Yogi Bhajan Lecture Archive
Lecture by :
Siri Singh Sahib Bhai Sahib Harbhajan Singh Khalsa Yogi Ji
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Lecture on: 03/23/1990
Category: Class Lectures
Location: Los Angeles, CA
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What it Means to be a Teacher

To teach Kundalini Yoga, ask whatever can you teach. Right? Do you know the oath we take as teachers of Kundalini Yoga? What? Yes. Let us do this. Listen to this. Try to understand. You are doing something.

"I'm not a woman, I'm not a man,
I'm not a person, I'm not myself.
I am a teacher."

You know that? "I'm not a woman, I'm not a man, I'm not a person, I'm not myself. I'm a teacher." This concept is to purify the channel and bring the heavens through you. Then you close your eyes and you concentrate at agia chakra, or ajna chakra -- 3rd eye, and then chant three times, "Ong Namo Guru Dev Namo", it's called "Naadhi Sodhani Kriya." "Naadhi" means all the channels. "Sodhanaa" means perfect them. And it's a "Kriya" is an action.

Understand? Everything which has been given to you has been totally pure.
Nothing has been added or subtracted or done. So purpose is very simple: to give people honestly what we have. Do not promote yourself or promote anything which suits people, but give people that which can serve them, which can uplift them -- energy.

Share purely technology -- not emotions. Don't put a rider to it. If it's a bitter pill, let it be bitter. Don't sugar coat it. It is very deceitful on the part of a teacher to teach teachings to please people. You teach these things to build people, to nurture people, to bring their reality out, bring their personality out, take away their cavities, take away their downfalls, their pit points. You have that capacity. Through this teaching you have a very perfect quality to stimulate the real strength in a person. Don't look for popularity or personality.

In Kundalini Yoga we do not initiate anybody. If person is foolish enough or not fit enough to initiate himself or herself, our initiation will not make any difference. It's the quality of the people, the quality of their thought, the quality of their perception, the quality of their projection, quality of their behavior, and the quality of their life which matters. Not the quantity! Your job is, when you speak, when you look, when you hear, when you walk, when you talk... ALL activity of your life creates a facet and its effect!
Pavan energy... praan energy... paramatma energy... God. Whatever you name it, anything, it's nothing but uncoiled energy of God. We have dormant power in us. We are like a bud of flower which has no fragrance. When we blossom we'll have fragrance. Give people the stature and status that they can blossom and give them the fragrance that they can enjoy their life. In return they'll be grateful to you.

You can satisfy your feelings, your teachings, your dramas, your traumas, your missions and your dreams in many other ways in which you are not a teacher. Teacher is the one who purifies a person to give the person the experience of his own purity, own piety, own strength, own totality, own identity, and his own infinity. And that's your job. I'm not asking to push it, I'm not asking to pull any number. I'm just explaining to you what a teacher is. If you do not follow these few rules, you shall be nothing but preachers. You'll have huge congregations, you'll be very charming, you'll have a lot of charisma, and end result there will be nothing -- no juice. It'll be very temporary lived attitude. But once you touch somebody in a very pure manner, and elevate a person and give that person their own experience -- not yours -- they will be grateful to you forever, and they will enjoy it. Because their perception becomes greater. Make people's perception great.

Kundalini Yoga -- it's not that I don't know other yogas. That's not true. I have done it well. But in every accountable yoga which you know, you have to be single student till you become a master. Right? And that means no marriage... nothing going. I know a householder cannot do it. So what? It's a single person only thing? Yes, because if everybody is a great master, person has to totally, absolutely and perfectly give himself or herself into it. All along then I studied everything and I understood and I said, "What is this? Not possible. Just for the few."

Kundalini Yoga is for the householder. It's sharp, it's precise, it's perfect, it has an effect in experience. It takes 22 years that a hatha yogi can perfect ONE posture. Once he perfects the posture, he's great. But you need 22 years, 24 hours a day, total concentration, atmosphere, yam, niyam, the whole stuff. Today you do not have 22 hours. Twenty two minutes are not available! So what we can do? Go flat? No. Give them an experience in 3 minutes. 120 seconds or less. Three minutes means 180 seconds. You'll be surprised. Each kriya is divided that way - 31 minutes, 11 minutes, 62 minutes. 62 is the maximum. It is timewise, convenient.

But when you teach, let them develop that experience. Once the inflow happens, every person shall experience the elevation. Their perception becomes stronger. Their life becomes happy and in turn you will benefit. There's no quicker way to affect the 108 elements, 10 bodies, 5 tattwas, 7 chakras, and 3 gunas. Luckily we have the knowledge of this science and we'll like to share with people.

As far as we are concerned, we are trying to shift the Yoga Center from here. We are going to decorate it and make it like a model center and if we are successful, then we are going to idolize that and share with everybody. But we definitely know of a place where we do not want egomaniacs and we do not want people who just care for themselves and for their group or that.
That's not Kundalini Yoga.

