Introduction
of The Gnani
One June evening in 1958 at
around six o'clock, Ambalal Muljibhai Patel, a family man and a contractor by
profession, was sitting on a bench of a busy platform number three at Surat
train station. Surat is a city in south Gujarat, a western state in India. What
happened within the next forty-eight minutes was phenomenal. Spontaneous
Self-Realization occurred within Ambalal M. Patel. During this his ego melted
totally and completely. From that time onwards he became completely detached
from all thoughts, speech and acts of Ambalal and he became a living instrument
of The Lord for salvation of the world through the path of knowledge. He called
this Lord, Dada Bhagwan. “This Lord is fully manifest within me,” he told the
people who met him. Furthermore he added, “ The same Lord, Dada Bhagwan exists
in all living beings. The difference between you and me is that in me, The Lord
has expressed fully within me and in you he is yet to manifest.” Who are we? What is God? Who runs this
world? What is karma? What is liberation? Etc. All the world's spiritual
questions were answered. Thus nature offered absolute vision to the world
through the medium of Shree Ambalal Muljibhai Patel.
Ambalal was born in Tarasali a suburb of
the city of Baroda and was raised in Bhadran, Central Gujarat. Although a
contractor by profession, and married to Hiraba, his life at home and with the
world was exemplary even prior to his Self-Realisation. After becoming Self
realized and attaining the state of a Gnani, (The Awakened One, Jnani in Hindi)
his body became a public charitable trust.
Throughout his whole life he
lived by the principle that there should not be any commerce in religion, and in
all commerce there must be religion. Also he never took any money from anyone
for his own use. He used the profits from his business to take his devotees for
pilgrimages in various parts of India.
His words became the
foundation for the new direct step less path to Self-Realization called Akram
Vignan. Through his divine original scientific experiment (The Gnan Vidhi) he
imparted this knowledge to others within two hours. Thousands have received his
grace through this process and thousands continue to do so even now. He called
it Akram Vignan (Step less Science, elevator path). Akram means without steps
and kram means to rise step by step. Akram is the lift, direct or elevator path.
Kramic, the generally known traditional path, is an orderly step by step path to
Self-Realisation. Kram here means orderly, step by step spiritual progress.
Akram is now recognized as a direct shortcut to the bliss of the Self.
Who is Dada
Bhagwan?
When he explained to others
who 'Dada Bhagwan' is he would say:
“What you see here is not
'Dada Bhagwan.' What you see is 'A. M. Patel.' I am a Gnani Purush and He that
is manifest within, is 'Dada Bhagwan'. He is the Lord within. He is within you and everyone else. He
has not yet manifest within you, whereas within me he is fully manifest. I
myself am not a Bhagwan. I too bow down to the Dada Bhagwan within
me.”
Current link for attaining
the knowledge of
Self Realization
(Atmagnan)
“I am personally going to
impart siddhis (special spiritual powers) to a few people. After I leave, will
there not be a need for them? People of future generations will need this path,
won’t they?”
~
Dadashri
Param Pujya Dadashri used to
go from town to town and country to country to give satsang and impart the
knowledge of the Self as well as knowledge of harmonious worldly interaction to
all who came to see him. In his final days in the fall of 1987, he graced Dr.
Niruben Amin, and gave her the siddhis to continue his
Work.
After Param Pujya Dadashri
left his mortal body on January 2, 1988. Dr. Niruben continues his Work,
traveling within India to cities and villages; and abroad in the USA, Canada, UK
and Africa. She is Dadashri’s representative of Akram Vignan. She has been
instrumental in expanding the key role of Akram Vignan as the simple and direct
path to Self-Realization for modern times. Thousands of spiritual seekers have
taken advantage of this opportunity and are established in the experience of
pure Soul while carrying out their worldly duties. They experience freedom, here
and now, while living their daily life.
Powerful words in scriptures
help the seeker in increasing the desire for liberation and thus they represent
the path. The knowledge of the Self is the final goal of all seekers. Without
the knowledge of the Self there is no liberation. This knowledge of the Self
(Atmagnan) does not exist in books. It exists in the heart of a Gnani. Hence the
knowledge of the Self can only be acquired by meeting a Gnani. Through the
scientific approach of Akram Vignan, even today one can attain Atma Gnan, but it
can only occur by meeting a living Atma Gnani and receiving the Atma Gnan
(Knowledge of The Self). Only a lit candle can light another
candle.
PREFACE
Avoid
clash, if only this much is absorbed in one’s life, then one’s daily life will
be filled with peace and harmony. In addition such a person will attain
liberation without any obstacles. There is no dispute about
this.
Thousands
have been enlightened by this cardinal sentence of The Akram Vignani Pujya
Dadashri. Their life has become filled with peace and joy and they have become
the pilgrims on the path of liberation. To attain such a state all one has to do
is to make a firm resolve to avoid clash at all cost. No matter how persistent
the opponent who clashes is, I will not clash. This is the resolve. Simply this
much resolve within a person will result in a spontaneous inner intuitive
approach, which will guarantee his liberation.
When
you walk about at night in the home in darkness, what happens if you run into a
wall? Are you going to kick the wall and shout, “ Why did you come in my way?
