WORD BY WORD

Excerpts of Raja Ji's Satsang at the Court of Love Retreat,

September 3, 1977

Dear premies, for me it's really a surprise being here because, personally 1 didn't really expect to be here, you know. A week ago 1 was really sure I was being with Maharaj Ji, you know, with him and everything. And then, the other day Bill was talking to Guru Maharaj Ji and said that, "Well, Maharaj Ji, there's this program in East coast somewhere, and I'm supposed to go there. So it's okay?" And then I said, "Maharaj Ji!" And I went like this (holding phone to ear). And 1 meant that, "Maybe you could talk to everybody on the phone." And Maharaj Ji thought I meant 1 wanted to go there, so he said, "Well, maybe you can go there." And I said, "Well, if you want me to, okay."

And so like, we had this going on for awhile, and then the moment of decision came, and you know, Maharaj Ji called me to the room and said, "So, what do you think? You want to go there or not?" So I said, "No, if you want me to go there, I'll go there. It really depends on you." And he said, "Well, the premies will be very happy to see you." And I said, "Okay, I'll go." And so I am here.

And then last night he was talking about it, and he said, "You know, they'll really be surprised." Because last night at twelve o'clock we were nearly getting ready to do Arti, and he came down. And then he went downstairs to the basement and he started talking. And he said, "Maybe I should come."

And he said, "You know, they don't even expect me! I'll go there and they'll probably have the chair for me with a picture on it. And I'll just pick the picture up and throw it, and just sit down there!" And then, you know, it was really beautiful — really seriously he said, "Maybe I should really come." And then he just smiled and let it pass.

And then he gave a long, long, long satsang. He said — because the jet we came here in was really funny. Usually those jets are very expensive to come in, but we really got this incredible deal for fifteen hundred dollars to come here — seven people. And then Maharaj Ji said, "For fifteen hundred dollars! Did the Grace come to us, or did we go to the Grace?"

And then he just started talking about Grace, you know. And about meditation and about Knowledge and trust and faith in him. And he said, if we have that trust in him, if we have that faith in him, that alone has the power to drive us; to just take us through all the miseries in the world. Because if we have enough trust that "Guru Maharaj Ji is the one that will pull me through," everything is going to be really beautiful.

Because everything with that comes standard, you know. It's like he said, with Grace and Knowledge, surrender comes standard. And with surrender and Knowledge, Grace comes standard. And it's always a package deal. And it's really beautiful. Like he was just really speaking about it, and he was saying like, Grace, surrender, and Knowledge are always constant, you know. And the only inconstant thing in the world is us: our minds. Not even us. What are we to blame for? It's our minds. That is the problem, obviously: our minds.

And he was saying like, this incredible mind is completely inconstant. Like Grace is always straight line and Knowledge and surrender are always straight lines, but it's only our mind which is inconstant. And because of its graph it creates, only once in a while are there glimpses that we experience Grace, experience Knowledge.

Like we say, "Wow! The other day, 1 really experienced Knowledge." And he said, "And that is because of that mind." And only if we could unfocus the mind, and really focus towards the Knowledge, focus, you know, in ourselves, we could really understand and become constant. We could really tune into Grace, surrender, and Knowledge. And then he said to me, after he finished, "You have to tell this to the premies when you go there." And he said, "Word by word." He said, "Do you remember?" And I said, "The only thing I know is 'word by word.' " And he said, "Well, that's what you are probably going to say." And I said, "Yeah, you know, probably."

Luckily we're all premies here and we can really openly talk about, you know, our problems. And the only problem 1 think every premie has is with his mind. Primarily the cause of all our confusion is our mind. The mind doesn't want to really get into it. And because the mind doesn't want to get into it, you know, it's like always a very good excuse for a certain thing.

And Maharaj Ji has been giving so much focus lately just to this trust we should have in him. And just for the faith we should have in him. And that's, for me, the most important, to have that trust that, "Guru Maharaj Ji, you are really my Lord." Like, whatever we sing in Arti, you know, like "Guru Maharaj Ji, you are my father, you are my brother, you are my mother . . . superior power in person." If we really believe in that, if we really let it manifest in our lives, we'll be, I'm sure, in a very good position; we'll be really A-okay. But that has to really manifest, obviously, for us.

And the only way that can manifest is that we have to really get into meditation. Meditation is really important.

And he was even saying that, "You know, some premies even experience Grace before they have Knowledge." Something happens in their life that they come to this Knowledge.

