Chapter 10 - Life Is A Play
Day 54
Our mind and intellect judge people and situations. This is because there is a lack of sattva, purity. Sattva means the quality of understanding something as it is.
Do not come to a conclusion about anything or anybody in your mind. A murderer and thief became the sage Valmiki in an instant. This transformation did not take much time, just a few seconds for him.
That is why Sri Krishna has said in the Gita - “The mind of a person who has been engaged in wrong doing can be transformed in a few moments by thinking of me”.
In just a few moments, he can be released from all his impressions and find peace of mind, he can be established in the present moment and in the self.
This is because a person only has to wake up for a little while and realise that "I am a dancer." In a play, some people play the role of Rama, others play Ravana and others Hanuman.
It is another person's job to raise the curtain. If everyone plays their part properly, depending on what role they have been assigned, this itself is accomplishment.
The Ramayana cannot be performed if everyone wants to play the part of Rama. This happened once, we had gone to Canada, and the Indian community there wanted to celebrate the Republic Day.
The children were ready to perform the Ramayana. There were 200-300 children there, of which 25 to 30 were prepared to go on stage. The son of the director of the play was perfect for the role of Rama, so she gave him the role.
However, no parent wanted their child to play the role of Ravana, the villain, and so the director was in deep trouble. Everyone said, "Do not give my son the role of Ravana. You can give him some other part."
How can the show happen without Ravana? Others objected, "Why are you giving the role of Hanuman to my son?" Lots of people were unhappy.
At last the director gave the role of Ravana to her own son, who was better suited for the role of Rama. She asked me, "What to do now? I had to ask him to play Ravana."
So now the boy that played Ravana was small, thin and young, while the boy who was stocky, strong and tall played Rama. When we do not even watch a play with the feeling that it is only a play, how is it possible to see our life as a play?
We are so foolish. Unless we achieve sattva, we will not have happiness. The more sattva increases in our life, the more happiness we will find.
If we feel less happy, that means that somewhere sattva has decreased or is missing, but when sattva grows, happiness also grows.
This is all to raise the level of sattva. Keep you intellect under control. Do not judge anyone and do not hold onto to any idea about or attitude towards someone.
This world is like water. Everyone's mind is like water. Waves on the water cannot be still. They rise up and again become still. The wave that was there yesterday is not there today and today's wave will not be there tomorrow.
Likewise, every moment people's mind, feelings, role and personality are all changing. Understand this truth. A sage is free from the sway of feelings.
We will be wise when we are free from the influence of our feelings. Feelings bind us. We have to be free from them. This means understanding that our feelings are only a play.
The feelings that are passing through us at every moment leave us that very same day. But we have bound ourselves by making our feelings into chains.
We will only be free when we are able to throw off these chains. "Siddha" means one that flies free like a bird, without bondage or restrictions and without misery.
He is just natural, simple and easy. Let us see how many people around us feel free. For how long does this feeling last? We can be happy as soon as we have this feeling.
Staying in jail, you cannot be happy. You need to be free. In the name of love, affection and trust, we steal freedom from others and bind them.
We say, "You are my son (or daughter-in-law) so you have to do as I say," or You are my wife, who I love so dearly, so you must do as I say." These are hooks we use to control others. We call it love, but it is a hook.
“Just look how much I love you. How can you treat me like that? How can you do this to me? You should do what I say because I love you so much. I've given my life for you. So you must listen to me”.
We treat people like slaves. Do not think you are doing people a favour by showing them love and affection. This is an easy way to make them into slaves.
It is no big deal making people into slaves by paying money, by shouting at them or by using power. But the clever ones make you a slave by showing love.
You become a good slave. Love and trust become a noose, which later chokes you. Why? Through ignorance, we have bound ourselves with our feelings.
It does not mean becoming an emotionless statue. There are also feelings in the state of Siddhah. "Siddhah" also means one who is ready and complete.
What is the sign that our life is ready or complete? It is when our TV feelings are free and open. As far as the body is concerned, everyone has a body, even an enlightened person. The body works and requires food and sleep.
