Lessons living with Mohanji – Days 137 & 138

Christopher Greenwood

Day 137 Lesson – Speaking out

Good morning, everybody. I hope you’re doing well.

As many of you will be aware by now, Mohanji was subjected to real serious harassment by the security guards at Frankfurt airport as we made our way from India to Slovenia. We had a transit leg in Frankfurt airport, so after a nine-hour flight, we went through the security checks again to catch the onward flight. Mohanji went in business class, and I went in economy. As I went through, I could see that Mohanji had been surrounded and stopped by police and security guards. As I got closer, I saw that they were completely ransacking his bag pack, and he was being treated with utter contempt. It was shocking, and I can only put it down to racial profiling, as many people were coming through that check, and they weren’t being subjected to the same treatment. It was a real serious incident of injustice.

Since then, each day, we’ve been moving forward with everything that we can, gathering support, and the people who are feeling the importance of the cause are coming together and taking it forward. This is also alongside all of the other activities that we have to do; they haven’t gone away either, so it means that now there’s much more for us to do.

For me personally, this has been a real living example of the teachings, lessons and messages that I’ve shared over the past weeks and months, because it’s almost as if it all came together in this situation to give a real example of how Mohanji approaches life. And the way he approaches life gives for me the best lessons. If I was to just think personally about my experience with this situation and share some of the things that I feel in my own growth since meeting Mohanji, I can see a change from how I’ve handled this situation to how I probably would have done so two years ago. I probably would have been very reluctant to speak about this. I would have had a lot of fear and would have been unsure of what I should do.

But when I wrote my posts, which was my eye-witness account, I felt that I had to speak because I had witnessed it, I was there. It could have been anybody else in my place, but it wasn’t, it was me. I felt a need to share what I’d seen so that at least people understood how the situation happened. A year and a half ago, maybe I wouldn’t have done this, but this time around, it was a natural thing for me. There’s been an injustice, and I’ve seen it, so I should speak about it.

I feel that, for me, thinking about it demonstrated that some of the teachings that Mohanji has shared have at least settled somewhere within me. I can’t say I’ve taken them all in; I will never say that, because there’s always much more to learn. But at least that aspect of being worried about what people think, what people might say, how would I be perceived was completely gone. There was no second thought about doing this, so this is something I recognized.

After the incident too, being close to Mohanji and seeing how he is approaching this whole situation is again incredibly inspiring because it’s re-establishing everything that he has said before in many talks. Especially that if we have the opportunity to speak, we should. Particularly because there are many other people out there who would have experienced this situation and didn’t have the opportunity or platform to share their voice.

Mohanji has made a really great podcast that is coming out today,  titled “We must speak because they cannot”. It is not just about this incident at Frankfurt. It is for every being that doesn’t have a voice – we should speak for them, we should take that as a responsibility.

What inspires me about Mohanji’s approach to this situation is that he’s willing to take this all the way. He’s not worried about what may or what may not happen. For him, there’s a clear purpose, and that’s to bring about a change where everybody is respected; no one should feel unsafe when they’re legitimately travelling through Frankfurt airport or any other airport. No one should experience security harassment. All these agencies that are involved in that process should adhere to good ethics.

This is the goal. The routes to reach there might change, we have to be flexible. Mohanji said openly that something good might happen, something bad might happen. People could shame, defame, or attempt slander in an effort to save themselves. We don’t know what will happen. But what he is clear on, though, is that we’re moving for a purpose. As he said before, whilst our heart is beating, we should do something for the world, we should do something for a purpose. Not just sleep, eat, drink, and other things like that. We can make a difference.

For me, when I read between the lines a little bit more, it shows me that he has no real attachment to any image or the idea of any image about himself. He’s willing to go all the way out there, put himself out there, regardless of what may come. And he knows that whatever comes, he’ll face it then. Also, he’s focused on purpose. So, he’s doing what needs to be done now, today, because it happened now. As he’s mentioned, and as I’ve shared in other lessons before, there are no rehearsals in life. It’s all about now, doing what you can now.

