Lessons living with Mohanji – Days 197 & 198

Posted on by Mohanji Editorial Team

by Christopher Greenwood

Day 197 – Dare to be Different 

Yesterday, Mohanji attended a fantastic panel discussion here in Belgrade, which was organised by the Vlade and Ana Divac Foundation. This panel discussion was really good. The title of it was: ‘The role of an individual in overcoming conflicts in a polarised society’. Many distinguished guests attended. There was an NBA Hall of Famer, a motivational speaker, the head of the Serbian Chamber of Commerce, and a Harvard professor. Obviously, Mohanji was there too, and many other guests, and Vlade Divac too.

Here is the link to the whole event. Mohanji’s speaking time starts at 19:08

https://fb.watch/5MgWlSdPkh/

Mohanji’s speaking slot opened by answering a question from the host, who shared Mohanji’s quote: “Dare to be different. That is your signature in the world,” and he asked, “Is it easy to be different in today’s world?”

The answer to this question was a good one for me, so I wanted to share this, almost in its entirety, because it also left me with a question that I will share in this morning’s message. So, it’s dare to be different; that’s your signature in the world, and how easy is it actually to be different in today’s world. Mohanji answered this nicely actually. He started by saying that the whole world is actually unique. All creations are unique; we’re all unique. So, we’re already different by birth; by nature, we’re neither higher nor lower nor equal to anyone else, which is a really good reminder.

Our thumb impression is unique; our eye retina is unique. So, each of us has something unique with an amazing potential for expression in the world. But we refuse to accept that, and society, how it’s constructed; mainly, its education is provided to compete and compare. And this could be for positions, money, space, or anything, but that’s the predominant teaching, to beat the other. And then this is where all the other divisions happened. Then we become attached to the positions and the relations. So, if anything becomes a threat to those or affects those things that we’re attached to, we become upset. So, Mohanji also explained that, now, within the world, fear is given in bulk to people, with COVID especially. With all the changes and all the turbulences, there’s a really destabilising atmosphere in the world at the moment. So, there’s a big fear also of losing those positions and relations. But we forget, as he reminded us very nicely, that we are all here on a tourist visa. We came with nothing; we leave with nothing. Everything is temporary.

So, in also explaining this, against the quote, we realise that there is something beyond all these things, and we realise what we are, minus all these temporary attachments. There’s a power there, where there’s no need for fear. And this gives us that dare or that Lion’s heart to face the world. So he explained the real reason, or the fundamental reason that you can trace it back to, is that there are polarities in the world because of that education, wherein we’re taught to compare and beat and win against the opponent. But the real victory is winning over ourselves. So this statement left me contemplating yesterday and this morning, so I know what that means for me. And so, I’ll save any explanation of what I think and leave this space so that you also can think about what that means for you, winning over yourself. Daring to be different because that’s your signature in the world. Hope you have a great day ahead.

Day 198 – The benefit of extreme action 

Mohanji’s mode of work is extreme action. We were speaking the other day, just a general conversation and Mohanji shared a story that made me laugh. It was at a time when we were passing through the security at Delhi airport, and the security guard asked him what he does as a job, and he told him that he teaches meditations and yoga, so the guard said, “Oh, so basically, you do nothing.” Then Mohanji asked, “Well, how many hours do you work? Eight? Well, I’m pretty much working 24 hours,” and I think the conversation shifted slowly.

But this was a good prompt to share a bit more of my understanding, now that I’ve spent more time with Mohanji, about the benefit of being in the presence of that state, of that energy of extreme action, even though it can be quite demanding. It’s related to the guṇas that we are made up of: the tamasic – the sort of slow sluggishness, the laziness – rajasic action; and sattva – the peaceful, stable state. I’ve shared before that the pace of working with Mohanji is really relentless; it’s constant. There’s not much time to think. The level of activity is so high that there’s very little time to think, in fact, and what I’ve learned and confirmed with Mohanji is that that’s exactly the point. Because when you’re working with Mohanji, and also he said, any other Master for that matter, you’re pushed into a state of hyper action. Because you need to move from the usual easy, sluggish, downward energy, or tamas, which is your procrastination, laziness, doubting, criticising, gossiping, comparing, all that type of stuff, and shift into a mode of action, where you’re beginning to do things.

That’s like a momentum building up over time, one activity, another activity, another, and then another, so that it’s really speeding up that state of action, and the idea is that it becomes so intense that eventually it becomes a state of sattva, where it’s an extreme action, but actually inside, you’re completely calm. Things are happening, but you’re not fully attached to them. So, until you’ve reached that state, there are obviously peaks and troughs; you’ll move up into a state of action, where things are really going well, and then fall back down to tamas. In the presence of Mohanji, that’s when the butt-kicking happens, and your butt is kicked so that you get moving again and are pushed up into that rajasic state.

