop! Not try to Stop, but just Stop! Not decide to Stop, but just Stop! Not to reverse our way of thinking, just Stop!
The more you do that, the less you will have a reactive life within yourself. We don’t have to come on an emergency basis in order to give up. Self-surrender means surrendering to that Reality that is untouched by all fears, doubts and struggle.
We are going to do certain things tonight and those of us who are already doing them, we get a chance to do them again. Tonight what we are going to do is practice the Stop Meditation for a few minutes. I call it meditation, but that is the wrong word for it. That is what everyone is used to- meditation.
Stop Meditation is actually to abode in no place, grabbing nothing. With our eyes closed, we bring our attention to the region of the heart. For a moment, we don’t care about our thoughts and we just completely stop going with them, not by force, but by willingness to be in the silence.
Meditation continues for a few minutes.
Sathyam: Have your eyes barely open, just a crack open and do the same thing. As you are holding on to the Stop, which really is being no place, begin to very slowly open your eyes, Stop and do the same thing little by little.
Meditation continues for a few more minutes.
Sathyam: With the eyes fully open, do the same thing. Just Stop!
Meditation continues for a few more minutes.
Sathyam: As you are looking around, just Stop. Now, what one of you was saying about the Buddha, where he had said “I followed you for 25 years, now you follow me,” this is the higher mind saying it to the lower mind. When I say higher or lower mind, what I am referring to is the purity that is beyond the mind.
Right after he says that, if he really meant it and we know that he did mean it, he has to do Stop Meditation. Immediately after saying to the mind “I am tired of following you,” what is the solution? What we just did! Really!
It is funny that we should be practicing it in such a small place that is not really fussed about, but it is the highest Truth! This is the way to get rid of the vagary of the mind, to be absolutely engrained in your own stillness and Stop going with it.
Now, how many of you got the slightest understanding of what we are saying tonight and felt it?
How was it for you? (Sathyam asks one of the men in class.)
He replies: Well, that goes against everything that I have been taught my entire life, and what I am supposed to do when I am awake throughout my day. My mind is active, I am supposed to be planning, pursuing and doing all the awake things.
Sathyam: But you know, it is really wonderful in one way that is why I am addressing you; it is really all of you, all of us, it is because of the way we were taught that we are here tonight. This is because the way we were taught cannot go on for too long, before something has to give in either emotionally, mentally, or physically. We see a lot of physically, mentally and emotionally sick people in the world.
Now, you say “I am supposed to plan,” and yes we were all taught to plan, to plan “this” and to plan “that,” and look at where the world is. Everyone planned how to go to Iraq, everyone planned how to conquer another country, and everybody planned for their retirement.
What I am trying to say is that everybody plans and it has never taken the situation of this world to anything better. So, what is it? If we don’t plan, what happens? You might say “If I am empty and walking around, who is doing the planning?” That might make you uncomfortable. My answer to you would be to do what you have to do without any anxiety and anxiousness about it, by stopping to go through too many gymnastics of the mind. And then see what happens! Then you will be living through the Spirit, that is not a good word to say, through who you really are, rather than through the way you were taught to think or taught to act. That is living by Grace- believe Me!
Those who have experienced living by Grace, know that things will come to them, and they do not know where from. They are so much in the rhythm of life that they are never late for anything, nor are they early. They are just right on time. The more we want to be in control, the harder we will be struggling.
Now, you cannot tell your mind “I don’t want you to think or get behind me.” You have to have wisdom that replaces the ignorance! This is what happens here or in any other place, or from any good book that you read, or anything that has power.
So, what to do with a clenched fist? You cannot reason the mind, because the reasoning is a product of the mind; it would be like taking the mind and trying to reason itself out. It’s like the dog chasing its own tail. What do we do then?
We bring the light of wisdom; we bring in the sun of wisdom, and what happens when we face the sun? Our shadow goes behind us. What is the shadow? Ignorance. Now, if we face the darkness, which is ignorance, thinking that our mind has power, what happens? The shadow is in front of us, and all we see is the shadow. Do you follow Me?
So, in order to be released of this imaginary snake, one has to saturate oneself with the pure wisdom! What is wisdom? Letting go of the false is wisdom, letting go of the old, letting go of what we were taught is wisdom.
Now, like one of you was saying, we opened our clenched fists and nothing happened. So, it is now time for us to try not to struggle by staying in the Self, by just being, not judging, not wanting, just being.
