Online Satsang of June 13, 2024

[Dhyan Mikael:] Yes, good evening, everyone. Devasetu, we can start, right? Then let's start Satsang.

Hello, good evening. I am happy that you are here.

For those of you who are here in Satsang for the first time today, I will say two sentences about what we are doing here together, as I do every time. I am here to share my experiences on my path with my Master, with my Guru, with my life, and if you have a question, please feel free to ask me. You can either write it in the chat of the YouTube broadcast or the Zoom broadcast.

Simone will then read out your question and I will say something about it. But you can also talk to me directly in Zoom, and if you want to do that, you can just give a hand signal in Zoom, and when it's your turn, Simone will unlock your audio so that you can speak to me. Yes, and we just do that now for an hour and a half, and it's amazing to me every time what happens in these Satsangs, in this togetherness.

It's not just me; I don't do anything, not any more than you do. But when people come together with the same goal, this alignment with the inner, with the unknown... when people who are on this path, even if they don't know what they are doing at all, when they come together, then something magical happens, and that is always amazing and always beautiful. That's what Jesus once said.

He said: "When two or three of you come together in my name," and 'in my name' means: this common interest, this common focus on the inside, on God, on Heaven, then something magical happens. Yes, enough preamble. Simone, hello, it's great that you're here too. I am very happy. Thank you very much. Do you already have something to read tonight?

[Simone:] No, Mikael, there are no questions so far.

The Master's Gift

Link to topic in video at 2m54s

[Dhyan Mikael:] Yes, fine. Then I'll just start by reading out an email that I received, with some questions, and I'll say something about the questions one by one.

"Your Master and your Guru, are they both from India? And where does your Master live at the moment? Does he live somewhere here in Germany?"

My Guru, Swamiji, is an Indian, and he lives in India. Right now he is in Germany, not far from here where I live, and this weekend, he will give a discourse here in Germany, but normally, he lives in India. And he's Indian, and he doesn't speak German either, he always speaks Hindi. My Master is American, Soham, and Soham has been living in Germany for I think thirty years.

Yes, and that's how I got to know him: here in Germany.

And the question that comes now relates to a video that I once made, where I talked about how a Master and a Guru like that live, and that they are actually quite normal people from the outside.

"I have the impression that your Master lives a normal life, just like all of us, but then he's not a Guru. What is it like for a person who is revered by so many people as a Guru? That is a life of a completely different quality, as you always emphasize. With him, in his presence, you can feel the divine."

Yes, my Master is not a Guru, but both of them, when you meet them, are completely normal people – seen from the outside. You can always see photos of Swamiji, this great Guru, on Facebook, where he is traveling and what he is doing, and if you look at these pictures, then he is basically a completely normal person.

And if you read his autobiography, on the one hand he describes his long journeys alone deep into the Himalayas, and these accounts are very touching and very spiritual. But then he also describes in great detail the long periods when he is not in the Himalayas, but at home, with his wife, with his children, and how he meets people there and talks to them, and what he does there in everyday life. And that's when you realize that he's a completely normal person – from the outside.

But what flows through him is invisible, but tangible.

And how tangible it is depends on you, on your openness, on your maturity.

I don't mean maturity in a qualitative sense. That doesn't mean that someone who can't feel this easily is a worse person, but there are simply differences.

And you ask how they do it when so many people worship them.

When so many people have their attention on you, it's very, very difficult. And Swamiji always says that we should not look at him as a person, not at his body. He says: if we do that, then it is a burden for him and not good for us either. He repeatedly advises us to focus our attention on what flows through him, on this energy.

He puts it this way: we should look at his energy body, his subtle body, not at what we see with our eyes. And then it is not a burden for him. And we, because we have our attention on what it is really about, on his energy, on this energy body, then we can also receive it.

And I notice that on a small scale too. I am neither a Guru nor a Master, but the more people listen to me and the more people discover me and the more people pay attention to me, the more I have to pay attention to myself. I can feel it very, very clearly, it really is a challenge, albeit a beautiful one.

"And I have another comment about Jesus," she writes further on in her letter. "I think that if all people had sensed the Divine in him, they would not have killed him, they would not have crucified him."

The only difference between a Guru, and a Master, and a Master and a disciple, or a disciple and an ordinary person in everyday life who knows nothing about all these things, is in receptivity, in sensitivity: in what we can feel.