Get out of my way. This is my home.” But instead how wisely do you move about
groping to find a door to exit. Why? This is because you know that if you do not
give in you will bang your head!
A
king walking along a narrow street will have to give way to a charging bull. Can
he say to the bull, “ Get out of the way, I am the king of this area?” In such
instances of inevitable clash even the king of kings gets out of the way of the
charging bull. Why? Avoidance of
injury and clash is the aim.
These
simple examples are given to make you understand that all folks who come to
clash with you are like the wall or the bull. Therefore if you want to avoid
clash, wisely get out of the way.
Avoid
clash in all situations of life. Clash free life is a life of
liberation.
Jai
Sat Chit Anand
Dr.
Niruben Amin
May
1997.
DO NOT COME INTO
CONFLICT
If you absorb these words of
mine, you will attain liberation.
Your devotion and the power of my words will do all the work. All that is needed is your willingness.
Exact absorption of just a single sentence of mine will lead one to
liberation. Even if one were to
soak up a single word of mine, as it is, his work will be done. But the key is,
he has to soak it up as is.
Spiritual dedication to
a single word of mine, even for a day, will
bring forth tremendous inner energy. Within you there are infinite energies to
resolve all kinds of conflict no matter how severe.
Why clash with one who
willingly chooses a self-destructive path? Such a person will never attain
liberation and will impede your liberation. Avoid engaging your intellect with
such people. Be very cautious in such instances. Make a smooth exit without
creating friction. If the train for your liberation is about to depart the
platform and your loincloth is caught up in a barbed wire. In this situation do
not wait to disentangle your loincloth. Let it remain behind, run and make sure
that you do not miss the train. It is not worth getting stuck in any worldly
situation, even for a moment. In any situations where you get caught up in
worldly interaction you forget the Self.
Whenever you get into a
conflict with anyone unintentionally or otherwise, you must solve the situation
with poise and walk away from it without generating any
hostility.
TRAFFIC LAWS PREVENT
ACCIDENTS
When
you cross a busy road, you become very cautious in order to prevent an accident.
Exercise similar caution in your daily life interactions with others.
Your resolve
should be not to hurt anyone regardless of how hateful or wicked the person may
be. Despite your caution the other person may still clash with you and you will
be hurt. In all clashes, both parties suffer. If you hurt any one you will
inevitably suffer pain at that moment.
I am giving you an example of the reason behind traffic regulations. If you cause an accident, you might end
up being killed, because collisions can be fatal. So do not clash with anyone. In the same way, do not create conflict
in any worldly life interactions, because there is always a risk involved. Besides, conflict only occurs once in a
while, it is not as if it happens two hundred times a month, is it? How often does it happen in a month for
you?
Questioner: Perhaps two to four
times.
Dadashri: These need to be resolved. Why do we
want to spoil events by clashes? This simply does not suit us. People abide
traffic laws, which are strict regulations; they don’t drive according to their
own interpretations do they? They are therefore saved from accidents. Likewise
in your daily life you must follow the laws that avoid clashes. Clashes occur
because you follow your own laws and interpretations. There is never any
difficulty with the way the traffic runs because everyone obeys the laws. If you apply the same rule with
understanding, you will never run into difficulties again. The problems arise
because of your own limited interpretations of the laws of life. There is a
fundamental error in understanding the laws of life. The one who explains these
laws must be the one who has a thorough experience of these laws.
Look at how well you observe traffic rules. It is because you have made a
firm decision to abide by them. Why is your ego not telling you to disregard
these laws? It is because you understand with your intellect that you might
injure yourself or even be killed. This is what you can experience with your
senses. Your intellect however, fails to make you realize the possibility of a
fatal outcome from engaging in conflict with someone, because it is beyond your
sense perception in this life. This is a very subtle matter and the damage it
causes is also subtle.
THIS IS THE FIRST TIME THIS
CARDINAL RULE IS DISCLOSED TO THE WORLD.
In 1951 a gentleman, who worked for me at the time, came asking me to
show him a way to attain liberation from recurrent cycles of birth and death. So
I gave him this one principle. I told him, ‘Avoid clash.’
I was reading a spiritual book one day, when he came. He asked me to give
him some spiritual knowledge. I told him, "What can I give you? You get into brawl with everyone. You even get into physical fights!” He would squander our firm’s money
foolishly. He would travel without
paying train fares and in addition, he would quarrel with the authorities. I knew all about him. Nevertheless, he was very persistent and
pleaded with me saying, “Dadaji, please count me in too. Give me some of this
spiritual knowledge that you have been giving to others around you.” I
hesitated, telling him, “What good would it do you anyway? You will not change! You will just carry
on fighting with people regardless of it!”
He would avoid a train fare
of ten rupees, while wasting twenty rupees on tea and snacks for others. The
company would incur a net loss of ten rupees. Such was his ‘nobility’! Whenever he came, he would beam with
happiness when I welcomed him cordially. “Teach me something Dada,” he would
plead. I told him, “You come here after quarrelling with someone or the other
everyday, and I have to listen to their complaints.” He persisted, “Even so,
please give me something.” Then I told him, “I will give you just one sentence.
