While reading yesterday, I came across a brief mention of the power of Ojas, but it didn't give much in detail about what it is about.

    Ojas is the power which helps you rise into the Beyond: that is called Ojas. So you will find how necessary is chastity of life. The more you have got that Power within you, the more you are healthy; even if it exceeds what the body requires, it will help you in the Beyond.
    You see, from eat and drink we have some milk-like element, chyle; from there it arises and comes into the blood. From blood forms the flesh, bones, and then the pith of the bones. From the pith of the bones that Power arises. Those people who are not chaste, given up to unchastity, they have no hope for this Ojas Power. So, Ojas is the Power which helps you to transcend into the Beyond. That is why "chastity is Life, sexuality is death." We sometimes use words, but we don't know the very basic purpose for which they are there. You have read chastity is Life, sexuality is death. Normal way: that's all right. Everything which exceeds limits, that goes to spoil, you see. So blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God. That power helps. Those who are always drained out have poor health, no thinking power, not are they able to do hard work; they can do nothing. So that is why it said, chastity is Life and sexuality is death.
    Those who are not married should observe strict celibacy. Those who are married should observe according to the scriptures. Scriptures only say to marry means taking a companion in life who should be with you in weal or woe through your earthly sojourn and both meet God. Help each other. One duty may be begetting children - one! Not all! We have considered perhaps it is machinery of enjoyment. That is wrong.
    Ojas has not been defined anywhere, I tell you. From Ojas you have got that power which helps you to go into the Beyond. If you have got no surplus of this valuable fluid within you, how can you sit? Now you will see how important is chastity. The word "chastity" is used as Life and its opposite is death, you see. These things are not explained to us, that's a pity. We ourselves do not know. Outward acting and posing won't do, I tell you. So that is why I put it in the diary forms even in word, even in thought. Even unchaste words and thoughts affect you.
    If you observe an average - very simple diet with chastity, you'll be blooming. All your tonics, all your outward dietary proteins won't help you. Special diets also won't help - that is only temporary. I think with acting and posing, you appear to look all right, that is all.
    I read an instance in one book while I was a student. In the West it is usual that girls seek their own husbands and husbands seek their own companions. There was one girl who was ugly looking and nobody wanted to marry her. She was disappointed so she left the town and lived in an out-of-the-way place. Naturally, when one is disappointed, one reverts to God. She passed her days in sweet remembrance of God. After a year or so somebody came up to her, "I would like to marry you." "What are you talking about? I am the ugliest woman in the world." "No, no, no, you're not ugly." "No, no, don't joke with me!" She looked in the looking glass and her features were changed. So, thoughts are very potent, you see. Chaste thought is a blessing.
    Ojas power is that, as I tell you, which helps you to transcend into the Beyond.

Even the power to think depends on Ojas also? Continence of mind, that also depends on Ojas?

    You waste your power by thinking. Thoughts result in words and in action. That does not affect those who have no inkling whatsoever of God. Some diaries, excuse me, are full of chastity failures in deed. They take it like a food. This is wrong. I  have to give them right direction, very politely, "Take more care of that."

But he means that Ojas helps to increase the intellect also, I think.

    Well, chastity helps everything. If oil is oozing out of a burning lamp, then how long will that go on giving you light? That's the foundation on which the building is raised: your physical body, your intellect, your everything. There was one Swami Ram Tirath, principal of the Government College in Lahore. He said sometimes it so happened the very brilliant students failed. Very brilliant students who used to stand first in their classes - failed their examinations. When they went into it, they found that they lost their vital fluid the night before.
    Kabir says, a dog when it indulges in coition; it remains sad for a month, that affects it one month. What to speak of men who indulge daily! I need not say these things so openly, but that cuts the very roots of the life.
    So chastity is Life, you see. I think you will rarely find those who observe chastity, say even for one month. They think that perhaps it is a part of their diet, but that is wrong. So chaste, normal life is all right, as prescribed by the scriptures. That is why I say married life is no bar to spirituality if conducted according to the scriptures. When I write something, I mean something, you see. We simply read it, that's all.
    Your chart is with you - self-introspection report - look to that. If thoughts are right, you lose less. Suppose you lose one grain in thought, five grains in word, and half a pound in action. Thoughts are very potent. These are a necessity to insure your success. You want to go home this very birth; all right, have it. You're sure to go. This side you try, but the other side you drain out, what is it? You cannot sit. Those who say, "We cannot sit, our mind does not allow us," this is all due to failure. In the great legend of Ramayana, the other side opposing Rama was to fight. From that side some man came up to fight. He had observed twelve years of strict celibacy, chastity of life. But from Rama's side, Laxman who had been chaste all his life was selected to fight. History shows that. I've read Napoleon's life. By hearing his name, the whole of Europe trembled. What happened when he was caught at the Waterloo Battle? The story goes that he had fallen in this failure the night before. What a miracle is the life of the great man!
    In everyone's life you will find this is the drawback, the biggest drawback in the majority. Saying is something, but living is something else.
    In India, there were three or four invasions from the West, from Persia (Afghanistan). Prithvi Raj stood against them and drove them out. When finally he was captured, the reason given for that is the same reason. The day following, you are not in your sound thought, you see. You may have a boost by your outward drink and this and that thing.
    I don't think you've been given this very vivid view on this subject before. Facts remain like that. You may have a very simple life. From that you'll bloom. Your every power will be enhanced. When you have got no light for your own, how can you understand the light? Visualizing won't do. And these are people initiated by so many, so many masters in the world. This is a failure in them too, even the heads. They've got no control over their discharges. I never dreamt of this in my life. That helps in goodness when you can store in you.
    Nature does not spare anybody. "Blessed are the pure in heart for they shall see God." These are very clear words. When you have got no power of Ojas, how can you see God? How can you rise above? It will give a boost to have something, then you have to maintain it, you see.
    Live in a normal way, not given up to everything. An example is given to bring home the things to the people at large: The Lord of Food complained to Lord Shiva, "People eat me too much." Then he replied, "Those who eat more than really required, you eat them up." Then whatever is not digested, that brings disease. If you are eating too much, you are not able to digest anything. Those who indulge too much in anything, ultimately they are not able to enjoy that. These things eat them up. That is why you know self- introspection is most necessary, for which we care little, very little. So don't spare yourself. Yes?