Today, we’ll keep going, and more people are coming to support this. Yesterday, I was reaching out to a US Congressman who had suffered a similar experience at Frankfurt Airport too. He had actually published his experience in the news about harassment and how he was taken aside and kept for 10 hours. So, this is really systematic harassment that is happening at this airport in particular. Madhu will be sharing some more details later today, and we will continue to bring attention to this cause.

I hope you have a great day ahead.

Day 138 Lesson – Raising awareness/frequency

Good morning, everybody. I hope you are well.

We’re moving forward and doing all that we can on this campaign to bring spotlight on this incident of harassment that happened to Mohanji at Frankfurt Airport. We want to push for a change. What we want to see is a shift in the mindset of those who are handling people in airports. We are now moving forward with many different activities; we have social media activity, and we have consolidated some good hashtags that will help us align all the activities. Also, we’re pushing the official channels too. Yesterday, I spoke with a lady who can help us move this forward with the UN, and Madhu has been speaking with others who are looking to contact the German Federal Government. Many activities are happening, and people are coming forward now to help volunteer for this, which is great. What we’re doing is looking to really shift the mindset of people.

Yesterday, I had a conversation with Mohanji about something that’s not related to this incident. It was about people’s operating frequencies. This helped me understand more about how and where people are positioned, and that the change that people need to make might not be dramatic. But if we can shift people’s mindsets just a bit, then we would have done a good job. What Mohanji was sharing was that, on the path of our spiritual journey, we can reach a point where we feel as though there is stagnation, so we might feel as though nothing is happening. And this is usually a state that comes just before a bliss state. He said that when you’re connected with a master, there is always something changing, something shifting. But during this time, we might feel as though nothing is happening.

He likened this to travelling into outer space, that when we set off from the ground, there’ll be many obvious changes. Because from the level of the earth, you’ll be climbing through the clouds into higher clouds, past the jet stream, and finally, through the very final layers of the atmosphere until you’re in space. Once you’re in space, you’re still moving, probably travelling at a rapid speed. But it won’t feel like that. Mohanji shared that, even during the stagnation phase, inside many things will be shifting, in the intellect, ego, and there’ll be changes.

I was thinking then about those famous words that Shirdi Sai Baba has said, which will come handy during this time: Shraddha and Saburi – faith and patience. Mohanji shared that, at this time, the frequency will be shifting, and frequency is distinct from intellect, ego and mind. It’s an operating state. And what are the signs of operating frequency? If we are living with more kindness, more compassion, more understanding, more awareness of situations and acceptance, we could say that we’re operating at a higher frequency. But he also said that this stagnation state, or vacuum state, can be very easy to fall from because there’s not much apparent movement. So, as we feel there’s no progress, we can become susceptible to doubts. Some have even left the path at the stage when they were very close to attaining something. And then there can be a fall.

I asked Mohanji what is a fall in that respect; if people fall, what does that mean? He said that the sure sign is that there’s a drop in frequency, or a fall in the relative frequency that they were operating from. People can then shift from kindness, acceptance, compassion, right down to the lower operating ends, such as people becoming jealous, full of hatred, revenge, all these types of things. Thinking about it now, if you look at the people who have left Mohanji and spoken bad about him later, you can see that’s what the fall was. If they were operating in one state, they quickly dropped to revenge, writing bad, that type of thing.

For me, this also deepened my understanding of what we’re doing through all these platforms. I’d understood before, but this added more depth or another dimension to it. Because the overall vision of Mohanji is to raise people from what we would consider as the lower frequencies, and I say ‘consider’ because it’s all relative, right up to the higher levels of kindness and compassion. Mohanji has also said that he’s shifting the frequency, so that the Satya Yuga, a good age or a golden age can come, and we can all exist in that frequency.

Mohanji didn’t say this explicitly to me, but this is my understanding. I also imagined it like a scale, like a thermometer. People will be at various frequencies – some at the higher end, some at the lower end. And like I say, this is all relative, the higher and lower. But our job, I see now more clearly, is to take people from where they are to the next level. It may not be possible to take them from complete anger, complete prejudice, opinions, insensitivity towards what they’re doing, right up to the highest. It could be a step-by-step process. I was thinking this because of the incident at Frankfurt and the campaign that we are undertaking, which is to really shift the mindset of people and take them to a different operating state, wherein they’re treating people with kindness. And if not kindness, then at least just a basic respect.