Kundalini Yoga is like a sun -- it serves all without discrimination.

But, (Gurmukhi: Ituresht ....,) "Nobody comes empty handed." That's one rule. If person shall come empty hand, that person will sit here for six hours and do all kinds of yoga, moment he gets out of that door, he'll go empty handed. It's a "Ituresht......", "As you come, so you'll go." That's only one condition. And that's not up to you.

When I came in United States, we had people who never had the money. I realized it. So one day I said to them, I said, "You twenty people stand outside, never come inside. What's the matter?" He said, "Well, there's a rule that we have to pay and we never have money." "Okay, well tomorrow morning you come." I used to get change, you know? Quarters and all that. And I used to throw it away. So they come, they pick it up, they collect the fee, they come in, they pay.

One day a man said, "Master, why you do this?" I said, "That rule is not mine. Rule is a rule. I honor it. I want you to honor it." "We want to pay you back." I said, "No. Don't pay me back or front. That's not correct. I just want to tell you that in this science I obey the rules as you obey them. It applies to all equal and at all levels."

Kundalini -- Uncoiling the dormant self into the aware self. It's known as yoga of awareness. "Kundal" means "lock of the hair." Sampson lost one kundal from the shashara, became impotent, useless, hopeless. When hairs grew to full strength he became the most powerful man again. That story is in Bible. That's why when ______??________ decided to shave off everybody,
the choice was in three -- get beheaded, or get shaven and (Gurmukhi:.....) But when the man came and he said, "Have we to shave his total head?" He said, "No, no, no. Shashara." The Buddhi, they call it. Have you seen Hari Krishna people? They keep this much. He said, "No, no. Don't touch that. I'm not going to take the karma."

To be saintly is not advisable. Less than that is not enjoyable either. I'm not asking you to overnight become totally saints and grow wings in your armpits. But where you want to enjoy life? In simple English, angel is nothing but a high elevated transparent equilibrium. Human is nothing but high level transparent experience. Just remember, if you awaken your Kundalini as a teacher, you don't have to do much. You can do it with a thought, with a sight, with a word, with a sign, with a prayer. You can dramatize it so big the person will say, "You have done too much," or you just say nothing and just wish -- it shall be done. It's a dialing code. Once you fix the area code and the dialing code and you put the number through, you will hear the ring. It won't go flat. If all circuits are blocked up, redial it. You'll get it.

It is a pure science brought with utmost purity and shared with you. Don't create your personal mess. That will be very stupid thing to do. Many
times your experience with me is, you say: "Are our eyes supposed to be closed or they are open?" Right? I don't know. I didn't ask. I don't remember. So, be it. It's also very graceful for a teacher to admit what he knows and what he doesn't know. So there should be no misunderstanding to student that he is all knowing, all doing, omnipresent, omni-this. That's a God. You are not. You are the vehicle. Postman is a postman. He's a man with the post. He doesn't start reading and opening the letters and reading them. Have you seen a postman in your house, knock your bell, and open up your letter and start reading it to you? Don't try to do that. Give people very subtle, elevated personality. Let them enjoy their own reality. Give them purity and piety. That's the maximum blessing you can do when you do this to people. God shall come through for you.

I'll like to regret it, in Kundalini Yoga, personality of a human is nothing more than just vehicle. It's not an identity. No teacher of Kundalini Yoga shall become Guru or blah, blah, blah. Any false pride for a teacher as next incarnation I can introduce you, it is in your bathroom, under the kitchen. They call it 'cockroach.'

And the second part of it is that you shall be elevated beyond angelic powers. You'll enjoy the fulfillment here. You don't have to go to heavens. You'll feel heavens here. The electromagnetic psyche will meet the entire electromagnetic field and things will start coming to you. But any gift received, if you do not evaluate it to equally prayer, you are carrying the burden. Just remember that. You might have seen, doesn't matter which present you give, good or bad, to me, I put it on the altar. I get up in the morning at my prayer time and I pray. And I do ask many many times, "In Thy Name, in Thy Grace, Oh my Lord, this thing has come as a gift from Thee. I do not know what to say to you, but to tell you, but the faith is there. Fulfill the faith because that's what makes you God." And then I start every adjective in the world. It looks crazy. But that's what reality is.

You are the vehicle. You are not the destination of a person. You are the path. Maintain that standard. You will be very happy. Tonight I ask you to encourage you, because many of you know me personally... many of you do not know me... but you don't know me much. And I don't exist, either, except I'm a vehicle for these teachings. I brought them to you. I have done my job. In case of any difficulty you want to reach, so long I am alive, I'll be in a position to serve you.

In Kundalini Yoga, higher you are, humbler you are. That principle, don't
forget. Don't go by this macho thing: "I am a teacher and ten people follow me." That's untrue. That profile is wrong. You are a teacher and you have the privilege by God's hand and with Guru's grace to serve ten people. It's a diagonal energy. It lifts, it moves. It's the spiral energy. It uplifts to the top. It's a cushion spring. So please understand certain basic rules which I have explained to you tonight, and try to follow as many of them as you can. You can or you can't, it was my obligation to meet you face to face. Any questions? This is your chance.

