Public Program Day 1, First Evening, “Artemis Arts Centre”, Amsterdam, 1st July 1992

I bow to all the seekers of truth. At the very outset one has to know that truth is what it is. You cannot change it. You cannot conceptualise it. You have to accept it as it is. Unfortunately, at the human level you cannot know the truth. You have to become the Spirit. It is not just saying that you have to be the Spirit, but you have to become. It is an actualization for which there is a mechanism beautifully placed within you. And it’s the culmination of our evolution now.

I see you all here as seekers of truth. This is a new category of people. As William Blake* has described; "Men of God will be born on this earth, and they will know God, they will know divinity; and they will have the power to give divinity to others." And this is the time when one has to get to your Self-realisation.

When I see western people seeking, I find that there is a basic reason why there is such a strong desire to seek, because we are born with a faith within ourselves. It is there, innately built in. We have faith in our future, and innately we have the faith that there is something divine.

While in the East we have so much talk about the ascent; but in the West, when science challenged your faith, you did not know how to cope with it. Also religion could not provide the answer, and people started asking questions. This mental process made them struggle to use some means by which they could resolve this struggle between their faith and these challenges. And they had no alternatives.

So when such a market started expressing itself, people from the East, and also from the West came as fake masters. Because you were not aware as to what is to be sought, what is to be achieved, they just made money out of you and didn’t give you anything that they were claiming. Like all the religions, they were money-oriented or power-oriented.

Because of this deviation all the religions became fundamentalist. They could not see that all religions are born like flowers on a tree - the tree of spirituality - at different times. But they plucked the flowers and started fighting among themselves with those dead flowers, that "This is mine, this is mine."

And if you talk to a Muslim he thinks Jews and Christians are hopeless cases. And if you talk to Jews they will say that the Muslims and the Christians are hopeless cases. And if you talk to Christians they will say that all the Hindus and all the others are absolutely hopeless cases - we are the chosen ones.

But those who follow any one of these religions - whether Hindu, Christian, Muslim, or any type - can commit any sin. Muslims can do the same, Christians can do, and Hindus can do - anything. And then you see horrible things being done in the name of religion. Then you start losing faith in religion - and also in God.

But there is God and there is truth within ourselves. This divinity is within all of you and it is trying to manifest. If you do not allow it to manifest, it will always keep you in a struggle. But the conditioning is so great in our minds that we think that by fasting, or by starving, or by suffering, we rise higher. That means that all the people of Ethiopia must reach God's kingdom! So logically, one should understand that there is something more that has to happen to us, to achieve that state of spirituality.

Sahaja Yoga means ‘born with you’; ‘saha’ means with, ‘ja’ means born. Born with you is the right to have this union with the divine power which is all-pervading. You have not yet felt this all-pervading power. You may call it the cool breeze of the Holy Ghost. You may call it the all-pervading power of God's love. Or you may call it "Brahma Chaitanya." Whatever you may call it, this all-pervading power does all the living work.

See these beautiful flowers. We take them for granted. Especially Holland is known for flowers, but we never even think how a little seed can produce such beautiful things. We don’t even doubt...look at our eyes, such beautiful cameras they are, and our brain is a big computer, but we never think who does this job.

In medical science also, it is very ambiguous to say that it is the autonomous nervous system that runs your heart. So who runs your heart? Who is this ‘auto’? For this you have to rise above this human awareness. Once you get your Self-realisation, you will be amazed that you go beyond science. It is meta-science.

Not only that you feel peaceful, healthy and joyous, but you really become what is known as "the witness of the play"; and you become empowered to raise the Kundalini of others. You can feel the centres of others on your fingertips. You can do the diagnosis of a person only on the fingertips just like this.1 Medically, if you have to do diagnosis, you have to go through hell!

You can give vibrations to these flowers, to these trees, to the crops; and you are amazed - the multiple of the crops come up, everything comes up in a very big way. You don’t have to use hybrid seed, you don’t have to give artificial manure, just your hands; it starts flowing through your hands.