So, that’s generally the benefit of being with a master because that happens much more frequently. Why is it a benefit? For many, it seems like hard work, which it is, because it can be quite demanding. But what’s actually happening is that tamasic tendencies – your laziness, heaviness, being caught up in emotions – bind you to mindsets, and also, ownership is more. Being pushed into that action, there’s no time to think, and when there’s no time to think, there’s very little emotion attached to the activity. There’s very little ownership attached to activity too, and the lack of emotion and lack of ownership means that there’s not much karma that you’re accruing from the work that you’re doing. So, it’s heavy and quick purification whilst not acquiring anything more.

That’s one of the benefits, but at the same time, it’s challenging. This was a different perspective on being with Mohanji, the work, and the pace, with the ultimate goal being to move up towards a more peaceful state of sattva.

|| JAI BRAHMARISHI MOHANJI ||

Edited & Published by – Testimonials Team, 12th February 2023

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

Lessons living with Mohanji – Days 183 & 184

Posted on by Mohanji Editorial Team

by Christopher Greenwood

Day 183 – The Weight we carry 

Today I wanted to share more about Mohanji, and his other work, which might not be so visible in the outer world that we are used to. All the activities happening worldwide through the various organizations are fantastic, but Mohanji is working on other levels too. Today I wanted to talk about the karmic weight or work he is lifting.

 I understand from what Mohanji has said, “We all have a karmic weight, and our karma is a mixture of three main elements. They are:

  1. Lineage karma – we are the inheritors of our body from our parents, who are the representations of our lineage; we also gain an inheritance from them. From all the generations of that lineage, there’s a karmic element which is inherited. These could be pending desires or things our family members have done in the past, affecting us now. That’s one element of family or lineage. 
  2. Individual karma – karma we accumulate due to our desires, past merits and demerits.
  3. Societal karma – Karma which we gather from the society in which we were born, the country that we live in, has a collective effect on us.”

 So, these three elements – lineage, individual karma, and societal karma, are all mixed like milk and water. We don’t know what is ‘ours’ versus that of our family or society, but one thing is for sure if Liberation is to be an option, our karmic weight has to reduce. Otherwise, like a donkey packed with goods and materials and walks, we also don’t know what we were carrying until it’s gone. Then we feel relief.

Something I’ve learned since being with Mohanji is that a significant aspect of his subtle work is working on people’s lineage karma because when karmic weight is reduced, people become lighter. The possibility for Liberation is also higher. The Mai-Tri and the MTM practitioners see this happening. In my own experience, whilst I can’t see it, I feel the effects of much more lightness and ease in life since being connected to Mohanji.

One specific, tangible event was when I went to Kailāsh with Mohanji in 2019, along with many others. He performed what was called Nandisraadha pūjā’, on the banks of Mansarovar lake, in front of Mt Kailash. To our knowledge, nobody had done this before in that location and to that scale. That purpose was to clear people’s lineage karma for this generation and 100 generations back. That’s 1000s of years of people. It was challenging for them to organize because all the materials had to be very specific, right quality, and sourced from various parts of India. Then you had the logistical challenge of bringing them to the lake just before the puja. There were challenges in getting these goods through the border, but through grace, it happened. It all happened as it should have.

What Avadhūta Nādānanda had said to Mohanji when Mohanji planned to do this ceremony touched me the most and gave me an insight into profound work. He said that, even if Mohanji did this just for one person, and something went wrong, all that karmic weight would go to Mohanji. He would have to take the weight of any mistake, problem, or complication. He was doing it. They’re not just for everyone present, but also the families and everybody in the family that was connected as well. That’s 1000s of 1000s of people. This is the central part of Mohanji’s work; clearing people’s baggage from their lineage from the family so that they become lighter and can also progress quickly on their path. The Mai-Tri and MTM practitioners are seeing this, and for me, I think for everybody, whilst we might not be able to see it, we can feel lightness in our life. 

Through service, purification happens. The Mohanji Platforms are powerful because they give everyone an opportunity to serve society, benefit society and relieve their burden as part of it. The guidance of feeding the four types of beings (air – birds, water – fishes, earth – small/big beings and human beings) is given to help alleviate karmic weight and benefit our ancestors and lineage. ACT4Hunger was established around addressing those four types of beings.

 That was the message for today.

Do we know what we’re carrying? And through these activities, serving on the platforms through feeding all the beings of the air, land, water, and human beings, we’re slowly reducing this weight. This is a big part of Mohanji’s work, reducing this lineage aspect. 