This helps me understand then to look for what will be possible. So, it may not be possible that from this everybody begins to love all beings, all creations and wants to live in complete harmony. But possibly, and at least, they should be having that basic level of respect and understanding, and treat everyone equally as humans with decency. So that there’ll be humane airports, which is one of the hashtags that we’re now promoting as well. We want to have humane airports, where everybody’s treated with respect.

I hope you have a good day ahead, and we shall speak again soon.

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|| JAI BRAHMARISHI MOHANJI ||

Edited & Published by – Testimonials Team, 26th June 2022

Disclaimer:

The views, opinions, and positions expressed by the authors and those providing comments on these blogs are theirs alone and do not necessarily reflect the views, opinions or positions of Mohanji, Mohanji Foundation, it’s members, employees or any other individual or entity associated with Mohanji or Mohanji Foundation. We make no representations as to accuracy, completeness, timeliness, suitability or validity of any information presented by individual authors and/or commenters on our blogs and will not be liable for any errors, omissions, or delays in this information or any losses, injuries or damages arising from its display or use.

We reserve the right to delete, edit, or alter in any manner we see fit blog entries or comments that we, in our sole discretion, deem to be obscene, offensive, defamatory, threatening, in violation of trademark, copyright or other laws, of an express commercial nature, or otherwise unacceptable.

Mohanji Testimonials team

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Lessons living with Mohanji – Days 131 & 132

by Christopher Greenwood

Day 131 Lesson – Discrimination @ Frankfurt Airport ️

Good morning everybody. I hope that you’re doing very well. 

Yesterday we arrived in Slovenia, and I would have liked to have shared a more positive message this morning. But unfortunately, I had the opportunity to witness discrimination and extreme harassment firsthand at Frankfurt Airport as Mohanji cleared through the security on our transit route from Mumbai to Frankfurt. We were transiting from Frankfurt to Ljubljana. I had never seen anything like this before. I have a UK passport and a fair complexion, so I never experienced anything of discrimination myself. But to witness this was a shock because it’s the first time I’ve seen it firsthand. Here’s what happened.

At Frankfurt airport, we went through the transit security, and we went into separate lanes as Mohanji was going by a business class and I was going by usual. We’d usually wait for each other after the security check. As I collected my bags, I looked up the line, scanning for Mohanji. I could see him right at the top of the line. He was surrounded and interrogated by two police officers. All the security guards were around him; the staff who operate the scanning machines were ripping out everything from Mohanji’s backpack. There was obviously a laptop and things like this, but there were also some very important personal documents. All contents from the bag, like cards and personal items, were indiscriminately taken out of the wallet; every single pocket was emptied; everything was being questioned. They started under the premise of checking for explosives. 

I’ve had that check before; usually, they have a swab of cloth, and they run it across all the materials in the bag and then put it into a machine because it can pick up something that the explosives have. Then they check it, and that’s enough. But here, it just seemed utterly over the top. Mohanji was travelling business class, and you wouldn’t expect that type of treatment.

Everything was taken out! Everything questioned! One by one, “What’s this? What’s this? What’s this? How much money do you have? Why are you carrying this money? Where did you get it from?” It’s completely unnecessary, especially for someone travelling business class and in transit; it’s fine that you’re carrying money. I can only put this down to complete harassment. Mohanji stood there in front of everybody as every single thing was taken out of the backpack. Towards the end, I could notice the body language of the usual security staff changing. I could see that they were uncomfortable with the situation that was happening. But then another third policeman joined in this interrogation. A terrible and unpleasant experience!

From Mohanji’s previous travel via Frankfurt Airport, I understood that he had experienced the same problem. Later, when I was browsing the internet, and some people were sending me articles, I realized that it’s not uncommon for this to happen at that airport. It has a history of indiscriminately harassing people as they make their way through the airport. This experience soured the last leg of the journey yesterday. It was complete disrespect, discrimination and harassment. 

I hope you have a good day after hearing this. I wouldn’t usually like to share such a message. But I think it’s vital that these events are recognized, so I share that today in my message.