You have all this within yourself. It is your own power. The only thing is that you should get your Self-realisation. You must get this ‘yoga’, this union, with the divine power. Then the energy starts flowing through you and then you really become righteous. Nobody has to preach to you, you become your own master. Of course you don’t have to pay for it. How much did we pay for our evolution as human beings? God doesn’t understand money, banking; that’s your headache. Of course, for this hall you may have to pay, but not for your Self-realisation. This is how you can cancel out all the false people, because they are interested only in your purse. They are not Spirit-oriented. They just talk big and give nothing.

We have people now from fifty-five countries coming to Sahaja Yoga, and in Russia we have thousands and thousands of people who have got their Realisation. Bulgaria, Romania, Poland - in all these Eastern Bloc countries are such great seekers.

Now after so many years of freedom, you have become aware of materialism, and this materialism has given us a big problem. So much of our energy was wasted in choosing what sort of a bathroom we should have – on a choice of this, and a choice of that, all kinds of choices; and by that we have wasted our energy. But they didn’t have to choose anything, luckily, so their energy is quite preserved I think. But after that, because of you being seekers, you have realised that you have to go beyond materialism. There is something beyond - and that is what we have to do - is to achieve a state which is called Self-realisation. In this short lecture it is very difficult to talk on that subtle subject in detail. But tomorrow definitely I’ll tell you the nature of the Spirit.

Now luckily, we have three doctors in India who have got their MD in Sahaja Yoga. They have shown that certain incurable diseases can be cured through Sahaja Yoga, and one of them has been called in America. Of course, in Russia, we are going to have a very big conference of doctors and scientists. Because they accepted science as religion and they want to go beyond it now. They don’t want to hear anything about science. Because, firstly, science is amoral; there is no morality in it. It is not conclusive. It just gives certain solutions one after another, but the theories always change. Even if you get a telescope, and even if you get a good kitchen out of science, you can never be satisfied with that. What you need is your Self to be expressing, manifesting your own powers.

For that, as Christ has said, that the meek in heart will inherit the earth. So the people who are extremely successful, or extremely appreciated as great, may not take to Sahaja Yoga. I was myself surprised that this Hemalata2 took to Sahaja Yoga. Because apart from anything she was a seeker and she has done all kinds of nonsense in the name of God. And such a lot of money she has spent on gurus. And I was surprised at Ravindra Jain, who is such a famous composer and he is a poet, a music director. He is a very well-known man. He is blind, absolutely blind. He met me only twice, got his realisation and this poetry, all these poems, he has written. It is very surprising how things happen.

And you have seen these miraculous slides3 which are many; numerous. But that is not of importance. I never allowed them to be shown before because the western mind is so sceptical that they can never believe anything.

But it is a thing; you must have faith in yourself to begin with. And you should not also have blind faith in me. Till you get Self-realisation you can consider me to be just like you. But keep your mind open and humble and I am sure that you can all get your Self-realisation.

Once this sprouting takes place, after that, you have to look after your Self-realisation and respect it. Some people have this connection a little loose, I must say, so they have to fix it up. But for all this you don’t have to pay. And all the knowledge about yourself and about divinity - the absolute knowledge - you can know through your Self. You can verify everything on your fingertips. You will have the proof of everything, but for this you have to have your Self-realisation.

Last time we had a programme in the Royal Albert Hall in London and we had lots of people. And it became a little late because there was some bomb scare, so it was very difficult for people to come. So, I promised them that if you come tomorrow, I‘ll give you realisation, and it really worked wonders. So today, I think we’ll do the same thing. (Laughter)

Of course, it takes only ten to fifteen minutes; but I would say that, let us postpone it till tomorrow. If you are genuine seekers you will come. This is meant only for genuine seekers. You cannot force this on anyone. This has to be accepted with an open mind; otherwise you cannot force people to do it. And I know that you have some questions also, I can see that. I would say that if you can write your questions and bring them tomorrow, definitely I’ll answer them.

Now I have been doing this work for the last, I think, twenty years - actually twenty-two years by now, in 1970 I started, twenty-two years - and now I am going to be seventy years old myself; and I hope to do it for some more time. So it is more important that you must have a genuine desire to get your Self-realisation.

Only there are three conditions.

