Sometimes when I am sitting a lot of figures come.

    Figures?

I can recognize them.

    Yes.

But it is not in the Light.

    Do Simran and they will go away, that's all. Don't pay any attention to the scenery or anything else.

They go away, they disappear. Why do they come?

    It is negative. Why do they come? They come to retard your attention. So many things come up. When you go into meditation only be after Master, Light or Sound. Where the Sound is very strong anywhere; pay attention to it. If the Light is strong anywhere, just see it and Master's Form will come up. One of the three you should be after.
[A disciple asked a question in Hindi. ]
    Her question is what sort of Love can enable us to reach God. You see? First thing is to obey what He (Master) says. This is first. Do everything required. Then He says, "All right, weed out all imperfections. Don't think evil of anybody else, even in your mind, in thought, word or deed. Don't deceive your own self by telling lies."
    Don't hate others, because their soul is of the same essence as that of God. Love is spirit, soul. When you strike a sword anywhere that will cut anything into two. But the sword of love is one which, when struck, it makes two into one; it unifies. This unification is the ultimate result of Love. Then you forget it is He or I. In other words become receptive, forget everything else, then you forget your own self. That is the first thing. Then you see that, "It is not now I, but Christ lives in me."--the Ultimate. I think it is such a fire it consumes everything except God or Master.

I was wondering if when somebody wants to harm us in any way or say false things against us, should we ignore it or try to defend ourselves ?

    Take defensive measures, but don't have ill will.

Is the mind competent to really know what is in harmony with the Creator of all?

    Mind--No. How do you define mind? In the East they consider mind is not conscious; in the West they consider mind is conscious. There is a vast difference. Mind gets consciousness from the soul.
    It is the soul which recognizes God, not mind. When the outgoing faculties are stilled, mind is at a standstill and intellect also ceases to work--then He comes up. But it is the soul that recognizes God, not mind. You follow? Like knows the like. Mind is material. It is the essence of the negative power. Soul alone can know God. That is why it is said, know yourself--know thyself. All Masters have said like that. You are not mind, you have got a mind. You are a soul. You have a body, you have got outgoing faculties, you have got intellect, you have got a mind. It is you, a conscious entity, a drop of the Ocean of All Consciousness, that can know All Consciousness. So like knows the like. What else?
    You please?

I have a question about parents, and our responsibilities to them when very often there is a conflict between trying to get closer to the Master and the desires and wishes of our parents, when our parents want worldly things for us and we are trying to get away from them.

    You're taking up so many questions. One by one, now: first?

What is our responsibility toward parents?

    Toward your parents? They brought you up while you were in a very helpless state, you could not even move, at their own sacrifice of money, time. Well, your first duty is to serve them.

Serve?

    Remember your mother carried you in her womb for nine months. Your first duty is to love and serve them. If the parents are pleased, God is pleased. You may serve Master, but you must meet with their requirements. If they really need you then it is your duty to serve them first, then the Master.

What if for example my coming here displeased my parents very much?

    You have no devotion for your father, and moreover it is due to some misunderstanding that you have created, by saying perhaps you are not really after their religion. If you had brought home to them that these are the teachings lying at the very basis of Christianity, they would not object. They love you. They are afraid that you are being led astray. First you are a man, then a Christian. First duty is to your Self; keep your body fit; then to those who brought you up; then to those who have been brought in contact with you through the flowing pen of God as a karmic reaction and then further...

So what to do in a case when parents are hurt because of trying to be more on the Path?

    Then that shows want of your love for your parents, I would say. Have you followed exactly what I mean to say?

Yes. That I should have more love for my parents.

Surely.

And in that way they would understand.

    In the West, thank God, you observe Mother's Day, Father's Day. In India we never have such days. What does it mean? You must meet your mother and father and serve them to the best you can and earn their pleasure. By celebrating Father's Day or Mother's Day what does it mean? Does it not show that you have been devoted to your parents? Be thankful to your father, mother. Sometimes parents have real love for you, but they are afraid you might have been misled, might have gone astray, that's the point. They might get that misimpression. Sometimes they ask, "Oh, what are you doing?" They are jealous. But really what I'm saying today, is not to hurt their feelings. Love of God is necessary too. Give them right understanding of the Teachings you have got: it is not a new religion. These Teachings are the very core, I would say, of all Masters' Teachings, those who came in the past.
    But I am very thankful that they observe Father's Day and Mother's Day. And at the same time judge your question how it stands.

