The high mountains rise above the land, protecting the valley below. They enjoy status and power, for they are revered and thanked. The valley is low and dirty while the mountain high and clean. There is solitude and peace in the mountain; the valley is lively and exciting.

Yet the mountains are alone. They rise up high to become cold and devoid of life. They can do nothing but stand and watch while the valley below frolics in joy and play. The mountain assures them of this in its protection, yet they can never enjoy mortal pleasures.

The mountains go on and on, observed and revered through the ages. Old and weary and not able to die with ease, they can but observe the joy the valley takes in death.

Remember death; it brings joy to life.

I dance the burning strut of flame; gently I flit the water's dance.
I masquerade as earth and wind; I promenade in ether's dance.

Within the world, and, too, without; a great ballroom: all this is That.
The waltz of action: That I dance. I lead the Dance of Time concealed.

I wanted to point something out

I'm taking a break from my normal style of blogging to address a common mistake that many Hindu Sages have made, regarding the word "amen."

Several Hindu Sages, including Sri Sathya Sai Baba, who claims to be an avatar of Shiva-Shakti, say that "amen" is the same as the Vedic AUM sound. This assertion is incorrect; AUM is the Name of God: Brahman's auditory form. It is not so much a word as a sound.

However, "amen" is actually a definite word, not just a sound. It comes from Hebrew, and it means, "certainly." Saying the word at the end of a prayer is meant to help solidify its purpose ("so be it" being its modern definition), whereas saying "AUM" at the beginning of a mantra is more of an invocation.

It could possibly be argued that Amen is the equivalent of "AUM" because of its association with the Air God in Egyptian mythology. However, this may be unrelated to the popular Jewish/Christian word, as the do not appear to have any definitive relationship other than spelling and pronunciation.

Questions and Doubts

The Student Asked:
Master, some teachers have said that I am not supposed to doubt or question their teachings, or the teachings of their predecessors. Some also teach that all the Scriptures are perfect, with no flaws at all.
Is this true?

The Master Responded:
Your question itself answers you, but I shall make solid that answer.
Despite what some Teachers and Sages have said, the Scriptures, though inspired by God and Brahman-consciousness, were written by human hands and guided by human intellect: the domain of Lord Ganesha. Remember, that Lord Ganesha, Intellect, is the Son of God, not God Himself. Ineffable Brahman alone is perfect; all else is Maya, which is inherently imperfect.

Therefore, never believe blindly. I tell you that believing something blindly, without questioning it, including everything I tell you, is one of the greatest sins you can commit. However wise any Sage or Teacher may be, he can still make mistakes, and give false teachings. Thus it is the duty of the student to check the teaching. Read what others have said about the teacher and teaching, including the critics. However, avoid gossip and propaganda, for those are meant to spread false and incomplete information, misrepresenting that which they are talking about, with the agenda of enforcing their opinions onto you as fact. Even if that propaganda comes from your own religion, do not listen to it.

The Student Asked:
How shall I discriminate between good and bad information?

The Master Responded:
Much of the time, gossip and propaganda are obvious, for they will be passionate but have little real substance. Such things will attempt to sway you by making you feel guilty for not agreeing with them. However, sometimes propaganda will be more subtle than that, and not have much emotion behind them, as well as appear to have apparently good sources to back them up. To catch those ones, you must go to those sources to make sure they're being accurately represented, as well as credible.

The essence of this teaching is this: doubt is the beginning of knowledge. When you hear something, doubt it. Make an effort to undermine that doubt by checking the source of that information. Do this until all doubts are erased: then you will have knowledge.

AUM Shanti Shanti Shantihi

What are the Gods?

The Student Inquired:
The Hymns and the Stories all speak of the Gods: those powers of nature whom we can't see directly, but whose influence is apparent through nature. We see the anger of Indra in the Storm, the marathon of Vayu in a great wind, Agni's dance in the fire, and Surya's glory in the Sun.

