He had almost lost his voice and he spoke very quietly and softly) WAHE GURU JI KA KHALSA, WAHE GURU JI KI FATEH! There is a concept in Sikh Dharma. It is a very unusual concept. "Cherdi Kala" -- Rising spirit. If you want to have an equal literary meaning in this, this only means "Rising spirit." In other words, if you have a Christian background, it is called 'resurrection.' Continuous resurrection. Not just one, but all the time, every time, in every minute. And if you have any religious faith or acknowledgement, or touch with it, it is a very simple concept. There is no duality about it. It means you rise to the occasion as it confronts you. But rise! Be above it. If you look at it, there's no way that anybody can guarantee you that your life will not be faced with different non-tranqulities. Nectar in life is tranquility -- inner tranquility, inner peace, mental peace. In Gurbani we recite as it is. Gurbani is just a combination and permutation of certain sounds which bring tranquility inside. Now, the people who want to make money out of it, they say, "Well, you have to pronounce it right, you have to know it right, you have to have an understanding, you have to have meaning. And they add so many conditions that a normal person will freak out. He will not understand why he should read Gurmukhi, why he should read Gurbani, why he should understand what is in it. In it is a simple computerized essential combination in which, as you read it, that way your tongue and your upper palate will touch the meridians, and hypothalamus will stimulate you to a certain state of strength. If it gets better, you shall have more tranquilized self-examining essence and individual strength to understand as you face the day, or as you face the moment. That's how life is about in our life. It's a very practical way to look at life. If somebody says that they have life and their life is full of problems or full of no problems, both are wrong. There is no opportunity that you can decide that it shall be the way you decide it to be. Because 70% of things are other than what you know or what you plan. Realizing that part of life -- now let us understand what Guru says to us. It is that perfect symbol in that tranquility in our self. Without tranquility of self you don't have a chance to face even an ordinary thing in your life. Forget about big deals. You need that tranquility and you cannot force yourself from the outer stimulation to reach inside. Inside, which reaches inside, which is created inside, remains inside. It is a medical fact that anything which you inject from outside into the body, body resists. Actually when they transplant an organ in the body, they use heavy tranquilizer which puts a person so that the body may not reject even an organ which its very health, its very existence, is dependent on. There's an automatic system in the body to reject outside influence. It is not unusual. But there is a possibility that you can have inside influence within your self to bring that tranquility, that peace, that grace which you need in your life. And that's all what Gurbani is about. If a man is a guru, man shall talk to you, but you shall not be in a position to repeat the words of the guru. This is one opportunity in the whole world where you can become the guru, recite the words of the guru and make your inner self listen to it. That is Siri Guru Granth. That is why we call it Siri Guru Granth. Not that it is a holy book and it is a stupid unconscious relationship the man has not established between himself and the guru. If you meet the highest man... the holiest man... all you can do is listen to his speech. Then your eardrums will get the vibration and permutation and combination. And then there may be something in your neurons of the brain which can be effective. But that's partially true. And that's all a personal thing means. How powerful, high frequency theta projection a man can give and how concentrated that theta projection of that man you can receive and create equal theta vibration. Let's put it in a scientific way. There's no big deal. But, you sit behind the Guru and you read the words of the Guru, your theta self becomes theta self to pronounce the Guru. I mean, it is so simple, it is so direct, it is so realistic. And the very effect is that you need calmness and quietness and peace. You will find people who read Siri Guru Granth, they doze. I mean, that's a bad part of it. We should be alert. But doziness will come automatically because inside the irritation, the subjection, the projection, the unnecessary, unwanted, self- commotion will start leaving you and you will be calm and quiet, and in this calm and quiet you will say: "Kete dukh bukh sad maar...." (said in a dozy type of voice)...and then you start going down. And people do feel: "I can't read the Guru." Now, this is the normal reaction, "I can't read the Guru because it puts me to sleep." It is not that so many people have asked me. Yes, it will put you to physically sleep. Anything which can put you to physical sleep and awaken your mind, that is the way to see your soul. Question is, how Siri Guru Granth can be a Guru? It is not a man. It is not a person. It doesn't talk. No, it doesn't talk outside, but it does talk inside. And we need a Guru for inside, not outside. Why do we have to have a Guru for outside? Whole world has tried outside Guru and outside Guru works in a very facade way. It is a satisfaction that I have a Guru. We need a Guru which should work inside us, and when we read the Siri Guru Granth, it is an inside affair within our inside. And that is what is very challenging to people. But an ordinary person doesn't understand why reading the Guru puts you to sleep. Why? Answer is very simple. You are not aware how irritated, how