by Christopher Greenwood
Day 79 Lesson – Plans change as per the call
Good morning everybody. I hope you’re doing well.
Yesterday was another day of constant change, I would say. From morning until evening, the plans shifted and changed. I’ve shared before that it requires quite a bit of flexibility to travel with Mohanji, which continues time and time again, day after day. Most of this is unplanned, and I now understand what Rajesh Kamath means when he says travelling with Mohanji is like trying to hold the tail of a tornado.
Yesterday was another example of something that I’ve shared before: those people who have a real, sincere desire to meet Mohanji or speak to him will reach him through whichever way needs to happen. Mohanji manages to beautifully organize or orchestrate situations or events so that people can have that desire fulfilled. Yesterday was a really beautiful example of that.Â
There was a man who had a strong desire to meet Mohanji. He met Mohanji earlier in the week when he came to see him at Mohanji’s parents’ home. And yet again, when we were in the area locally, he contacted us just to see if he could come, say hello, and spend some time with Mohanji, and Mohanji agreed.
Yesterday morning, we were with a group of VIPs from Kerala – people from the film and production industries and the arts. Various people were coming and going.
It was mainly the people who connected to Mohanji via the 4 am Club. It’s really interesting to see that connection because it’s very different from the usual Mohanji family. There’s not much devotion there; they’re connecting to him just as an inspirational person, a mentor, a guide, and especially as a friend, someone whom they can trust. That connection is very strong instantly.
We had planned to stay at home, but during the course of the day, other people became available, and Mohanji wanted to go and meet them. For me, this has also been a learning experience because you never know what’s going to happen when you go to meet somebody. What I think would be a casual meeting, maybe for half an hour, actually turns out to be something very different.Â
Yesterday, for example, we went to the Agastya Ayurvedic clinic to meet one of the doctors there. What was to be a meeting soon turned into an impromptu Satsang. There were maybe 30-40, and probably 50 people who listened to Mohanji speak by the end. Some of them had come there just to visit the place but really desired to meet Mohanji, so they were able to do that as well. It was as if that situation was created, so those people could meet him.
The man who came was incredibly excited and happy because we needed a driver at that time, as our previous one had to go and we were without a vehicle. He happened to be there with a vehicle, so he was able to drive Mohanji and join us on the trip for the rest of the afternoon and the evening. He was delighted; it made his day. That was another example of how, when the call is strong, the situation is created to fulfil that desire.
The whole trip and what we’ve been doing here, and how fast we’ve been moving, has been a real lesson for me. I keep reiterating this because I think that being alert, aware, and being present has to be practised daily.
As we’re travelling and moving so fast, staying in different locations, moving from car to car, there are a lot of opportunities to make mistakes, or to forget things, leave things behind or misjudge things, lose track of time and things like this, so everything is kept to a schedule. And this can be quite intense.
Yesterday was another example where we ended up changing location; we moved from one place to another. It was nice in the end because we came to the place where there was a family – mother, daughter, and a son who could spend time with Mohanji.
Again, I don’t think anything is ever a coincidence when moving with Mohanji. For me, it seems that it’s random, but it’s orchestrated well. Because where we stayed and from where I’m actually looking across the river now, while I’m recording this, is a Dattatreya temple and a Hanuman temple, which Mohanji wanted to visit.
In the morning, he casually said, “Oh, just across the river, there is a temple; maybe we should visit.” When I asked him if he knew about this before, he said, “No, no, no, I’ve never been here before.” But it turns out it’s from one of the Gurus – Swami Sachchidananda, who is a Dattatreya Avatar, and he had invited Mohanji to visit his ashram in Mysore. So it’s actually his ashram and his Dattatreya temple there.
Now we are getting ready, as today we’re inaugurating the Altruistic Association of India. This is another one of the platforms that Mohanji has founded and gives his energy and backing to provide altruistic activities in India and spread the teaching philosophy of altruism. So that’s where we are about to head to now.
I hope you have a great day and will speak to you soon.
