“This knowledge is the
king of education; it is the most secret of all secrets. It is
the purest knowledge, and because it gives direct perception of
the self by realization, it is the perfection of religion. It
is everlasting, and it is joyfully performed.”
This is the wonderful,
eternal wisdom which we will describe to you tonight.
So this is the topmost
knowledge; it is also the topmost of all secrets. Even though
we are traveling all over the world to make it easily available
to everyone, this knowledge still remains a secret. Why is
that? Because very few people are actually interested in
discovering it. That means that you who are here tonight are
the cream of the crop - you are the most intelligent class of
people in this city, because you were attracted to discover what
this eternal wisdom is. So even though you are gaining some
knowledge tonight about this eternal wisdom, for the general
population of Kouvola this will simply remain a secret . . . We
are letting you in on the ultimate insider’s secret . . . these
are actually the words of Krishna that are spoken in the
Bhagavad-gita. Krishna appeared 5,000 years ago in India
and spoke these words on a famous battlefield called the
Battlefield of Kurukshetre. This is a very famous, classic
conversation which actually took place 5,000 years ago.
Krishna further explains
of this knowledge that it is the purest knowledge. When we talk
about pure knowledge, this implies that some knowledge might not
be pure. Knowledge which is always changing, like that which we
were describing previously, contains impurity. Pure knowledge
does not change.
So Krishna says this
knowledge is the king of education; it the topmost secret; it is
the purest of all knowledge. Then he says – and this is very,
very significant; try to understand this point – he says, “and
because it gives direct perception of the self by realization,
it is the perfection of religion.”
“Because it gives direct
perception of the self by realization, it is the perfection of
religion.” This brings us to the essence of the eternal wisdom
– to actually have direct perception of the self. We normally
think that by looking in the mirror, we get perception of the
self – you know, that’s me; how do I look today? We normally
think of that as “perception of the self.” But I ask you to
consider these points: Do you remember experiences you had when
you were a little child? The body you had when you were a
little child - the chemicals that made up that body - is an
entirely different set of chemicals from the set of chemicals
that make up the body you have now. Yet you remember
experiences you had in that little child’s body, even though the
chemicals are quite different now. So are you those chemicals,
or are you something different from those chemicals?
It’s just like today, you
see, you have on a blue-jean jacket. Tomorrow you may wear a
red sweater. Are you that blue-jean jacket? No, you’re not,
because tomorrow you can wear a red sweater and still be you.
So too, right now you are wearing a body which is composed of a
certain combination of chemicals. Just as your blue-jean jacket
is a combination of chemicals, so your body is also a
combination of chemicals. And just as you can change that
garment you are wearing, that blue-jean jacket, likewise during
your lifetime you’ve gone through so many changes of body,
because the chemicals are changing at every second. But you’re
still the same person, even though the body is different.
Thus by simple, logical
analysis, you can easily realize that you are not that body.
You’re not that body. So that means that if I think that I
am male, or I think that I am female, or I think that I’m
American, or I think that I am Finnish, or whatever, based on
this body - then that is an illusion. Anybody ever tell
you that it is an illusion to think that you are a man or a
woman . . . ? I have traveled all the way from America to tell
you that if you think that you are a man or a woman, then you
are in an illusion. I have come here tonight to tell you that
you do have an identity: it’s tangible; it’s real. The
fact that you can hear what I am speaking to you right now
proves that you exist because you have consciousness, you have
cognizance. You have awareness. You have the ability to
perceive through your eyes, through your ears, through your
sense of smell, through your sense of taste – you have
existence, but it has nothing to do with this material body.
This body is being utilized by you right now, but it’s not you.
Consider this point: Are
you eyes seeing, or are you seeing through your eyes? Are your
ears hearing, or are you hearing through your ears? Is your
nose smelling, or are you smelling through your nose? Is your
tongue tasting, or are you tasting through your tongue? The
reality is that is you have a non-material, spiritual self that
is actually eternal. When one of our dear loved ones dies – our
father or mother, our brother or sister or grandparent – when a
loved one leaves us, when he dies, we may go to the funeral; we
may see the body is lying there, yet we are crying, saying “he
is gone, he is gone.” But if our beloved relative were indeed
his body, and the body is still lying there – then he hasn’t
left. So it’s very obvious, when a loved one dies, that he was
not his body, because the body is still there yet we feel he is
gone. Just see the clear distinction that exists between the
body and the self.