When someone overeats, that affects chaste thoughts?

    Yes. When food is not digested, you are not able to sit for meditation. You're drowsy. So long as your stomach can digest, it is all right - for one, two months, a year or so. After that, if you overeat you are not able to digest. It means the same thing, that Food and Drink eat you up. You are not able to digest it and that food gives no power, no strength. How do diseases come up, you see? Whatever food remains undigested brings on all diseases. Or overwork.
    Three things kill a man - Hurry, worry, and food that is not digested.
    You see the very importance of it; it is very good you put that question, on Ojas.
    Yes?

Is loss of semen during the night strictly a matter of thoughts during the day?

    Surely. When you look into the eyes of others, others affect you. Eyes are the windows of the' soul. That is what I was saying to you last night. Don't look into the eyes of others, may be one sex or the other, you will be affected, weakened. If you have control over yourself and you can affect others, that's another thing. In the time of discipleship we must be very careful. When you have grown up and you have got a sheet anchor, you cannot be affected by others; you'll give life to others. Sometimes we say, "Well, Master talks lovingly to everybody." He talks lovingly from His soul, you see, not from the body. Others who talk very lovingly, talk from the level of the body. Love that arises from the body and ends in the soul: that is love. Generally all this love which ends in the body is called lust. These things are not differentiated in books, I tell you. What is that lust? Lust is love, your love, which arises out of the body and ends in the body. By sitting here, by radiation you have a boost to go into the beyond; that's Love. That is why that Love is called Charity, you see.
    Yes?

How strict should we be about associating with other people? Even any initiate? We shouldn't make any distinction.

    Meet socially so far as is necessary. If you have to meet in a Satsang or anywhere, you should think of nobody else except God. Satsang is only Satsang when no other thought creeps in your mind except God. When you are there, you are socially meeting, kissing, that is no Satsang.
    Once I reported one place, they began to embrace children. I stopped them. This kind of love will spoil your lives. If glasses are stacked in one place, they will strike, clash against each other and be broken, is it not so? We are not yet the master of our body, you see. We're dragged like anything. So, during the period of discipleship, you must be very careful. Even after that, those who are not in full control of themselves, they also go down. We have to be very careful. When I prescribed the diary, it really meant something, really.
    Now times have changed. Nobody can stay with anybody for a longer period. They must get something. And they are given, but this should be maintained by self-introspection. First something is given. (At initiation some experience of Light and Sound is given). That goes all right for some days, but if your life deteriorates, that leaves - goes away.
    God is Life, Love and Light. You get Life; Chastity is Life. We simply read things; we don't go into the bottom of them. God is Life, Love and Light. So our very life comes from where? Chastity! These things are not preached, that's the pity. They simply tell you to go do this performance, do that performance, etc. If your life is really pure, then even one thought will help you. Thank God, with all these things you get something through the Grace of our Master. But we have to maintain it. Normal life is all right. Yes, you wanted to say something?

In regards to thinking, somebody once made a statement: "I think; therefore I am." But that's not really true, because I am even if I don't think. Is that correct?