Question: How would you clarify the relationship between the Gurus and the yoga?

Answer: Guru unites through the sound current and yoga prepares you to hear that sound current. Because you are physical, mental and spiritual. The ground is plowed, manure is fixed and everything is done. Then things are given. That's why when I started teaching Kundalini Yoga, I also gave people Sikh Dharma. Because I don't want to misguide them. I didn't become myself a Sat Guru. Neither I am, nor I was, nor I will be. Those who want to proceed further, have the right to do it. Those who don't want, must not.

I like Sikh Dharma for three things: there's no proselytizing allowed, there's no forced conversion allowed, and there's nothing which is not complete in the way that God made it. I have studied all religions, I have practiced them. Many of them I like. And certain concessions I like in
many religions. Such as in Christianity I like this generalization: "Trust in God, all is fine." Buddhism, "Hoo(n) yaang, Saa(n) yaang." Who can produce Hoo(n) yaang? "Hoo(n) yaang" is the most practical Bodhisattva principle, it is the hardest one. Not common for human. In "saa(n) yaang" you have to believe in Buddha, sattva Buddha, all fine. In Islam, in reality I think you won't find two Muslims in the whole world, but as a general rule, everybody's a Muslim. In Sikh religion, or Sikh Dharma they call it, it is a student's path. "Sikh" means student, path means path -- to reach the purification of the Khalsa. Khalsa means purified. Man with a priority. In between is a personal effort.

And why I taught this yoga? Because this yoga helps the grishti (householder). The man who lives in the world can find the heavens here. He's not going to die and then wait for you go to heavens or not. Your personality can perceive heavens here. And when I came here I didn't have any friends, I didn't know boulevard and north and south. Even now if you ask me from here to go to Pasadena, I can't if some people do not help me, I may enter up in through different door. I'm as weak on earth as a blind man can be. When you tell me about heavens... talk to me... I'll bring God right on the earth.

I'm not very... I'm very, really scared to death that when I go somewhere... I don't know how to sit in the cars sometimes. I mess up my turban. I'm not afraid and ashamed of it. I'm just insensitive, period. I have no such feelings whether I am in Los Angeles and I am in Espanola, or I am this and that. Why I go to enjoy Espanola? It's a good, vast land. Small houses, I see the sky, I see the heavens. It's a fun to me. I even go to a movie, this western movie, ta ta ta, the revolver and all that. They don't know who shoots who. That's what is their own problem. That's for me, the fourth of July. All I see is the land, the horses are running and having fun. What do I know what is the story? That's people's story, that's not mine. I'm grateful to them. For their seven dollars, I enter, enjoy, too.

I went to see that movie, what they call it? That torpedo under the ocean?
(answer: The Hunt for Red October) Something. I enjoy it what goes on in the ocean, how beautiful it is and blue it is. I didn't care where they took their ship and what they are talking about. Life is a fiction. Reality is to build yourself here and go home. Restaurant is restaurant. You come, rest, order, use your napkin, your... what they call them, that thing?
(answer: silverware.) Silverware. Silver... or steel ware. And just pay your bill or wash your dishes, you know, whichever you choose.

I believe when you become the nucleus, the hub of the energy, then everything comes to you. You need two million things in your life. You can't have them all. But once you can straight on yourself and become I, the pure I, everything comes to you. It is hypnotic, electromagnetic psyche of yours which can attract everything. Your presence can work. You want to be sensual, sexual and attractive and suck people in and you want to be
Hoover's ... what they call them? (Answer: vacuum.) Vacuum cleaner. And you want to do it? That's your personality, it's not mine. It's not that we don't need a vacuum cleaner. We do. We need umbrella, but when a man of God walks and can't hold umbrella, clouds become his umbrella. I have seen it.

How many years now I am here? Twenty one years? I don't know who pays and who pays whom. I never had a pocket. I don't have it now and I'm not going to have it. Why should I pocket anything? What for? I came here, you all came together, you built up everything, my name is on every paper. I and my wife sat down, Hallelujah. It belongs to you. Wherever we are. Pay the installment. We'll pay them. If we can't pay them, then it'll be your problem. If we can pay basically we'll pay them. You and your future. Enjoy it. I have no hidden formula for it. I was lucky and fortunate that I came here to serve. That's all I believe in and that's all I am. It's a privilege to be with you one night and teach and talk. I've actually no intention to tell anybody what to do. But you have to tell yourself what to do. That's as simple as you can understand. Because Kundalini Yoga does
tell you one thing: one day you have to stand before your God, face to face. And your eyes shall be totally dipped into The Eyes. And your breath shall be that Great Breath. And you shall answer God how real, how truthful, you were. You cannot at that time count the vast counterfeit currency of emotions, feelings, and your earthly achievements. In heavens, your heavenly achievements will come through. That's the currency which works there. If you can collect that currency here, you'll do fine. If you can't, you can't.