dissatisfied, how unqualified you are for the situation. Your mind is irritated, your body is irritated, your psyche is irritated. Your spirit is not functional to the point of your health and strength. You need strength. Cherdi Kala. Phoenix rises from the ashes. Man rises from the adversity. This universe, our universe, is a university in which you graduate against adversity. And the problem is if you think richness is the answer (which normally we feel if we become rich it is the answer) but richness will have rich problems. Poverty will have poor problems. A poor man, his problem is he needs food, water, shelter, little love, little affection. He doesn't want to be disrespected or insulted. Have you seen the rich man's world? Rich man wants the whole world, he wants 360 dishes of which he cannot eat one. He wants wardrobe, walking wardrobes that he can't wear. He has to decide how many pounds of diamonds he needs on his crown and then his neck cannot carry it. Rich man has rich problems. Poor man has poor problems. Meek man has a sneak way to reach his own happiness. That's why to be meek and humble is the way which even Christ said, which Guru Nanak said, which everybody says. And what is there to become meek? Meek does not mean non- realistic. Meek means realistic but be very melty, very humbly flexible. And anything which loses its flexibility is breakable. And a man is supposed to be not breakable. Within your life you are not supposed to be... in any moment in your life should not be when somebody can break you. It's not that you can be broken in your faith. You should not be broken in your heart, you should not be broken in your head. You can't have a cracked head, you can't be neurotic, you can't do a lot of things. You need in you that super-strength. Our answer to our relationship and to our love is to create a drama. That's how love is understood by mankind. It's not that East is different than the West, North is different than the South. Stupidity is stupidity whether it's on the North Pole or on the South Pole, whether it's practiced in Siberia or it's practiced in Sri Lanka. Stupid is a stupid wherever you can find a stupid. A stupid person is a very simple person. You should understand. A stupid person has three qualities which you can recognize. His communication or his relationship, or we call it in brackets (projection), will be either based on a facade, or on a drama or trauma. Normally we all deal with each other as a facade. And when you deal at a facade, it is all expected behavior. You profile your behavior but this is your expected behavior. That's not your real behavior. And somebody who's dealing with you, he's dealing with your facade. He's not dealing with you. That's why later on you don't even remember what the man said, what you said, or what it's all about. Because nobody talks to anybody really. When you even talk, you are cautious... You are already protecting. You are already covering. You are already there. So, Guru in his language somewhere does tell you: "Eh man meriaa too sadaa raho har naale." He pushes you towards totality, he asks you to be with totality. Guru is not... sometimes when I use the word 'totality' you think totality means the whole universe. No! Totality is YOU! You are the total totality which can be felt, seen, understood, and can be touched. Today in the medical science... in studies they have found out, having yoga, having meditation, having... it's a time to understand that you can totally reverse your all symptoms of disease to health. All right, that's their study. It's a time to understand that mental stink is much worse than physical. You do not know if there's a mental garbage you are filled with, and a mental garbage you are clogged with, and mental garbage you are littered with, and mentally you are not in a position to communicate. Mentally you cannot have tolerance, mentally you cannot expand, you do not have any cherdi kala, and then on a physical facade, you can't go very long. Somewhere it will break off. Somewhere you will spill the beans. And that's not what Nanak wants. Therefore Nanak cautions that you are holy men... you have nine holes, and he deals with each hole in Anand Sahib. Anand Sahib. In the "Song of the Bliss" he deals with the ears, he deals with the tongue, he deals with the eyes. "Eh rasanaa too anaras raach rahee." "Oh tongue! You are creating a tasteless situation." "Eh nataro meriaa har bin oh na dayko koee." "Oh my eyes! Without God, see nothing else." So each organ... each hole in us... is dealt with by Nanak in the 3rd form, (person) and that too, in the Song of the Bliss, it tells about life, it tells about soul, it tells about eyes, it tells about ears. "Eh saravano merioo, saache sune ko pataaeh." "Oh, my listening device!" that's the ears, "You have been made to sit there to listen to the truth, not to the lies. "Jio meh paachaa pavan bajaaiaa." In this being, in this body, the sound of prana" (not of air but prana) is being sung. So the praan pati is playing the sound in the praan mati. That's how pati and mati accepted pranic body. So when Guru Nanak deals in that detail and with that authentic self and reaches every man -- white, yellow, pink, black, short, small, deformed, beautiful -- whatever you want to call it... makes no distinction -- this is the first reality on this planet we have to realize. We have to realize why reciting the protocol, the print, of the Siri Guru Granth is important, because it shall reprint in us the flexibility, the tranquility and the spirit through which we can excel. It is the excellence... perpetual excellence which comes through applied consciousness... which makes you a fulfilled being, which makes you a sage. The facade, the drama, the trauma will work for the time being. It shall