    You are a conscious entity and thinking arises from consciousness, is it not? How can one who is not conscious think? So that is why when you say, "I think," means you are conscious. We generally use words and don't go into the bottom of what they represent. We are conscious entities. Then, that consciousness works through the level of brain, through intellect. Consciousness helps you to think. So that is why it is said. God is all Intellect, all Wisdom, all Love, all Life."
    So God is working, He is all consciousness; you are a drop of the ocean of all consciousness. You have got the same power, the same thing in you - Life, Light and Love. Once, as President of the World Fellowship of Religions, I gave out my  address on this very point: Life, Light and Love. People use these words but they don't follow what they actually mean.
    One who is given up to outward losing of all this power, Ojas, is never patient, I tell you. That's the outward symbol. Like milk boiling, he will bubble out, can't control himself. That's the one thing you'll note. One who is very strong, he considers calmly. This is one thing that will come out. You can judge from that, you see. If one becomes wild for the time being, cannot  control himself, that is a sure sign that he is not chaste. He is losing all that power. For the building that has no ground underneath, a strong foundation is required. You may then have so many stories raised up high on that; but if the ground is weak, then? It will fall down. Masters have been giving this example in another way. They say the walls which are made of sand, how long will they last? Walls made of sand, will they last? How long?
    So, chastity of thought, chastity of everything, of all outgoing faculties - sight, audition, feelings - the word Brahmcharya is used for that. Brahmcharya is the way of living to find God. Brahmcharya means self-introspection, a means which enables you to find God. The other word is "Sadachar," ethical life.
    Brahmcharya: "Brahm" means God, and "acharya" means way of living. That is not only controlling the semen within you, but controlling all your outgoing faculties. Control your tongue, control your thought; think no evil of anybody else. Don't be affected by what you hear from others. If others say, "I have seen ... this and that thing," don't believe it. Yes?

So, chastity is the foremost of all the virtues?

    Well, it is the foundation of the physical body. The body is founded like a building, depending on the strength of the foundation. Even thoughts affect the very child in the womb. A mother's thoughts affect the child in the womb. Some children are very lusty. That is due to the parents. While the child is in the womb we must be quite chaste, calm, loving; that will affect the child within the womb. He'll be born like that. The reactions of the past, and the reactions of the mother's thoughts, both affect and form the child. This subject is very long, you see.
    Something more that will be a help to you: Animals and men, there is a vast difference between the two. When an animal becomes pregnant, no male animal will touch her. But in man, we are the highest in all creation, what do we do? Shameful, is it not? My hint is sufficient. I need not go too far into it. We don't observe that.
    With any subject, that will be thrashed out, threadbare, to bring home the truth at the bottom, you see.

Many of the initiates, I'm sure, will be interested in this, besides myself: If we had unchaste lives before we were initiated, how long does it take, is there a time before we are adjusted?

    I tell you, if you take poison, that affects you. But take no more poison, you see. To fall in sin is manly, but to remain there is devilish. You see, that woman who committed adultery was brought to Christ. He said, "All right, what do your scriptures say? That such a woman should be stoned to death. All right, let her stand there, and you stone her. And who shall stone
her? Who has not felt guilty of that at heart of hearts?" Nobody dared. And he said to her, "All right, go; do no more." Our Master Baba Sawan Singh used to say sometimes, when out of the whole gathering one would say, "Master, I have committed adultery." "Well, can anyone bear the burden of his sin?" Who would dare to say? Then he told him, "All right, do no more" just like that.
    We should stop somewhere. The poison eaten can be cleaned, you see. If you stop eating more poison, then it's all right. So there is hope for everybody.

Sometimes I have a feeling that I should follow a certain pattern of life, like during the day; and I say, "Well, I'm going to meditate this much, and, you know, I try and follow everything you say." But I lose touch with my desires because I do everything out of habit and I've found that if I try and think every moment, "What does my soul want?" that I'm able to follow your teachings a lot better because I keep my desire pure.

    I think I have given reply very straight and you have not followed it. The very view stated in your purpose is due to that. If you cannot live up to what He says, you have no power within yourself. You're losing, you're very loose with that. These things should not be thrown in the face. That is due to lack of doing your diary. Like a hard taskmaster, don't spare yourself. He within you does not spare even me, I tell you! Of course, God bless you. This means that there's a very strong vigilant watch to be kept. By mentioning myself, it means that son of man must fall down unless he has got some boost above, some sheet anchor within him. I am giving you something very true, a very basic thing to which you pay little care or nothing. We are already given up to sensual desires, enjoyment, in one way or another. So long as we are just stuck fast there, how can we rise above it? There should be some discipline. If a doctor comes to you, you have got fever and he says don't take any solid food, you have to live up to it. This is the path of discipleship I am explaining to you. You have to be very careful, but if you live up to it for a certain time in a particular way that will become your habit. And you will live longer for it; in that way it will turn into nature. You won't be able to do otherwise.
    So why not make the best use of the habit of the mind, you see? Do one thing today, tomorrow, a day, month or so, then? Then naturally you will have the trend of the mind to go there. Make your mind a friend, you see. "All right, let us do this." When habit is formed, then you're saved. Mind has the tendency to bring you back to earth, that's all. And a clod of earth which you throw in the air maybe with very much force, that will come down to the earth; that's her origin, earth, you see. Candle is lit, flame will go up; even up-turned, then it will go up. So long as we are bound down to the outgoing faculties, our thoughts, our thinking, our consciousness cannot rise. That will become habit. Once we learn how to rise above it and have the higher inkling, every day have that bliss, naturally mind won't like to come down. We have to work for it. Some boost or some capital is given; that is a great concession. But maintain it.