‘Abuse of power’: black travellers describe their ordeals with German customs

https://m.timesofindia.com/nri/other-news/indian-origin-woman-alleges-racial-profiling-after-being-asked-to-strip-at-frankfurt-airport/amp_articleshow/57964282.cms

Day 132 Lesson – Discrimination @ Frankfurt Airport Cont. ️ 

Good morning everybody. I hope that you’re doing very well.

 I apologize for the slight delay in sharing this message this morning. I’m in a different time zone. This morning, I’ve been spending the majority of my time following up on the incident that happened to Mohanji at Frankfurt Airport – where he was treated with complete contempt and disrespect as we went through the security line. All his items were thrown out of his bag, and unnecessary questioning continued for 45 minutes. A sordid ordeal of harassment and abuse!

Yesterday I was on the Frankfurt Airport Facebook page. Ironically, they had posted a picture and a hashtag against racism a day earlier. So I wrote a message on that picture to let them know what happened, what we had suffered or experienced, and that I was the witness to discrimination and racism. The response that I got back was very casual, non-committal, and lacking any sense of responsibility. This has given me insight into how lightly people treat these matters when actually, it’s a fundamental matter for many people. 

After reading the comments, I learned that many people had experienced a similar situation at that airport, so it’s not isolated. If anybody at home does something terrible, steals, robs, or anything like that in a family home, it reflects badly on the house. In the same way, the actions of the staff at the airport handling the security check reflect poorly on the airport as a whole. The airport has a responsibility to ensure to treat people with respect, regardless of the colour of their skin.

I’ve completed my report to the police as requested by Frankfurt Airport. I’ve posted my reply, too, saying they need to do something about it. The management team is taking Mohanji’s incident of discrimination to the highest authorities possible. There was no acknowledgement, no apology whatsoever for the embarrassment caused.

Looking back at the event, I’m yet again reminded of the sheer contempt shown by the security guards and police as they handed over the trays with all the items from the bags completely scattered across them all. Everything was taken out; every single item chucked into the tray like trash; it was then just handed over to us in trays in a non-apologetic, non-committal manner, not even a second look or a second glance. It’s that disrespect which needs to change. People should be able to travel or transit and be treated with respect despite their skin colour or ethnicity. This is what we’ll continue to pursue these next few days or as far as it takes. 

Hope you have a great day ahead!

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|| JAI BRAHMARISHI MOHANJI ||

Edited & Published by – Testimonials Team, 5th June 2022

Disclaimer:

The views, opinions, and positions expressed by the authors and those providing comments on these blogs are theirs alone and do not necessarily reflect the views, opinions or positions of Mohanji, Mohanji Foundation, it’s members, employees or any other individual or entity associated with Mohanji or Mohanji Foundation. We make no representations as to accuracy, completeness, timeliness, suitability or validity of any information presented by individual authors and/or commenters on our blogs and will not be liable for any errors, omissions, or delays in this information or any losses, injuries or damages arising from its display or use.

We reserve the right to delete, edit, or alter in any manner we see fit blog entries or comments that we, in our sole discretion, deem to be obscene, offensive, defamatory, threatening, in violation of trademark, copyright or other laws, of an express commercial nature, or otherwise unacceptable.

Mohanji Testimonials team

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Kalpataru Series – A loving hug

Kalpataru is a wish-fulfilling tree.

That’s what Mohanji is for his devotees. Nothing is too small or too big. A wish that’s made with a pure thought and a call to Mohanji is sure to be fulfilled. No, this is not a claim. This is what hundreds of devotees have been experiencing every day, across the globe.

In this series, we will present some testimonials, true stories shared by devotees on how their wishes have been fulfilled by Mohanji.

— Testimonials Team

By Rekha Murali

Our heart is not always in our control. There are certain things that we are never satisfied with. One such thing is the desire to be in the physical presence of Mohanji even if it is only for a fleeting second. I am sure most of us can relate to this and I am no exception. I did have two wonderful days in his presence when he came to Chennai. Two months later, here I was craving to meet him again. Although the heart yearned, I felt there was no chance. But Mohanji, who knows everything, who is pure consciousness, fulfilled this heartfelt desire. It was not just about meeting him but needing that beautiful hug from him.