And personally, I even recall this premie — during the time of Shri Maharaj Ji there was this premie. And strange and awkward as it may sound, he read this book called Hans Yog Prakash which Shri Maharaj Ji wrote. And because he read that book, he could do all the techniques himself. He could do the Light — everything. And then, he came to one of the festivals and said that he still wanted to have a Knowledge review, and he still wanted to just do pranam to Maharaj Ji. Because if he had followed that book, he also wanted to follow the book completely, you know. And that was to recognize that there is a need of a Perfect Master at all times.

And like, what I'm meaning — this person was graced that he got hold of that book and received Knowledge, but still . . . And he had that trust also. But

Knowledge was still missing in his life, till he came to Guru Maharaj Ji. And once he came to Guru Maharaj Ji and received Knowledge, everything was okay. That he had really focused himself on that real thing and recognized the need of a Perfect Master, you know, that there's a Lord, and that's what we are here for, to serve our Lord. And whatever that takes is okay. And that's what we are here for, is just to serve him.

And for me it's like, meditation is the most important thing, is the one main foundation of it. You know, it's like, it's the primary thing, in my own personal opinion. Of course, that doesn't count — 1 mean, you can have your own opinion what you want. But in my opinion, that's the most important thing, is like to have that big, solid root on the ground. And that is of meditation, just really solid. And not to start the other way round, to make something else and then to make the building and then start making the root strong; it doesn't work like that.

Maybe if Maharaj Ji's Grace is there — and that's always debatable. Because 1 know when Maharaj Ji's Grace manifests for premies, it's like — if something goes wrong: "Well, that's a lila." And if something goes right: "I did it." That has been famous for a long time too, you know. And so, with those interpretations, the Grace is really debatable. But Grace really manifests for us, you know, for anybody in the world, if he has really that love for Guru Maharaj Ji. If he really has that longing to be with him, the longing that: "You are really my Guru Maharaj Ji, and 1 really want to serve you. And doesn't matter how."

Recently a lot of premies have been moving into all-the-way ashrams. And that's far out. But everybody doesn't have to even do that. It's like, I'm not moving into an all-the-way house, you know. And although I'm all-the-way Maharaj Ji's, I'm not in an all-the-way house. So for me, it's like there are no restrictions. A person can serve Guru Maharaj Ji anyway he wants, anyway he desires, and "desire" even is the wrong word, anyway he longs.

Because that's what 1 heard in the 1DP conference: "Desire" wasn't the word to take. It's like criminal, literally. It's like, how can you have desires? And even Maharaj Ji talked about that. If you

recall, in Florida he said, if you have a desire, forget it. It's like, you have to go beyond that desire. And that's the same thing here, so I called the word "longing," because "long" — it's going beyond; "long" is the same thing. It makes it easier to explain, you know. You don't have to go in the Oxford dictionary to explain the whole thing; just easier.

And so it's like — just the longing to serve him. If we have that real longing, coming from the right place — again, what is the right place? Just coming from the place of meditation. So again, you know, coming back to it: Meditation is the most important thing. And if we can really meditate to that Guru Maharaj Ji, everything is really beautiful, you know? And that's all there really is in this world.

It's like, the world is there, right? "And the rich get richer, and the poor get poorer." You can ask me all about it; I know all about it. And you can read Time and Newsweek, and you can hear all the gossip chit-chat, and you know, that's what's happening. Somebody invents a gun, and somebody backs it up, and ... I don't know. It's all chit-chat, literally. And that's what's happening in the world today.

And it's always happening, it's always happened, until a certain day comes. I mean, because there's a beginning to it. And once that finishes — the only way it can finish really is: Just stop watching it, you know. That is, instead of watching it, start doing meditation. It's like, instead of spending an hour in front of a TV watching Mary Tyier Moore (I don't know — I can't even get the names right; it's like, they're all the same, literally) you know, start doing meditation.

I remember when we were young, we would come to Shri Maharaj Ji and say, "Shri Maharaj Ji, Shri Maharaj Ji, we want to go to see a film." And He would go, "Why do you want to go see a film? The whole world is a film." And we'd go, "Yes, that's true, but you know . . ." You know, that naughtiness always prevails, I guess, somehow. And at that time it was Shri Maharaj Ji; now it's Guru Maharaj Ji. And for me, personally, maybe there is not even iron stake sitting over my head. It's like, Shri Maharaj Ji was very strict with us. And very loving to us.

1 mean, we were going to just very strict schools, and the teachers wanted it their way, and we wanted it our way. And Shri Maharaj Ji wanted it His way. Like once the teacher hit one of us. You know, Shri Maharaj Ji came to school with a stick to beat the teacher up. "How dare you touch my sons?" So actually it was really beautiful.

