Aptavani-6
27
your ego gets excessively encouraged, then I know when to
‘slap’ it gently. Otherwise, it will get on the wrong track and, if
we do not encourage it, then it will not even progress.
The moment you recognize that ‘ego is harmful,’ everything
will become straightforward. It is not worth protecting the ego;
the ego itself is such that it will naturally protect itself.
What is the definition of the worldly life? It is giving and
then taking or else it is taking and then giving. ‘I’ do not give
anything to anyone and ‘I’ do not take anything from anyone.
And no one gives to me; ‘I’ remain as the Self.
Change your worldly dealings knowing that you will have
to take back whatever you give. Therefore, give only if you can
afford to take it back when someone comes to return it.
If you go into a step well and say out loud, ‘You are a
rogue,’ the echo of the step well will say, ‘You are a rogue,’
back at you. And if you say, ‘You are the Lord of the fourteen
worlds,’ the well will say, ‘You are the Lord of the fourteen
worlds.’ Therefore, you should say what you like to hear. You
should project what you like. This worldly life is all your own
projection. God has not interfered in it at all.
Do not call anyone stupid in this world. Only say they are
smart or they are nice, then your work will get done. One man
was telling his water buffalo, ‘You are very nice, dear. You are
very smart and understanding.’ I asked him, ‘Why are you saying
this to the buffalo?’ He said to me, ‘She will stop giving me milk
if I do not say this.’ If a water buffalo can understand this then
why would humans not understand?
An Interfering Intellect Gives Rise to Clashes
This world is relative. It is full of worldly interaction. You
cannot say a word to anyone. And if there is absolute humility
(param vinaya), then you cannot even look at anyone’s