29th November 2019, is etched in my memory as I got that spontaneous hug from Mohanji. The day started as usual and by evening I was busy with my routine, but a call from Radha Shyam at about 6:45 pm changed everything. Her excited but doubtful voice conveyed that Mohanji would be at the airport for a few minutes to catch a flight which was scheduled to leave at 9:00 pm. She hesitatingly asked if we would be able to make it to the airport.

My dull and boring evening suddenly became charged and within 30 minutes and two more phone calls of planning, we were on our way in a cab along with Radha’s husband Srinivas! The atmosphere was tense as the traffic was heavy due to the peak hour and we had a very casual and slow driver who wanted to discuss everything under the sun. I started repeating the Mohanji Gayatri and prayed to him that having made us come this far, he should give us his darshan too.

Almost an hour later, we edged closer to the airport. In the meantime, luckily I was able to get in touch with Madhu for his flight details. We then googled to know the terminal and excitedly reached the place. To our joy, we found that his flight was delayed by half an hour but there was no sign of Mohanji. Mohanji was also delayed as the traffic was heavy. So now you know why the flight was delayed!

Soon, within 10 minutes, we saw a car speeding by and Madhu was frantically waving and pointing in the opposite direction. I turned around and my eyes fell on a man walking casually with a beaming smile in jeans and a t-shirt. I just shouted over my shoulder to the others that Mohanji is here, and ran into his outstretched arms. Mohanji gave me a long hug that I had been waiting for. All that I could utter in that second was “Oh, My God!” resting my head on his shoulder.

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I just felt immense happiness, secure that I was in a safe place completely protected and blessed. Nothing else mattered.

I need to say one thing here. Each time I met Mohanji, it was I who always asked for a hug and this was the first time that it came from him spontaneously.

The happiness was written all over my face as I stayed by his side watching him greet others. The others spoke to him and even asked him some questions.

Revathy had also come with her children to seek blessings along with a special sweet. He asked me to open it and after tasting it, he returned the box of sweets to us. We received our prasad too. Within a short span of 10 minutes, we even managed to click pictures. All too soon, Mohanji had to leave and we still managed to wait there looking through the glass doors. As he was entering, I just mentioned to Mohanji that his flight has been delayed, to which he replied with an all-knowing smile, “Yes, it had to be delayed by a few minutes only as we were caught traffic.”

We watched Mohanji getting the check-in done and I blurted out, “Mohanji, please turn around and wave to us.” As though on cue, he turned around and waved with a broad smile on his face and then moved away from our sight. Our cups were overflowing.

Only on reaching home and reliving these precious moments, did I realise the impact of the whole incident. The all-pervasive, omnipresent Mohanji in his compassion and love had orchestrated the whole thing and enabled us to meet him and filled us with happiness and positive energy. The last-minute notice of Mohanji’s arrival, the traffic delays and finally the delay of the flight were not coincidences. If the flight had been on time, we would not have been able to meet him.

As I thank Mohanji in immense gratitude, I realise that he gave us this opportunity to only energise us. I had been communicating with him every day mentally, thanking him and sharing with him everything, and had also during my ramblings told him how a hug from him would make a world of a difference. All that I can do is watch in awe as he fulfils every prayer. I do not understand the intricate details and ways in which he takes care of each of us, but beginning to see the big picture. I don’t understand what I have done to deserve this, but I feel so blessed with the love and the grace that he showers on me. Thank you Mohanji!

Chennai group

|| JAI BRAHMARISHI MOHANJI||

Compiled, Edited & Published by – Testimonials Team, 16th January 2020

Disclaimer:

The views, opinions, and positions expressed by the authors and those providing comments on these blogs are theirs alone and do not necessarily reflect the views, opinions or positions of Mohanji, Mohanji Foundation, it’s members, employees or any other individual or entity associated with Mohanji or Mohanji Foundation. We make no representations as to accuracy, completeness, timeliness, suitability or validity of any information presented by individual authors and/or commenters on our blogs and will not be liable for any errors, omissions, or delays in this information or any losses, injuries or damages arising from its display or use.

We reserve the right to delete, edit, or alter in any manner we see fit blog entries or comments that we, in our sole discretion, deem to be obscene, offensive, defamatory, threatening, in violation of trademark, copyright or other laws, of an express commercial nature, or otherwise unacceptable.

— Mohanji Testimonials Team