Your personality is based upon pure service. Service to elevate, to carry on, keeping up other person's spirit. Keeping the candle burning. All great men, at their great sacrifice, personal and impersonal, leave behind a legend and that legacy the future enjoys their happiness, they become immortal. There's nothing more to it.

It's the highest respect and honor bestowed on a human being when they become a teacher. It's your choice to become real or false. If you ask my opinion, if you fake it correctly you make it all right. Yes, I did break a few rules, and I'm not saying I didn't. First rule was, you don't teach
openly. I was not left with no choice. I taught openly and I knew well: 'whosoever shall teach openly shall die within the next sun,' -- that means one year. I didn't say a word. I taught. I even didn't know what will happen to others. But I taught. It worked very well. One year went and I was alive again. And I said, "Hey, it doesn't apply to me. It shall not apply to anybody. We shall live and all shall live."

Then I asked many, many wise people... sages... that question. They said, "It is only for the people who are not the masters. They go empty with in the year." And yes, I practised that. I saw some people out of their ego, they became great, and they thought they are all perfect and all that. I didn't tell them anything, that you are teacher or you are not teacher and all that. They became empty. They didn't even pass one year. They disappeared earlier. There was nothing left. So I understood what was written was correct. What is, is correct.

It is up to you, how you want to excel. With ego, you won't last. Minus ego you will never be destroyed. When a saint dies, people drop flowers. When a man dies or a king dies, pigeon drop droppings. You can make a choice. So what I have tried to tell you, the very oath which you take by
yourself is very simple: "I'm not a woman, I'm not a man, I'm not a person, I'm not myself. I'm a teacher." With that concentrated strength you work. Otherwise you will be biased. As a woman you can be biased, as a man you can be biased, as a person you can be biased, as your self there are many waves going through our brain and mind and ideas.

Actually all teachings are there to tell you to be yourself. Here it's such
a simple thing: I'm not myself. Then who are you? You are the vehicle. That's why the opening mantra of the class is "Ong Namo Guru Dev Namo"
We don't say "Om Namo." We say: "Ong Namo Guru Dev Namo." Oh Transparent Guru Dev... a transparent made me the transparent. 'Guru' means who brings light into darkness. I bow to you. "Ong Namo." Oh creative total self. The difference is "Om" and "Ong." "Om" cannot be chanted, cannot be spoken. It's written in the Puraan, but it can be experienced. That's why Guru Nanak put before it "Ik." "Ik Ong Kar..." It's total permutation and combination to create that sound. There are no two opinions about it.

To experience yourself, and all in you, in that unisonness, is the beauty of life. Otherwise you will be a victim of your own perpetual, permanent fear. For every success, for every achievement, for every love and for everything who wanted newness... pleasure comes out of newness... enjoying newness. But there's a pleasure also which is everlasting, in which you become anew all the time. That's the diagonal energy, that's tantric energy.

You know, in astrology, there's a square and when you have square in your life, some star squares you, it is bad, it's not good. But cut a square diagonally, it becomes two trines, two triangles. It becomes good luck. That's what it is. You cannot move a big boulder, a stone. You can't. Put a big pulley and pull it down.. Make a lever of it, you'll move it. That's life. You have to keep up, you don't have to stop. That's all.

Why we wear white? Because seven colors come into white. A person who cannot wear white must know why not. I'm not going to make you explanation. I've given it so many times. We do wear cotton because our sensitivity has to reach Infinity and cotton breathes. You always try not to... not that we have boutique shop and we are this and we are that. These are just certain things which help. Not that I do not know color therapy. I'm master of it. I'm aware of it.

But what we have done is brought down what really is. I didn't ask one person in my whole life to become a Sikh. I know if a man organically grows... now this is a very great trend of organically... if you grow organically you'll end up being a Sikh. I don't have to tell you. But if you want to do some make-up and changes and things and all that... your choice.

Well, let us take a fact. You want to become attractive. Then you can attract devils and you can attract demons and you can attract angels and you can attract good people. You're out in the market for attraction. I want you to be out in the market for uplifting, elevating -- not attracting.
What they call that thing that goes in and lifts everything? (Answer: Forklift.) Huh? Forklift! Teacher of Kundalini Yoga is a forklift. It uplifts its spirit and put's it in the rollers so it can keep quiet. That's what you have to do. And I also will say, there's no rule. Just sit down and honestly just chant "Ong Namo Guru Dev Namo" and just if you know little alphabets, it'll come through. Fake it, you will make it. But you have to believe it.