You may wonder, what is
the use of all this talk – why don’t we talk about sports or
politics? What’s the use of all this dry philosophy? Well, the
fact is that what I am telling you tonight will enable you, if
you follow seriously what we are describing to you this evening
- if you can understand this knowledge and put it into practice
- to become a spiritually enlightened being. Tomorrow night we
will give you detailed information on how to actually put it
into practice. It’s not very difficult. It doesn’t matter if
you’re a student, you’re retired, you’re a housewife, or a
doctor, a lawyer, an engineer, or a prime minister – it doesn’t
matter what you are – we will teach you how to put this
knowledge into practical application. If you can understand
this knowledge very carefully and clearly, and then you can
actually put it practice, you will transcend all the miseries of
material existence. You will enter into a state of
consciousness which is eternal, full of knowledge, and full of
bliss.
We’re not imposing
anything artificial upon you. Try to understand very clearly:
all we are doing is giving you the natural state of
consciousness. All we’re doing is teaching you how to know who
you are and be who you are. We’re not trying to convert you or
subvert you or revert you or anything like that. We simply want
to give you some insiders’ information on how to actually be who
you are. And when you actually learn how to be who you really
are, you’ll enjoy life like anything. You’ll be the happiest
person . . . you wouldn’t believe that such happiness could even
exist in this world. And the amazing thing is that this is the
eternal wisdom that everybody in the world is supposed to know
about. But the problem is that for the last 5,000 years the
leaders of the world have been throwing away the owner’s
manual. They have rejected the wisdom that the ancient sages of
India had passed down for thousands, even millions of years. I
don’t know how the political leaders could be so stupid -
although by studying the political leaders we have in the world
today, I could get some idea how they could be so stupid
[laughter from audience]. So all we want is to give you some
valuable information.
Krishna continues to
explain in this verse that this knowledge is the perfection of
religion. Nowadays in the world, religion is a big point of
controversy. But this is not the original essence of what
religion is. Man has invented this religion and that religion
and this religion and that religion - and then he fights. But
actual religion is one. “Religion” comes from the Latin word
religio; it means to reconnect yourself with the Supreme.
So here we are in
Kouvola, Finland. We see that there are so many buildings, so
many people going here and there, and so many changes of season
– sometimes it’s snowing, sometimes the sun is shining – and
there are so many forests around. We see that there are so many
things existing here. All over the universe there are so many
things that are existing. And everything we see was caused by
something prior to it - just like this very nice library
auditorium that we’re sitting in right now. These nice chairs -
these chairs came from some manufacturing plant. They took
various raw ingredients and put them together to make a chair
that you can sit in tonight. We can trace everything that
exists back, back, back – one thing that was caused by something
else that was caused by something else that was caused by
something else that was caused by something else. And then we
can finally reach that original something that was not derived
from anything prior to it. That something is called the Origin;
it is called the Source; it is called the Supreme. So
everything actually has a relationship with that original
source, the original energetic point from which everything else
has come. Even the scientists are trying to find out what that
is. Now they are saying, well, what caused the Big Bang? They
want to know, what is the origin of the universe?
There is an original
source from which everything has come. And one who realizes
what that source is, what his or her relationship with that
source is, and how he or she can live in perfect harmony with
that source - that person has realized the eternal wisdom. And
that’s what we have come to explain in Kouvola: How to
understand that source, how to understand your relationship with
that source, and how to make that relationship absolutely
perfect.
Consider this: Gopinatha
was very nicely playing his guitar for us earlier this evening.
But you know, in order for the guitar to sound very nice, the
strings have to be properly in tune. The guitar player might be
very nice, but if the guitar’s strings are not properly tuned
they will sound horrible. Likewise, modern-day society is very
nicely constructed – with so many nice people walking around, so
many nice buildings, so many nice automobiles, so many nice
fashions of clothing – so many nice arrangements all over
Finland, all over the world – but because it is out of tune
people are not happy, people are frustrated. It doesn’t take a
very big change to make things very nice. All you have to do is
get it in tune, that’s all. We have come here tonight to teach
you how to fine-tune your consciousness, to bring it back into a
state of perfect harmony with the Supreme Consciousness.
