When God Says It's Time to Go

From Gautam Baiji's recent satsang

When we are growing up, we think, "Let me get an education. Let me graduate."

"Now I'm graduated, let me get a nice job." So you get a nice job.

After that, "Now I want to get married."

And then? Children.

Why? All these things are to get happiness. To get peace.

And then... you know the link, right?

After that, you want education and a nice job, but not for you. For your children.

Again... marriage. Again... (grand)children.

What next?...

And the reason for these things? Happiness and peace.

I'll get education, I'll get peace.
I'll get a job, I'll get peace.
I'll get married, I'll have peace.
I'll have kids, I'll have peace.
And again and again the circle continues...

Then the time come when God says, "My dear son/daughter, it's time to go."

Then we start thinking, "What should I take with me? Let me fill my bag."

When we travel, we feel like our pockets should be full. Money, credit cards, so we don't get stuck, or have to borrow money. So we're careful to make sure we have what we need so we will have peaceful traveling.

But when God is ready for us to travel, we cannot even take our own body.

So how could we take a bag?

We cannot fill the bag with children, with wife or husband, or with money (because that currency doesn't work there).

What will we be ready to bring?

In another satsang, Gautam Baiji said that just as we brought our past karma into this life, we would be bringing our current karma forward that we achieved in this life... but that is all. To whatever level we developed our soul, that alone would come with us on this trip, which begs the question, are we prepared? If not, what should we be doing?

What Are You Doing With Your Life, The Crown of All Creation?

~ Gautam Baiji gave this satsang last week ~

One day a man saw his Mahatmaji, who asked him:

"Why are you not coming to ashram? You used to come all the time, but now not so much."

The man said, "I don't have time. I have to do everything for my family," and he told him all the things he has to do.

The Mahatma said, "I'm not saying you shouldn't do those things - you definitely should take care of your family. That is your duty. But what are you doing for yourself?"

The man said, "I don't have that time for myself. I'm too busy with my family. Plus I have to attend events with relatives all the time. But one day I will get a chance, and I will do it for sure."

Mahatmaji asked him, "Who told you you will get a chance later?" 

We say things like this a lot: "When I retire, then I will have time." But ask people who are already retired how much meditation they are doing, how much time they are spending on themselves..."

We think, "When everything is done, then I will do meditation."

Will that happen? No. One day your life will be over, but your work will continue.

So the man said, "Mahatmaji, you don't have a family, so you don't understand all that I have to do. I simply do not have the time."

Mahatmaji said, "You know, you are working for them day and night. Do you think they will help you with your karma?

"Why not? If I'm helping them, of course they would help me too."

"Let's put it to the test," and the Mahatma gave him a technique to use.

So the man went home and asked his wife to make rice pudding for him. She did this and served it to him.

Soon after, he started complaining of stomach pains. It got worse and worse. "I think I'm dying!" the man said. (He was pretending.)

After moaning in pain for a while, he said, "When I was a young boy, I would get this same pain and the only person who had the medicine was one Mahatmaji. Please call him." Then he stopped breathing and passed out.

The wife was scared, and she immediately called the whole family there and got her son to fetch the Mahatma. When he arrived, he said:

"It's true that I have the only medicine that can cure him, but it comes with one condition: I need someone to volunteer to drink the medicine for him. It will kill that person, but your Dada will live - that is the only way. Who is ready?"

The grandmother said, "If I do it, who will take care of my husband. He needs me, so I cannot to do it."

The wife said, "Mahatmaji, I could do that because I love my husband, but my kids are very young. If I die, who is going to take care of them? Because of them, I cannot die."

The Mahatmaji said, "Will any of the kids drink it?"

The mother said, "No, how can you say that?"

"Okay, so no one's ready for that, so let me drink it," the Mahatma said.

"Oh Mahatmaji, thank you so much," the wife said. "Mahatmas come into this world to help others. You already sacrificed your life once, and now if you sacrifice it again, that would be great."

"We even promise that if you drink the medicine to save him, when you die we will make a nice temple for you. We'll put a statue of you there, and we'll pray every day. Thank God you met us."

The man then opened his eyes and sat up, showing everyone he was not sick at all. He heard everything and realized that even though he did everything for his family, they were looking out for themselves, as people typically do.

"Do everything you can for your family, but take time for yourself. Sit alone, think about yourself, ask 'What is my life's goal?'"

Why do I have this beautiful life?

The saints say this human life is the crown of all creation. What are we doing with it?

"I Love the Baijis!" - Reasons People Come to the Ashram

Why do you come to Divine Art of Yoga Center ashram?

Abha: I come because I love the baijis (nuns)! And I come for myself, actually. To make me a better person. Ever since I was a child, I've always wanted to do for others. I've always believed in karma. I want to do more than go to the temple and listen to aarti and all, I'd rather do something with my life, and that's why I'm here, where I can do more for other people. The baijis encourage me. 

I feel better coming here. I'm able to control my mind a little bit better and make myself a better person. Coming here and listening to the baijis means I help a lot more people in my life. Sharing with people about what a good life looks like - how you can do it, why you should do it. The baijis always encourage us to help others."

Do We Assume We Were the Same Nationality in Our Last Life?

Samsara - the repeating cycle of birth, life and death (reincarnation) and consequences in the past, present and future (karma). Hindus believe that the Atman (soul) is intrinsically pure. However, because of the layers of I-ness and My-ness, the Atman goes through transmigration in the cycle of births and deaths. Death destroys the physical body, but not the Atman.

If we suspect we will continue the Samsara life cycle after our physical death and return as a living person (usually?), we might unconsciously think our karma will return us to the same race or culture we're living in now, perhaps using the same language.

But because there are so many different societies on this planet alone, it's likely we will be in a very different situation upon rebirth. Vive la difference!

So when I see all the non-Indians comfortably making the ashram their home - many have already studied the Vedas, the Upanishads, the Gita and more - I sometimes wonder if we were Indian Hindus in our last life.

If so, thank you for welcoming us back home.

In this life we're Argentinian, Colombian, German, Polish, Mexican, Irish, Scandinavian, and more. We're attracted to the Truth because, perhaps, we knew it in the last life. Perhaps we remember the taste of spicy daal and roti. Perhaps we remember the spiritual community an ashram provides.

At the Divine Art of Yoga Center Ashram, our unique perspectives provide a spiritual spark, even as we converge on the same path to attain self-realization. Samadhi. Liberation.

That's a beautiful thing.

Namaste.

Rinse and Repeat