When I was about sixteen and a half, I didn't have any feeling that I'll go before my teacher and what he's going to say. Well, special audience comes up after twelve years and I was very surprised. When I was twelve years old, I had a special audience, and nothing happened then. What happened in four
and a half years? I went in. But there was a habit to obey. The law is: "Obey, Serve, Love, and Excel." This is the spiritual essence. So I had the habit to obey my teacher. I went in. I bowed down. I got up. He said, "Bhajan, it is a very special day. I have called you." I said, "Yes, Master." "You ARE the Master." "Yes, Sir." Out of habit I said, "Yes, Sir." I said, "Yes, Sir." He said, "That's it. Well, there are certain conditions with it." I said, "Please let me know." He said certain things. "Thank you, Sir." "You can retire now." I came out. There were twenty- five to thirty people, whatever they were. "What happened, what happened?" "Don't you see?" "No." "Don't you know?" "No." I said, "I am the master. Bow!" And they all bowed. I said, "Wow! It works!" I said, "Now rise! This is what happened! That's what the master said, 'I am the master.' " "Yes, sir." Because they had the same conscious habit to obey, too. There was no logic, no reason, no debate, no asking, no questioning... nothing.

I hope you will carry the tradition with grace and your utmost dignity wherever you find fit. And don't worry. In the West we think yoga is an exercise. And some people totally emphasize that it is totally physical. Glands are the guardian of the health and sometimes it's just... Every posture in Hatha Yoga is for glandular secretion. It's a very effective way. Every pranayam is for energy and yam and niyam to keep going. Dharana, dhyiaan, samadhi is for elevation.
Kundalini Yoga, experience. It's not that we don't use those asanas or we don't use pranayams or we don't use kriyas and we don't use bandhanas or bandhas. We use all that. So as a Kundalini Yoga teacher, you have the private responsibility to respect every other school of teachings and teachers. You have no conflict. Reaction is for the fool. Achievement is for the wise. And it takes the same energy to achieve what you want to achieve, or the same energy to react what you want to react.

You want your earthly popularity? Go ahead. You want your heavenly popularity? Go ahead. Choice for you is bringing heavens to people. That's how they have come, by the will of God. They are here. They're not going to go away, whether you want it or not. They have to go and that what you are serving them to help to go to their very home.

People who are in Los Angeles, they are in Los Angeles. But when they've got to go to San Francisco, you have to draw the map and see that they reach. With that kind of intention anybody... one person comes to your class or no person comes to your class or one hundred persons come to your class or a thousand persons come to your class. Just with that intention, with that thinking. There's nothing wrong or right... thinking makes it so. With that thinking.

You may not be elevated. That's the whole thing. Don't bother. Who cares what your mood is? Forklift is a forklift. Whether it is polished or not polished. If it lifts it is a forklift, if it doesn't lift it's just a fork. They call it 'fork' and 'lift.' There are two words. Yoga-teacher, whether you teach hatha yoga... Bhakti Yoga. "Yoga" means union; "teacher" means who teaches how to unite - finite and infinity. Keep things simple. Don't complicate them.

You know what I did in America? I stopped chanting any something which was not supposed to be. I only said sometimes certain words from Gurbani which I know as a permutation and combination between the tongue and the palate, hypothalamus can be worked out. It's a little easy. That's all. I forgot. Otherwise I could speak certain mantras and look wonderful and you'll look like an idiot and I'll look very wise. That's not service. That's impressing. We don't impress. We deliver. If you keep on impressing somebody you are pregnant, you're not going to have baby. And the majority of the teachers impress their students. They are big, great, fantastic, wonderful, blah blah blah blah. That's not what it is. Deliver!

This is your question hour. Come on, say anything. Whatever you will speak will be pure wisdom. Okay, qualified or disqualified. That's all it can be.... Yeah?

Question: Over the years when I've been teaching, sometimes I'm not sure if what I'm teaching is accurate or....

Answer: Who wants you to be sure? That's the most stupid thing. Sit on that table and presume hypnotically you are the teacher. And go with the
will of Guru and God. That's why what you chant first thing is: "Ong Namo Guru Dev Namo." It's not a psychological test or biological condition. Even when heavens do not come through you, they are stupid heavens. Don't worry about it. You are serving. God also has ears and eyes to see. Somebody's going to serve... shall come through. That's why God is omnipresent, omnipotent, and omniscient. Your doubts are personal. You have to undoubtedly serve. Undeserving people also get sunshine. There's no ticket for it. It's not a lottery. Whether you are deserving or not
deserving, just remember one thing: when you sit on the seat of a teacher, you shall not sit if God does not bestow that honor. How long that's bestowed, that's your prayer. Is that clear? You're not teaching with your personality. You are a vehicle -- let it flow. You don't need a certification. It's not a registered letter.

Question: So the same thing applies to teaching something you haven't personally experienced?

Answer: You will experience. Teacher with concentrated mind... you'll experience in seconds. I have seen people experiencing who take the yoga manual and read it in the class and teach, and they get so high they forget what to do next. Then students look like this and the guy's enjoying it. It's a science, it's an art, it works. Margin of level is only eleven percent. It's covered by thirty-three percent insurance. Because you have started with the purity and piety of the mantra and you have brought the past, present and future, into consideration of time and space, it is a very elevated status. You may not conceive right now as a human being what you are doing, but through time and space, you will realize what you are doing is far out.

