Finally, only love will liberate the ego
Questioner: Acharya Ji, I have come to understand that reality of for us is entirely dependent on the sensory apparatus that we use. Also you have taught in the ‘Karma Yoga’ session that ‘Aham’ will always demand something and we should give Aham such a big thing that it dissolves itself in it.
Acharya Ji, I want to know what role does love play for Aham to dissolve itself?
Acharya Prashant: A great role Shubhankar (Questioner), a huge role. You could even say probably the only role. Without love there is no dissolution of the ego possible.
The ego is an attraction. Either the ego will be attracted towards its own stuff; stuff that is available in its own world, stuff that is available in its own dimension or the ego would be attracted towards something beyond.
Though the fact of the matter is that even when they was attracted to its own stuff, it is actually searching for beyondness within its own stuff. That beyondness is unfortunately not available in the dimension of the ego but that's what the ego nevertheless keeps hoping; one day within my own premises I will find the distant stars. One day on my dining table the moon will descend. That's what the hope of the ego is.
Normally, usually, the ego, just keeps to itself. Staunchly refuses to look beyond itself. That is the real meaning of selfishness.
The ego will have a great confidence, great belief in itself. Consequently, the ego will be attracted only toward things within its own fold. Therefore, the ego is an assurance against self-dissolution. If the ego is there, it will be very-very reluctant against any prospect of its elimination. It will want to remain the way it is; thirsty, hungry, suffering, nevertheless alive and kicking.
In fact, it is the thirst that the ego will come to equate with life. It is the stress and the tension that the ego will come to equate with life. The ego will say, “Whenever, I have called myself alive, throughout my life history, I have found myself in some kind of tension, suffering.” Therefore, suffering is an indicator of life. Hence, when the prospect of elimination of suffering would come, it would appear to the ego like the threat of death.
If suffering is life then freedom from suffering is death.
And the ego will say, “Somebody is targeting me. Somebody wants me dead. I'll not allow that.” Therefore, the ego normally is very-very reluctant to change, to get rid of suffering. That's why you see people going to any length, prepared to do anything, just to maintain their suffering-self. It's quite amazing. I often says, “Sadhana requires a lot of investment from you.” I say, “Pay the price.” Don't I?
But the fact is, you pay a much higher price not doing Sadhana. The price that you pay is the continuous toleration of your suffering-self. How big is that price? Very-very big.
We work very-very hard just to keep suffering. In the existential run of things, it is quite possible that suffering might reduce on its own, if not completely go away. We do not allow suffering to reduce. We invest in our suffering with our sweat and blood, just to ensure that it continues, it must continue.
Comparatively, freedom from suffering involves a much smaller price. Love is needed but not the normal love. Normal love is only for stuff that will keep you in chains, in bondage and will push you towards even deeper suffering.
There is no instrument more vicious than love when it comes to the contributors to man's suffering. Nothing makes man keep and extend and exacerbate his suffering more than the normal worldly love. Loves that takes you beyond yourself. Love that gives you freedom from suffering is a different beast altogether. It's a very-very different thing. Not at all similar to what you usually call as love.
Unless, you are someone who can confuse a crocodile with a banana, you will not call these two kinds of love as one. They're poles apart. They are universes apart. They are dimensions apart. You cannot just conflict the two.
So, love is needed but not the love that you call as love. What you call as love, I say is the most deadly instrument of human suffering. When the ego usually falls in love, it falls in love with itself, it falls in love with something that would help it extend itself.
Ego’s first identification is the body. Therefore, first of all, when you say, “You love”, it is another body that you talk of. Is that not so? The kid would say, “I love mummy, I love Papa” Because the egos first love is the body. That's what you call as the Jeev, the person, no? The embodied one.
Why the mother and the father? Because first of all, they were the agents that brought the body and secondly, they are the agents who helped the body grow. And then if you're a man you say, “You love a woman”, if you're a woman you say, “You love a man”, usually. Why so, because this kind of love will produce more bodies. Then all this business of love is just for the sake of your primary identification which is the body.
