by Christopher Greenwood
Day 117 Lesson – Challenges of awakening
Good morning, everybody. I hope that you’re doing very well.
Some time ago, a man came to visit Mohanji. He was a Kriya devotee and he had some questions. He had clearly reached a point where he was stuck. So, he had spent some time with Mohanji, and the conversation turned out to be really great, because Mohanji shared a lot of wisdom, which will eventually be turned into a blog.
One of the areas on which they were speaking about was the challenges on the path as you start walking, doing something different from your usual life. I think probably all of us reading this have faced this in some form or another, that when we begin to walk on the path of spirituality or connect to ourselves, life begins to shift. Sometimes, this is not always nice or comfortable, and the experience can be difficult. Especially when we think about this path, the path of Shiva, which is definitely not the feel-good path. It’s the path of annihilation. All habits, comfort zones, everything is stripped away, leaving the pure essence. That’s the idea.
That conversation was good for me, because I remembered going through really difficult times some years back, when all the world around me seemed to be falling apart. Nothing that I had interest in before really mattered anymore. There was just this void, which I just seemed to be floating in. I met Mohanji soon after this time, and he spoke very few words to me at that event in London. But one of the sentences was, “The next few months are going to be really tough, but don’t worry, you’ll be okay.” And they were; I had all sorts of difficulties with physical issues, mental issues. I felt completely torn between an old life and something which was completely unknown.
This man was also explaining a similar thing, that shifts had started happening in his life. I think it’s a good lesson on a path like this, to recognize that these things will happen. And Mohanji gave some great clarity to him, which I’d like to share now with you all. He said that the struggle is usually because all the habits are getting broken. We’ve probably been living many lifetimes with the same patterns, same habits, same likes, same dislikes, the same things. And when they get broken, because we’re now looking to reach something more permanent, it shakes up all the other things in life, which we find abnormal.
But actually, it’s not. It’s normal. Because the way we’ve conditioned ourselves is that we’ve started to think that being abnormal is our normal pattern. So, the same life, the society’s demands – you have an education, you get married, you have a job, you have a house, have children – the same pattern which society asks for. But actually, that’s not us, is what he was saying. So, if we can attain liberation, which is freedom from all this, that’s more important than the pattern.
He was sharing, in a clear way, that when we’re exercising our patterns, society is very happy, because it’s the same thing that society wants. And we’re happy as well, because society is not against us. So, everybody is happy; the pattern of society is happy, and we’re happy because we’re following it as well. But when we start to fall out of that pattern, it becomes a problem, because then people are treated as eccentrics, they’re treated as abnormal, good-for-nothing.
Mohanji was sharing that our true state is the awakened state and always being awakened. This is not easy to get because of all the habits which are external. Mohanji was sharing this with him as well, that gradually, little by little, we start to bring in a freedom from the senses and the mind. So that we can understand that there’s nothing really outside of us anymore, which is really capturing or conquering us. No possessions, no materials, no relations. If they’re there, it’s great. But if they are also coming and going, then no problem too. He also shared that this is difficult because those habits have been really strengthened inside over the years. So, it does take time.
That whole conversation, and remembering it now, is a real lesson and also something for me to be thankful for, because I think only someone who has actually crossed over and gone through that, can stand on the other side and know what people are going through, and can really be someone to hold the hand and give good directions, which is exactly what Mohanji is doing for many people.
Thank you. Have a great day ahead.
Day 118 Lesson – The kindness movement
Good morning, everybody. I hope that you’re doing really well.
Yesterday evening, we had a meeting with the board members of the World Consciousness Alliance, wherein Mohanji spent time clarifying the vision of the alliance and also answering any questions about the next steps. For me, these types of meetings are always a great reminder to listen to Mohanji because it gives the real scale of Mohanji’s vision, especially for the World Conscious Alliance as a platform. At its core, the aim is to raise the awareness of the entire generation across the world from the current patterns we have of greed, competition, anger, hatred, and jealousy, where success is based on wealth. From most businesses that exploit the earth to a mindset where kindness and goodness become a measure of the person’s wealth, your acts speak for you, acts of goodness, acts of kindness; and to when people start to take responsibility, rather than talk about their rights. So that’s the high level. Artists, entertainers, musicians, filmmakers, and all the other major influencers will be the torchbearers for that vision and that message because they have the audience and the reach.
As I listened, it was a good reminder for me of a number of lessons which I’ve shared before in the past and picked up from Mohanji. One of the main ones that I took was that if we want to bring a change in the world, we have to act, we have to take steps. Especially now, when the majority of society is more concerned about their own comforts; if they’ve got everything which they need, then they’re happy. Rarely are people sharing, or giving their time, or being selfless. Very few will wake up in the morning and think, “What more can I do.”
In the meeting, Mohanji shared a quote (I think it’s from Albert Einstein) that the world is a dangerous place, not because of those who do evil, but because of those who look on and do nothing. This was a reminder of some lessons I picked up before from Mohanji because one thing I learned the hard way is that Mohanji really doesn’t accept any passivity in life, to any situation, no matter how small. If there’s something that has to be done, it should be done.
This is a mindset that I’m cultivating as well. When I see something that needs to be looked at, I address it then and there. For him, passivity and watching from the sidelines doesn’t really have any place. He also shared with me before that it’s just as bad to stand by and watch on while something adharmic or bad is being committed as it is to actually commit the act yourself. You face the same fate. This is always interesting for me to remember.
Now with the team, given that clarity, the aim is to bring forward a new society, a different society with a different mindset, where it’s based much more on respect for all the beings, all the creatures, the entire environment we are a part of. And where kindness and goodness become something that is natural and spontaneous. And it’s also recognized and appreciated. So that people begin to live their life taking their responsibilities.
It’s happening as well, through some of Mohanji’s teachings. There was a really lovely moment and story as well. During the EBC kids’ presentation, one of the small girls had her birthday. She was there with all the other children too. When I was younger, I would be looking forward to my birthday and all the presents I was going to get, all the gifts that were going to be coming my way. But what this small girl actually did is that she decided herself, after listening to something that Mohanji had said, to go to an animal shelter and feed some of the sick and abandoned animals on her birthday instead. So, she shared this. And then, a few months later, nine of the other children there had also decided that, rather than having presents and things like this, they would have some money donated, and have their parents take them to the animal shelter to feed the abandoned and sick animals.
This is the shift in mindset, which is really inspiring. Maybe it’s on a small scale, but you can see that when that act of kindness was rewarded and encouraged, other people started to pick it up. So that’s on a small level. But at a grander level, with all the artists, entertainers and musicians, this is the message that we want to start sharing and spreading. And we can all do that too in our own ways.
Hope you have a great day ahead.
|| JAI BRAHMARISHI MOHANJI ||
Edited & Published by – Testimonials Team, 10th April 2022
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