Question: After class when a student asks a question that I'm not sure about it, or I'm not able to answer, what is the best approach.

Answer: If you're not sure, don't be sure. There's no gun on your head. If you can't answer, you will search it out. There's nothing wrong. Asking extension. Even I ask, give extension. Students won't mind. And if you don't feel like answer, just say, "I don't want to answer." You are the teacher. You're not a person. You're discussing the question and answer as a person. You're not a woman, you're not a man. No, you're not a person, you're not yourself. You are a teacher. That is the oath. How are these questions and answers? Doubt, doubt, it's all human. Why don't you ask the water tap, "I'm going to open you and don't let the water come in, please?" Can you do that? Why don't you switch on the shower and say, "Keep there, stay, wait, till I brush my teeth." Press the right button, there shall be right experience. That's the beauty of Kundalini Yoga. And doesn't ask class, creed, time and space, whole thing. It's the status of timelessness and beinglessness and selflessness. It's pure vitality of Infinity. So what is
there to worry about? Enjoy it.

Have you seen me coming home and bringing a paper and picking up a note like this? Oh God. "So we have done this now. Okay. Now we'll..." Have you seen this? Huh? So? And I'm afraid you'll ask me a question and I say, "I don't know. I won't answer you. Shut up." What's wrong with that? Rather I'm enjoying because you're tolerant, whether you can take it or not. "Why you want to know everything?" Somebody told me, "I want to see the entire self." I said, "What do you mean? You want to see all the shit? And everything good? Are you crazy? Do you have the capacity to handle it?" "It means this?" I said, "Yeah. It's somebody just very decorated, very beautiful, very made up, everything perfect. Go home. Out of the house." You can attract anything. God knows what you can attract.

The fact is that you have become mentally, physically and spiritually, attractive in your projection, folks, and you feel you are at your best. You shall attract... I don't know what. That you're not sure. You think you will attract so and so. You think. It may not happen. You may be attracting something which tears you apart. Who knows? But you are the one who asked for it. You have it, Toyota. You know what I mean?

Question: Can you say something about Shakti Pad?

Answer: Yeah. Shakti Pad is a very funny status. In Kundalini Yoga you must go through it. It's called 'self doubt' status. "I am, I am, I'm not." "They are, they are, they are not." "It is, it is, it is not." "We are, we are, we are not." Everything twice yes and one time no. It's the biggest pain in the neck. But it's a sign, it's a graduation. If somebody at that time just becomes humble enough and let it flow, you don't have to even raise a pinkie. You can go through it peacefully. That's what I did. I do not know any other experience. Things started happening just on the beck and call. I didn't want to participate with them. I just let it flow.

The greatest miracle which I have experienced in life is that I have no miracle to remember, I was just enjoying it as any ordinary person will be enjoying it. But the Doer does everything anyway. We are just... you know, we are just in the audience. We can laugh, we can enjoy, we can cry, we can be happy, but something is happening. We are part of that. No problem.

Question: Do you see a difference between teaching Kundalini in the 90's and the 70's and the 80's in terms of what to present, or do you think it's just...

Answer: It's a timeless teaching, and if you want to make it by the decade, it will decay. If you think your teeth are forever, there are going to be cavities. That's why basically, when I started teaching these I did not... time, space, who, what... it's infinite teachings. It's for everybody. It's not... you can't... yes, do public relations for it. But Kundalini Yoga you can do public relations about it. Give the person the experience and he will never forget it. Don't give a personal experience. He'll say, "Oh, I met such and such, they took away all my money and didn't know..." One day of intimacy brings contempt. But if somebody's uplifted, there's no intimacy. The stage is higher of the other person. They're grateful. Doesn't matter. He may give the life to you. Total self. No problem. If you serve somebody and he gives you a gift of life, that gift you must give to the Giver in whose grace that is given. That's why I say, "I'm not myself." That we say at the Jupiter finger, the most wise guru. "I'm not
myself." It is our sadhana to say, "I am not myself." I'm not a woman
because: jantee hai naa... first comes the woman. First elevation of the woman is "I'm not a woman. I'm not a man. I'm not a person. I'm not myself. I'm a teacher." Very simple.

Question: You mentioned something about prayer, and relating that to the class. If you can....

Answer: I can't tell you the kind of prayer I do. I think everybody should do their own prayer. If you hear my prayer once, you won't like me at all. I do many kinds of prayers. You know.

Question: Just the prayer as a....