We were doing some nice
chanting earlier in the evening -
Hare
Krishna, Hare Krishna
Krishna Krishna, Hare Hare
Hare Rama, Hare Rama
Rama Rama, Hare Hare.
This is called
mantra. Mantra is a Sanskrit word. It breaks into
two syllables – man and tra. Man refers to
the mind, and tra means “that which delivers.” So by
chanting a mantra the mind becomes in tune with the Supreme
Consciousness.
Krishna concludes His
verse by saying su-sukham kartum avyamam: “It is
everlasting and is joyfully performed.” So the result of
fine-tuning your consciousness - getting it back in harmony with
the Supreme Consciousness – is that you become absolutely
ecstatic. Now you might say to me that if I won the lottery,
then I’d be ecstatic - I’d be jumping up and down, running up
and down the street in complete ecstasy if I won the lottery.
But I’m telling you this: if you can fine-tune your
consciousness by bringing it in perfect harmony with the Supreme
Consciousness then you will be more ecstatic than somebody who
won the lottery. We see many people who win the lottery
actually become very miserable. There was one man in America
[who had won the lottery] who ended up getting arrested for
driving while under intoxication. Even though he had so much
money, he couldn’t enjoy it - he was miserable. The problem was
that his consciousness was not in harmony with the Supreme
Consciousness. If you can harmonize your consciousness with the
Supreme Consciousness, then you will be absolutely ecstatic -
whether you’re rich, whether you’re poor, whether you’re famous,
whether nobody cares about you - whatever position you may have
in this material world. Whether you’re a dancer, whether you’re
a singer, whether you’re a paper-mill worker, whether you’re a
PhD, whether you’re an elementary school student – whatever you
may be, it doesn’t matter. If you have learned the art of how
to fine-tune your consciousness, you will fully realize the
eternal wisdom, and you will be happy in all times, all places,
and all circumstances.
Does anybody have any
questions?
Q1) If we are different
from this body, then why are we within this body?
A1) Because we had a
desire that was out of harmony with the Supreme Consciousness.
We had some desire to enjoy the material energy.
Q1.5) But that that is
not the question. Her question is, if our consciousness is
separate from this body, then what is this that we are right
now?
A1.5) If we’re not the
body, then what are we? Actually, our nature is that we are
eternal, spiritual beings. The Supreme Consciousness is known
by different names. In scientific terms we can say “the supreme
source of all that exists.” Or in religious terms we can say
“God” or “the Supreme Being.” Our actual identity is that we
are the eternal servants of God, or the eternal servants of that
original source of everything that exists. We’re actually
spiritual by nature. The body gets born, the body gets sick,
the body gets old, the body dies - but the spiritual being
doesn’t. The spiritual being is eternal. It’s always existed,
and it always will exist. So that’s who we actually are: we’re
servants of that Supreme Being.
Q2) So what is our
purpose?
A2) Our purpose? This is
very easily understood. That original source, or God, is
emanating from Himself, us. Just as a husband and wife will get
together and have children because they want to expand the
loving relationships in the home, so that original Source, that
original Person, is emanating us from Himself for the purpose of
enjoying a loving relationship. So the fact is that each and
every one of us exists for the sole purpose of having a loving
relationship with God. That’s why you exist. You see, you
don’t exist because your mother and father wanted to have a
baby. The original, supreme Person is eternally emanating you
from Himself. Just like the sun is shooting out sun-rays, that
original Person is also emanating you from Himself, manifesting
you out of Himself. If you die in a state of harmony with that
supreme Person, then you go back to Him. If you’re still out of
harmony, then you remain in the material existence until you get
back in harmony with Him. Harmony means . . . actually, the
Bible gives a very good example. Christ says, “Father, not my
will, but Thy will be done.” That’s a state of perfect harmony
– Christ is in a state of perfect harmony. When your will and
the will of the Supreme are one in the same, when there’s no
difference – when your only desire is to please and serve Him,
and you have no separate interest from the Lord – that is
perfect harmony.
Q3) Why did God not
reveal this user’s manual in the beginning of time, when
creating Man, knowing what kind of suffering he would have to
undergo?
A3) Actually, this
knowledge has been available from the very beginning of the
universe. In India this knowledge has been known. The first
intelligent, created being in this universe was named Lord
Brahma. In the very beginning of the universe, from within the
heart of Brahma, this knowledge was revealed to him. It was
passed on by oral tradition until 5,000 years ago, at which time
it was put into written form (Brahma put it into writing also).