work for the day. Tomorrow again we shall be empty. Guru Nanak answered this question. He knows the first three questions. He answered the questions: "Bani Guru, Guru Hei Bani, Vich Bani Amrit Saaray." "Bani is Guru. Guru is Bani. And there are all nectars contained in it." If there is a nectar inside, outside shall be with nectars. The every sector of life will become nectar when inside there is no facade but only nectar. And those who do not produce any inside... we are actually besieged by ambitions, temptations, desires, adversities -- name it. Our fort is our own radiance, and within that fort we need that radiation to just be alive and that nectar to be in excellence. It is my privileged thought, I'd like to share with you something: If you ever have a misunderstanding that the outside world will be according to your control, no! It's not true. It's a wrong idea. Outside world is controlled by outside. Because that's why you call it the outside world. You cannot control weather. Weather can control you. You cannot control earthquake. Earthquake can control you. You cannot control outside love which may be a flying kiss or it may be a slap on the face. Outside force is outside force. But you can control your inside. That is given to you. And that is where we start. "Anand bhe-aa mere maahe satiguroo meh paaiaa." "Oh my mother! "I have a bliss in my side." "Anand bhe-aa mere maahe satiguroo meh paaiaa." We are talking to mother. Mother aasat atamaa. Mother earth is the mother. In Siri Guru Granth, everywhere where the word mother comes it is relevant to this aspect... to fact that "Pavan Guru Panee Pitaa Maataa Dharat Mahat." Our mother is the dharat, the earth. Mahat means graceful. Earth is graceful. Because it is graceful because it is a reflection of the heavens. Planet earth is the only one planet in the entire existence which is the reflection of the entire psyche not only of the universe, but of the universes of universes of universe. That understanding we have to live with. That understanding we have to understand. "Anand bhe-aa mere maahe satiguroo meh paaiaa. Satigur taa paaiaa sahej setee man vajiaa vadaaeea." I have found it in an easy way. "Sahej" means very easy, very smooth, very harmonious way. And my mind is in bliss. Why? Because within myself, within my psyche, within my being, within my radiant body, I have my own nectar within me. I have created that. I have stimulated my tattwas. I have resolved the unity of my gunas. I have resounded and I have really reprocessed my chakras, and I find myself in absolute bliss. And that is what Anand what is about, that is what bliss is about, and that's why the song of bliss, it deals with you in detail. It deals with you personally. It deals with you affectionately. Guru deals with you being as you are. A human guru will have feelings of ecstasy but shall be a human. Subtle guru shall have the feelings of the human but also the subtleties of the human. It is the subtlety of the human which reaches us to the reality of the human. I am apologetic today because yesterday a long talk, though it was very good, took a toll on my throat, and I did defy my own rule of the tantric writ, but it was essentially to be done. So Guru will forgive me and sangat will forgive me for being limited. I wanted to expand this thought with you... the Siri Guru... why Siri Guru Granth is important. Why it is more realistic. Why it is being with us. Because it does what nobody else does. And I do feel that the majority of the people who read Siri Guru Granth and do weekly path, some of them even do not understand how good its returns can do for you. Being alert physically is just being super mentally. It is the mental clarity we have to create. Mind is just like a person who has glasses. You don't have to fight with that guy. Just take away his glasses and leave him alone. What he can do? He won't even see you. It is the blind. To remove mental blindness we need Siri Guru Granth to see the God, the totality, the essence. It means "Rising spirit." In other words, if you have a Christian background, it is called 'resurrection.' Continuous resurrection. Not just once, but all the time, every time, in every minute! And if you have any religious faith or acknowledgement or touch with it, it is a very simple concept. There is no duality about it. It means you rise to the occasion as it confronts you. But rise! Be above it! If you look at it, there's no way that anybody can guarantee you. With these words and Guru's Grace and God's blessing, I hope everything will be all well. Now as a nation you are facing the facts of life. Now you are you. Now you will be facing... walking... into the valley of prosperity where you will be tested. While being prosperous, while being successful, are you keeping the inner reality strongly with you so that life may not become insensitive, boring, and useless? Period of prosperity is very dangerous. Period of calamity, adversity is very simple, because that's what you face and you grip yourself with all the force together. But in prosperity you sometimes lose the inner sight and anybody who has been invited to a dinner in somebody's house will run... not care what is in his refrigerator... forgetting that next day the man has to get up in his own kitchen and has to have his own breakfast. So prosperity does that sometimes. It gives... creates maya. It creates an illusion. It creates a different understanding. So within that understanding of prosperity if reality is maintained inside... if depth is maintained inside... then: "Jinee naam dhyiaaeeaa, ghay masakat ghaal, Naanak te mukh ujale ketee chhutee naal!" -------------------------------------------------------------- End of Lecture 11/19/89 YOGI BHAJAN Transcript by Tej Kaur Khalsa, Los Angeles, CA