How to Find True Happiness | Thus Spake Babaji, online Q&A #78

Babaji explains how to find permanent peace and happiness.

Thus Spake Babaji, online Q&A #78, recorded on 22 January 2022 with worldwide participants.

0:07 The question Babaji had on happiness as a small child
1:31 Why do we think of happiness as being from this world only?
3:23 Is our imagination of unhappiness the reason for losing happiness?
5:35 Is happiness, excitement and bliss all the same?
7:49 How do we find the highest form of happiness while living in the world?
10:57 Can we depend on external things for peace and happiness?
12:29 Should we renounce the world?
15:11 Should we replace our attachment to worldly things to an attachment to god or guru?
19:18 Can one achieve Self Realization without any attachment to god and guru?

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Transcript

Discourse: Thus Spake Babaji - online Q and A No. 78
 How to Find True Happiness
You tube Link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=60UDBMSQERw
Recorded: 22 January 2022

Start of Questions and Answers

Question:   You’ve said before that when You were a small child, You had this question about happiness. Could You talk to us about that question, and what prompted it please?

Babaji Maharaj:   The thoughts that used to come; I used to think and tell, “If there is happiness, it must be there all the twelve months and twenty-four hours. Why is there a fluctuation?” Sometimes there is happiness, excitement. Sometimes an unknown fear, some pain - unknown pain in the heart-type; in the spiritual heart, what you mean in the mind. As if something is missing. “So what is the reason?”, I used to think. “Is there something wrong in the world, or is there something wrong within me that this fluctuation happens?” I felt, naturally, that happiness is one's existence-right. “It should have been always there, but why is it not there?” So, this was the question and thoughts that used to arise within me. That was what I always wondered.

Question:   Thank You, Babaji. So, for most people, if we ask them what makes them happy, their response is their loved ones, family, friends, holidays, things they may own. Why is it that for almost all people in the world we think of happiness in those terms?

Babaji Maharaj:   When we imagine that our happiness is in this world with a particular relationship or object or wealth or any such things, properties or the power, status, we imagine them. So then we start imagining that if we own them, if it's not going to go away from them, we can always be happy. But things are not like that. Only as long as your mind sits there, accepts these things, then you are happy. If your mind does not accept then you won't be happy. So you have to understand -when you analyze, the happiness is not in these objects of the world, species or anything of the world. Happiness is not in the world. It is in the mind, in your consciousness. Whenever it accepts, when there is an acceptance means there is some satisfaction. So that is when you derive some happiness. When there are no further desires, further wanting of anything, at least for temporary, so this thing happens. Otherwise the happiness really is within oneself when there is no need of anything.

Question:   So happiness is our natural state. And what stops us feeling happy is our imagination of unhappiness?

Babaji Maharaj:   Our imagination about unhappiness and giving rise to cravings for such things. So,you see, when we do not have, we go into craving to obtain such things and have it. And if at all we obtain, then again we are always anxious that we should not lose them. So these thoughts will always be coming in the mind. So thus, keeping a person always either brooding about past or anxious about the future. He seldom is into hundred percent happiness at all times. Only for a short while that comes, then again an unknown fear happens, a craving happens. So this is what it is. So when I used to feel a strange pain within me, an unknown pain, outside in the world - means my childhood was comfortable, siblings, parents all were caring and affectionate, everything was there. There was no reason why I should not have had that total happiness, but somehow something I used to miss as if I had come to a place where I did not belong type of thing. But I couldn't express it to anybody, I didn't know. Sometimes an unknown pain used to happen as if I was searching for something which was not there in this world. So that type I felt, but at that time, I could not understand what it was. But now I can tell the mind is not happy in this world because it is looking for the same happiness that which it had enjoyed by remaining in the Self, as one with the Self.

Question:   So You mentioned earlier, happiness and excitement. Is happiness, excitement, and some people even talk about the experience of bliss - are they all the same, or is there a difference between them?

Babaji Maharaj:   In sadhana when the mind becomes quiet and quiet, first you might experience a blissful state. In my opinion, I just wanted to differentiate between peace and blissfulness. A blissfulness can give rise to excitement, and it is like a passion, a temporary passion type, and then it can jump back to this world; looking for that when it loses that passion. But peace is when the mind is totally settled once for all into the Self, and it is totally contented there. Once for all it is there at all times. That is peace. With my experience and also with the mantras that the ancient Rigvedic sages have used, they have ended any chants with Om shanti, shanti, shantihi. This ‘shanti’ they have given importance above anything else. Though ‘ananda’, all these words are all there – satchidananda, brahmananda, turiyananda, and all these anandas are there, but ‘shanti’ is the significant word they have used. So then I felt in my experience, shanti is when peacefully the mind settles down, composed once for all, settles down into the Self. And by then it would have abandoned all cravings once for all and is totally contented in itself. That is when like one single Self existing. So that experience is the real and final.