Day 184 – Satya Yuga (Golden Age) is Within

Mohanji has spoken in a recent podcast about the times of Kali Yuga, where the unreal seems real and the real unreal – a time where greed, corruption, and manipulation are commonplace. We can see this in the world around us, from the news channels or by checking the internet. The world is suffering badly due to this, and Mohanji shared that collective consciousness causes situations, such as the Corona situation, which we see now with COVID. They happen especially when the predominant state or frequency is that of Tamas; procrastination, inertia, and stagnation are very high at these times.

Today, I was thinking about this, and I wanted to re-share Mohanji’s vision and work, which is that he’s here to take people to Satya Yuga, the Golden Age, which is beyond the state of the gunas, namely –

1. rajas – movement, action,

2. tamas – procrastination, laziness, inertia, and

3. sattva – the subtle, peaceful state.

He’s restoring righteousness. It’s a dharmic duty to bring this back.

When I heard about the various yugas and eras, I always thought it was an external place. “Mohanji is here to take people to Satya Yuga,” I didn’t quite understand what that meant. It’d be some external change that we’d see. But now I understand that this is a possibility that first need to begin inside of us. Now I know the golden age or Satya Yuga is the potential sitting with each of us. Each of us can exist in Satya Yuga, and what’s necessary is to raise our frequency to a specific state to have that eligibility to transcend beyond the guṇas. The path guides us to self-acceptance, respect, and love through time and service. We can raise ourselves to that state where the sattva guṇa stabilizes, and we begin to experience that peace, harmony, equanimity, and compassion for all beings within ourselves.

When a whole generation raises itself to that state, to that way of being, the entire generation is living with acceptance, ahiṃsā (non-violence), and kindness (all these higher qualities of human existence), and then Kali Yuga automatically ends. It’s actually within us, and we have the potential to change that. This was a more profound understanding for me.

 It also gave a new depth to the platforms Mohanji created and founded because each one is distinct in its own way. These platforms raise the generation’s prospects to the highest possibilities of human existence: kindness and compassion. The World Consciousness Alliance is one platform which aims to have a broader reach to shift the collective consciousness of the generation through music, art, entertainment, and film. Its goal is to bring people up and make them aware of that state.

So, this was a more profound understanding that the potential for the golden age, Satya Yuga, is inside us all. The inner change first. That inner transformation, individually and across a whole generation collectively, brings such a Yuga into reality and the end of Kali Yuga.

|| JAI BRAHMARISHI MOHANJI ||

Edited & Published by – Testimonials Team, 25th December 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

Lessons living with Mohanji – Days 121 & 122

Posted on by Mohanji Editorial Team

by Christopher Greenwood

Day 121 Lesson – What Mohanji shares is practical in daily life  

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

Living with Mohanji has been a real blessing. It has also been a privilege to be able to share some of those experiences with you all through these messages. Some of the messages I’ve received in response to them have been really touching. I’m grateful for everyone who sent them and also the fact that I can serve in this way. Because I’m purely seeing myself as a conduit from what Mohanji is sharing with me in the morning or in the days here and doing my best to share this time with others, so it’s all his teachings. 

Today I was thinking of that one overall lesson or observation which I can conclude from being here, and if there was one. I was thinking about it. I feel that if there is one lesson, it’s that whatever Mohanji is sharing, whatever teaching he has provided, whatever guidance he has given, it’s practical. It can be applied in our lives. Hardcore practical, in fact, and very simple as well. If we apply them, even just a few of them, they have a possibility to really positively enhance our lives. I realised more and more that the time I spend with him, everything that is given, everything that is shared, can be used to improve life. 

He’s not asking anything for this, nor is he mandating someone should follow him or saying that this is the way. It’s simply given; it’s available. If it’s useful for us, then great, we can use it. But at the same time, he also accepts that maybe it’s not useful. So then that’s also okay. But it’s available at least. 

In my experience, the real lesson only comes once I’ve taken steps to put some of these things into practice. Because then I experience it, and then I understand it. Then I recognise as well what actually transformed through applying it in my life, whether that’s big or small. So one major lesson for me is the constant observation and recognition that reality is happening from moment to moment. It’s now. Many people say that it’s only now, but to experience and understand that at another level is one of the learnings that’s happening for me since I’ve been here. And it’s growing; it’s evolving so that we always see reality at work. 

For example, the hard reality is that we’re born and will die one day. That’s reality. And then also experiencing the more subtle realities like my mental state of mind, or mood, from one day, can suddenly change to the next. So there’s a fluctuation, which also brings that reality back to Mohanji’s teaching that we do what we can today because we can’t guarantee what comes tomorrow. This reality is happening moment to moment. 

Also, the larger teaching of Mohanji, which I’m experiencing more, is that the best way to handle it is through acceptance. Because then we’re living with reality, we’re facing it. Looking back at my life, many of the pains and sufferings I had were disappointments because situations didn’t turn out the way I hoped. Or I’ve maybe been avoiding life in a way.

