A collection of teachings of Anandmurti Gurumaa.
You have to acknowledge your fallacies and begin to work with wisdom and meditation on them. There is so much of turmoil, confrontations in family and society because of the excess emotional baggage we carry. You have to learn to let go of it. Life gives us situations, not solutions. Solutions are always created by our wisdom.
The whole game of life is about knowing and not knowing.
You have to acknowledge your fallacies and begin to work with wisdom and meditation on them. There is so much of turmoil, confrontations in family and society because of the excess emotional baggage we carry. You have to learn to let go of it. Life gives us situations, not solutions. Solutions are always created by our wisdom.
The whole game of life is about knowing and not knowing.
The jnani knows, and thus lives this life beautifully, fearlessly.
Ajnanis, on the other hand, live with all sorts of fears, anxieties and worries. An fear of death is the root of all fear.
Not knowing what death is, one is fearful of the unknown.
Birth and death are two faces of the same coin, they are distinct phases in the circle of life. That which is born, will inevitably die. The crucial question is: who or what is born and who or what dies? And is there something which is eternal, untouched by birth and death? Yes, there is.
It is the indestructible, indivisible real Self which is distinct from body, mind and intellect.
The biggest delusion is to regard this unit of body-mind-intellect as the real “I.”
This false ‘I’ is a mere reflection of the real Self, the timeless pure existence which is beyond the concept of birth and death; which is, which simply is.
In most of the relationships we see around, the basic problem remains the same "I am a pauper; the other is a pauper" When I say pauper then I mean a person who is devoid of the sense of true Self.
You have to know this truth: Nothing; neither people nor things can make you rich, nobody can give meaning to your life. So stop hankering for appreciation, sympathy or love from others. Explore your inner core, your untapped energy source and rejoice in it. Love and respect your Self.
You have created anger and jealousy and you very well know it. Therefore, no one else can cut that except you. Anger and jealousy is part of your mind. You have given space in your mind where the creepers of anger have grown and where the creepers of jealousy have come. The basic reason for the anger to come in anyone’s mind is that there is too much of ego and there is a big dictator in you who wishes every thing to happen as per your wish and if doesn’t happen, it makes you angry.
Jealousy is basically part of feeling incompetent and incomplete, non-successful and as long as you continue to compare yourself with someone, there is no chance that you can come out of the jealousy.
Japa which is being done without warm feelings, without affectionate heart, without devotion, will not ripe any fruits at all. The changes in human mind are only possible when a person takes the stock, takes control of the situation & realizes that these are my flaws and I have to come out of these.
If you think that your problems are big, think again…you have roof on your head, food in your belly, children with you… stop brooding.
Marriage is beautiful if you do not become a bonded slave to a man or woman and suffer your whole life.
If you sow a good seed, you get a good fruit; if you sow a bad seed, you get an undesirable fruit – and all these fruits will come back and you will have to accept them
When you act out of possessiveness, can you call it a good action?
Our world is created by our perceptions, therefore I can say that emotions are spontaneous reactions of individuals to objects experienced by the senses.
When I say watch yourself, then I’m talking not about your body, not about your senses, not about your thoughts, not about your emotions, not about your imaginations but I’m talking about that being, which is layer after layer hidden within.
Life is meant to be lived in a wonderful way. Life is not given to us to sulk and be sad and be miserable all the time. However, if you do not live well, then definitely it is guaranteed that you are going to suffer a lot. But if you are trained well, if you use your wisdom then you may have the most unfortunate and difficult situations in your life and yet you will remain calm because you know that the scene is soon going to change, right?
In my understanding, the biggest pilgrimage is moving towards your own centre. Exploration of your own self is the biggest pilgrimage.
I believe the biggest pilgrimage which one person can commence is by knowing who we are and knowing how God is in me.
The law says that if you do an evil action, the fruit will be pain, and if you do good karma then the fruit is happiness.
Our subconscious carries the sum total of all our desires, passions, good and bad experiences, from our numerous past lives. So, first the deep rooted impressions trigger the thought and then the thought matures into desire. The desire strengthens and changes into the conviction to attain the desired object or experience. When this conviction matures, it converts into action or karma.
Every action has a reaction which creates a perpetual chain of follow up actions. What you sow, you reap — this is the eternal Law of Karma. Every action has a route which it follows.
Ultimately, we are responsible for our actions and the results of our actions.
Truth is not of different kinds. There is only one universal truth. And the one who has experienced that truth, has shattered his ignorance forever, broken free of all bondage and delusions.
Our world is created by our perceptions. Therefore, I can say that emotions are spontaneous reactions of individuals to objects experienced by the senses.
Emotions are waves that emanate from a conditioned mind. Waves of thoughts keep rising in the mind; the mind reacts impulsively or responds logically to a given situation.
The mind suffers from the disease of possessiveness; it clings to objects and individuals as though this alone can make it happy or secure. And from here on, the dependency begins.
Animals are more sensible, as their sexual behavior is as per the law of nature. When their mating period is over, they live like celibates. But the human mind is not tied down to nature’s law.
A man can think about sex or take part in it whenever he wants. But the point to note is that there is freedom, there is bondage too. Use your wisdom to understand your sexual energy.
As yourself – the momentary pleasure obtained through sexual gratification will it be binding or will it help in my liberation?
Question your mind using your discriminative wisdom, for sex is nothing more than a momentary pleasure.
If someone says that he feels aroused only on seeing a particular woman and not all women – well this is nothing but a delusion.
The truth is, either sexual desire exists or it doesn’t.
Anandmurti Gurumaa Teachings on Meditation
Meditation is not about doing something, but rather it is about doing nothing.
Meditation is a way of life. It is to be lived. We have a vast reservoir of energy in us, lying unused, untapped. Once we get in touch with this energy, our life changes from just being an ordinary to a Divine one. Meditation is being in tune with our inner energy source.
Meditation is to explore the inner space where you remain absolutely untouched from the ill-effects of the mind.
Releasing ourselves from the clutches of our mind is called meditation.
Meditation is about moving into the inner zones of emptiness, where stress can never touch you.
Anandmurti Gurumaa on How to Keep Mind under Control
Thinking is a continuous process — the mind means thoughts, and the existence of this mind is a mere illusion, yet it rules our world and our actions. To be able to understand your mind, it is important to begin discovering your mind, by being determined in your spiritual practice. Repeated practice brings its own maturity and understanding.
Watch your mind to see what kinds of thoughts come into it. Do not pass judgment on these thoughts saying that this is a good thought or this is a bad thought. Your mind is a showman; just watch these shows of your own mind.
Adopting an approach of a witness, watch its activities like an observer, unattached. Don’t get carried away by those activities. When you view your mind thus, as an observer, the mind will cease to be a problem and instead, will become a free entertainer.
Be a witness to your mind and only then will you come to know that you and your mind are two different entities.