Question:   So how do we find that highest form of happiness whilst living in the world?

Babaji Maharaj:   Ah, sadhana has to happen. In karma yoga, every day you practice acceptance. You go on working, you do what you want to do, what you want to achieve, you put in efforts all the time, taking care of the things every day. But every moment whatever happens, accept it simply in whichever way it suits you. “This is like this” or “destiny is like this” or “the Divine’s wishes is like that” - something you assure yourself and accept it. Practice that acceptance. When that acceptance can happen naturally, effortlessly, automatically. So you become effortlessly in such a practice, that when you work - any result comes at any time, it's acceptable for you; you have no problem at all in this world. So that state you have to reach. Long time devotional practices only can help. The same thing happens in dhyana and tapas - observing from where the Self is arising or just observe in-between eyebrows. so that you practice to remain quiet. You give up all thoughts, all imagination; you achieve the silence of the mind. And the mind slowly goes and settles into the Self. 

That is when the word of samadhi is used by ancient sages. So, samadhi - that means once for all effortlessly your mind has become silent. Silent means anything that happens is acceptable. It might be working - like a yogi also, we might be putting an effort. Like when I am trying to teach you all, I'm putting an effort. But however, any situation is acceptable. If there are 134 people, if there are only 98 people, 34 people, anything is acceptable. All of you appreciate or some of you want to criticize is appreciable. So you all practice sadhana, achieve - that is acceptable. And some of you may not do sadhana, are lazy and casual, keep postponing - acceptable. Like any situation is acceptable for a yogi. So like that this has become natural, automatic for me. I keep working but don't mind whatever happens, some who learn, who doesn't learn, I keep teaching, I don't give up. So that is what is the practice and the natural settlement.

Question:   So the peace You're talking about is purely inner peace. External peace we don’t bother with?

Babaji Maharaj:   Yeah, it's not possible, it's not guaranteed at all. Because when you depend on one object, any object including your body, the whole universe, is impermanent. This everybody can understand - nothing is permanent. When a certain object, a certain thing is impermanent, how can you expect a permanent happiness from that thing? From the body, how can we expect a permanent happiness? This itself is impermanent. Today it’s there, tomorrow it may not be there. So we cannot depend on this body for our happiness, or any happiness or any pleasure that this body can give, we cannot depend on that for our permanent peace. And this world also, today is there, tomorrow it may not be there. Sun is there, tomorrow it may not be there or it can go on for a billion years, nobody knows. So, these things keep happening. So that is how you cannot depend on an impermanent thing for your happiness. So you must find a permanent entity first to have a permanent happiness. That is also important. If an entity itself is not permanent, so you cannot have a permanent peace.

Question:   So, somebody hearing that might think then the answer is to renounce the world, renounce family, loved ones, work, even renounce having a body, but that's not what You mean, is it?

Babaji Maharaj:   Yeah, certainly not. You don't have to renounce anything. Because when it is impermanent, it will go one day on its own. You don't have to renounce or give up the body forcibly. No need, it will go one day. Just be prepared. And the objects of this world also. You don't have to give up the house, family or anything. Any way of life that you have adopted, you can remain in that. Simply be alert and accept things when things happen. So that's all. So that's what happens. So this world is there. If the body goes, we don't carry this world with us. As long as you are there, you be secure, you earn your livelihood, you save some money, you buy some property so that you can live peacefully, comfortably, but don't give up the mental peace at all times. Don't become attached that if you are going to lose anything, you are upset and you bang your head and you cry and you lose your peace. Let these things not happen. That is important. 

Otherwise, you don't have to renounce anything. Simply the mental attachment you have to renounce. ‘Tyagat shantira nantaram’ , Bhagavad Gita - this sentence sat {pointing to his head}, gave such an impact to my mind. Means when you sacrifice, only then you have peace. What is it that has to sacrifice? What is it that has to be sacrificed? I have to sacrifice. ‘I’ means what, this body or ‘I’ as that Self? That Self, that Pure Consciousness are in the mind. These are all the Self. So, this has to sacrifice an attachment. Then this Self will have peace. If the craving is there, if the sacrificing of the attachment is not there, then you lose peace. So that is what it means of ‘Tyagat shantira nantaram’ - after you sacrifice only you derive peace.

Question:   So, this attachment to all worldly things, we give up that attachment, but should we replace it with an attachment to God or to the Guru or some higher attachment?