I realised that I read many books and because I knew these topics and filled my head with all these concepts and stuff, I thought I was settled and that that is how life is. But looking back now, it set me aside from life, almost like escapism. I recognise now that that was a huge trap, or sometimes, when I’ve happily been wallowing in self-pity, perceived injustices, resisting and suffering; this usual cycle. 

Many situations have happened, but what’s becoming more clear to me now is that there is real power in acceptance, to simply handle situations as they come. As Mohanji is, following his lead, just being cool, situations will always come. When they do, we can handle it, even at the level of thoughts. 

So at one point, the word acceptance was a nice word to me. But it was a word. Now, after the actual tangible experiences of settling into a life of acceptance, I’m slowly understanding this more and recognising that this power is great. Because through acceptance, we have by-products that come, which are fearlessness, clarity, and creativity. Because I found that through acceptance, when we accept that a situation happened, then creativity can come: “Okay, what next? What do we do now?” Whereas resisting and not accepting it means that the phase doesn’t come for the creativity to emerge. 

I gave a presentation for Invest in Awareness last week and got asked this question about acceptance: “How can you accept all the tragedies that come in life? How can you just say acceptance? Does that not mean you’re just giving into life?” It’s a good question. I was thinking of this, and actually, there are nuances or dimensions to acceptance, which I’m now experiencing: you don’t have to accept injustices; you can move towards them. But it’s more accepting moment-to-moment life, when difficulties come, when challenges come, accepting it, and moving on. For me experiencing this brings much more peace and stability. And it’s an ongoing journey. I can’t say I fully accept everything; there’s still resistance here and there. 

The overall observation is that what Mohanji is sharing, I feel, is practical for life. There’s nothing abstract. There is no philosophy, nothing to debate, nothing to discuss or idealise. It’s practical, simple and universal teachings on how to handle life. I find that it is like a roadmap, or even a manual for human life and simply being you. This is what we’ll be bringing through the programs from the Invest in Awareness team. Do message me if you’re interested in knowing more about that because we’ll be bringing this into a good package to help share this understanding. 

I hope you have a great day ahead.

Day 122 Lesson – Signs of tamas  

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

Yesterday was a long day, right from morning until evening. I’ve mentioned before that many new activities are starting up. More people are coming forward to assist in what we’re doing. And actually, some are proposing that they can just take activities forward, which is fantastic. That’s what we need now; hands and people connecting to the ideas of all of these platforms. 

I’ve shared the dashboard before, which has all Mohanji’s founded platforms. Now, this is quickly becoming outdated because there are also new ones that are coming forward. What I really admire about Mohanji’s vision is that he really wants all the people who are connected to him, that love him, that a part of the family that had been standing by him over these years, to be stable, to be self-sufficient, to have a good income, to have a stable job. What we’re looking at now are opportunities that we can bring forward, which unite people around a similar skill set or talent so that we can put them together and take forward ideas and initiatives. 

For example, Ananth now will lead a group of people, almost like a consultancy agency, where we’ll be able to take on projects related to IT, software development, and all these types of things. Because we have really good skills within the family, many people have worked in those industries. I’ll be contributing in some way, too, as that was my background before – business consultancy, IT program project delivery. 

Like this, opportunities are coming where the people can come together and work together. At the same time, Mohanji is also meeting people in various industries. Many of these people who are coming forward have the same values. They have the same sense of purpose, integrity, trustworthiness and honesty. It’s really great because it makes working so much easier when you’re all in a similar mindset. It’s also taking steps forward to bring back this ethical business where everybody has an opportunity to thrive. So I really admire that. 

As I’ve mentioned before, Mohanji is not slowing down either. There’s no delay; there’s no postponement. He’s doing everything he can while he’s here, using the time well. In the morning, we’ll discuss something, and recently he’s been saying: “You know, actually, by my standards, I’m tamasic, I have to slow myself down. I could be doing much more.” This I find hard to believe because we will discuss maybe ten things in the morning. Then I’ll go and work on one or two activities. By the time I come back, all the rest are finished. He has spoken to who he needed to, and arrangements have been made. 

As he mentioned tamas, I was just curious in conversation and asked him what are the signs then that you can expect to see to check if tamas is starting to creep in. Because, as he’s explained before, this can be very slow. It creeps in, and before you know it, you’re completely back on that bed, which is a magnet, the iron rod on your back, completely laying down, and you find it incredibly difficult to move and get up and start walking again. 

So to avoid reaching that state, I was thinking about how to be alert and aware. Because even though I’m here, there can still be fluctuations in motivation. So I take the advice shared before that when it’s possible to run, we should run, and if we need to walk, then that’s okay; we walk—depending on how we’re feeling. 