Firstly, you should be all confident that you all can get your Self-realisation, all of you. Don’t doubt yourself.

Now the second point is that we always feel guilty for nothing at all. I don’t know from where it has come. The Catholics are the worst. I do not know from where they get it. Like my grand-daughter is going to a convent and she seriously asked me, "Grandma, what sort of sin do I commit? Because in my school they say that you have to confess. Now what am I to confess? The only thing is that I sometimes eat too much ice-cream." (Laughter)

So, this feeling guilty is nonsense. You are seekers, and you are welcome in the Kingdom of God - very much; so in no way condemn yourself, please. When you are going home, tell every tree that you are not guilty at all! And do you know, when you feel guilty, this centre catches on the left side? As a result you get spondylitis! Or you get angina and your organs become lethargic. So, this idea of feeling guilty is absolute nonsense.

And the third condition is that you have to forgive everyone. This means that whether you forgive or don’t forgive, you don’t do anything. On the contrary, if you don’t forgive, then you play into wrong hands. Those who have troubled you and have tortured you are having a nice time, but by not forgiving you are torturing yourself. So, another thing that you have to tell on your way back home is that, "I forgive everyone." And also don’t think about them individually. Don’t think about them. In general, you have to forgive. Even thinking about them is a headache.

With these three conditions tonight you sleep and tomorrow I promise you, you’ll have your Self-realisation. [Laughter].

So, don’t be miserable any more. When I went to France for the first time they said, “Mother, you look so happy. People will think you are an ignoramus." So, they said, "It is fashionable to look very miserable." [Laughter]. So, I started my lecture with "Les Misérables." [Laughter] Now they have changed. You should meet the French Sahaja Yogis, they are wonderful people. But not the French, I would say, they are still waiting for doomsday. So, that is what I want you to have: a very sweet feeling towards yourself. Forget whatever mistakes you have committed or wrongs you have done, forget it! Because this All-pervading Power is the ocean of forgiveness. So, you can’t commit any mistake, which cannot be completely dissolved by this ocean of compassion.

I hope tomorrow I’ll have more time to talk to you and give you Self-realisation. You have to inform your friends and get them here - I am here only for tomorrow – and also I’ll meet you individually. I hope you are not very unhappy about it. (Quiet laughter)

All right. May God bless you.

They have already got it. You can put your hands and see for yourself, if you are feeling the cool breeze or not. You don’t have to go to the Himalayas. (Laughter) Feeling it? Just forgive, just forgive - because your thoughts are there that is why. Just forgive. Forgive everyone.

All right? Are you feeling? Good. Now put your hand here and see, through your fontanel bone. You are getting your baptism. All right? There will be heat coming out at first, then the cool. All right? Now put your right hand towards me, let’s see. Just bend your head, it might be better. Ha, see, better now?

All right. How many of you have felt the cool or the hot breeze coming out of your head or in your hands? Please raise both your hands, both the hands.

You have already got it! (Laughter) But tomorrow please come along because we have to establish it. Now you ask the question in your heart, "Is this the cool breeze of the Holy Ghost?" You can put your hands up and ask. Put up your heads. And ask the question, “Is this the cool breeze of the Holy Ghost?” or you can ask, “Is this the all-pervading power of love, of God's love?” You can ask this three times - any one of these. Put your heads up. Now, all right? (Laughter and people saying they can feel it)

Apart from that you can watch me without thinking. Now, just put your hands like this. Just in a play you got it! Just in a play! Now don’t think. This is the first state that we call ‘thoughtless awareness’ meaning ‘nirvichar samadhi’.

Now, it’s all right for today. Tomorrow get your friends, more people, and we have to work it out. You have all now started a new life. I bow to all of you as saints.

(Sri Mataji leaving, talking to some people and laughing)

May God bless you all.

You are very good people. You are real seekers. That is why you got it so easily.

1 By holding out your hands to that person

2 Indian lady, who sings in Indian films, who sang before the programme

3 Slides showing lights, which were shown before Sri Mataji came.

4 The left Vishuddhi chakra

5 Inflamation of the vertebrae

*(about William Blake)