When we are in a State of Being, all of our desires are fulfilled! Do you know why? Because we have peace, we do everything to get peace, (laughs) in a State of Being we are peaceful. So, what else would we want, what can anyone add to us, what can anyone take away from us?
Let’s take a few more minutes with the eyes open, Just Be. If there are any thoughts that come, you know what Stop is, so Just Be. Remember what one of you said about Buddha.
Meditation continues for a few minutes.
Sathyam: Now you can come to. How is this practice for you? (Sathyam asks one of the ladies.)
She replies: Easy.
Sathyam: And you? (She asks another woman in the class.)
She replies: It’s actually easier for me to do with my eyes open. That’s what I used to do when I was a kid.
Sathyam: Anyone else? And you? (Sathyam asks another woman in the class.)
She replies: It’s my life.
Sathyam continues: It’s her life!
The man who had spoken about wanting to control everything in his life says: You know that’s actually pretty pleasant.
Sathyam: Yes, it is. Believe Me, when you have a tool like this, the mind will convince you later on to be so busy and neglect this tool, but practicing is the best way to prevent that from happening. We cannot have the Truth in our hand, and not practice it until a very crucial time in our lives. If we have not practiced it, at crucial times we will surely not be able to practice it.
So, prevention is very important. What is prevention? Before we need to have it in order to survive, we already know how to do it. Therefore, we do not let the mind fool us into believing that we can do some other things to occupy our days, instead of that crucial Stop.
As one of you was saying, when we stay on the surface of the ocean, there is foam, there are waves, there is all sorts of dirt, there is so much commotion going on in the ocean. As you go down deeper and deeper, you are not aware of what is happening on the top at all, there is barely any movement at all.
Sometimes it is so still that you don’t even know that water moves. So, it’s the same thing we are talking about here, nature is our teacher. Why? This is because the bottom could not care less about what’s going on on the top. If it cared, it would be involved. It would be doing the same thing as it did on the top. Therefore, we become a Witness.
I am now going to demonstrate something for you so that you can remember it, when there is a need! Just imagine an old-fashioned scale that is still used in shops in some Middle Eastern countries. With these scales, people put the weight on one side, then they put the fruit on the other side to weigh it. Just imagine yourself as an eye, watching these two sides of the scale. When there is a struggle, one side will get heavy. All you have to do is turn your attention to the other side of the scale. If there is un-peacefulness or a thought that is repeated, all you have to do is turn your eye to the other side that is light and has no weight. It’s really our choice in a way that we can either be a Witness or get right in the middle of the jungle and feel lost.
Talking about spirituality, spirituality is Self-knowledge! Self-realization- that’s what spirituality is, otherwise it’s worthless! What good is it to learn about other saints and sages, and be educated in all sorts of tapas, austerities, fasting, biographies and all that, if we have not mastered the mind?
You know some people get so stuck on the spiritual path that it again becomes a hindrance. The more we realize who we are and who we are not- that’s even more important than who we are. When you realize that your thoughts don’t have power, when you realize that you are not just a body, when you realize that “this” and “that” are temporary and we do not need to struggle with it, by elimination, the scale gets lighter and lighter. This is done by eliminating.
Any questions so far, or am I confusing you?
Practice therefore is very important.
If we only knew that the most important goal in life is to have freedom and peace, we would never have to go through so many detours. You don't have to agree with Me. We would have our eyes on it until we got it. We would not get so easily distracted, but that’s how it is. What good is it to live one minute happy and ten minutes unhappy, always on that roller-coaster, that never-ending roller-coaster?
So, wisdom is the most important thing, where is the wisdom? Right here (pointing to Her heart). And how do we do it? By by-passing the mind! We do not interrupt the mind, we do not stop the mind, we do not invite the mind! We just shift our attention to the other side of the scale, and those of us who have done it, feel more freedom.
The other day I was invited to give a talk at a gathering and I went into a very, very deep silence. Before I went into the silence, I felt that the talk should be about silence. But when the talk is about silence, how can you talk? And in that, I realized again and again that when you are a sheet of silence- that’s who you are. That’s who you are!
Has anybody had experiences through the Stop Meditation, or any of the practices we do here, that you would like to share with us in class tonight? Or any other practices that you do on your own that are profitable?
How has it been for you, these meetings? (Sathyam asks one of the women in the class.)
She answers: It’s been like a transformation and a feeling of surrendering to being still. That’s been a major focus and it affects every aspect of my life.
