Letting go of book knowledge

Devotee: I would like to ask something about books. You say you read only one book in your life?

Guru: Yes – don’t ask me what. 

Devotee: I don’t know, perhaps for me, it’s not possible to read only one book. Would you say it’s better to stop reading?  I often find that when I have a question or something then I take a book and find the answer in it.

Guru: Ok, if that is how it helps you, fine. But imagine, every place I go to, people ask me questions and constantly interact with me. If I had to rely entirely on book knowledge every time somebody asked me a complicated question I would have to say, “One minute, let me go to my library.” Then I’d have to look at the books to find out the answers, and it would become intolerable for me.

Connect to the universal consciousness

The Divine has given to me an enormous [blessing] – as you are formulating your question to me I immediately have the answer on my tongue. For that to happen to you, you must plug into Divine wisdom, universal consciousness.  You have to totally surrender yourself to the Divine and this comes through time. Then you have the power, ability, and wisdom to deal with any problem that may arise.

So it’s a matter of time until you discover that there is an aspect within you that can plug into that Divine consciousness, that wisdom, which will enable you to survive at any level without any problem.

You are in a period of evolution where you have to rely on books to help you on your journey, but I’m saying don’t rely on books. If you constantly rely on books you will never begin to step into that direction of Divine consciousness and open your mind to Divine direction.

If you want something [or you have a problem], why don’t you sit down, pray to the Divine Mother and say, “I have this pressing question? Would you give me knowledge, would you give me direction, would you give me an answer?”

You will get that answer, but don’t give the Divine Mother a time factor and say, “Right I have got this pressing question. I want a reply from you in the next ten minutes.”

It will come in such a way that you will be enthralled to realise that it has happened.

Devotee: You were saying always ask your question to the Divine Mother and then it may come through a book, or a person or anything.

Guru: Anything, anything, someone will give you a book or something. I’ll give you an example. When I started the monastery I had never read anything. I had no function, rituals, or anything at all.  Then the monks and nuns asked me how we will worship. What sort of rituals are we going to follow? They wanted to know what they should do.

I said, “Look, you’ve just asked me the question, and I’ve just asked the Divine Mother and the Lord so we’ll wait and see what happens.”

Within a few minutes, and an hour, I was given the entire structure of devotion that has to be conducted in Sanskrit, [a language] that I have no knowledge about. I was able to give it to the brothers and monks and it came about differently.

Nothing that I want [to know] is inaccessible to me. As you know, in Kiental for one whole week I was literally being the instrument to give you all Vedic knowledge, ancient knowledge, which is in the scriptures. I knew nothing about what I was saying. I could sometimes feel and understand the response I was getting, and this was very exciting for me as well. For I was hearing the Vedas for the first time. I was hearing for the first time what I was saying to other people.

I hear a lot of things for the first time in this life which I brought with me from previous incarnations. So there’s an element of amazing excitement. I welcome your challenge to me. As soon as you challenge me, as soon as you say something to me, I have this amazing feeling. Not frustration, not anger but this excitement inside me, and as I’m talking to you I listen to myself and I say you’re amazing aren’t you, and I see the funny side of it.

But that is the extent of knowledge. Until you come to that consciousness it is a big problem. You are on the threshold of belonging to universal consciousness but you also belong to the world you live in and you rely on it.

Now I’m saying something to you which may depress you. It is all second-hand information. Second-hand information is written by individuals to make money. They may have some idea of knowledge but you have to rely on it.

You have to go to Foyles bookshop in London. You come away dizzy because there are rooms and rooms and rooms of books people have written about spirituality and you come away completely confused, more than ever.

I am relating as the Divine Mother wants me to in this present age. In your status of evolution what can be beneficial without the trimmings and trappings of fear? It’s very important.

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