Babaji Maharaj:   Yeah, the mind has to shift. Now the attachment is to this impermanent world; the mind has to shift, that is why a Self-Realization is recommended first. When you settle down, being, abiding in the Self, that is the highest recommended thing if that is possible for you. That is why meditation also is recommended so that you can achieve. When naturally it happens, you might appear for others as if you're living normally in this world. Just like a yogi would appear very normally - we would eat normally for this body, we would be talking, we would be moving, dressing now; it is cold, winter here, so Baba’s body has dressed up very well everything in a civilized way. Otherwise I might remind like a jungli, not dressing properly. So it all doesn't matter inside to me. It is at all times at peace, because it has no attachments, whether it is this or whether it is there, or something is there or not. So like that, it doesn't occur to the mind, except that it is at peace all the time. That is what is needed to achieve. 

So for that you have to practice, in any path. The meditation, one of the highest I have told, other, bhakti marga; if it is in the path of devotion, so you have to remain attached to your Divine, a form of the Divine, a name of the Divine. Because if you want to get attached through the mind, mind is used to both sound and sight. So you have to imagine a form of the Divine and then become attached to it - all the time keep thinking, “Oh this is Divine, this is Divine.” When you worship a stone idol you have to imagine, “Oh this is Divine.” And through the mantras you invoke and invite the presence of the Divinity there. Though it is already there, for your mind’s satisfaction, you invite the Divine to be present in that idol also. The Divine is already there whether the stone is there or not, whether it is empty space or whatever it is, He's simply all pervaded. But for your imagination, because you are used to that one, so then you imagine. That is the bhakti marga. 

As I have told before, in the bhakti marga’s basic one sentence definition, due to imagination mind has gone out of control; using the same imagination of Divine, make it single-pointed and oneness, take it back to the Self again. So you become attached to the Divine’s form, you fall in love. And you are unable to forget twenty-four hours if that is possible, the highest. So like that, this is the bhakti marga. Or karma marga I have told already. You do whatever you want in this world. When result comes, accept. That's it. “What to do? This is not in our hands. It has happened - we accept, no problem. We will try again.” Like that you keep going in this world. So these are all the yoga margas advised through Bhagavad Gita by Krishna also. This is what we all learnt. In any path, if only you can keep the mind quiet, you are in the yoga. So that is the final definition one has to understand.

Question:   Is it possible for somebody to achieve Self-Realization without any attachment to God or Guru or anything like that but just through renunciation?

Babaji Maharaj:   If only they can become quiet mentally, that's it. You don't have to imagine God, don't have to imagine Guru. “Guru naiva shishya, pitaa naiva me naiva mataa na janma” - nothing. “Na cha vyoma bhumir na tejo na vayuh, chidananda rupah, shivoham, shivoham.” In that thoughtlessness, stillness, that ‘I’ is the Shiva, is the truth. The rest is all imagination. If you want to imagine and be happy, imagine the highest. Or you want to give up everything - simply if you can give up everything, no God, no Guru, no Self, no this, no that - you just be quiet, quiet! That's all, and you are there. I am That. That is also an attachment – ‘I am That’ also. You have to forget that also, everything. [chuckles]

Question:   It sounds harder to do without a Guru or something to mentally attach to?

Babaji Maharaj:   You see, that was the uniqueness of our Guru Shivabalayogi, our lineage also. He never imposed Himself as the Guru. He never advocated that idea at all. He just said, “You want to meditate? You sit and meditate like this.” You can take guidance from anywhere. If it is coming from inside, it's all right. Or you want to take guidance from me, you can take it. But for that purpose you don't have to consider me a Guru or a God or a yogi. You don't have to consider my existence at all. Take my guidance and you just remain in yourself, at your peace. Don't have any imagination at all. That simple. Like that also you can achieve that peace. If you want guidance, you don't take…means don't go into the dualities whether you have to take a guidance or you don't take a guidance. Anywhere if the guidance is coming for you, it's fine. And then it is up to you whether you want to consider that as a Guru or a God or you don't want to bother about any such things, it's no problem. God has no botheration. God will not worry whether you call God as God or not. We will not worry whether you will call me a yogi or not, a Guru or not. There are many people even today when they get annoyed, “Who gave the Guru's title to this Babaji?” I never demanded that I am the Guru. I never wanted any title, any certificate. I'm not holding any certificate, nothing. I myself don't know what am I. I just remain quiet in myself, that is all. So like that, anybody can have that Self-Realization. Without Guru or God, if you want to use that language, no problem.

Question:   Would that be advaita, or is that slightly different?

Babaji Maharaj:   Ah yeah, you can tell advaita, when your mind is merged with Oneness, and simply that one single Self is there. One is there, that's all. No dual thing is there.

Question:   So is that a pathway or is that just the term for being Realized when there's no Self?

Babaji Maharaj:   Finally, when one is Realized, that is the thing. When one is Realized.

End of Questions and Answers

End of Session