And of course what you write is true: if they had been sensitive enough to perceive and feel this God-energy of Jesus, then of course they would not have crucified him, but then they would not have done many other things either.

And in our whole life, on this entire spiritual path, it is basically about cultivating this sensitivity. This is what Samarpan Meditation is for, and it is something that develops very gradually in life.

The only difference between a Guru, a Master, a disciple and an ordinary person is in receptivity, in sensitivity: in what we can feel.

And this spiritual path is about cultivating this sensitivity.

Link to quote in video at 9m36s

And you can also feel this in yourself. As you are listening here, you may find what I am saying interesting and helpful, and you know what I am talking about. But someone else, maybe a friend of yours or your neighbor, would think I'm a weirdo because they don't understand anything of what I'm talking about. That's the difference in sensitivity.

And for me, Swamiji is God; not because I believe something or because I have heard it and think I have to believe it now, but because I feel it inside me. The first moment I heard about him, I felt it, immediately – because I am sensitive to it. But I haven't always been like this. This sensitivity grew very gradually over the twenty years I spent with my spiritual Master Soham. And that's why this spiritual path simply takes time, and that's why we have this life.

And now there are those people I speak to – in my videos, in my Satsangs – and there are some of them who can't relate to a Master like Soham or a Guru like Swamiji. They can't feel him yet, but they will be able to feel him eventually. There is no problem at all. And Jesus knew that. Jesus knew that the people who crucify him can't help it. He was not angry with them. He knew that they couldn't feel him. That's why he didn't say anything. It would have done no good.

"But love did not remain in death. It has conquered death: the resurrection." That's the last sentence of the email I'm about to read out.

Yes, I would like to say something more about that. I have already talked about the crucifixion of Jesus in some of my videos and also about what happens or happened at the resurrection, but there is something much more important. You can argue about whether Jesus lived on as a body or not; after all, we have no factual evidence for this.

But the fact that he lived on, the power of his energy, is evident from the fact that we still know about him today; that we speak of him today; that we call ourselves Christians today. Our entire culture is characterized by the energy of this one man who walked and wandered around Judea for a few years and preached. And this man exuded and left behind such energy that it still characterizes this planet today. He is still alive today: not as a body, not as a person. And this energy is everlasting.

And there is no need to argue about what actually happened back then on a physical level. That's exactly what Swamiji says: "Don't look at my body; don't look at how I look and what I'm wearing. Feel my energy." And we can still feel that from Jesus today. And that is the gift of a Guru and a Master. Yes, so much for this email. Thank you for writing.

And I'm sorry that I'm only replying now. The email is several months old, but I'm slowly catching up.

Wanting children and wedding stress

Link to topic in video at 15m27s

Simone, how are things with you? I can't hear you.

[Simone:] I have two new questions for you.

[Dhyan Mikael:] Thank you.

[Simone:] The first one comes from Niranjano.

[Dhyan Mikael:] Hello Niranjano, I'm happy you're here.

[Simone:] "Beloved Mikael, thank you for Satsang. It is a pleasure to see you. I want to tell you that it has been a very eventful year. Now everything is slowly falling into place. My partner and I are getting married at the end of August, and we have found a house that we both see as a beautiful new home, and I am now really looking forward to it.

My partner and I have wanted to have children for some time now. Now to the questions. How can I tell that it's the right time for a baby? My thoughts are more along the lines of that we already have enough to do with the wedding and the move. Please say something about that. Thank you."

[Dhyan Mikael:] Thank you.

Wanting a child is something really big. It changes your whole life when you bring a child into the world. A wedding is a one-off, short event, not a big deal. Really... it might stress you out a bit in your head, but it's over quickly.

You can't answer questions like that in your head. You can only answer such questions by looking at your own energy, your own joy. Do you want to have a child with your partner? Do you want to become a father?

Forget all the practical questions. Don't think about the wedding and little things like that. Do you want to become a father with this woman? And if you say 'yes' to that, then the little things will take care of themselves.

But you won't find the answer up there.

We humans tend to think incredibly hard about the banal, simple things, such as a wedding party. And the big things that really shape us forever, such as having a child or being on the spiritual path or turning to meditation or a guru, we don't think about such things at all. But the mundane questions of life, they basically all take care of themselves.