Sathyam: Yes! You see, just think that you are planning to climb the Himalayas, there are many stations on the way where you can stop and rest. Just imagine someone comes to you and says “I know the way to the top where you don’t even have to stop. It is so straight and so easy!”
Not too many people though have an uncomplicated mind to get it, and this is the invitation to silence, to that stillness, to that Stop. But so many people don’t want to hear that it just is too simple. “Give me rules, give me regulations, and give me things that I have to struggle to get.” When we speak the Truth, most people who think they get it don’t get it, until their consciousness opens up.
The first time or the first few months you came here and heard Me, how many of you said to yourselves “What is She talking about? What is going on here?” And then the understanding began to expand. It really is this way. Isn’t that so? (Sathyam asks one of the old-timers.)
She replies: It’s at a point where nothing else makes sense.
Sathyam: Yes! Once you have found that stillness, once you have recognized the mind as nothingness, you are the light to others, whoever you are, from whatever background, and then you are a light to others! Whether you want to shine in their lives or not, it just happens!
Anyone else who would like to share? What have you taken from this place? (Sathyam asks one of the newer ladies.)
She replies: A lot of serenity. The very first time I came, I got excited and said to myself, “YES.” It was very helpful. It has been extremely helpful for me.
Sathyam: Good! I am asking not because I want to praise the class or what happens here. I am asking because if the answer is no, I would ask you not to come anymore, because that would just not be the right thing for you; you’d be wasting your time.
I also want to say that when you share, it does inspire everybody else to that extent, because it’s very important for us to be in a place where we can expand our consciousness. And if it doesn’t, that means it is not our turn yet, that it is not the right place for us.
How about for you? You have been here a few times. (Sathyam asks one of the other women.)
She replies: Mostly when I first came here, everything you talked about was everything I believed in but hadn’t learned. I just became aware that I have come so far to turn my noise off, and I still have a long way to go.
Sathyam: You see, throughout our lives we get invitations. We get invitations to come to the Truth or to the Self. Then we listen to it for a while and it fades away into the noise. Then we get another invitation and yet another invitation. Until it’s the right time and we say, “You know what? This time I am going to grab it and run with it.”
It has happened to all of us, I don’t know if that’s your case, but for most of us it is like this. So, you said that you know the Truth, but the Truth that we know is a very big step, but it’s also very useless if you don’t have a tool to use it. You have to own it.
For Me to sit here and preach week in and week out would be a waste of everybody’s time. It is the method; it is the practice that makes it yours.
When I say “If God is Omnipresent then who am I?”, you must take it Home, dissect it and see the profit of it. If we say “Remember the Trust" or many, many other things we have talked about here- these are all methods of how to get into that from many different angles; as if there is a round temple that has many, many doors or entrances.
One time one of you asked, "When there are so many different methods, which one should I choose?” I told you that you don’t need to choose, wear it as the time requires it. For example, when you are going to play tennis, you will wear tennis clothes, when you go to a wedding you wear formal clothes. They all take you to that stillness; it’s just what is needed with different temperaments at different times.
When we are feeling inadequate (this is very important I haven’t shared this more than once with one of you privately) when you feel as if you don’t know, dwell on the Omniscient, All-knowing. When you feel you are scared of another power, or the contagiousness of a disease, or war, or whatever your fear is, dwell on the Omnipotent. Then you realize there is only one power.
When you feel separated from that peace that you have and you feel lost, dwell on the Omnipresent. You find yourself immediately, because in Omnipresence there is not a place to get lost. There is no place for separation. These are all activities of the mind. These three are the key.
When we see a sick person who is asking for our help, we don’t need to pray. Go someplace and sit and dwell on the Omnipotent. If there is only one power, how could that person be sick? There has to be two powers to make that person sick. It is so simple, so simple! Dwell in a high place. We dwell in a high place and we will be in a high place. I cannot emphasize it any more than that, because one has to practice and live it in order to be it.
So, anything in this life can go under any of these three categories- as far as day to day concerns go. When you are confronted with a decision, a spiritual decision, or a family decision, sit in your silence and say “Omniscient … what does Omniscient mean?” You have immediately exploded your consciousness in that.
A mother teaches her child to walk, to talk, to be safe, the Truth gives you freedom forever and ever and ever! It is so magnificent, and yet we hold on to the relations in this life, not knowing that what we are really craving is the fulfillment of that Truth!
NAMASTE
Class
End The Struggle
May 16, 2006