This is on the condition that you follow its principle.” He promised me that he
would. So I said, “Do not get into
conflicts with anyone”. He asked me
to explain what I meant by conflict and I made him understand.
I began, “Suppose you are walking along and you encounter a pole on your
path, do you walk around it or do you collide with it?” He answered, “If I walk into it, I might
end up with a head injury”. I
continued, “If a bull is coming towards you, would you move out of its way or
would you purposely walk into it?
He replies, “If I were to walk into it, I'd get hurt, so instinctively I
would walk around it.” “And what if you came across a snake or a huge rock on
the way?” I inquired further. He
replied, “I would have to walk around them too.” “Why?” I inquired. “For my
wellbeing. If I clash, I will get
hurt!” He responded.
There are some people in
this world who are like the rock, some are like the bull, some are like the
snake and some are like the pole, and some are human too. Do not get into
conflicts with any one of them.
Find a way out.
I gave him this advice in
1951. And since that time, he has taken it seriously and never entered into any
conflict with anyone. His boss, who also happens to be his uncle, found out
about his transformation and tried to provoke him on purpose. The uncle
tried to get at him from every direction, but it was useless because he
would not let anything affect him.
He has not come into conflict with anyone since
1951!
You step off a train and look for someone to help you with your
bags. A few porters come running
towards you and you tell one of them to pick up your luggage. He hauls the luggage outside but at the
time of payment, you find yourself quarrelling with him. “I am going to call the
stationmaster, how dare you ask me for so much money?” You argue. You fool! You should not get into a dispute over
such matters. If he asks for two and a half rupees, you should persuade him
gently. “Listen brother, really
this is only worth one rupee but go ahead and take two anyway!” You should understand that he would not
let you off that easily so you should just give in with a few rupees here and
there and settle the matter. This is no place to create a clash. There is no
telling what he may do to you if you upset him further. He might already be in a bad mood when
he left home and if you aggravate him further, he may even pull out a
knife. He can be stubborn like a
bull and hurt you.
When someone comes to you and starts using harsh and abusive words, then
you need to be alert and avoid a clash. You may not be affected mentally
initially, but even so if you become aware of a sense of displeasure within you
and you are bothered by it, you have to realize that the other person’s mind is
affecting yours. So you must move out of the way. As your understanding grows, you will be
able to avoid conflicts. Liberation is attainable only through avoidance of
conflict.
This world is conflict itself. This conflict is in the form of
vibrations. Therefore avoid
conflicts. The world has been created through conflicts and perpetuated through
revenge. Every human being, in fact every living creature is capable of
harboring revenge. Where there is excessive conflict, they will not leave you
without harboring vengeance against you.
Whether it is with a snake or a scorpion, a bullock or an ox, whatever it
is, it will hold a grudge. It is
because there is Soul present in each and everyone and the strength of the Soul
is the same for all. A living being in conflict may let go and suffer because of
relative weakness but the inner grudge is established. This seed of revenge
expresses in the next life.
If a person talks too much, whatever he utters should not ignite conflict
within us. This is religion. Yes indeed, words can be of all
sorts. It is not as if the words
are laying a precondition that they will cause conflict. People have a habit of
clashing with one another all night long.
For our satisfaction of own ego, to say something annoying to someone is
the biggest offence of all. If others utter such words, it is better to bury
them and forget about it. He that
can do so deserves to be called a man.
Questioner: Dada, when you say we must avoid
conflict, does that mean that we have to practice
tolerance?
Dadashri: No, to avoid conflict does
not mean to tolerate. Your ability to endure is limited. How much can you
tolerate? It would be analogous to
compressing a spring. How long can
a spring remain compressed? Therefore do not learn how to tolerate. Learn how to
reach a solution. Without this
knowledge of the laws, one has no choice but to tolerate things. Sooner or later
the compressed spring will recoil causing a lot of damage. But alas, such are the rules of nature.
There are no laws in this world dictating that you must endure on account
of someone else. Whatever you have to endure by the acts of others, is your own
account due to you because of past life’s karma. You do not know where this
account came from, so you assume it is something new being directed to you. No one creates new accounts. It is merely the old accounts (previous
life karma) coming back to you. In
our Gnan (Self Realization Knowledge) we do not have to tolerate anything. We
just observe through Gnan that the other person is a pure Soul and that he is
only an instrument to settle our past accounts. This awareness solves the
puzzle.
Questioner: Does this mean that we have
to accept in our mind that all these are pending accounts and that is why they
arise?
Dadashri: The person himself is a
pure Soul and this is his prakriti (complex of characteristics). It is the
prakriti bringing the results through thoughts, speech and acts. You are a pure
Soul and so is he. Your two prakritis are simply settling accounts with one
another. The other person seemingly
hurts you because his prakriti is unfolding via thoughts, speech and acts. What
I am teaching you is to be aware of this process as is. Consider this other
person as a pure Soul and his prakriti unfolding to settle the account with you.
He is merely an instrument to settle the account of your unfolding karma. With
the knowledge of this solution endurance is not necessary.
If you continue to endure, what will happen? One day that spring will
bounce back. Have you seen a spring
rebound? My spring used to rebound
many times. I would tolerate for days and then it would bounce back and I would
upset everything. This used to
happen in a state of ignorance. I remember it well. I am aware of it, which is why I am
telling you not to learn tolerance.