That knowledge has been transmitted since the beginning of the
universe - it has been available. And we’ve come here tonight
to make sure you have it available for yourself now, you see.
Actually, God has sent us here to Kouvola as His messengers to
give you this knowledge. If you take home one of these books [Bhagavad-gita],
then you will have the knowledge. You can study it; you can
write letters to our devotees in Helsinki, and they’ll answer
your questions; you can personally write to me also - if you can
communicate in English you can send me emails, and I will give
you personal guidance.
Q4) Is God a personal or
impersonal spiritual being? I think He has a good sense of
humor.
A4) Yes, He does have a
very good sense of humor. God is actually a person. He does
have an impersonal side to Himself also. The atheists
experience His impersonal side. Those who love Him experience
his personal side.
Q5) It is said that
there is a heaven, and that everybody goes to heaven. So if I
reach this state of harmony, will I go to some other place?
A5) Well, they say that
everybody goes to heaven, and that’s a very nice idea, but I’m
sorry to inform you that not everybody goes to heaven. The
kingdom of God is actually a place for those persons who have
learned how to live in harmony with God. You have to be in a
state of harmony, or total agreement with the Lord, to be
qualified to enter into His kingdom. Actually, if you were not
in a state of harmony you wouldn’t even be happy there. So the
key is this: if you want to enter into that kingdom of God at
the time of death, you learn how to enter into that kingdom of
God right now. By living in a state of perfect harmony with God
right now, then actually you’re already as good as in the
kingdom of God, and that passage into the kingdom of God at the
time of death will be guaranteed. But consider this: if I’m not
living in harmony with God now, how would I possibly fit into
His kingdom? I would be a cause of conflict in the kingdom of
God. If I cannot harmonize myself with God now, then how could
I, all of the sudden, at the time of death, change my mentality?
Q5.5) My little sister
died when she was 3 years old. So where did this little sister
go?
A5.5) I don’t know. If
she was in harmony with God, then she went to Him. If she died
in a state of harmony with God, then she went to Him. It’s a
very simple thing. So we have to learn how to live in harmony
with God and encourage everyone to live in that state of harmony
with God.
Q6) I think there must
be a fear now, that if you are not going to heaven, then you are
going to hell, because that is what Christianity teaches.
A6) Well, actually, in
one sense we are already living in hell right now [i.e. in this
material world]. Especially these Finnish winters - that is
definitely hell [laughter from audience]. According to the
Vedic wisdom, at the time of death you either take birth again
in the material world or you go back to the kingdom of God.
According to the Vedic understanding, you keep taking birth
after birth after birth until finally you learn how to harmonize
with the will of the Lord, and then you enter His kingdom. But
it’s not difficult to learn how to live in harmony. All you
have to do is find persons who have mastered the art of living
in harmony with the Lord and associate with them. Then it’s
very easy to pick up the art - just like when a mother duck
swims in the water, the little baby ducks easily swim in the
water behind the mother duck. This is called “guru.” You have
to find a person, a spiritual master, who knows the art of how
to live in harmony with God. And by following such a guru, or
spiritual master, then automatically you’re properly situated.
All these devotees here, they have come to a state of harmony by
surrendering to a guru, a spiritual master.
Q7) We are different
people, and you are speaking about this harmony. So if we don’t
know where our emotions originate from, can we reach this state
of harmony?
A7) Yes. Actually,
everything originates in God. So the emotions that we have are
actually meant to be experienced and expressed in relationship
with God. By nature, that is the natural position for our
emotions. So under the guidance of an expert spiritual master,
we learn how to feel our emotions in relationship with God.
Since those emotions actually come from God, since He is the
origin of the emotions, those should be offered back to Him.
And then He increases our feeling even more – our feeling of
love. And then that loving emotion is again offered to the
Lord, and then He increases our feeling even more. This is a
type of yoga called bhakti-yoga, the science of emotional
love. The emotions are not denied, but they are engaged in a
spiritual way that uplifts your consciousness.
[End of session – next
session is Bhakti-yoga Techniques, recorded the following
day]
__________________________________________
Transcribed by Her Grace Labangalatika devi dasi
