Video Teachings with Sri Bhagavan

Gratitude to Maria for the notes

& to Noni Kaufman for helping to distribute them.

Sri Bhagavan Teaching - Suffering is in Perception not in Fact

Access video

http://www.youtube.com/worldonenesstv#p/a/u/0/oHogJK_YWCw

Question: Bhagavan give us more clarity of suffering is not in the fact but the perception.

Answer:  See do animals have suffering at all? They do not have suffering except for a very, very short while. They have physical pain.  If you beat an animal it has got physical pain and for a short term it may be very angry with you. 

Now after sometime it's no more angry with you because animals have only short term memory. They don't have long term memory.

Whereas we have long term memory and therefore, we go on thinking about an incident. Thinking about that incident is what gives you suffering.

Suppose somebody comes and gives you a fine slap. Now, what has happened?  The hand has hit this side.  It's hot here for a few minutes. That's all. So where is the problem? You can think of it as some kind of good exercise for your cheeks, for your head and then go about it.

But then you are thinking, who is that rogue who hit you, why did he hit you, how to get back at him, how to punch him, all the things that happened.

That's what we call suffering.  The fact is simple.  Just one hand came and hit your cheeks or somebody kicked you in the back. That's all. So many times you've fallen down. So what? But why are you making such a big fuss out of it.  

Because that memory is there and what is memory?  Memory is a flow of thought and thought is the culprit. Thought always makes mischief. It always creates trouble. It survives by comparing.

So thought is the root cause of all trouble and therefore it creates suffering by converting that fact into a perception.  But then if you live a life of inner integrity you could stop it.

If you lead the life of inner integrity thought itself may stop. It may come only when required or even if it comes it would only be formal functional thought:  this light is burning, switch it there, switch it off like this, put it this way.

That kind of thought would be there, not going on thinking about what has happened either in the past or what is going to happen in the future. You would just be in the present.

In the present you cannot think.  Conversely, you can think of the past or the future. The present is a living experience. There is no thought at all. But, you've got into this habit. Like lying, this thinking has become a habit. Non-stop you're thinking. So all the time thinking, thinking, thinking, which is a waste of energy.

That's why very often you feel tired, you can't enjoy life because of non-stop thinking. So what's the point of that thinking? So if all this must stop, you have to go back to inner integrity.

Similarly, I told you, all the time you are speaking lies and if you speak the truth, you would destroy society. But if you don't speak the truth you will lead a life of lies which has its own harmful effects. 

So how do we handle the situation?  Well at first we have to move into inner integrity.  If you move into inner integrity you can be honest as well as not disturb society. That's why we're trying to teach you inner integrity.

So that is the truth if you want to speak lies.  If you want to stop speaking lies you have to practice inner integrity. And as lies reduce there is no need for thoughts to go on working like this.

The thoughts are so full of lies from the ego going on thinking, continuously covering up things because if it does not go on thinking, the truth will be exposed and you do not want to see the truth about yourself. You do not realize that while you know so much about the other person you know very little about yourself.

You know very little about yourself, but you seem to know so much about others and the fact is if you look into yourself you know what you'll find there? Everybody wants to think nicely about themselves, to think good about themselves.

You don't like the feeling of feeling guilty, feeling bad.  So everything is nicely decorated.  All that rubbish in you is nicely decorated.  It's all hiding inside. That is your problem. You've never seen yourself. 

Speaking lies to somebody is ok, but speaking lies to yourself destroys you.  And then you'll come out a liberated being.  You'll be as free as the bird that is flying in the skies, so totally free you'll become. But you have to practice inner integrity.  The only tool is inner integrity.

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For more of Sri Bhagavan's teachings on Inner Integrity:

http://theonenesscommunity.ning.com/notes/Bhagavan%27s_Teachings_for_January_2010

http://theonenesscommunity.ning.com/notes/index/show?noteKey=Sri_Bhagavan_Teaching_-_What_Happens_When_One_is_Not_Integral%3F

http://theonenesscommunity.ning.com/notes/Skype_Transcript%2C_New_Jersey%2C_Vermont_11-21-09 (Question 2)

http://theonenesscommunity.ning.com/notes/Skype_Transcript%2C_Mexico_12-19-09  (Questions 2 and 3)

http://theonenesscommunity.ning.com/notes/Skype_Transcript%2C_New_Zealand_01-03-10

(Question 3)

http://theonenesscommunity.ning.com/notes/Skype_Transcript%2C_Verbania%2C_Italy_11-28-09

(Question 3)

http://theonenesscommunity.ning.com/notes/Skype_Transcript%2C_San_Diego%2C_California_11-23-09 (Question 1)

http://theonenesscommunity.ning.com/notes/Skype_Transcript%2C_Buenos_Aires%2C_Argentina_11-25-09  (Question 1)

http://theonenesscommunity.ning.com/notes/Skype_Transcript%2C_Clearwater%2C_Florida_11-21-09 (Question 1)

http://theonenesscommunity.ning.com/notes/Skype_Transcript%2C_Los_Angeles%2C_California_11-24-09 (Question 8)