Where is the line though between attachment and love in the relationship between parents and children?

    Love means charity. Not lust or attachment. Do you follow? Love of God, for God resides in every heart. Love for all is love. When it's only congealed to one object--that is attachment. If it is congealed with the outward sensual enjoyments--it is lust. Very clearly. This you won't find in books. What else, dear friend, anything?

Master, several days ago you asked us to write clown any question that came in our mind, and that clay I did it. I wrote clown and I brought it.

    Then?

And then when You asked for it I became ashamed and afraid. I didn't like the question. I thought it... it really didn't matter to me.

    Look here, look here. Why afraid? I am a man with two hands, two eyes. I am not a bug-bear. Why be ashamed? Children go to a teacher to learn so many things. There is no question of being ashamed. I tell you, bring the worst question you have got in your heart. Don't feel ashamed or feel reserved. Bring all your questions for the pleasure of a Friend, put them in writing. Bring them tomorrow, the worst possible questions. Don't be afraid. Don't be reserved. These thoughts lurking in your mind will get you nowhere.

You mentioned in Morning Talks that it's not right for us to touch others if we wish to remain chaste. But in America everybody wants to shake hands. So what should we do when someone outstretches their hands?

    Look here. Children meet mothers, or sisters meet brothers, or daughters meet father or mother. The whole poison lies in the mind. You see, mind should be chaste. When a daughter is lying in the lap of her mother or father, how chaste they are. So it is the mind; poison lies in the mind. In India also, I think, forty years back, sisters would like to play with their brothers out of love. Mothers who kiss their children never dreamt of anything. Now because of the values they have got, now everything is different. Now if a father is sitting by the daughter, they will say, "Oh, what is going on?" It is a poison of the mind. I have seen in the West, it is a custom, they shake hands, all right. To kiss also that's a custom. But all the time they don't mean it. Or if a daughter kisses father do you mean to say they are going around?

I'm glad you answered that, Master, so truthfully. It's wonderful. Because in the West they are absolutely twisted in all things. Even the parenthood in America is disappearing, any regard for the parents. It's really quite terrible. They even undermine the very hand that has been bringing them up and feeding them. They have turned against them and are treacherous. It is very difficult, Master. And I have met all kinds of young people that are really not at all actually regarding their father and mother with any honor at all.

    I replied to that.

Yes, I'm so grateful, Master. It is one of the salient things in America, that very loss of love for their parents. It's extraordinary; you meet it everywhere.

    That's the difference in the East and West, you see.

Now there's another thing that I would like to say to you. There is a Satsangi who happened to come into our group and this boy came all stooped over and he wouldn't look at anyone and he wouldn't look anyone in the eyes. And I said, "What is this, son, what are you doing?'' Because I couldn't understand how he was going to get through life if he just kept his head down all the time and walked like that. And he said, "Well, Master said not to look in anybody's eyes."

    That must be in reply to the letter he sent.

Oh really? Well, I'd love to know how you answered that because it was...

    Look here, man gets all unchaste thoughts. When he sees anybody he gets unchaste thoughts, lusty thoughts. Well, I told him, "to save you from that don't look into the eyes of others."

Well, I worried about him because he has to earn a living.

    I tell you, look just for awhile, you will see lust attacks through the eyes, anger attacks through the ears. If we don't look into the eyes of others we won't be affected by what they are. Look into the eyes of whom? Who is definitely chaste, a spiritual man.

Oh, I'm glad to hear you say that because I felt maybe I was hurting that boy, but I was thinking...

    That was only in reply to his letter, you see. He wrote, "How to save myself?." I told him to keep a diary, be critical to the utmost as you would criticize anybody else, and don't look into the eyes of others.
    Moreover you are affected by others through the eyes. Through eyes you are affected by others. If you are stronger you will influence others. If not, you are affected by others.