We humans tend to think incredibly hard about the banal things, such as a wedding party.

And the big things that really shape us forever, such as having a child or being on the spiritual path, we don't think about such things at all.

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Don't think about it. Just try to listen to the feeling you get when you're completely still; when you're completely relaxed; when you're not thinking about tomorrow. And then see what happens. Something like bringing a child into the world is not something you... You know, it's not a decision like: you are standing in the supermarket and you're thinking about whether you should buy this jam or that jam.

It's not something you decide in reality. You feel: "I am open to it", and your future wife feels that she is open to it. And then you live together in this openness, and then it happens step by step.

Suddenly you notice how you no longer think about contraception at all... for example. Then you know: "Ah yes, I think it's about time." Things like that have their own power; they make their own way, and you can just listen to that. You don't have to decide anything.

Thanks for the question. But there was more, wasn't there, Simone?

[Simone:] That was the question.

[Dhyan Mikael:] Ah, okay. I had the feeling that there were several questions.

Thank you for the question. Thank you very much, and all the best for your eventful summer, which is coming up now with the wedding and everything.

Criticism by the partner

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[Simone:] Then I can now read out Mike's question.

[Dhyan Mikael:] Hello Mike, nice to have you back.

[Simone:] "Dear Mikael, in my last relationship, which only ended a few weeks ago, it was a recurring theme – also in couple therapy – that I was too stuck in old role patterns according to the therapist and my ex-partner. My partner always complained that I wasn't doing enough and that she was doing more. She was very concerned with the issue of 'equal care', i.e. that women generally do much more care work.

Unfortunately, I wasn't able to understand these issues quickly enough in the relationship or implement them – which is different now. I also often had resistance to listening to new topics where she felt unfairly treated. I think I was afraid of overburdening myself because, in my view, I had already done enough in the household. Looking back, I never wanted to take advantage of her or for her to do more housework.

I certainly contributed a lot, but probably not as much. I didn't have this issue in the previous relationship. But I can say that her constant demands and that it was never enough from her point of view scared me. I felt like it was a bottomless pit. My question is: Am I an old-fashioned man? A model that is about to expire? How do I become a modern man?"

[Dhyan Mikael:] What a beautiful question. Thank you. Mike, I really appreciate you asking this question.

I would like to say something about it on two different levels. One is very practical.

We can't judge at all what we actually do for each other. I've had a lot of experience in relationships in this life. I've had relationships... I was always at the other end. I wasn't at the end where you are, but at the other end. I often used to have the feeling that I was doing more than my partner in the household, and that was probably true. I grew up in a family with a mother who taught me very early on that it's natural to help out. I can cook, I can mend things, I can sew, I enjoy tidying up, I like doing the dishes, I like vacuuming. It's actually a dream for a woman.

And I somehow automatically expected my partner to do the same. But that wasn't the case, simply because my partner isn't a copy of me, she's completely different. And it took me a long time to realize that there was no point in trying to bring about equality.

And when I eventually let go of this idea that there should be equality... that we should all do the same amount in the household, then I began to realize that living together is much bigger, and that I might do more on such unimportant levels as washing up and housework, but she did much more on completely different levels that were completely alien to me; on an emotional level, on an energetic level. She somehow created a home. These invisible things.

And that's what I do today. I no longer pay any attention at all to whether there is any kind of balance, because when you start paying attention to it, it's exactly as you say. It's a bottomless pit. It's completely absurd.

For me today, you can't have a relationship like that. I do something different today. I just pay attention to what I want to do. If I come into the kitchen and it's a complete mess, but I don't want it to be a mess, then I only have to ask myself one thing: do I want to tidy up or not? Yes, that's the only question I have to ask myself. And then I do what I have energy for and what I feel like doing. And here in the house where I live, I do more work in the kitchen, and I also vacuum more than my wife, but she does completely different things that I have no idea about.

And instead of adding things up, I prefer to enjoy the things I do and I simply love her. I enjoy the things she does and I enjoy the things I do. And if there are things that don't get done, then they just don't get done. These are all things that arrange themselves if you don't demand or expect anything from the other person. This is my practical experience in many, many years of relationships, in which I pay attention to this and explore it.

Today, I could no longer have a relationship with someone who starts to want to such things because I know that it's not possible. I would feel the same as you, I would just feel totally under pressure. You can't live together like that.