It was a particular fort in Rajasthan that I visited. And that fort was invaded repeatedly by enemies. So, there was the main door and it was an entire system, it was not merely a door. It was a system of a door. It was needed because enemies were always knocking, well that's two softer word at the door they were knocking with their cannons.
So, there was a giant lock. There was a giant lock and then there was a system around it. It was not merely a door. Not door, not in the sense that you usually call a door, a door. Not something that is merely two-dimensional, it was a three-dimensional door, it extended horizontally as well. And then there were some ten or twenty other locks.
So, the guide first of all waxed eloquent to me about the virtues of the central lock. He said, “This is the biggest lock probably in India, probably in Asia or something, something. That the lock itself took many decades to manufacture.” I might be exaggerating, I was a kid when I visited the place. The great lock, the great lock… And that the lock could not have been carried up the hill (the fort was up on the hill) that the lock could not be carried up the hill in one piece, so small parts of the lock were brought up the hill and then assembled there, quite fascinating. After he was done describing the glory of the lock and we were all very impressed especially as kids. He showed us 10-20 other locks around the main lock.
So, being a bit of the devil that I always was, I asked him, “What are these other locks for after the glory of the main lock?" He said, “The central lock is very expensive. We do not want the enemies to even touch it, forget about the protection of the door. Forget about the loss that would be caused if the door goes down. If even the lock gets hurt it would be an irreparable damage to the economy." If the door is blasted away obviously that would be a great loss to the kingdom to the fort. But even the lock is so expensive that the economy will plunge into recession, if the log gets damaged.
So, we have these twenty kiddo locks. What are these for? They are there to protect the mother lock. What are the small locks for? They are there to protect the mother lock. Body identification is the mother lock. It keeps the door to liberation fully shut and all your other relationships pertaining to the body are the kiddo locks. Those kiddo locks are very necessary, very-very necessary. All that you do with your body throughout your life, is just to protect the mother lock. Small locks to take care of the central lock.
The mother lock is body identification. So, that your own body identification remains intact. You keep relating in a bodily way with other bodies. Man after man, woman after woman, all this is being done just to ensure that your body identification remains unscathed. Otherwise, the door to liberation would be blasted open. And the layers of locks, you know, kiddo locks, then grand kiddo locks.
Do not think that all the care that one takes to appease his body. All the lust, and all the bodily vanity is for nothing. It is a very-very calculated thing. Lust is needed so that you never get liberated. One requires one episode after the other of remaining entangled with one person or many persons in a bodily way so that the doors don't open.
It is never ever about the other person. It is about your own body identification and it is about your own conspiracy against yourself. The more you love stuff in the dimension of the ego the more you are just blocking your real love.
And heed my words, whenever real love would come to you by grace as magic, you will find something in the worldly dimension, suddenly takes you away. And that which takes you away. You will call as love. That which takes you away from a real love you will call as love.
Therefore, what you call as love is your greatest ploy to remain loveless. That which we call as love is our best and most proven method to remain totally loveless. To have love in this world is to be totally denied of love.
Are you getting it?
Is there anything else that ever causes a man's fall? Nothing but love. Look at the story of any fallen man and there are only fallen men and women, obviously. Look at the story of any of the fallen ones and at the centre of the fall, you would always find love.
Be very-very cautious of love, especially if you’re Mukesh Nirala (volunteer sitting in front). Nothing will take you away from this place except love. If there is one thing that will snatch you away from this place, it is Love.
Once you are with me, you are with me till love takes you away.
We have examples to the opposite as well. There are people like Kewal (One of the volunteer) who once were cosmic lovers. Global lovers of the universal order. There was nothing in all the 21 universes that was spared their love. But now that they are here. They are relatively loveless and glory to such lovelessness. Please remain loveless.