I asked Mohanji what the signs to be expected are. He shared that when you’re closer to a sattva state, where you’re really moving forward, there’ll be clarity, and you’ll have productivity, purposefulness, and promptness. Then you know that you’re on a track; activities are happening. But then the opposite that we can expect when we’re falling into tamas is that there’ll be confusion, inaction, lack of purpose, delay and postponement. 

For me, recognising that is definitely the first thing that comes to mind as an alarm bell anytime when I want to postpone something. As soon as that thought comes, “Okay, I’ll do that later”, or “I’ll do that tomorrow”, then I can quickly catch myself and think, “Okay, actually, can I do it now? Is it possible to do it now because if it is, I should?”

So that’s, for me, one of the signs. I hope you have a great day ahead and will speak to you soon.

I hope you have a great day and will speak to you soon.

|| JAI BRAHMARISHI MOHANJI ||

Edited & Published by – Testimonials Team, 24th April 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

Lessons living with Mohanji – Days 109 & 110

Posted on by Mohanji Editorial Team

by Christopher Greenwood

Day 109 Lesson – “Our Path is not complicated.”

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

Over the past few days, I’ve had the opportunity to go back over some of the notes I made during conversations that spontaneously happened with Mohanji at the house. Some of these have proven to be great reminders for me. 

I’d like to share some of these with you over the next recordings because I think they give wonderful lessons and clarifications on some important aspects of our path, of Mohanji, and what it’s like to walk this path. Mohanji has said before that this is a path of no-nonsense, the path of Shiva, and the path of fire, which means that there will be challenges and hurdles. Now looking back, some of these have resonated with me as good reminders. 

Today, I wanted to share what Mohanji spoke in conversations about the path. Some of these will be notes as I took them. Some of them could be words that Mohanji said, so I apologize if it doesn’t come across as one succinct flowing piece of voice. 

Mohanji essentially said that this path is not complicated at all. All that’s required for the path of an Avadhoota is a deep, unshakable connection with the Master. And this was the case for all the Avadhootas, just connection to the Master. Thus, if I consider Mohanji as the Master, then it’s a deep, unshakable connection to Mohanji. This is not complicated. “But why then”, he asked rhetorically, “why is it complicated? Why can it be complicated?” He said that’s because of the mind. 

The mind itself can create tests. The Master has no interest in testing anything because all the Master is doing is simply being available for people to connect to. People can connect, or they don’t connect – no problem, a master has nothing to do with it. Mohanji explained quite nicely that we are all on our journey in life. Each of us has a unique journey. Situations will keep changing, different situations will happen, and a corresponding effect will be there. And he reminded us that the Master is not creating this; our karma is creating it. 

For me, this was an interesting understanding. Because it’s our karma that allows us to come to a certain situation in life, even to have a certain awareness, or even the opportunity to connect with someone like Mohanji. We don’t know exactly what’s happening, but we can be sure it’s because of our karma. As karma brought us to this situation, it can equally take us away. He reminded us that our job is simple in a way, just to ensure that we have alignment with all our activities so that we’re focused on the real purpose. Because then everything else is not so important. 

In that case, a Master will know what’s good for us, what’s necessary, and will give what’s necessary, no more and no less. This gives stability all the time, and steps can be taken in a stabilized manner. Only what’s essential is given, and our job is to stay integrated simply – no doubt, no criticism, no judgments.

Mohanji shared a story about one person who saw Sai Baba eating onions, and because of that, he left Sai Baba. What was the problem? It wasn’t that Sai Baba was eating onions that the problem was. His concept of the situation was the problem. He decided that a Master shouldn’t eat onions and left. Mohanji reminded me that it doesn’t matter what you’re doing once you cross over because you’re operating from a plane of grand existence. 

But for the majority of us, we’re operating at the karmic level, which means that there’s a price we have to pay for everything that we do, everything counts. Once we cross over, there’s no karma. So, there’s no desire, inclination, and there’s no price. It’s just responding to the situation. That’s how masters exist. They simply respond, reflect, respond, reflect. When someone comes with anger, emotions, a master will respond accordingly; he reciprocates. He’s not projecting anything. He stopped projecting long ago; there’s just a reflection; there’s no karma. 

Mohanji also explained that there’s no testing on the path; there’s no interest in testing because who are we to be tested? He simply explained that the path itself is like a flowing river. It’s just flowing. To say that these tests come from a Master is like saying that the flowing river is interested in me taking a bath in it. The river doesn’t care. We can take a bath if we want to, and we need not take a bath if we don’t want to. But if we enter, we’ll get wet. We should know that. The river doesn’t need to tell us that we’ll get wet if we enter. That’s for us to know, for us to understand. 

