Christopher Greenwood
Day 35 Lesson – The Path of Liberation or Path of Fire
Good morning, everybody! I hope you’re doing very well.
Today, I was reflecting on my journey on this path, reflecting on the changes and transformation that have happened for me over the past years, and awareness that it has become more intense since living with Mohanji. In walking this Path of Liberation or the Path of Fire, there have been several significant changes in my life and transformation for the better with more clarity, focus, and purpose. What I enjoy the most now is a better resilience to life; many of the situations that usually would have affected me; don’t so much anymore. When I look back, it hasn’t exactly been a ‘feel good’ path at all; there’ve been many difficulties. Staying close to Mohanji is, as he says, ‘being closer to the fire’; there are more subtle issues starting to surface like – fears, insecurities; patterns becoming more noticeable; they’re all coming up.
I understand that these difficulties are actually part of the path because it’s looking at liberation from all these long-held patterns and habits. Added to that, we are experiencing our karma. I noticed this today because it also seems to be the same for many other people who connect to Mohanji. Once they’ve connected, they’ve been steady for some time; there are normally challenges or tribulations in life. Some people have serious troubles, but they connect, spend time, and he encourages them to keep walking and have faith. This is why he reiterates that this path needs determination.
As I was asking him about this, he said, “There should be the determination that you’re climbing Everest, that nothing else matters until you reach the summit. All the difficulties, the upsets, and the challenges are simply part of it. They have to be because we’ve collected so much over lifetimes.” But he said that once we reach the peak, we’ll know that we have achieved it. What is it?
It’s that perpetual contentment. “It’s not a sensation or an experience or simply enlightenment,” he says, “It’s a state where there’s extreme stability; life will have that clarity; there’ll be a purpose, and the contentment will give happiness, which is unshakable.” These are the intangible rewards essentially for that – determination, consistency, and conviction are needed, and I feel in a world where everything has been turned upside down; I personally can’t think of anything more valuable at this time than having that state and that awareness.
I was looking back at my experience here and recognizing that this path is also extremely pure since nothing has really been asked of me. It’s now been 18 months since I’ve been here and agreed to work by my own choice. I remember when I said to Mohanji that I wanted to leave my job. (I’ve been working for some time. Well, I’ve worked all my adult life. I had a good career.) But I now wanted to do something with more of a purpose; he asked me, ‘How would you survive without the work?’ I replied,” I have saved up some money, not to worry, I’ll be able to sustain myself.” So he asked me how much and I told him. He said to me, “Okay, that’s great. But your goal should be that you don’t touch that; those savings stay intact. You should aim to have the corporate program up and running so that you and other people can be financially stable.”
For me, this was another example and confirmation that with this path; there’s no need for anything from anyone really; it’s all just available for people if they like. There’s no insecurity, and it’s all available. Anyone who enters, having spent time with Mohanji and observed him when they connect to him, anyone that comes to him, is well looked after, regardless of who they are, what stature they have in the society. When I’ve listened to Mohanji’s conversations, he treats everybody alike. There’s no real transaction, you know, if I give you this, you give me that. It’s not like that; it’s really free, clear, and selfless. The only real criteria he mentions quite a lot are determination, conviction, and consistency. We gain stability, clarity, a sense of purpose, greater inner richness, and contentment.
I was thinking, “How do we know that? Especially being here in the middle of all the difficulties and challenges; it can sometimes be hard to see.” By looking at my life, that’s what I did today; I can see what’s transformed, what’s changed. Mohanji uses a great metaphor, like when we were children, and we were growing up, we only really knew that we were growing because one day the clothes didn’t fit anymore. Similarly, those old patterns and habits and fears don’t exist anymore.
Living here with Mohanji, being able to create really good friendships with some of the people who’ve had longer time connected to Mohanji, I’m aware that there are people who couldn’t continue on the path, they weren’t able to carry on. It’s usually because of expectations that there was going to be something attained, which eclipsed the overall purpose or perhaps some overwhelming inertia – meaning it wasn’t possible to move or cope with the pace. Sometimes maybe people have listened to the opinions of others, and then that swayed their own experience, and they didn’t continue anymore.
I understand that these are all possible traps for me and others as well; they’re useful to us as reminders. Keep them as a reminder so that we know that determination, conviction, and consistency are what’s needed.
So for me being here now, I’m aware that there are probably more challenges to come but along with it comes excitement; as Mohanji said, He’s always there. He’s walking with us. Each of us is walking our own individual path, but at the same time, we’re all together for a greater purpose.
Thank you for listening, and I hope you have a great day ahead.