And the teachers would go and, "Well, you know, he doesn't do his homework." He said, "Okay, that's a different story. He doesn't do his homework; tell him to do it. But don't hit him. That's not proper."

And right now maybe there's not a stick sitting over anybody's head, but if you could just have that — it really comes down to what's more important. It's like, we feel in our lives, right? To live is very important, so we have to get a job. We have to work. We have to get some food for us. Have responsibilities to our stereo system, keep up the latest records. And so on. I mean, it's no joke. I mean, I do it too, you do it too; I mean, let's face it, you know. And at that point, if we just give more import to something else — I mean, it's like, we give a tremendous amount of importance to living. If we give just half of that importance to Guru Maharaj Ji — and it's no joke, it's really true — it's beautiful. It will be beautiful.

And once you meditate, it's like he was saying, it all comes in a circle. Once you start meditating, automatically we are really inspired. Because, it's an incredible amount of Maharaj Ji's presence in us; it

"We are his children, and all we can really do is try and try and try. And just try to make him happy. That's all there is in the world for us."

inspires us to do service. If you do service, you experience Grace, you experience Love, because that circle is being complete. But the moment there is a lack of either one, something's wrong.

And most people at that point come to the conclusion — you ask them "How's everything?" And they go, "Everything's really beautiful." It's like, the mind starts coming, "Everything is really beautiful." Because they don't like to try anymore. And then I go, "What's wrong?" Or rather, "What's right? Why everything beautiful?" Everything shouldn't be beautiful, because if you are really a devotee, your standards are so high that you're always longing for it, you always want — not even "desire," not even "want" actually, just long really to be at Guru Maharaj Ji's Feet. Just really to serve him in any way we can. Just to be at his Feet.

And how can we with our finite minds even think about it? It's literally impossible. And actually not even "literally," but is impossible. How can we? It's such a huge thing that we can't even get a glimpse of it. And that's what all, really, there is. And all there is in the world for real, you know. It's like, there's so much chit-chat happening, and this happening, and that happening.

Look: Nobody's happy with this world. It's like, this premie came to Maharaj Ji and said, "Maharaj Ji, in spite of all the premies in the world, if you would really know how much people of this world need you . . . Premies need you, I agree, more than anybody, but there are people in this world — Mrs. X, her husband is the vice president of this corporation. She's a member of this golf club. She went to this golf club with only twenty members in it, and met this rich lady who

has six million dollars in her bank account. And since then Mrs. X has been having heart attacks because she wants her husband to have six million dollars too, which Mr. Y has. But Mr. Y, unfortunately, met this lady with a Rolls Royce convertible, whose husband has sixteen million dollars in his bank account. And these rich old ladies . . ."

The first one's husband goes six, but the other one goes twelve. And the six one goes eighteen; the other one goes double: thirty-six! It's like, they want more and more and more. And premies are at least happy. They have something.

It's like, maybe they might be as freaky as they are. Who isn't freaky? I mean, you know, "We are less freaky than those guys, aren't we!" Let's face it, coming down to it, we have always Guru Maharaj Ji's eternity. Always; okay. It's like, we can freak out the whole day long, as much as we want, but in the evening we come to the altar and listen to Guru Maharaj Ji, and be at peace with ourselves. Sit and meditate, you know. But these things . . .

Look at these people in the world. Whom do they turn to? The TV. That's their altar, you know. Nice big one: "Let's see who has the better one, who has the bigger one." At least we have Guru Maharaj Ji to turn to. And that's what the whole world really needs, is Guru Maharaj Ji, just to give them that Love.

And that's all I have to say, that meditation is really the key to all our problems, to everything in the world. If you can only just really get into meditation, everything will be really beautiful. Because if you are really meditating, you will automatically complete the circle of satsang, service, and meditation, and will really come from that right place. And then only, when we go through that darshan line, we can really communicate with Guru Maharaj Ji. Even that one second we have, we can really communicate to him that we really love him, that we are really there, and we are really his devotees.

We are his children, and all we can really do is try and try and try. And just try to make him happy. That's all there is in the world for us. Just try from our side, and whatever he does is fine then.

And all we have to do is just really play our part in it. Just really meditate, and really realize in our lives, as much as we can. Guru Maharaj Ji. The only thing our life — the sole purpose of our being here, to serve that beautiful Lord, our Guru Maharaj Ji. And that's all I really have to say.

Thank you very much.

10 Divine Times