Mohanji explained that this is how things work. The Master is like a flowing river, completely flowing. And if we want to use the Master, we can use him. But the Master is not telling, “Please come and use me.” This was an important reminder because I’ve seen that Mohanji is not binding anybody to himself. He’s not asking anybody to come. But to those coming to him, including myself, he’ll give very clear instructions and directions to say, “Do this” or “I think you should do that.” Because what that does is break boundaries and comfort zones so that reality can be seen better. This is what he does. 

Apart from that, he’s not binding anybody. If anyone wants to come, that’s fine. If they want to leave, no problem. He is available for our evolution and our growth, just like the flowing river. If we want to use it to take a bath, we can jump in and let it take us. And at the same time, if we don’t want to, no problem. Regardless, Mohanji will still be there, as the river will still flow. 

I hope you have a great day ahead. I will speak soon.

Day 110 Lesson – The magnetic pull of tamas  

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

Today, I share another of my recollections of the notes I made some time ago. I think this one is very relevant, and that is not to underrate comfort zones and tamas. 

Mohanji said that the root cause for all the calamities in the world is tamas. For people who don’t know, tamas is extreme inertia, procrastination, sleeping, indifference, and settled in comfort zones. Thus, he said that the comfort zone is the root cause of disturbances. Because if a society is proactive, creative, benevolent, alert, and aware, there’ll be no calamity. But when tamas comes, people are taking it easy, procrastinating, talking too much about rights, instead of acting on responsibilities. And that causes wars. 

This was quite an interesting insight for me because when you look at the world and the general sentiment of society, you can see this. Nobody wants to do anything. Then, anybody can come in and manipulate, which is what we’ve seen. In a proactive society, which would be based on Dharma (righteousness), there’ll be no wars because the right action is always taking place at the right time. 

Extreme tamas is inertia, procrastination, sleeping. Mohanji shared that we have to break out of that if we’re seeking elevation. Living with Mohanji has definitely meant there’s no room for tamas; he makes sure of that. He kicks tamas’ butt, as he says. But I know from my own experience that it comes back; comfort zones pull back, and I’m more aware of that now. 

Mohanji also gave a good illustration which helped me picture this in my mind. He said, “Imagine that you had a huge iron rod on your back, or a thick coat of iron. And your bed is a huge magnet”. So, the majority of people in the world are stuck on that bed, i. e. the magnet, with the iron rod on our back. We’re eating, sleeping, drinking, procreating, the usual unconscious life, tamasic life, not caring, breeding indifference and comfort zones. 

We’re lying on the bed with a magnet and this huge iron rod. And we can’t get up and go. It’s very, very difficult because we’re stuck to the magnet. Mohanji said that the path from there is at least sit up in the bed; you must take it step by step. So, you are rising to the level where you still have part tamas and part rajas (action). You have the initiative to do something. Mohanji said that if we’re associated with a Master who’s doing something in the world, like Karma Yoga, it comes in very handy because Karma Yoga is a selfless service, which means that you’re engaged in action. And slowly, slowly, you’re removing the junk of tamas. 

Then, the next step. Once you reach that point, the pull of the magnet is lessened, so then it’s time to stand up. This means that you have some more initiative, more rajas, more activity to stand up. Again, the Master will help you stand up, encourage you to engage in activities, give work, give guidance so that you slowly come out of that cycle of tamas. After that, we have to start walking; we have to practice it. That means we have to practice what the Master tells us to do, not what we’d like to do. Because what we would like to do (if we understand that tamas is connected to comfort zones) is moving back into what’s familiar. 

A Master will tell us what to do, not that he needs us to do something, but he’s guiding us through the right course of action for us to move out of tamas, to break it. He tells us how to come out of it. At that point in time, if we say, “I’m not interested in that, I’ll only do what I like. I don’t feel like it anymore. Why do I have to do this?” – that’s when we’re falling back into a comfort zone. 

In that way, people become lazy. Then they sit on the bed, and then before they know it, they’re lying back on the bed, with their back stuck to the magnet with the iron rod. They are so relaxed in the bed that they can’t even move their hand to take the food. They’ll open their mouth and say, “Please feed me.” Like that, you’re back lying on the bed again. Then you have to begin all over again, with all the effort, to first sit up in the bed, then stand up. 

Mohanji shared that this can be an interesting and difficult trap for some people because they move through life with great initiative and speed, and they accomplish many things. And then what can happen is, because they’ve reached a place of comfort, where they have power, money, they can hire help, they can do what they like to do, and then in the bargain, they can begin to fall again. Thus, that can be a trap. What I understood from that is that we always need to have movement to always do something and never settle. There’s always an evolution, then. 

