Question 1

Maneesha has asked:

OUR BELOVED MASTER,

TO REMEMBER TO WITNESS, COULD IT BE HELPFUL TO START WITH ONE ROUTINE -- LIKE SHOWERING OR MAKING THE BED -- IN WHICH AS MUCH AWARENESS IS BROUGHT TO THE MOMENT AS POSSIBLE? THEN WHEN ONE IS ABLE TO MAINTAIN THAT FOR SEVERAL DAYS, ANOTHER ACTIVITY COULD BE UNDERTAKEN IN THE SAME MANNER. PERHAPS TRIGGERS COULD ALSO BE USED -- LIKE A PARTICULAR PERSON OR A CERTAIN COLOR -- TO RECALL THE SPACE OF WITNESSING.

IS THIS A GOOD IDEA OR ARE THERE PITFALLS I CAN'T SEE?

Maneesha, it is a good idea, but you will still get a hit. Stonehead, a real German hit!

 (THERE IS THE SOUND OF NISKRIYA'S ZEN STICK TAPPING MANEESHA ON THE HEAD.)

Good!

Now Gurudayal Singh is thinking his time seems to have come.

The third-grade teacher calls on Little Ernie and says, "Can you use the word `beautiful' twice in the same sentence?"

"Oh, sure," replies Ernie. "Um... Yesterday, my sister came home, told my father that she was pregnant, and he said, "Beautiful, fucking beautiful!"

Doctor Geet, the dentist, begins to work on the teeth of a voluptuous young woman. All of a sudden, he feels soft warm fingers slide up the inside of his thigh, encircle his family jewels, and then gently squeeze them. Doctor Geet stops his work.

"Now that I have got your attention, doctor," says the woman, smiling sweetly, "we are not going to hurt each other, are we?"

"The Israeli War"...

The prime minister of Israel calls a special cabinet meeting in secret session. The prime minister reports that the prolonged Middle East conflict is weakening the country; inflation is rampant; the people are discouraged and the future is very gloomy. He asks for proposals.

One cabinet member suggests that Israel declare war on the United States. "Then," he says, "after the defeat, they will do with us what they have done with Germany and Japan. We will become a great, prosperous nation!"

The prime minister remains somber and says, "Yes, but suppose we win?"

Gorgeous Gloria walks into the bar and sits down next to Big Black Rufus. She eyes him up and down carefully, then orders herself a drink.

"I am really impressed with the size of your huge chest," Gloria whispers to Rufus.

"Yup," says Rufus. "It is sixty-two inches -- I measured it this morning after pumping iron."

"Really?" says Gloria, her eyes widening. "And I must say," she coos, "that you look very strong with those steel-packed arm muscles you have."

"Yup," replies Rufus. "Twenty-five inches -- I measured them this morning."

Gloria swallows down her drink, smiles hotly at Rufus, points at his machinery, and says, "My, that looks rather nice, too."

"Yup," replies Rufus, "two inches -- I measured it this morning."

"Two inches?" gasps Gloria, "only two inches?"

"Yup," replies Rufus, with a grin. "From the floor!"

Nivedano...

(Drumbeat)

(Gibberish)

Nivedano...

(Drumbeat)

Be silent. Close your eyes. Feel your body to be completely frozen.

Now look inwards with all your life energy, with all your consciousness, and with an urgency to reach the center of your being, urgently as if this could be your last moment.

This moment, at your very center, you are the buddha. This is the only thing: witnessing, which is eternal. Thousands of bodies you have lived in before, but you lived only outwardly. Don't miss this life.

You are the buddha when you are witnessing the body as separate, the mind as separate, and yourself just a mirror reflecting.

Nivedano...

(Drumbeat)

Relax. The body is there, the mind is there, but you are neither. You are the one who is witnessing, and that is the meaning of the buddha: the one who is witnessing.

The night was beautiful in itself, but by your relaxed consciousness merging into each other, it has become a splendor, a miracle.

You have to collect as much grace, peace, silence, as many flowers that are showering, as much juice that is flowing from your center as possible, because you have to bring buddha every day closer to your outer life.

The day your center and circumference are one, that will be the day of your enlightenment.

Before Nivedano calls you, collect as much gold to bring to the circumference as you can. And persuade the buddha -- it has been long he has been hiding in you -- to come with you.

Nivedano...

(Drumbeat)

Even in coming, show the grace, the beauty of a buddha, of an awakened being.

For a few minutes sit silently recalling the golden path you had moved on to the center and again back to the circumference.

In your day-to-day life remember as much as you can,

but don't make it a tension -- a relaxed undercurrent

that you are a buddha. And in your being a buddha,

the whole universe becomes the buddha.

Okay, Maneesha?