It is in the state of ignorance that one has to tolerate. But with this knowledge, we just have to
analyze and understand the cause behind all this. The results will be apparent
in the way our ‘accounts’ unfold.
Nothing exists outside our accounts.
YOU CLASHED…THROUGH YOUR OWN
MISTAKE!
In this world, whatever conflicts you come across are entirely due to
your own mistakes. No one else is to blame. People are going to clash
anyway. If asked, “Why did you get
into conflict?” The response
would be, “Because they did!” So he
is blind and you just became blind by clashing.
Questioner: What happens if we create
conflict within a conflict?
Dadashri: You’ll break your
head! So if a conflict arises, what
must you understand?
Questioner: That it is my own
fault.
Dadashri: Yes, you must accept this
mistake immediately. If there is a
conflict you should understand that you must have done something to cause it.
Once you become aware that it is your own mistake, you will have the solution,
and the puzzle is solved. If you keep searching for a fault in the other person,
your puzzle will persist. If we believe and accept that we are at fault, we will
be free from this world. There is no other solution. To attempt to resolve this clash in any
other manner will further entangle you and this is in fact, your subtle
ego. Why are you looking for
remedies? If someone says that you
are at fault, you should just accept it.
Intellect causes conflict in
worldly life. It will even wake you up at 2.00 a.m. and show you all kinds of
negative things. It may even lead you towards a self-destructive
path.
If you desire absolute
liberation, you must ignore intellect at all times. Indeed, for daily life interaction the
role of intellect is clearly there. But intellect is dangerous in the spiritual
path. It may even point out the faults of a Gnani Purush, the one who is going
to liberate you. How can you
possibly doubt the one who liberates you?
Your liberation will be postponed for infinite lives if you do
this.
Conflict arises because of your own ignorance. If you clash with anyone, it is a sign
of your own ignorance. God does not
look at wrong or right. He only
looks to see whether or not the situation has ended in conflict. There is no
right or wrong as far as God is concerned. Only people preoccupy themselves with
this. Where God is concerned there is no state of duality (i.e. good and
bad).
THOSE WHO CLASH ARE ALL
WALLS!
If you walk into a wall, who
is at fault, you or the wall? If you plead with the wall and tell it to get out
of your way or provide you justice, will it do so? If you insist on your
predetermined way whose head will be broken?
Questioner: Mine.
Dadashri: Therefore who has to be
careful? Whose fault is it? The
fault is of the one who gets hurt.
This world is just like a wall.
Suppose you end up colliding with a door
or a wall, would you experience a difference of opinion with the door or the
wall?
Questioner: The door is not a living
thing.
Dadashri: So you mean to say that
just because there is life in something, it is responsible for clashing with
you. Everything in the world that
you encounter conflict with is non-living. Things that clash with you are
non-living. The living can never
clash. Therefore, you must immediately remember the example of the wall and not
interfere further. So in such events, after a while, ask for some tea and
snacks.
Suppose a child throws a
rock at you and you bleed from the cut you sustain, how would you react towards
that child? You would be furious
with him even though he regrets his action. What if you were hurt by a falling
rock? You would not be angry in
this situation because it was not thrown at you by anyone. Who is responsible
for the rock that fell on you from a hilltop?
You must learn to understand this world. If you come to me I will make you worry free.
You can live happily with your wife and enjoy worldly life. You will even enjoy
getting your children married. Your wife also will be delighted. She will come to me saying, "I must
admit, you have made my husband so wise."
Supposing your wife had a
quarrel with a neighbor and she is so enraged that she begins to yell at you as
you enter your home. What should
you do? Should you get angry
too? When such events occur, you
should adjust and carry on. You do
not know who or what made her so furious.
You are a man so you should not allow a dispute to ensue. If she begins to argue with you, just
calm her down. Differences of
opinion means conflict.
SCIENCE WORTH
UNDERSTANDING
Questioner: I want to avoid conflicts,
but what am I to do when someone deliberately comes and quarrels with
me?
Dadashri: If you fight with this
wall, how long can you keep fighting?
If you hurt your head from walking into
the wall, do you start yelling and punching at it? In the same token, consider your
antagonist a ‘wall’. Is there a
need to lay blame on him? We
ourselves have to understand that the other person is like a wall. By doing this, you will avoid all
problems.
Questioner: If we stay quiet, they
become more irritated and annoyed with us in the process, and even assume that
the fault is ours.
Dadashri: Do you think your silence has anything to
do with it?
If you get up in
the middle of the night to use the bathroom, and in the dark you bump into a
wall, does it happen because you stayed quiet?
Whether you speak up or
remain silent has no bearing on it. There is no such thing as affecting a person
by your silence or even by your speech.
No one has the independent authority to change any situation. It is only
scientific circumstantial evidence.
Where no one has the power;
who can spoil anything in this world?
If the wall had any power, you would too. Is it capable of confronting
you? The same applies to everyone
else too. So whatever the ‘account’ your wife has come with, she will not leave
you without settling it. She is simply an instrument to settle your account. You
cannot escape this. What is the point of shouting and complaining when she has
no control over her speech? Therefore become like a wall yourself. If you continue to be verbally abusive
to your wife, the God within her will take note of it. On the other hand if you
become like a wall when she abuses you the God within you will help
you.