When we finally stand up, Mohanji says that the next stage is to start running. This is where there are lots of rajas. This can be a dangerous time because we feel great, we have the grace behind us, many things are happening. Mohanji explained that this could be dangerous, too, because there can be a lot of predators who recognize that one has gained some spiritual balance, and they’ll want to take that. They’ll start to share ideas or doubts such as, “You’re doing so great, you could be so much more. Look, your Master is holding you back. He wants to keep you like this; he wants to control you.” 

This happened to people who’ve been connected to Mohanji, and then they’ve left him to experience the big fall. But a Master doesn’t give everything because he’ll only give what can be individually handled at that time. He can’t give something which we can’t handle, because again he will also fall back. He says, “Okay, sit, now stand, now walk, walk gently, strengthen your legs, gain momentum, and then eventually you run.” It’s not that a Master can give 10 kilos when we can only lift five because we will just collapse. 

This was a really good conversation for me because it was a reminder that we would only be given what we could handle at the time. We won’t be given anything which can take us down or cause us to fall. That’s not in the interest of a master. It’s not for him to say, “Okay, take more and more and more,” and then we die. Then it’s finished. It’s not to do that at all. 

Until we have reached that stable state, we will always be prone to this sway of comfort zones pulling back and the risk of lying down on that bed with the magnet, to be stuck, to have to go through a lot more effort again just to even sit up. However, the Master will guide us to the right activity to bring us out of it. 

I hope you have a great day ahead, and I will speak to you soon.

I hope you have a good day ahead and we will speak soon.

|| JAI BRAHMARISHI MOHANJI ||

Edited & Published by – Testimonials Team, 13th March 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

Lessons living with Mohanji – Day 11

Posted on by Mohanji Editorial Team
Chris lesson 11

Day 11 Lesson – Next to the fire

by Christopher Greenwood

I wanted to share some of my personal experiences living with Mohanji, or more appropriately, living next to the fire! I have to admit that it is not easy at times, and that is because patterns and comfort zones are being continuously broken. It is uncomfortable, and the pace and variety of activity mean plenty of situations where these surface. 

Mohanji isn’t concerned with emotions or feelings either, which means whilst he is here to guide, it’s my journey to work through. His interest is in transformation, and when you get closer to the fire, you either transform or get burnt. Transformation is your evolution, and being burnt is the comfort zones pulling you back. There is no middle ground.

There hasn’t been much time for me to reflect on my experiences while they were happening, but I hope that this message gives insight and feelings of what it’s like being next to the fire – Mohanji. 

I feel this is the same for all people working closely with Mohanji and within the Foundation. We are day by day, given the opportunity to break our patterns and free ourselves from the binding of our comfort zones.

—

Over the past few days, I’ve shared some general lessons that I’ve learned from Mohanji – some stories and some more information about the Foundation and the platform’s activities. And today, I wanted to talk about a personal experience – living with Mohanji. It’s been probably eight months now. And it’s related to something which Mohanji said the other day, I heard him share it, and I’d heard it before. But it prompted my mind to think about sharing this – and it’s that living with a Master is incredibly difficult. 

When you’re looking at Mohanji from afar or a Master from afar, it is fine because there’s a safe distance. But as soon as you come close, that’s when the heat really starts to happen. That’s when it really starts to turn on. And so what happens in that situation as people get closer and closer and closer to the fire? There are only two options. One is to use that for transformation, which means you have to break through patterns to break through comfort zones. Or the second one is that you get burned, which generally means running away. There’s no middle ground, especially within this path. And as he says as well – this is the path of no-nonsense. And he’s purely interested in transformation: an individual’s transformation, their spiritual growth, their evolution, however, you’d like to call it. So how they feel, how they are that day, their emotions, all these types of things are of no interest really. And I understood this quite early on when I was finding it quite hard. I now understand (from reading the books actually, I read this, and now I’ve experienced it firsthand) that the Guru or the Master knows what you need to move through whatever patterns that you have. So we are a walking, talking bundle of patterns, inclinations – everything which we carry. We’re basically an expression of our karmic baggage, or ‘garbage’, as he said the other day. We’re just walking and talking all the time. 

So they (the Masters) can see this, and they know what activity is good for you, to move you through it. Basically, to move from a state of tamas, inertia, laziness, procrastination, where these habits are binding and ruling and controlling in the comfort zones being served all the time, day in, day out. It requires selfless activity, karma yoga activity so that the weight is reduced. 

So he (Mohanji) described it this way: at the moment when you first arrived, it was as if you were on a bed and you had a big magnet on your back – you couldn’t even get up, you couldn’t even lift yourself up. So through the work that he has provided, he can at least sit up from the bed, which is a big, big effort. And so what that means is constant activity, new activity, changing activity. You start one task and then are quite quickly diverted to another. There’s another session, someone else to speak to, another meeting to arrange, another task to complete, another board to join, constantly, constantly, constantly. And there’s really no way that it’s possible to completely keep up. And that activity drives momentum. 