Well, that boy, I felt sorry for him because I didn't know how he was going to get through life because he went around like that.

    Better he should have been explained further after he had read my letters. "All right, don't look into the eyes of others, unless you have got something to offer or look into the eyes of some Man Who is higher."

He won't even look at a Satsangi.

    Well, do you say Satsangis are Saints? They are not all Saints. They are on their way to becoming Saints. It is safer not to look into the eyes of others. In old days, women in India would never look at any man except their husband. Laxman, the younger brother of Rama would never look into the face of his brother's wife, Sita. When Sita was abducted and they were searching for her, Laxman could recognize the ornaments of Sita's feet, not of her face. He had never seen her face. There's some truth behind it.

Yes, I know that, Master. I was just wondering because in the West when a man fails to look into his employer's eyes, they think they're shifty. They think they're criminals. Criminals do that you know. I didn't know what he's getting into.

    If a man puts a question, he gets a reply only for that question. He wrote, "Is it all right to look into the eyes of others? Please tell me what you have to say."

Thank you, Master, for that. I did have a question of my own. I would like to know the ratio of time on this plane. When you told us last night that if we didn't meditate and do a great deal of meditation on this side that time was so much longer on the other side. What is the ratio of time on the other side to this time here?

    What takes a month here will take years there.

A month here will take years there?

    Years.

I heard the Satsangis talking about that and I made up my mind I would ask you and see.

    People talk, talk, talk and don't do anything. An ounce of practice is more than tons of theories that everybody understands. But he does not bring into practice. Even if you bring ten questions into practice you'll change like anything. You know so many things. Everybody knows. Who is there that does not know? Almost anybody you meet can stand and give a very wonderful talk. But the question is whether we live up to that or not.

Yes, there's a great difference.

    Wanted--reformers, not of others, but of themselves; and what will you get?--Godhead.

I wanted to ask you about--I feel that I'm spirit, that--

    You're spirit, yes.

And that you're in me and I'm in you, and that when I do something I feel that it is God doing it.

    You feel or you See?

I see. I think I see.

    If you See, it's all right.

How can I do anything wrong?

    If you See, you cannot do wrong. But the question is whether you See or not.
    The question would not have arisen at all, if you See.

Of course, I have a problem with the diary.

    Diary problems, you'll still find many things there. Just see to it. You'll find. Don't spare yourself. Try. I have also kept the diary all through life. Just keep that straight, then everything will be remedied. If a man Sees that He is doing then I think what more...

It's only common sense.

    Common sense is something else. Seeing is something else. You're talking about common sense or drawing inferences or by Seeing? Feelings, emotions, inferences they're all subject to error. Seeing is above all. You feel. If you See then there's no doubt. I mean there's no doubt left. Seeing is above all. If a man becomes conscious that He is doing, sees He is doing--then? Then how can he do anything wrong? But does he really See? That's the point. With feelings, come emotion; emotional life. If you love the Master, keep His Commandments; abide by them, even if you don't understand them. I will tell you one instance at our Ashram at Delhi. There is one old lady. I asked, "All right, all of you keep the diary." She said, "I cannot write." But I said, "All right, you keep a diary anyway." She kept a diary. She put flowers on that diary form and also burned some incense daily. The result was Master was within twenty-four hours of the day and night. She followed literally.
    In the diary you are confessing every moment, you are remembering your Master. With inner constant remembrance, there is no difference between the Master and yourself--"It is I, not now I, but Christ lives in me." In the case of that old lady it was different. That's another thing. Diary is a blessing. That will remind you every time--I have to fill in the diary. I'm remembering all along. And if you do something wrong then that's sort of confession. I issued one circular on that. I hope you must have seen it.

Yes, I've read it.

    But seeing is above all. Feeling is all right. Emotion is all right.
Drawing inferences. But they're all subject to error. Seeing is above all.

I don't See?

    What?

I don't See.

    [Master chuckles.] I'm not imposing. I'm explaining the whole thing. I'm explaining the whole thing. Anything else? All right, nine thirty-five. All right. Good enough.