The second level on which I would like to respond is somewhat different.

It has more to do with the fundamentals, with the human aspect. When I hear that someone is unhappy with me, no matter how reasonable the objection sounds, then I can only say one thing: "I am the way I am. Do you like me – or not?"

Then all these arguments about these banalities take care of themselves. And what I say here goes against everything that ninety-nine percent of people think, and against everything that ninety-nine percent of couple therapists think, I already know that. But still... my experience is: the only basis there is for living together is to love one another as you are. And then, if that is here, if there is a willingness not to expect anything from each other, then it just works.

But if the willingness isn't there – and you obviously experienced this in your last relationship – then you can do whatever you want, it's never enough. It's simply never enough.

And that's because what it's really about is this attitude that a person has; this: "I know how you should be" instead of just loving you for who you are. And if someone has this attitude towards you, then you can do whatever you want: you will never fulfill the expectation, no matter what you try.

I'm expressing myself a little cautiously and elegantly, but I would like to quote my Master Soham at this point; he spoke at length about this very point because what you are talking about here is something that many, many couples experience. And he didn't express it carefully at all. He said: if someone tells him to be different, then he says: "Take me as I am – or get out. What are you doing here?"

And that might sound a bit shocking to some people, but that's the truth, except that most people never get to the point where they realize that it's the truth. But you're close. You've experienced it: you can try all you want, it's never enough. And that's just the way it is. And as soon as you become so radical and say: "Hey, I am the way I am. Yeah, maybe I have some old programs, I don't know. But I am still like this. I'm not a robot in which you can turn adjusting screws and then it's different. It just doesn't work. Take me as I am." Then it suddenly becomes easy.

Of course, this requires that you also take your partner as she is, and that you are prepared to always let her go – otherwise you can't say that. Otherwise, you can't say: "Hey, sorry, but it's your decision. If you want to be with me: this is how I am. Yes, you know me. Your decision." That's the only thing that can really be the basis of a relationship. Everything else doesn't work.

What you realize, and many people get to this point after trying long enough... At some point you realize: "I can't be different." I got to the point where I am today because I tried to be different again and again for decades. I've already spoken about this in another video. Before the marriage I have now, I was already married three times, and I had some very long relationships, and I always tried to be like others or myself believed that I should be; just like you.

Especially for men, it's completely normal that they should change. I really sincerely tried, for decades. I've tried everything... And what do I realize? No matter how hard I try, I am the way I am. And since I started to have the courage – thanks to my Master Soham – to accept myself as I am and to refuse to take such demands from other people seriously, everything has been easier.

No more arguments; just mutual appreciation and being happy that the other person is here.

Then, freedom comes into it. Then, everyone can be the way they are and do what they are capable of and what they feel like doing and enjoy. And then, it simply becomes a joy to be together.

So, my advice to you would be: don't let other people's opinions of you make you feel insecure. You will always, and this applies to all people listening here, you will always find plenty of people around you who are sure that there is something wrong with you and who have good arguments for it.

But my advice is: don't listen to them. It leads to nothing. Even if they are right: it leads to nothing.

Instead, stay as you are – and meditate. Thank you, Mike. I'm happy you're here.

You will always find people around you who are sure that there is something wrong with you and who have good arguments for it.

But my advice is: don't listen to them. It leads to nothing. Even if they are right: it leads to nothing.

Instead, stay as you are – and meditate.

Link to quote in video at 36m51s

[Simone:] Mikael, I have a question and two pieces of feedback for you that I'd like to read out.

[Dhyan Mikael:] Yes, please.

[Simone:] Margriet writes: "Dear Mikael, I would like to wish you a good evening and thank you very much for your being and for the videos you make for us." And Ramona writes: "So nice to receive this reply with helping out around the house, dear Mikael. It goes one hundred percent with my experiences."

[Dhyan Mikael:] Yes, it really is like that. When you hear what I say here on this subject for the first time, some people might be horrified. But if you're completely honest, then what everyone is demanding and trying all the time simply doesn't work. But this what I'm talking about really works. Thank you for your affirming feedback, Ramona.

Trusting distrust

Link to topic in video at 38m46s

[Simone:] And now Alexandra's question.

[Dhyan Mikael:] Hello Alexandra.