So quite quickly, I reached a point where I just couldn’t cope. I was becoming, ‘this is too much.’ I would be eating a lot, probably emotionally eating, which made me more tired, lazier. And one morning, we sat down, we spoke, and it was quiet. He was attending to messages. And quite out of the blue, when I thought we’re going to talk about something else, he said, “You know what is amazing – you’re here, in my presence, you’ve got activities, and you’re becoming even more tamasic. Absolutely amazing!” I was completely shocked. And the conversation followed, “If you’d like to go back to the UK, you’re more than welcome. Remember that you’re not bound here. I want you to remain free. And if it ever gets too much, I’d much rather you just say, admit it to yourself and leave everything in good order so that nothing is left untidy, because that would be really bad. So yeah, you’re free to go. But remember where you’re going back to – you’re going back to your patterns, to your comfort zones. And this is the path here of no-nonsense. You have an opportunity to transform, an opportunity to evolve. But that doesn’t mean it’s mandatory. There’s always free will. So you’ll be welcome to leave as well. So, being next to the fire, either transform – or get burned and leave.”

“Never justify Inertia. It is a self-destructive tendency. You are defeating yourself by defending your laziness.”

Mohanji

And this was the general message, and it made quite an impact on me. From that, I realized that work hadn’t been loaded on top of me to make me crumble. And he said that too, “My job isn’t to make you crumble at all. My job is to take you to the highest potential that you can be, it’s to take you to yourself, essentially.” And he’s been giving guidance and clarity on how to achieve that, too. So he doesn’t just give the activity or the task; he shares how it’s to be done. But generally, that will mean moving from where I am now, through a comfort zone, through a barrier, through something that I wasn’t even aware of that’s come up, some feeling, some emotions. So I can progress into that. 

And so, some things that I was personally faced with are public speaking, making videos. All these were gruelling; it felt really awful to have to pull myself out of my general habit or ego, the resistance that was stopping me from doing that – through that to actually do it. When I was in Fireflies Ashram here in India, we had yoga teacher training. Sanja would be able to tell you that it would take me ages and ages to record a video, be really worried and really fearful about what people would think. 

So in the situations that are presented, I’m having to come out of my comfort zone and address fears. Also, really look at myself. Also, at the same time, because that resistance is there, that pattern is there of not being able to overcome it, then the feelings of worthlessness come in, of uselessness. These patterns I have as well, I’m realizing. So, quite quickly and intensely, I’m presented with situations, tasks, activities where I’m able to see in an intense time period all these patterns that are put in front of me that I have. And knowing then it’s putting faith in Mohanji is the test that I’ve been given, that to just do it, not think, and drop the sense of ownership about the feeling that I will have to do this. That’s something else, which is part of the lessons that come. I think Mohanji also says that man minus ego is equal to God. So then there is a surrender element in it as well. 

All of this, day in and day out, is quite an intense, evolving, fast-paced activity. And now, looking back, I can see that. But during the time, it was incredibly uncomfortable. 

And just before I came here, actually, I developed a skin condition as well. So I’ve got a rash coming up all over my skin. When I was speaking, I think it was either with Mohanji or with somebody else here; they were saying that’s probably suppressed emotions over many lives. 

The intensity of being here is that you face in a short period of time all the things which are inside. And they keep coming. So tasks may trigger a situation, people may trigger a situation. And more recently, I found out that there was quite a lot of anger stored inside as well. So, having to navigate through those emotions and patterns which are long hidden is the reality of being close to Mohanji. 

And some people may have felt the intensity when Mohanji has a satsang or when we have a meeting with some of the teams. There’s like a burst of intensity, which generally helps push people through a momentum, like a change. So whilst it’s discomfort, it’s also quite a benefit too because Mohanji matches what he sees in front of him: it’s a mirror. So if he sees that there’s a blockage, if he sees that tamas is creeping in, or inertia in me, his intensity arises. So what might seem like someone is being shouted out or being scolded; actually it’s not. He’s increasing his intensity so that he can remove any blockage. And he does this with a lot of the teams and meetings that I sit on as well.

I can talk more about this later. Though it’s more of a personal experience today, which I’m speaking about, yet it’s still not completely settled. And I don’t think it will be for many months and even years to come. Because it’s still a period of transition, and day in day out, there are very subtle situations that occur, almost like a reflection back of what’s inside. And so I’m slowly becoming more and more aware of those as well. 

So, that’s a little information on what it’s like sitting next to the fire, that is Mohanji.

|| JAI BRAHMARISHI MOHANJI||

Edited & Published by – Testimonials Team, 21st March 2021

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