Answer: Well, there is a one prayer to be humble and nice and asking forgiveness. One prayer is that you pray in a very nice way and one prayer is that you feel and you purify yourself and your sadhana, and you say, "Well, 40 days I'll do this if God bless me." Time prayer. Self prayer. Humble prayer. Unison prayer, and all that. One prayer is, "Hey, what are you doing? What kind of God you are?" And you know, "You go hell, and you create a hell." That's also prayer. The relationship of prayer is between a mother and a child. It all depends on what your mood is, what you are going to say and what you are going to do. It is your prayer between you and the creator. With no rules and regulations. I'll tell you about a prayer. When you start learning "A-B-C," you'll draw it on four lines, "A" and a "B" and "C" and whole thing. Then you used to draw on three lines, then you draw on one line, then you will write free and then, God knows what you write. If somebody has the wisdom he will read it, otherwise he wrote.
And you say, "Well, you don't know how to read my handwriting?" That's why we started typing. Because nobody can read what anybody writes. And we standardized it. There comes a stage when you do not know what you are saying and you do not know what you are doing, and it's happening. But how you'll answer that?

I tell you how. Somebody invited us to Florida. We went to a very great health center. We went there. I was supposed to teach there and the whole thing. Something went wrong. I don't know what. I don't know what they said, "Why you have brought him, why you have called him, why you want to
teach him?" "I don't know." Next morning, about 8:00, 9:00, our student who was her, asked if we can sit in her car with our luggage. I said, "Fine." I thought perhaps she was shifting our arrangements. She took us to a place, it was very small sheltered place. She unloaded the luggage and she said, "Please wait here." And she drove the car away. Few minutes later I said, "Wait a minute. We have been dropped at a bus stand. It means we do not have a place to go. We do not have the money to go. Now what to do?" I said, "Well, don't worry. Bus will come. Let bus come." When bus come, we got in. The driver said, "Where you want to go?" I said, "We have five dollars. Wherever it takes us." I said, "If there is any town within the five dollars is fine." He said, "Yeah, yeah, yeah. You give me three dollars and so many cents, I'll make it, fine." We didn't ask which direction. It was some city. We went to one city and we got down. The person who was with me said, "What to do?" I said, "Don't worry." We went
to a bank, and we asked for the manager. The manager came, "What I can do for you?" I said, "You can do. We are very unfortunate people. We got stuck and that's the reason. I have a bank in Los Angeles. This is the name of my manager, and could you please ask him, collect, that I need money? And can he help me?" I gave him the name, I told him the number, and he was a kind man. He said, "Okay, holy man. I'll do it for you." He called the number, he talked to the manager. The man said, "Oh, he has a beard. He has some cloth on his head." Certain things he asked. He said, "Yeah." He said, "How much money he wants?" He said, "I've not asked him." He said, "Please ask. Whatever he gives, tell me and I'll remit you. He'll have... what they call it? Carte Blanche." And the man gave him the code, which is the bank transfer code and whatever the thing was, the man came and he said, "Sir, how much money you want? Fill in this paper and I'll give it to you." We looked at each other and I said, "Can you give me $250.00?" He said,
"Anything you want." I wrote $250.00 and he went in, conquered it, took it, and went out. We went to another bus stop, we waited, and another bus came and we knew that we wanted to go to Orlando. And we made it there. And we didn't know where he dropped. The driver dropped us. From there it only takes a dollar each. We could have done it within those five dollars. But we were not sure. But I learned a very beautiful way to get money wherever I am. Credit works. Create credit of your personality. It will work. Create credit of your teachership, it will work. Create credit of your being. It will work. You can always draw on your credit. You always have to pay debit.

Guru Singh, one day, took that brass, something, and made it, Guru Ram Das Ashram. Since then the guy wants to run after brass. Brass doesn't leave him. It is around him since then. Nobody can tell anybody what to do. As we mature, we start doing things, but if the hand of God has bestowed on you the capacity to be teacher, be so. Just don't question. Give God a chance to flow through you. That's all. Let it flow. Possible? Doubtful. I know that's one thing man is very doubtful, let it go, let it flow, let it be. To be, to be. But try. God shall come through.

Three things are very important in life. It doesn't matter what you are doing. Be simple, be straight and do it with a smile. Be simple, be straight and do it with a smile. I don't think anybody can fail after doing those three things. And this is the trinity of life. Life is a lie if you do not practice these three things.

Last minute. Is there any question, please, if I can help you in any way? Well, yeah?

Question: When teaching a set, is it important to do it very specifically as you have given it... or... like sometimes I feel like I need to insert something and I don't know if that's like....

Answer: No, no. The first thing you all should avoid-- tension. And don't be at war, "I HAVE to be EXACT!" Have confidence that you have now sat down and you are who you are and God shall protect you. That's what "Ang Sang Wahe Guru" means. It shall protect you. Trust it. In God we Trust. It's written on the dollar bill. What else you want? It's the biggest teaching
on the planet: Trust God and keep going -- you won't be hurt. A friend doesn't let you get hurt so how can God let you get hurt? Don't worry. Be happy.