The fact that the wall
collides with you is due to your own mistake. It is not the fault of the wall. People ask, “Is everyone a wall
then?” Yes, they are all walls. I see this in my
enlightened worldview (Gnan) and tell you the way it is. This is not a lie.
There is no difference
between colliding with a wall and getting into an argument over differences of
opinion with someone. It is
essentially the same thing. Both are blind. A person bumps into a wall because
he cannot see and a person gets into conflict because he too cannot see. One
cannot see what lies ahead of him, and the other cannot find a solution ahead of
him so he is in disagreement. All
these anger, pride, attachment and greed arise because of inability to see what
lies ahead. This is how we should understand this. It is no fault of the wall,
but of the person who is hurt by it. They are all just walls. All situations are
like the wall. When you clash with a wall you do not go to find who was at
fault. There is no need to prove who is right and who is wrong.
You must think of those who
are clashing with you, as walls.
Look for the door, so even in the darkness you will be able to find your
way out. You need to make it a rule not to clash with anyone. You do not want conflict with
anyone.
THIS IS HOW TO LIVE
LIFE
No one knows how to live.
They do not know the first thing about marriage but get pushed into it
nevertheless. They do not know how to be parents, but they become parents
anyway. You should live life in
such a way that it would make your children happy. Each morning you should all decide that
throughout the day you do not want to come into conflict with anyone. What benefit do you get from
conflict?
Questioner: We only get
hurt.
Dadashri: Not only that, but your
entire day will be ruined. Moreover, you will forgo human birth in your next
life. The human life form can only
come as long as there is goodness and decency in you. But if you maintain a beastly nature,
battling and ramming your horns into others, will you again be worthy of human
birth? Who uses horns? Bull or
man?
Questioner: Man seems to use it
more.
Dadashri: Then if a man causes harm,
he will have to take birth in the animal kingdom, where he will have four legs
and a tail in addition. Life is not easy there. It is full of pain and suffering. You must understand this
well.
Questioner: Do we clash in our lives
because we cannot find compatibility?
Dadashri: Conflict, thy name is the
world.
Questioner: What causes
conflict?
Dadashri: Ignorance. If you have conflict with
anyone, it is a sign of your own weakness.
People are not at fault. They never cause differences of opinion. The
differences in opinion are your own fault.
If someone clashes with you on purpose, you should ask for his or her
forgiveness. Where there is
conflict, it is your own fault.
Questioner: You want to avoid clashes,
but a pole stands in your way.
Suppose you walk around it and it still falls on top of you. What should you do
then?
Dadashri: When it falls, you move out
of the way.
Questioner: No matter how much we try to avoid it,
it still hurts us. Take my wife for example.
Dadashri: At the time of conflict,
you should find a solution.
Questioner: If someone insults us and
we feel insulted, is it because of our
ego?
Dadashri: In reality when someone
insults you, he is really melting away your ego.
Even then this insult is only affecting the excessive ego anyway. What is wrong in that? Otherwise this karma will never free
you.
KEEP EVERYTHING CONTAINED
WITHIN YOU LIKE THE OCEAN
Questioner: Dada, in daily life, the
older person finds fault with the younger and the younger person finds fault
with the youngest. Why is it
so?
Dadashri: That is the way it is. The older one tries to control the
younger by finding fault with him.
He should just take the blame on himself and admit that the fault is his,
if the problem is to be solved quickly.
What I do, is that if the other person does not have the capacity for
tolerance, I take it upon myself. I
do not blame others, why should I? When I can contain it all within me like an
ocean. Just look at how the ocean
accommodates all the sewage of Bombay.
In the same way we should be able to take it all in. We become noble and graceful to all
around us in this way. The children will also feel our love. They will notice
our openness. Deposit everything
that comes to you. It is the law of
this world, that if a person insults you, he leaves all his energy for you. So accept it with
joy.
MISUSE OF
VYAVASTHIT
Questioner: Although we want to avoid
conflict by all means and settle a matter with equanimity, what if the other
person still provokes and insults us? What do we do?
Dadashri: Nothing. It is our own ‘account’ so therefore; we
must resolve it with equanimity. We
should stay within our laws and solve our puzzles by
ourselves.
Questioner: Does this conflict occur
because of Vyavasthit (scientific circumstantial
evidences)?
Dadashri: Yes. Conflicts are because of Vyavasthit, but
when can one say that? Only
after the conflict has occurred. Your resolve should be, ‘I do not want to come
into conflict with anyone’. If we
see a pole in front of us, we should understand that we have to go around it and
not clash into it. If we still bump into it, only then can we say that it is
Vyavasthit. If we use Vyavasthit as
an excuse from the beginning, we are essentially misusing the knowledge of
Vyavasthit.
CLASHES DIMINISH SPIRITUAL
POWER
If there is anything that
totally depletes spiritual energy, it is conflict. If you become involved in a fight, you
are done for! If someone tries to provoke you, you should restrain yourself.
There should not be any conflict.
Avoid conflict at any cost; even that of your life! One can attain
liberation if only there is no clash.