[Simone:] "Good evening and thank you very much for Satsang. Can you say something about distrust? How do I know if it's a warning intuition or old emotions?"

[Dhyan Mikael:] Thank you for your question, Alexandra. You have no way of knowing.

I'll tell you how I do it. When I have very clear feelings that tell me something, I just listen to them. I have no other choice. I can't dissect them. I just trust what I feel.

And of course I'm also an idiot and I'm often wrong, but that's how I learn, and over the years, my intuition becomes finer and finer, and the things in you that lead you astray become fewer and fewer. But this learning process, which happens automatically, can only take place if I try it out. So: trust your distrust. Trust your fear. Trust your discomfort when something doesn't feel right. Trust those subtle feelings.

You'll probably never know if it was true or not, but... If you trust, your intuition will become more and more refined and life will be better able to guide you to where it is right for you to go. We have a built-in distrust of ourselves. You talk about having a mistrust about something, and you don't know whether this is really serious or whether you somehow have some old story that is leading you astray.

Trust your distrust. Trust your fear. Trust your discomfort when something doesn't feel right. Trust those subtle feelings.

If you trust, your intuition will become more and more refined and life will be better able to guide you to where it is right for you to go.

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But the real mistrust, what is really harmful is the mistrust of ourselves. I once said the other day: We are closest to ourselves. We feel ourselves best of all; we know nothing about anything else. The only thing we can really feel is ourselves. But the last thing we trust is ourselves. So, give up the distrust of yourself and just see where it takes you.

What is really harmful is the mistrust of ourselves.

The only thing we can really feel is ourselves. But the last thing we trust is ourselves.

So, give up the distrust of yourself and just see where it takes you.

Link to quote in video at 40m57s

One hundred percent.

And that's hard, because we've been trained to mistrust ourselves from the very beginning, and we just have to learn that again now. So, trust your mistrust and all the other feelings that try to guide you in everyday life. That's how I live, and I won't let anyone tell me otherwise. Thank you.

The Guru changes your life

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[Simone:] Mikael, Mike has contacted me again. He writes: "Thank you, thank you so much. I am also coming by on Saturday to see Swamiji for the first time. I will be happy to see you and possibly say hello."

[Dhyan Mikael:] Oh, that makes me very happy, Mike. That's wonderful that you're coming. I'm so glad from the bottom of my heart. It will change your life forever. You might not feel it right away, I've talked about it before. A Guru like Swamiji... Swamiji is like a Jesus, and most people don't even know that. In Jesus' time, it was the same with the people back then, as the first question today also mentioned, people didn't know who they were looking at. But that's always the case.

When Jesus is here, nobody recognizes him; only very, very, very few. Later, fifty, a hundred years later, then, then others can see him too. Then it's too late, then he's no longer here. And it's the same with Swamiji. And the fact that you feel drawn to go there is wonderful. And such a Jesus, such a living Jesus, such a Guru, changes your life from the ground up, but you don't realize it immediately. It's not as if something happens to you and then you go home and are a different person.

For me, in the months following I gradually realize how things suddenly shift and change in my life in a very fundamental way. Someone wrote to me today... A lady who is also coming at the weekend. She wrote to me today: since she has been in contact with me and Swamiji... she has found contact with Swamiji because I keep talking about this Guru... since then, her life has been in a spin cycle, everything is suddenly changing. And that's how it is. You realize that in the months and years that follow, and it's just incredible.

I'm very happy.

The weakness of men

Link to topic in video at 45m12s

[Simone:] There are no other questions, Mikael.

[Dhyan Mikael:] Thank you, Simone. I would like to say something else about men. It's like this, and that's why I'm happy about what Mike reported earlier... There was a time a few decades ago when women started to stand up for their rights; the women's movement, women's liberation. Before that...it was absurd how women had been treated and how few rights they had compared to men.

What was commonplace back then, even only fifty years ago, is unimaginable today, even though it wasn't that long ago. Back then, there was a time when women really took to the barricades. And then that changed. Women realized that they were allowed to be the way they were. They fought for that. My mother was one of them, which is why I experienced it so closely.

But what hasn't happened yet is that men are discovering the same thing.

Of course, women suffered from the paternalism of men back then, but men didn't do it from a position of strength, but of infinite weakness.

