& BAPA said... "Everyone in the world is asking for joy.
But to ask for joy is in itself a mistake because in asking others, you remain outside and forget that what you are asking for is your nature itself.
That is all!
You are not connected within.
And hence, you remain in your stupor.
Only the one who has decided to stop searching outside, for happiness and practices going within - as that is where happiness really is - can be called religious..."
& BAPA said... "A true seeker neither gets caught in the past nor does he oppose it.
Enriched by the past, accepting the new, he accomplishes his work.
An ignorant and dogmatic person always remains in the past, he is unable to accept the new.
A true seeker, enriched by the past, riding on its shoulders, makes his perception more subtle, perceives the same Truth in all individuals, and under their influence he rejuvenates himself..."
& BAPA said... "Maintaining awareness, memory of the Self, is right knowledge, and always being equanimous, remaining as a witness, is right conduct.
By leading a life based on the blending of right knowledge, right faith and right conduct, one progresses on the path of liberation and attains self-realisation..."
& BAPA said... "The Self is behind the body under attack.
The existence of the Self is distant and separate from the body that experiences pain and suffering.
The body we try to protect from pain and suffering is separate from the Self. Identification with the body, the belief that 'I am the body', is the root cause of all unhappiness.
Conversely, the cause of happiness is the belief that 'I am not the body'.
& BAPA said... "One who is busy dealing with one unhappy event after another is worldly; but one who aims at removing all suffering, to destroy the root cause of his suffering, is a spiritual aspirant.
One who is busy tackling symptoms is worldly, while one who is keen to remove illness in general, along with its root cause is a spiritual aspirant, a sanyasi...
& BAPA said... "The sadguru has nothing to do with what you desire.
The wealth that he wants to give you is not of this material world but of the Divine world, which accompanies you even beyond death.
He will not let you be content with anything less than the Divine.
He helps you, not in satisfying your desires, but in bringing about an awakening in you, by which the whole world seems illusory and desires worthless.
A sadguru, helps not by fulfilling your dreams, but shattering them..."
& BAPA said... "The Enlightened Ones say that the core teaching of all religion is contained in just one belief - I am not the body.
Every moment, in happiness or misery, in pain or pleasure, the constant underlying realisation that you are not the body must prevail.
Whilst sitting or standing, asleep or awake, eating or fasting, remain with the knowledge that you are not the body.
This is the path to realise your soul..."
& BAPA said... "Can the life I am leading be called a human life?" This is the beginning of spirituality.
This is the first ray of light, without which the sun of enlightenment cannot arise in your life.
Until this question arises, you are unconscious, or not even born.
With this question you have taken a new birth.
You have been blessed with a new life.
This is your real birth.
This is the beginning of your true life.
Blessed is the one to whom this question occurs, for, once this question has arisen, he will not be able to remain in the slumber of ignorance for long...
& BAPA said... "Remember, it is love that carries you to your destination, not the lover; your faith delivers you, not the object of your faith.
You achieve fulfilment not by the object you love, but by love itself.
When there is completeness in your love, you attain the state of completeness.
What is important is: love, faith and surrender.
Deepen your loyalty.
You have chosen one, but if your love is purified through that, then that pure love will make you complete..."
& BAPA said... "Life is merely an opportunity.
What you do with it is for you to decide.
Life is neither purposeful nor purposeless.
It is like a blank paper.
You have the freedom, the choice to write on it what you want.
You can write abusive words or you can write a beautiful song..."
& BAPA said... "The one who wears the body as a garment is separate from it.
The one who enters this body during birth is disconnected from it.
The one who leaves this body at the time of death is distinctly apart from it.
And the one who lives in this body throughout its life is also separate from it.
The day this understanding is firmly established is the day when true spiritual practice begins..."
& BAPA said... "The Enlightened Ones can chart the route, but it is you who have to tread the path.
An Enlightened Being may talk of food, but that will not fill your stomach.
Discussing water does not quench thirst.
It can only inspire you to look for water, reinforce your search for it.
Discussing hunger will augment it so much that you will set everything aside and look for food.