If you learn to avoid getting into conflict with anyone, you do not even
need a guru or any other intermediary.
You will attain liberation in one or two life times. When one decides and sustains a strong
resolve that he does not want to involve himself in any friction with others, it
is the beginning of right belief (samkit). I guarantee that they will get
it. One can cure the effects of
clash on the physical body with medicines, but who will be able to remove the
scars of clash on the mind and on the intellect? They will not disappear even in
a thousand life times.
Questioner: Does clash cause damage to the mind and
the intellect?
Dadashri: Not only the mind and the
intellect but the entire internal mechanism will be affected and its effects
will be seen on the body too. Many
difficulties arise through clash.
Questioner: You are saying that all
your energies will deplete with friction and clash. Will these energies return
with awareness?
Dadashri: You do not need to drag
your energies back. They are still there. They are now arising. In your past life, all energies that you
had lost because of clashes, are now coming back to you. Beware not to create any new clashes or
else your energies even those you have just acquired
will be lost again. However in the absence of clashes they will increase
continuously.
It is because of revenge in
this world, there are clashes. The
root cause of this world is vengeance. He who has stopped his vengeance and
clash is liberated. Love is no
obstacle. When hostility and enmity
go away, love prevails.
COMMONSENSE – “EVERYWHERE
APPLICABLE”
What is required to make
worldly interaction pure? One needs to have complete commonsense. One needs to be stable, cool-headed,
considerate, and above all one needs commonsense. The definition of commonsense
is it is ‘Everywhere applicable’.
If one has commonsense along with Self-Realization, he will be radiant.
Questioner: How can commonsense come
about?
Dadashri: If someone tries to clash
with you but you yourself do not clash with anyone, then commonsense will
arise. You will lose your
commonsense if you clash with anyone.
There should be no friction from your end.
Commonsense arises from
another person's friction with you.
The strength of the Soul is such that it will show you how to conduct
yourself during times of friction.
Once it is shown, this knowledge will never leave you. Moreover, you will
acquire more commonsense. Because I
do not come into any friction, I have tremendous commonsense. I can immediately understand the meaning
behind what you say. Other people
may think that what is being said is harmful to Dada, but I realize instantly
that this ‘harm’ is really not harmful.
It is not harmful from the worldly point, nor is it harmful from a
religious point of view, and definitely not harmful in regard to the Soul.
People may think it is harmful for the Soul, but I understand the benefits of
it. That is the impact of
commonsense. Thus, I have given you
the definition of commonsense; it is ‘applicable everywhere’. It does not exist in the generation of
today. From generation to
generation commonsense has decreased.
After acquiring this Vignan
(Science) a person can stay this way and be without clashes. There are a few very fortunate
individuals who can stay this way even without this science, but only under
certain circumstances, not in all situations.
Clashes dealt with this
knowledge, leads you towards spiritual progress. The higher the intensity of
clashes the higher you climb. Without friction you stay where you are.
ON THE PATH OF PROGRESS VIA
FRICTIONS
Questioner: If we look at friction as
being helpful in our spiritual progress then we will
progress.
Dadashri: Yes but people do not look
at it with this understanding in mind. God does
not take you higher, friction does. Friction can take you up to a certain level,
but beyond that, only a Gnani (Self-realized person) can help you. Friction
occurs naturally. Just like rocks
in the riverbed that become smooth and rounded from the erosive forces of water,
friction in life smoothens your ragged edges.
Questioner: Does conflict
deplete spiritual energy?
Dadashri: Yes. Conflict is not a
problem but the intent to cause conflict is. This intent must be removed.
PRAKRITI (ONE'S NATURE) CAUSES
FRICTION
Questioner: Who causes friction,
inanimate or animate?
Dadashri: Frictions of your past life
create further friction. It is not
a question of animate or inanimate.
The Soul does not have anything to do with this. The pudgal (complex of
thoughts, speech and action) causes all this friction. But it is friction from the past that is
causing friction again. Those who
do not have friction from the past do not experience it again. Other friction begets friction, which in
turn begets friction. In this manner it keeps
accumulating.
The pudgal is not completely
inanimate. It is mishra-chetan
(blending of consciousness of the Pure
Self (chetan) and the non-Self
(judh)). It is an extension
of the judh and chetan, in the form of a mixture, with its own entirely
different properties. This third
entity takes the form of prakriti (personality). This is what causes friction.
It is this that gets into conflicts. The pudgal that is pure will not have any
conflict.
Questioner: Where there is no friction,
does that mean a true intent
of non-violence has developed?
Dadashri: No, it is nothing like
that. Now that you have realized the danger of clashing with a wall, you become
much more aware of the grave danger with the Lord who resides in all living
beings. With this realization fundamental changes will come
about.
Ahinsa (non-violence) cannot be
completely understood because it is too profound to be understood in its
entirety. Instead if you just grasp this much that, 'never ever get into
conflicts’, you will conserve your energies, which will grow day by day. Thus
you will not incur any loss with friction.
If at times you do get into friction, then you can erase the consequences
by doing pratikramans (ask for
forgiveness sincerely). Otherwise there are grave consequences. With this Gnan you will attain
liberation, but with associated friction you will encounter a lot of obstacles,
which will delay your enlightenment.