Day 36 Lesson – Every day is an opportunity for Re-invention
Good morning, everybody. I hope you’re doing really well.
What I am learning from Mohanji (I can’t say “I have learnt” because it is always in progress) is that every day brings a new possibility for our own reinvention.
Yesterday, we had one of the final sessions of the Mohanji Bootcamp, which the Invest in Awareness team had organized; it’s been really great. Many people have shared experiences and comments that this is new content; they haven’t heard Mohanji speak about these topics in this way, and it’s given a new perspective. What we’ve done is we created a program that takes people to a deeper understanding of themselves so that they can clearly see what makes them up – their inclinations, their patterns, how they are. So that awareness can be increased, clarity can form, and transformation can come into people’s life. We have the tagline, which is Reinvent, Renew, Reborn, and as the program concludes on the 27th of December, it puts people on a good footing, ready and fresh for a new year.
On the 27th will be a live Q&A event with Mohanji, which you’re all welcome to join. It will be streamed live on the Invest in Awareness Facebook page. I was thinking about this because the core of the program is about reinvention, which is very applicable to the times that we’re in. In my time with Mohanji, it’s given me first-hand opportunity and experience to see that, no matter what situations we have in life (which we think we are, what we think we’re capable of), there’s always a possibility to reinvent ourselves, to do something new, to transform if we are open to it. Then we can cross those barriers that we make in our minds that say we’re either not capable, deserving, or not good enough. (All these things can come up.)
Many situations have occurred for me since spending time with Mohanji, and it’s been really a fast track of progress. In retrospect, I’ve had to learn many new skills, which I didn’t have before, or had no inclination that I would be doing them, such as audio editing for the podcasts. More recently, video shooting and editing, framing the composition, finding out how YouTube works, and other social media platforms. All these things, I had no real idea on how they worked or what I could do. I wouldn’t say I’m an expert, but at least I’m able to contribute something that’s bringing some value.
And by refining the activities which we’re doing in the office, we ensure that we’re sticking to this 24-hour turnaround policy. Speaking in public in front of the camera was also something I was very nervous about, and recording my voice on daily messages like this for people to hear.
Months ago, I would never have considered these possibilities. Mohanji has said that the tallest wall of life is our closed mind, and I feel this is worth contemplating.
The world is a very different place now, and I feel those who can flow with the change or ride with the change will see positive transformation in their lives, whereas resistance will bring the opposite.
The time spent with Mohanji has taught me that we can meet every day as an opportunity to reinvent ourselves for the better with the right attitude. It helps that he is close to kick my butt and remind me, but there is now momentum growing. I’m becoming less and less a hangover of the past.
Whilst I also have developed some practical skills, how to manage the technology and things like that, it’s also been an opportunity being here to really see who I am; to be able to handle more of the subtle traits of my character with things like impatience, or anger, or any of the other things in life, which we don’t quite consider, that lay dormant until the right situation comes and provokes something. It’s all contributing towards this reinvention. That’s what I feel. There are some good days and bad days; hence not always there is the full motivation. But what I have learned about reinventing is that things continue to move forward by creating discipline and momentum. If, for example, I can only take one step for one day, I take that one step. Or days when it’s possible to take ten steps, then take ten steps.
But generally, every day, the teaching that I’ve picked up from Mohanji is a possibility for something new. We can always be looking at things afresh, seeing what else we can do, looking at what other opportunities are there, what else is out in the world, and how we can do more. And this also brings a fresh perspective to my own life as well. There’s more acceptance: Okay, this is where I am, and I have these capabilities; what can I do? This helps with clarity; there’s not so much confusion. Thus every day can become an opportunity where we can try something, reinvent ourselves, do something. Sometimes hang-ups have come in the way for me here, though, as well, so I have had some insecurities pop up, or I didn’t think I was capable of doing something.
And generally, as Mohanji has said before, these are often hangovers of the past. Don’t be the hangover of yesterday is what he said, as these can restrict progress. To keep moving helps with that, having that momentum, taking one step if we can only take one step, and ten steps if we can only take ten.”
This was the lesson from Mohanji that I was reflecting on today (that’s also ingrained in that Bootcamp program), that our reinvention is always ready and waiting for us to take that step. A lot of people are joining the weekend event, the ‘reinvent yourself with Mohanji’ this weekend, where he’s creating a special process for them. So for all those that are taking part, I wish you great success and that it becomes a real milestone on your own journey.
Thank you for listening, and have a great day ahead.
|| JAI BRAHMARISHI MOHANJI||
Edited & Published by – Testimonials Team, 27th June 2021
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