But who are these Gods? Like the animal recently passed, they say we can see their footprints. But we can track those animals; the Gods cannot be tracked. The Gods, they say, live in another world different from ours. But then, how can they influence our own? Is it because of their divine powers that we cannot comprehend, as some of the Sages have suggested?

But if we cannot see it, and there is no way to see it, why must we assume that it must be there? Should we not, therefore, conclude that the Gods are not there?

The Master Replied:
Not so, for the greatest of Sages have said that God without His Consort, which is His Power, is nothing. The Consort of Indra is the Storm... I say, then, that Indra and the Storm are One; Vayu and the Wind are One; Agni and the Fire are One; Surya and the Sun are One.

The Student Asked:
Are the Gods, therefore, conscious, as we are?

The Master Replied:
The Sages who study the material world (scientists) have said that consciousness is dependent on a brain. As these Gods, if they are not different than their Powers, do not have brains, I must therefore say that they are not. They are not aware of themselves, nor are they able to think or grant the prayers of the superstitious.

The Student Asked:
But then, if the Gods cannot grant prayers, are not different from their Powers, and are not self-aware as we are, why is a distinction made at all? Why do we pray and give our respects to them?

The Master Replied:
It is that awareness of beauty and ugliness that humans have which makes us admire that which is beautiful and shun that which is ugly. For one who has not moved past such duality, he will behave as such.

Some people will look upon beauty and simply acknowledge it, and move on. This is, certainly, fine. Others, however, will go further, and revere that beauty: looking upon it with unmatched awe. From that power of reverence, he will create a God in his mind for that beautiful thing, which will personify all that he himself holds dear. After all, he thinks, if something is truly so beautiful, must it not also be good? This man will look upon ugliness in the reverse way, as well: projecting a self-made demon upon it and subsequently shunning it.

Know, then, that the distinction between the power of nature and the God behind it is a creation of the Mind, and is therefore an aspect of Maya (Illusion.) When we pray to these Gods, and give our respects to them, we truly give our respects to the Mind, and ultimately to Maya. Know that this form of Mine that you see is also, ultimately, Maya.

The Gods are form, which is a product of the Mind. All form is, ultimately, Maya. Therefore, if you wish to obtain the highest of spiritual wisdom, do not worship that form, but when you feel yourself beginning to admire beauty and shun ugliness, silently repeat to yourself this mantra: "Neti, Neti," which means, "Not this, not this." If you already worship that which is beautiful and shun that which is ugly as a demon, then learn of this Maya and wean your way off of it as a baby is weaned off of Mother's Milk through this mantra. Truly, the man who admires beauty and moves on, without paying it respects, is closer to that wisdom than the one who stops to worship beauty. That is my final teaching on this matter.

AUM Shanti Shanti Shantihi

The Wolf of the Flowing River

The Wolf, the Hunter, hunts along the River. As he hunts, the thinks about his prey. "When I eat my food, it becomes part of me. Since it becomes part of me, I must have something in common with it. I know that when I die, my body will become one with the ground, upon which walks many things, above which flies many things, and within lives many things. That ground will sprout grass, which is eaten by my prey, which I will eventually consume myself. If that is the case, then what truly is the difference between us all? At the core, we are all the same.

"Furthermore, if I cease to hunt, all the grass will be eaten by my prey, and there will be none for their children. Their children will starve, and all die. Then will my people starve and die. Once the earth has consumed us all, it will stop producing grass, and all will become barren. Therefore, I know that I must kill in order to preserve all life. But I know not to hate my prey, for it is because of them that I live. Therefore, I love and respect my prey. I also know that I must not hunt simply for its own sake, or I will run out of prey: I must only hunt to sustain myself and my children."

So, as the Wolf continued hunting, the River eventually became the Ocean. The Wolf regarded the Ocean, and said to himself, "This River, like all other Rivers, becomes this Ocean at its end. Therefore, all Rivers are the Same, for their ends are the Same. Indeed, they never end at all."

AUM Shanti Shanti Shanti