This is the only purpose of satsang.
By listening to the Sadguru's satsang and studying the scriptures, a deep yearning for God is created; a craving so profound that all other desires and passions are lost in it.
Only one desire, one goal, a single wish, remains and all energy gets channelised towards it..."
& BAPA said... "So long as you are asleep, so long as you are unaware even while you are awake during the day, it will not be possible for you to sleep with awareness.
Therefore, be alert, and consciously cultivate awareness.
As your love for awareness matures and your practice becomes intense, your awareness will bloom, and when awareness blooms, you shall attain a state of enlightenment..."
& BAPA said... "Sanyas has no correlation with age; it is only concerned with your inner readiness.
The moment one awakens and is ready to turn his back towards the world, to go within, that is the right time for sanyas; it may be childhood, youth or old age..."
& BAPA said... "Go close to a lamp, you see light. Near a flower, you smell the sweet fragrance.
Similarly, as the proximity with the Enlightened One grows, the light of knowledge and the fragrance of virtues sets in.
This is association with the Enlightened or Satsang.
The one who does so, clearly sees that focusing on the Self undoubtedly leads to success.
Abiding by the commandment of the Sadguru,focusing on the Self, he experiences Supreme Joy.
And that is why he does not forget the Sadguru even for a moment..."
& BAPA said... "So long as you believe that joy can come from something or someone outside, you will get sorrow.
Happiness is your innate nature. And by going within, you will attain it..."
& BAPA said... "Meeting one who has experienced the Divine marks the commencement of the spiritual journey.
Though the destination is yet far, and out of sight, He has seen it.
It is towards Him, that we move.
This movement of an unlit lamp towards a lit one is known as satsang..."
& BAPA said... "The Sadguru turns your dark, moonless night into a breathtaking full moon night.
He shows you your true nature and brightens up your gloomy life.
By the Guru's Grace alone, you realise you true Self and your life is filled with peace and joy..."
& BAPA said... "If you wish to progress, then to begin with, understand your own expectations.
Examine the roots.
Accept your faults instead of trying to hide them.
This is the first step on the path of liberation..."
& BAPA said... "You have kept all your hopes tied to darkness.
Untie them and the lamp will light up on its own.
It is waiting to light up but cannot do so on account of your attachment to darkness.
Many lives have passed.
You left the way you came.
Only if you become a true aspirant will there be light within..."
& BAPA said... "Owning an object does not make us possessive, but unawareness towards its effect on us, does.
To develop non-possessiveness, to remain unaffected by an object, the awareness of the self is very important.
we must seek it.
With the development of awareness and alertness we can realise the self..."
& BAPA said... "Discipleship is an elevated form of love.
No one can stop its manifestation, not even the Guru.
Therefore, the Guru does not make disciples.
When a disciple develops intense love, faith and a feeling of surrendering to an Enlightened Soul, his discipleship manifests; and the moment this happens, that Enlightened One becomes a sadguru.
That is why, it is said that it is not the Guru who makes the disciple; rather it is the disciple who makes the Guru..."
& BAPA said... "In order to realise the blessings of the saints, you will have to show your willingness.
You will have to become worthy of these blessings.
You will have to change your way of life because it is full of mistakes.
If you continue to live the same way, it will be impossible for these auspicious blessings of the saints to come true.
They can be fulfilled only when you desire so.
If you become religious in the true sense, you will inevitably become joyful.
To be ever-joyful is religiousness..."
& BAPA said... "Through your Sadguru a sweet echo has emerged in your heart.
You will be able to understand that echo only when you succeed in creating an echo in someone else's heart.
The Sadguru has touched the strings of your heart.
You will have faith in this only when you touch the strings of someone else's heart through religious discussions..."
& BAPA said... "The three forms of Divinity are in the context of the world; but a disciple experiences all these three forms in his Sadguru, in the context of his inner world.
Brahma - as a creator, the initiator of his spiritual world; Vishnu as the protector of his spiritual inclinations; and Mahesh as the destroyer of his obstructing tendencies.
The real sadguru is one who has all of these three forms inherent within him..."