What is the purpose of life? Nanak says in two lines only, "Nanak Nam..." Nanak, through the grace of name of God... "Cherdi Kala." You should have an elevated self. Kala, Kundalini, Kundal, is the same thing. Cherdi Kala. An ever-rising, elevated self. "Tere Bani," through Thy Grace, "Sarbat da Bala." Through thy grace you will wish good to all. So that's it. Purpose of life is being good to all. Including your enemies, because there's no enemy. They are only the challenges. Somebody said, "Define a Sikh." The
poet defines a Sikh, very beautiful. Very beautiful couplet: "Honee naal jolanday matha sikh kabavan soee. Very beautiful definition. Honee naal jolanday matha sikh kabavan soee, karee vaar hases geronee honee sadaa ant... Those who go and confront the calamity, and do it willingly and smilingly, are called 'Sikhs.' Many many times calamity has laughed but in the end, it has always cried and has failed.

Once you have elevated self... when you are there, everybody will look to you. You don't have to ask, "Respect me, love me, help me, comfort me, be with me." You don't need that. It's a Carte Blanche. What do they call that? It's a Carte Blanche. Once you are there, at the status of your personal credit where you just serve the will of God, the light of God, the flow of God and let it happen. That's because Kundalini Yoga is just a technique. You can inject God and the other person will be elevated and shall be grateful to you. It's not difficult at all. It's quite common as a householder. Just be. For a moment. For a second. There's no difficulty.

That's what I wanted to talk to you. Just, "I'm a teacher. I'm a teacher. Am I not a teacher? Am I doing it right?" That's not... this act is not required. Sit down, bad and good you are, and just meditate and jump into the infinity of the Guru, the transparent Guru and let him take over. Allow him to let take over. That's all that is needed. God knows you are blond or brunette or you are yellow or pink or you are up and down. That's not true. That's not true. That's not the problem. Let it be. Lift... whatever your image of lift is. Understood? All the goodies will start coming because God is good and it brings goods.

Listen to this philosophy: Narayan is God, right? His wife is Lakshmi, goddess of wealth. So how come you love the man and you will not have the wife around him? Nobody... very few... come single. And his child is Ganesha. Wow! It means who does the possible out of the impossible. Look at the pictorial sense of the word. It's not bad. Just let it be! When you sit here, let it be. When you go there... that's why you have seen sometimes when it's some other teacher who comes, we invite him, I always leave the chair. I ask him to sit there. I always go and sit in the congregation. You understand? Because at that time you let one vehicle teach. That's the meaning of "Ik Ong Kar." One in the beginning, one in the middle, one in the end. And the purpose of life is to become one with the One. You feel like you are all meditating. I was talking to you if I could be any help.

Shakti: Sometimes it's hard for people to speak up and say what they would say otherwise.

YB: Oh, I don't mind. I know the language. I mean, it was my birth language. I know English very well. I even make up words. I... that's why whatever I write, I send it to you so that it may be transferred into common English. Please feel free. Don't worry. I have gone through all this what you can go through. I was the biggest rebel myself, so I know how to rebel.

Tamed horse does not mean that it was not wild once. Don't be scared. I have gone through all that what you call is hell, is by His grace, and came out of the other side, and I slept behind many people and I still pray for them. They should have done same thing. I didn't make... even move my hand. I just let it be. It came out all right. Those who do not have their own personal God have Infinite God. Their boats always come and touch the shores. Idea is not to feel restricted. Idea is to feel infinite. Whatever you are, you are. Don't try to force yourself to change. It's a violence. Don't try to change anybody. It's a violence. Let it be. It will all come home. Just for a few minutes, let it flow.
Do you know the God, or whatever that is, One who can rotate your earth for you, you think He cannot take care of your routine? I mean to say, what is the beauty of it? One which can grow forest and forest, cannot take care of this little toothpick? What joke is this? What's the big deal?
Thank you very much. I'm very grateful that you gave me this attention and came here. And many of you I have not met before. And would you like to introduce yourself one by one? Then call yourself 'teacher?' Hurry up. It's going to be midnight otherwise.
(Introductions...)

Student: My name is Rachel Houbraigh....Tai Chi....

YB: Good. Good. I will teach you a few classes, a few postures of Tai Chi. It will make it easy... even the dumbest person you have to teach and that way you will be in a very qualified manner. But those teachings they... normally in Tai Chi don't teach because they have a restriction and Western doesn't deserve those. Just understand that. It's very good to teach what you are teaching, but there are certain classified teachings which you can just resolve between yourself and then help people to be... result will be quicker. Otherwise twelve years bring water, sixteen years grind the wheat, and twenty years massage the master's feet and after that, they tell you, "Make your hand like this." Today we can't afford that. It takes years, and I have gone through that kind of teaching, so please... But when I am here in town, just fix up, ask my secretary to give you an appointment, I will give you a few, just a few, not many, they will do. I mean, there is what they call it?...They call it, "Master Beat." When nothing works, it
works. Yeah? (Students give their names.)

Bless you all. Whatever you are, let His grace be with you. Sat Nam.

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© YB Teachings, LLC 1990
Above Article Copyright © Yogi Bhajan 2002. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.



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