Men used to be very weak, didn't know themselves, were afraid of women's strength and power; the power that women had over men. And that's why men oppressed women, and at some point, women started to rebel against this, and that's a good thing. But men are still weak. They have not yet found themselves. Men's suffering has not yet become great enough for them to start discovering themselves – not at the expense of women, but to discover themselves and then discover their own natural strength. Someone only suppresses another person out of abysmal weakness, out of fear.

Men still have a long way to go: this recognition, that I am allowed to be the way I am as a man. And that is infinitely difficult for men.

Men's suffering has not yet become great enough for them to start discovering themselves.

Men still have a long way to go: this recognition, that I am allowed to be the way I am as a man. And that is infinitely difficult for men.

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And that's why I am so happy when men come to Satsang. Normally, there are many more female souls in Satsang because they are much more sensitive to such things, and that is wonderful. But I wish the same for men.

Yawning during meditation

Link to topic in video at 49m05s

So much for this topic. Simone, would you like me to read out another email or do you have something on your end by now?

[Simone:] No, you are welcome to read out an email please.

[Dhyan Mikael:] All right.

I have a quick question about meditation. "What is the point of yawning profusely and deeply while meditating in the evening? What's your opinion on that?" What a great question. I like these practical questions about meditating because there are so many misconceptions. People often think that there is a certain way I have to behave in order to meditate correctly, but that's nonsense. This is not what Samarpan Meditation is about.

You don't have to reach a certain state, and you don't have to feel a certain way afterwards. Swamiji says again and again: "You can't do this meditation wrong", but our head never believes that, which is why I like to talk about it so much. But now let's get specific about this question. When you yawn, it's a sign of relaxation and it's completely normal. When you meditate, something deep inside begins to relax, perhaps for the first time that day; and then yawning is the most natural thing in the world.

I have even experienced, again and again, countless times, that people, not while meditating but in Satsang, fall asleep... not just yawning, but really sleeping away, and snoring so that the whole Satsang room was shaking, and all the other people had to laugh. I have experienced this countless times, not in my Satsang, but in Soham's Satsang. And that is quite natural, because this meditative energy and also the energy of a Master and a Guru are so relaxing, they bring such peace to the mind.

And when you're exhausted, you simply fall asleep. That's not a bad sign, by the way. It's a really good sign. It's a sign that you trust like a child. And Soham never got annoyed either. He was just always touched by it. And if I remember correctly, it happened to someone at the last Swamiji discourse in Germany too, and he snored so loudly that I could even hear it outside across the field. So, it's nothing bad.

Different souls or just one soul?

Link to topic in video at 52m11s

Shall I continue, Simone?

[Simone:] There's a question coming here, but I don't think it's ready yet. So, we'd better wait.

[Dhyan Mikael:] Yes, then I'll see what I've got here. "Dear Mikael, is there an individual soul? So, something like: my soul and your soul, which goes through a development path and reincarnates again over many lives? Or is there only one soul, which is everything and everyone, and into which, when the body is discarded, you enter again and dissolve into it; in other words, only the one life. There are many contradictory statements about this, which I find confusing. Can you say something about this?"

I like it very practical. I'm only really interested in things that I can perceive myself and that guide me here, where I am right now. Everything else is really just theory for me, which I can believe or not believe, and there are indeed contradictory things.

And it is against this background that one has to answer this question.

Ultimately, there is no such thing as separate souls. Basically, everything is one. But that's not what I experience, and that's not what you experience either; perhaps in very brief moments of meditation you get an inkling of it. But in practical terms, we are souls – I am one, you are another soul – who are indeed on a path, a development, a learning, and this learning takes us through different bodies.

And at some point, when we have come to the end of this path, then we discover, then we experience, then it becomes a normal reality for us that there is only one. But until then, we walk the path as separate souls, although that is not true at all. But in practical terms, that is how it is for us, and that is why we need advice for this phase of life in this time, when we are not yet experiencing it differently as a soul.

It's similar to... You know, you ask the question: are there individual souls, or is there only one great soul, Atma, Paramatma, God. Your neighbor might laugh at you if you even mention the word 'soul'. He knows nothing about it. He is convinced that he is this body, and when this body dies, he is gone, and such a person needs advice on the physical level. Everything else is not helpful for this person.