To think negatively about a
wall (i.e. inanimate, non-living) would not bring harm upon you, because the
loss will only be one-sided, whereas even a single negative thought towards a
living being is detrimental. Losses
will be encountered on both sides.
But if we do pratikraman afterwards, our faults will be erased.
Therefore, wherever there is friction, do pratikraman so it comes to an
end.
RIGHT KNOWLEDGE PROVIDES
SOLUTION
Questioner: Dada, what you say about
conflicts arising from ego, applies at home, at work, and even while doing
Dada's work. All these
will need to be solved.
Dadashri: Yes a solution is needed.
People with this Gnan reach amicable solutions but what about those who do not
have this Gnan? What solutions do
they have? They fall apart from
each other. People with Gnan do not
fall apart from one another.
Questioner: But Dada, one should not
clash.
Dadashri: To clash is natural.
Clashes happen because people have brought such accounts with them. If they had not come with such an
account, then it would not happen.
You should simply understand that such is the habit of the other person
and so you will remain unaffected. Our real nature transcends all habits. All
situations will be solved with this knowledge. If, however, you get stuck in a
situation, conflicts will continue. It has always been this way. The only thing
you have to watch out for is that the friction does not drive you apart. Friction definitely occurs, even between
a husband and wife. But don’t they
still manage to stay together?
Questioner: But Dada, should we not
have a constant intent to avoid clashes?
Dadashri: Yes, that should always be
there. That is what you have to do. You have to do pratikraman and also maintain
a friendly spirit towards that person. If conflict occurs again, do pratikraman
again. These conflicts recur because of layers of karma. With each pratikraman
one layer is shed. In my case whenever clash occurred, I made a note within that
I gained something valuable because it helped me in my awareness. Clash keeps
you from slipping and keeps you alert to your Self. Thus clash is a vitamin of
the Soul. Clash per se is not a problem. The key thing is to be aware not to get
alienated from the other individual in a clash. This is the essence of spiritual
effort. If you start to see the other person as being at fault, or if you have
serious differences of opinion with that person, you should do pratikraman and
put an end to it.
How do I make adjustments with
everyone? I get along with you,
don't I? It is a fact that conflicts arise because of spoken words. I talk a
lot, but do I get into clashes?
Friction occurs. Kitchen
utensils make noise when they bang into each other. It is the inherent quality of pudgal to
cause friction, but only if it carries such an account. I too experienced clash in the past
before Gnan. After this Gnan I have no clash. This Gnan is the experience. With
this Gnan, I have settled all my past accounts. Whereas you still have to settle
your accounts.
CLEANSE YOUR FAULTS WITH
PRATIKRAMAN
If you clash with others, you start seeing your own faults. If you do not clash, these faults will
remain hidden from you. When you
begin to see up to five hundred faults or more each day, know that you are
getting closer to moksha (final liberation).
Therefore, wherever you are, avoid clashes. In causing conflicts you are
spoiling this life and you are ruining your next life too. One who ruins this
life is definitely ruining the one to come! If this life improves, so will the next
life! If we do not encounter
problems in this life, then we should know that the next life would be
problem-free too! If you create
problems here they will follow you into the next life.
THE GUARANTEE OF THREE MORE
LIVES
For those who do not clash
with anybody, I guarantee they will attain moksha in three lifetimes. If you clash, you must do
pratikraman. Clash is the nature of
pudgal. Pratikraman ends all clashes between pudgals.
If the other person
multiplies, then we should divide, so that no balance remains. To think negative about another person
is the biggest mistake. If we hit a
wall along the way, why don't we get annoyed with it? If a cow tramples over your toes do you
say anything to it? That is how it
is with people. How does the Gnani
Purush forgive everyone? He
perceives their innocence and understands that they do not understand. They are like walls. And for those who do understand, there
is no need to tell them anything for they immediately do pratikramans from
within.
ATTRACTION =
REACTION
Questioner: Many times even if I have
no desire to harbor any hate towards anyone, it still happens. What is the
reason behind this?
Dadashri: With whom does this happen?
Questioner: Sometimes this occurs with my
spouse.
Dadashri: That is not hatred. The love, which arises from attraction,
is reactionary and subject to repulsion. So that if he gets irritated, she turns
away from him. She maintains her
distance for a little while, which in turn endears him to her again as she
begins to grow fonder of him and he of her. With further conflict there is more hurt
and more interference with each other, resulting in further alienation. And then
back together once more. Where
there is excessive love of this kind there is interference. So wherever there is interference going
on, inside they still feel love. Such excessive love from our past life is the
cause of interference. It is really
excessive love that you are speaking of, otherwise would there be any
interference? This is the
characteristic of interference.
People say that it is
conflict that makes their love grow. That is true, but that which you call love
is really attraction that has arisen from conflict itself. Such attraction is
always subject to repulsion. Where there are only a few clashes, there is less
attraction. If in a household a
husband and wife have limited quarrels, we should understand that there is
limited attraction between the two.
Do you understand this?
Questioner: In our daily lives,
sometimes when the ego arises, we have intense arguments and lots of sparks fly
in fights.