Day 80 Lesson – Where to look, not what to see.
Good morning everybody. I hope you are doing well.
We’re now nearing the end of the trip to Kerala, and soon we’ll be returning to Bangalore. It’s been a very interesting, exciting and also intense trip for me. When travelling with Mohanji, there needs to be extreme flexibility, alertness and awareness. The pace is high, and there isn’t the time to settle into comforts or habits. It’s an ever-changing movement. It’s tough, but freedom comes from it, and most importantly, life is experienced fully because you have to be present.
Yesterday was one of the last days where we visited Mohanji’s friends, their family and their homes. Towards the end of the day, we returned to the accommodation we’d been staying in since the previous night, which has a beautiful view of a Dattatreya temple and Hanuman temple there by the river.
Yesterday evening, one of Mohanji’s friends came to see him. They were also very interested in my story. It was almost like I was in the interview hot seat. It was very quick, rapid-fire questioning about my time with Mohanji, what I thought my purpose in life was, how long I’d been with him, what I thought about the teachings that he shares, how I’ve incorporated them into my life, etc. Question after question! It was quite intense, especially as it was late in the evening after travelling all day.
But this was an opportunity for me to reflect on what I’ve been learning from this trip. More than the outward (adapting to the outward situations of new locations, foods, different people, and changeable schedules), was having to be very flexible, always alert and aware, handling fatigue, lack of sleep, and all these things. It’s the inner learning of who and how I am in these situations that have been the most beneficial. This has also helped me to experience how the outer world is really a reflection of the inner world.
What I realized is that it’s been a very intense actual inner journey. A real microscope almost on who I am, especially certain character traits that I have in certain situations. I’m either prompted by frustrations, anxieties, maybe insecurities, or even fears about certain situations. It was almost like the whole trip, and the situations were opportunities for refinement, to look at myself and adjust from this as well. It was deeper learning of who I am myself, a real increased awareness of who I am as a person.Â
Mohanji has always said before that a true teacher or guru will only tell you where to look, not what to see. I feel like that was very much the case on this trip because there is no outward guidance for all the activities you have to do when you’re supporting Mohanji travelling. Also, rarely is he sitting down to give discourses. It’s life itself, how you are and how I am on this trip, which has been the biggest teacher and the biggest lesson.
The events of the actual life have been put in this pressure cooker of the trip. There was no opportunity to relax into patterns, relax into comfort zones. The pace of changes of the schedule meant that you have to be there and present all the time, which means that I had to be present with myself all the time; how I was in those situations, what emotions were coming up, how I was interacting with people.
Also, while being present, it was clear to see the impact of my words, actions, or how I was presenting myself to others. It’s been several days of really close and intense reflection in the mirror and the refinement of my own self.
The main lesson and learning, or perhaps practice more than a lesson, is how to be able to let go of things that are destabilizing. So anything that takes me away from being calm, centred, composed, and where I am more resourceful – how to let go of them or be aware of when the situations are coming to that effect that equilibrium and stability. Those are the situations and the points (I would say personality perhaps), which could be looked at in more detail as a lesson of who I am.
Part of the boot camp, which finished in December, was all about redefining ourselves. We looked at everything to do with what we are as human beings, right from the body, the mind, intellect, ego, soul, personality, communication; we covered every aspect of a human being. It’s almost as if, for me, this trip has been a continuation of that, but in a very intense period.
I’m sure that for many other people who have been through that boot camp, now within their life, they have been given the opportunity to look and learn more about themselves. One of the key takeaways from that boot camp was that what we see outside ourselves is only a projection of what’s inside. So by understanding that, we can then understand what we are inside.
My key lesson here is the experience that our own life is our teacher, which is always helping us to see who we really are. I’m sure situations were made possible by Mohanji to experience this with intensity. That’s my lesson of contemplation from the conversation I was having yesterday evening, which I hope is useful and interesting. Have a great day ahead.
|| JAI BRAHMARISHI MOHANJI ||
Edited & Published by – Testimonials Team, 28th November 2021
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