In This Very Moment - 4th July 2017

One voice will come and say, 'What a fanciful notion that is.' Actually, that is the voice of fanciful notion because it is the opposite of your direct insight about yourself. Let me see how many feel there is something missing right now in their presence. Does it seem like it's a half-presence or half-existing? You will see there is nothing missing in your existence this moment before you allow the notion to come, before you allow the idea to come, a thought to come. And even after you allow a thought to come, this existence is just here naturally. If you have to work hard to exist, how does existence come upon us? 'Yes, I have to work so hard to make my life worth it.' What amount of work can you make to make your life? You didn't exist; what work will you do to make yourself exist? You exist effortlessly. And it is the nature of the mind that that which is effortless, which is naturally available, it feels that that has no value. And so many would actually prefer it if we gave like a hundred steps to enlightenment. If you feel like, 'Oh, I found it, it has always been here, it's my own presence, my own existence,' it is like, 'Is that it? Anything but step one?' I know how it can feel like that. And then we can feel like, 'I cannot give any attention to this presence,' and it feels like certain things are needed for us to get there.

I understand. In fact, we spoke about the heart level, but I'm speaking from this consumer surplus position now. That I exist, how does this existence come upon us? We ask so many things: 'Why, why, why, why does this happen to me? Why is my life like this? I don't think you take a while. God, why is it like this? Why can't my Master be more like this? Why does he live instead of this? We should...' Oh, you're going to lie about everything. Why do you agree? What is it that exists? So as long as we remain in denial of what this existence truly is, then questions like 'Why does this happen to me?' arise. Also, 'What is my life going to bring?' All this confusion is because of the primary confusion about what you are. The root of all confusion is the conclusion about what you are. Speak from your insight about what you are and tell me your meaningful confusion. You cannot do it. You have to insert an identity into it. You have to first become something.

This is the story of the typical master-disciple relationship. The disciple comes and says, 'Please sort out my confusion,' and I say, 'Please let's sort out who you are.' It can feel like a denial of your question, but it really isn't. It's the only way that I know of that I can answer it. Suppose you are a lost fish, or you think you are the lost fish. Or suppose you're looking for Nemo or something—Finding Nemo—and you come to me for directions. 'Ananta, I need to find Nemo. Have you seen him?' Now, I know that you are not Nemo, and I know that there is no such Nemo. I know that you're the ocean itself. Now, what direction should I give you? Hear yourself giving this direction, and you will hear my voice in Satsang. The Nemo might change throughout our life. The Nemo has changed throughout our life; it's gone from relationship to money to health of the body. Now Nemo has become freedom or enlightenment. Only this time, this Nemo, the one that is looking, must look within now and see if this one finds anything. In the ocean of your existence, you will find lots of things. Some things you might feel are pleasurable and things might feel painful, but the ocean's job is not to discriminate between them. The ocean's job is not to say, 'I want only this and I don't want the other.' There is nowhere for everything to go except to be within you. It's just that you're misunderstanding your space. You feel like you're a limited space, and once you start to have the insight that there is no limitation, which is true about you, then you will not wish to reject anything in your experience.

That is you celebrating Guru Purnima. And these words came: that that's everything that you could see, everything. Don't make a distinction in your blessing because all of this is your creation. Everything is your child and a blessing. Some like to watch, at least your resistance. Don't fight it. Come to this simple phase of neutrality. Then what we seek about in Satsang, the mind feels like it is denial. 'You are in denial of your feelings and thoughts.' This is not denial. Allowing goodness towards whatever might be is the opposite of denial. It is our resisting relationship that we create towards any feeling or towards any concept that acts as an attempt at denial. The ocean is not picking and choosing or consuming. The ocean is the only one concerned about which objects are there in the room. So not giving these to the wrong identity, to the false limited self. It's the denial of the truth of what you are. And the truth of what you are is that all phenomena are allowed and accepted. Actions and reactions, they move on their own. If you're being tasted, your presence tasting or not tasting, whether we're in space, we'll be intuitive. And you're wondering what's for dinner. We can give into the schoolteacher mode if you like. No matter what the mind might be saying, taste yourself as existence, as presence.

And if some of you are new to Satsang, the way to quickly find this sense of presence, this sense of existence, is to actually try to stop being. Try to not be for a moment. And then we will revisit. See, it's funny to try and not be because the existence exists here. Then this existence that appears, don't make a concept about it. Don't think of what you will about it. Please don't try to understand how to taste this. No much explanation is needed. If you feel like you're not being or you can't find being, would you be? Can you not be? Don't make any conclusions about it. No interpretation is needed. Allow your insight to immerse itself completely in your presence. These words are directing. It is not to do anything at all. Ask yourselves: your own presence as this holiest of holy gifts. And as you dip inside the wonderful presence, allow the presence complete space. Don't hold anything in your hands. Let it take away all your possessions, the concepts inside, every idea. Oh, you must be all of your defenses now. All this becomes your own presence. The idea that you are doing some things, allow it to be immersed in this presence. If some fear is coming, nothing to be concerned about. This too shall pass. If some joy or bliss is coming, same thing: this too shall pass. Don't hold on to anything at all.

And there are all things to this day. Nothing needs to be held on to. Tasting your true existence or true nature, it's always been here. You played with all that could be played with, all the fishes in this ocean. You played with all of this. Now you're discovering what the ocean itself is. What of the spheres in which all of this is happening? Is it separate from you? Om Shanti, Shanti, Shanti. Thank you all so much. Can we produce which is your food? There she is. Okay.