Dadashri: Those sparks are not due to the ego. They
may seem to arise from ego but in fact they are related to sexual interaction.
Where there is no sexual interaction, there is no clash. The history of friction
ceases where sex ceases. So when a
couple takes the vow of celibacy for a year, I ask them what their life has been
like, they reply, “No sparks, no fights, no friction, no clash whatsoever.
Everything is at a standstill.” It is all because of sexual
interaction.
Questioner: At first we thought that
these conflicts were related to our household work. The conflicts have continued
despite our helping in the housework.
Dadashri: All those clashes will
continue. As long as sexual relations continue, clashes will continue. Sex is
the root cause of clash. He who
conquers sexual instincts conquers all. Such a person impresses all who see
him.
GROSS AND SUBTLE
CONFLICTS
Questioner: You have a saying ‘Avoid
conflicts’. If this statement is followed with devotion, it will take one all
the way to liberation. Please
explain the progression of avoiding conflicts of the gross level, the subtle
level, and the subtler level and the subtlest level.
Dadashri: As one progresses in
following the decision to avoid clash, one's intuition grows. No one needs to show him anything. The learning process is
spontaneous. These words are such
that they will take you to moksha.
The other cardinal sentence
is “The fault is of the sufferer”, which will also take one to moksha. Each and
every word of mine will liberate you. This is my
guarantee.
Questioner: You have given examples of
gross incidences of conflict like the wall for instance, but what about the
conflicts at a subtle level, subtler level and the subtlest level? Please
explain with examples. What is subtle conflict?
Dadashri: The conflict you may have
with your father is all subtle conflict.
Questioner: Are subtle conflicts,
mental conflicts? Does verbal
conflict also belong to the subtle level?
Dadashri: That belongs to the gross
level because others can know it.
That which cannot be seen and felt by others is subtle
conflict.
Questioner: How do we abolish subtle
conflict?
Dadashri: First solve the gross, then
the subtle, then the subtler and finally the subtlest.
Questioner: What do we call as the
subtler conflicts?
Dadashri: If you are being beaten by someone, and
at that time you are aware that ‘This man is not hurting me, Vyavasthit is the
doer and I am pure Soul’. You have
all this awareness but in your mind even if you see a slight fault of the other
person, then it is an example of subtler conflict.
Questioner: Please explain this to me
again. I did not understand.
Dadashri: All these faults you see in
others, is subtler conflict.
Questioner: So to see others’ faults is
subtler conflict?
Dadashri: No, once you have established through
Gnan, that there is no fault in others yet you continue blaming them that is
subtler conflict. This is because he is a pure Soul and is separate from all
faults.
Questioner: Is that not mental
conflict?
Dadashri: All mental conflict
pertains to the subtle level.
Questioner: So what is the difference
between the subtle and the subtler conflict?
Dadashri: All subtler conflicts are above the
level of the mind.
Questioner: Therefore, along with conflicts at the
subtle level, do subtler conflicts coexist?
Dadashri: That is not important. Just recognize that subtle is different
from the subtler, which in turn is different from the subtlest, which is the
ultimate level.
Questioner: One time in satsang you had
said that if we became deeply involved and entangled with ‘Chandubhai’ (relative
name given to the body) then it is the subtlest conflict.
Dadashri: Yes, subtlest
conflicts! Those need to be
abolished. You inadvertently become
involved with ‘Chandubhai’, and then later on you do realize that you made a
mistake, don’t you?
Questioner: So to avoid those
conflicts, is pratikraman the only remedy?
Or is there anything else?
Dadashri: There is no other
weapon. These nine kalams (see appendix of the nine
priceless gems), which I have given you, is the greatest pratikraman. There is no other weapon. In this world there is no other tool but
pratikraman. It is the ultimate
tool. This world has come about as
a result of atikraman (aggression); therefore pratikraman (reversal from aggression)
is the antidote.
Questioner: It is amazing. All your sayings: “Whatever Happens is
Justice”; “The Fault is of the Sufferer”...etc. are extraordinary and out of
this world. And when we do pratikraman with Dada as our witness, the vibrations
truly do reach the other person.
Dadashri: Yes that is right. The vibrations immediately reach him and
they are effective. They bring forth amazing results. We become convinced that
it has made an effect on the other person.
Questioner: But Dada, pratikraman
occurs immediately, at the very moment. It is truly amazing Dada! Dada’s grace is
amazing!
Dadashri: Yes, it is amazing. After all it is a scientific thing!
Jai Sat Chit Anand
The Awareness Of The Eternal Is Bliss
FOR
MORE INFORMATION:
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the web site of Dadashri at:
To
return to the beginning of the book:
AVOID
CLASH
When
you cross a busy road, you become very cautious in order to prevent an accident.
Exercise similar caution in your daily life interactions with others.
Your resolve
should be not to hurt anyone regardless of how hateful or wicked the person may
be. Despite your caution the other person may still clash with you and you will
be hurt. In all clashes both parties suffer. If you hurt anyone, you will
inevitably suffer pain at that moment.
I am giving you the example of the
reason behind traffic regulations.
If you cause an accident, because collisions can be fatal, you might end
up being killed. So do not clash
with anyone.
Dadashri