Mind is a marvelous melodramatic entity. It cannot live without its glamour, controversies and frustrations. In fact it can’t do without creating and spinning new ones.  The mind should be awarded a Noble prize for the best inventions, for creating hell and heaven successfully and continuously!  One moment you are in heaven and the next moment you are in hell! That is the power of your mind.

So, we need to mind our mind, but we do not mind our mind. The need is to understand the mechanism of mind – and for those who do not know the mechanism of this mind, it becomes their worst enemy. And once you understand the mechanism of your mind, then this mind becomes your best secretary and best friend – one who never goes on sick leave!  One who is always in service, “Yes, boss!”

For an ordinary person, mind is the master; then you begin to live according to the way your mind has been trained, the way your mind has been conditioned. Your dress sense, your hair style, the perfume you use, the ornaments you wear, the accessories you choose to have…all are decided by others!

What is real for you? Actually this ‘you’ too is a fake one. And that is the reason we find people just faking. Smiles, orgasms – they fake everything, because they do not know what their being is in reality. That is the reason the smiles are artificial – they are not spirited smiles.

Once, I was in a shop and we were looking for something. A beautiful girl was at the counter. She gave me a very nice smile, but I could see what was there deep down within. In ten minutes her smile went away. My companion said, “I need help”. She gave a stern, cold look and said, “My duty is over, so the next person will serve you”. There was no smile – smiling was just a job, part of the job – that warmth was artificial, the smile was artificial.

Thus, friendships are artificial, relationships are artificial. What is real? We live in a very artificial world. We have artificial selves, we have artificial things around and that is the reason people feel so discontented and dejected. They cannot put their finger on what is the reason for that emptiness which they feel in their mind.  Everyone is being victimized because of this emptiness and looking for something to fill that, but cannot find it.

So, religion, spiritualism, meditation and reading books – these are all the props with which we are trying to fill up the emptiness, which many people fail to recognize that they have. Many people do not know this. They say, “We are the happiest! What is wrong with us? We are the happiest!” And one little tiny, up-down happening in their life, one little loss – financial or emotional – and there they are, crumpled up on the ground. The happiness is fake, the recession is fake and the so-called profits are fake too! Such a fake life is being lived that people tend to believe this fake as natural and they do not know what natural is.

People have forgotten how to sleep naturally – they need candles, perfumes, oils, CDs, books and pills. They cannot even sleep naturally. And I say, you are the biggest pauper living on the earth if you cannot even sleep naturally. How does it matter how many billions you have in your bank accounts? How does it matter how comfortable you are in your opulent houses, in your apartments, if you cannot even sleep naturally? A poor person, who can sleep naturally, is then richer than you!

People are more obsessed with outer attainments. They do not want to look into their own mind. They are happy with these fake identities, fake reality, fake lifestyles and it is such a mind-boggling thing even to listen to this, that what we are living is a fake life. Then people get angry; they become very frustrated and sometimes they begin to hate me for saying these words. I do not fear anyone, so I say it, because I have nothing to lose and nothing to gain from anyone. I have to state what the truth is – I have to say that.

Thus, these conditionings are putting us down. So, in one way or another, until and unless we do not begin to face this reality of ‘fakeness’, nothing is going to happen. We can live in our fools’ paradise for as long as we want. But some fortunate, blessed ones, lucky ones get this final jolt on their heads. Then they begin to think, ‘What’s wrong?’ And the day, the moment you begin to think about your mind, about your consciousness, about the level of your emotions, about the way you are living your life – that is the turning point. From that point onwards, no one can hold you and you will just grow and grow and grow…and finally reach the point where enlightenment happens.

You do not grab enlightenment. You do not buy enlightenment. It cannot be gifted to you. You need to evolve to reach that point. However, this ‘fake-ness’ is so big, and no one is ready to question that. No one is ready to know – what do I really have with me? We are happy to have things with us. We are happy to have friends with us. Take away all friends, take away all expensive precious things, take away all the riches, cars, homes, banks, this and that – Who are you then? What are you then? How would you exist? How would you feel? How would you be? Mentally stark naked, with no crutch to hold you – it seems a very dangerous kind of situation. You have no idea what it would actually be, but I have to say that, that is the point where the real search begins, minus these fake identities, minus these socio-conditionings.

“Who am I?” should be the question to haunt you day and night. And that can be a great transforming moment when we begin to address this issue. We do not want to address this issue. That is the reason we have all these consolations. We have things, we have people, we have club memberships, we have spa memberships, and we have great memberships of great places. And then we have some gurus and some good books lying on our coffee table.

Then we have another consolation – because I give good charity to the church or the synagogue or the temple or the ashram – now I think that God is very happy with me, so nothing can go wrong. I have bought even the blessings of God. I have ensured my entry into paradise and that the best suite will be given to me. Why should I worry? I have the best here, I will have the best there too and that is what makes people happy. The question is: Are they really happy? Will they really remain happy? These things are meant to be pondered upon. We should not hide behind our scriptures. We have to face what we really have – is it meaningful?

Our mind is so mischievous, so smart and so intelligent. It has a great power and that is to create justification for everything. We can justify anything, any situation; anything can be easily justified. And with this tool or with this power of justification, we are happy even if we are sitting in a sewer, because we will justify that, “Who has lived in a sewer? I have. Who can match me? Who can match me?”

In sociology, human beings are called social animals. I say, “No! Men and women are justifying animals!” They justify everything. If they are non-believers, they justify that. If they are believers, they justify that. If they meditate, they justify that, and if they do not meditate they justify that too. If they are vegetarian, they justify that. If they eat steak, they justify that. Right? If they can sleep, they will justify that and if they cannot sleep, they will justify that too. So, men and women are justifying animals. Have I justified?!!! (Gurumaa laughs)