And as long as we are in a body, we are on this long soul journey through many lives, and as long as it is like this, it is helpful to receive help and advice as if I were a single soul, because everything else is of no use to me where I am right now. That's what I mean by seeing things pragmatically and practically.

As said, the ultimate truth is a different one, but it's irrelevant at the moment. That's what I have to discover here. I will discover that too at some point, and so will you. And until then, I am a soul who meditates. I am a soul that is getting closer and closer to God, the one great soul.

I would see it very practically. I wouldn't waste any time at all wondering what the ultimate truth is. You feel that you are a separate soul, otherwise you would not be asking this question. Then live where you are now – now. That is the simplest thing. That's how we learn the quickest, it's the easiest, the most relaxed and the most fun.

Yes, thank you for this beautiful question.

Nothing changes for me

Link to topic in video at 58m11s

[Simone:] Now I can read out the question, Mikael.

[Dhyan Mikael:] Ah, how nice.

[Simone:] It comes from Chris.

[Dhyan Mikael:] Hello Chris.

[Simone:] "Dear Mikael, I think you know who I am. Regarding your statement that everything changes so much in life. Well, you know that's just not the case with me. I've just been in the spin cycle for years. Onion skin by onion skin, my issues show up, but nothing changes for me."

[Dhyan Mikael:] Thank you.

Yes, I know. I know that's how it feels. And I'd like to clarify what I said about myself. Nothing changes for me either. My issues are still the same as they were thirty years ago. That's why I said to Mike earlier: accept yourself as you are. Most people don't know it, and most couple therapists don't either, but: we don't change. What changes is that we come to peace with the way we are – more and more, more and more.

And when we start to come to terms with ourselves, then we discover that we are still the same as before, but now it is no longer a problem. Now we love it. And surprisingly, suddenly, other people don't have a problem with it either. I really am a strange bird, and basically, nothing has changed in my character and my idiosyncrasies and my messed-up ways. On the contrary... I suppose they're actually getting a bit more pronounced, but since I no longer have a problem with them, it's become a completely different story.

Accept yourself as you are.

Most people don't know it, and most couple therapists don't either, but: we don't change.

What changes is that we come to peace with the way we are. And surprisingly, suddenly, other people don't have a problem with it either.

Link to quote in video at 59m19s

That's one thing I can say about it. And the other thing is this, and I always like to say this to people like you, again and again, because that's the one thing no one tells you: be patient with yourself. That's the most important thing.

And I'll tell you why: You can't see what's changing in yourself. You can't. Of course you are changing. I am changing too. So, people who look at me from the outside would probably laugh at what I just said about myself. They'd say: that's not true at all, you've changed completely, you've become a completely different person. That may be true, but I don't know anything about that because I experience myself from the inside, and I'm the same strange idiot I was thirty, forty or fifty years ago.

And so are you, but we can't see it from the inside how we change. I hear what you say from a lot of people. I know a lady who has been telling me the same thing over and over again for years – exactly what you've been saying, and I've known her for ten or fifteen years, I've forgotten. She's getting more and more beautiful, more and more beautiful, more and more lively, more and more childlike, more and more cheerful, but she has many moments when she's completely convinced that nothing has changed in her and never will, and that there's no hope at all.

Be patient with yourself. That's the most important thing. And I'll tell you why:

You can't see what's changing in yourself. You can't. Of course you are changing, but we can't see it from the inside how we change.

Link to quote in video at 1h00m45s

And the way you deal with this is to accept it, to say 'yes': 'Okay, this is how I am. And if I'm like this forever – okay.' Accepting means saying 'yes'. Saying 'yes' means: forever. Accepting something doesn't mean: 'Okay, I accept this now so that it changes.' That's just a trick of the mind. I'm talking about truly saying 'yes': 'Yes, I am like this.' Make peace with it, even if nothing ever changes. Don't wait for change. That's a trap. If you wait for change, you'll never see it. It's a psychological knot in our heads.

Accepting means saying 'yes'. Saying 'yes' means: forever.

Accepting something doesn't mean: 'Okay, I accept this now so that it changes.' That's just a trick of the mind.

Don't wait for change. That's a trap.

Link to quote in video at 1h02m40s

That's why it's so infinitely helpful and important to accept yourself as you are, even in the spiritual realm, even in the psychological realm.

And from this peace with what it is like for you right now, your self-perception, how you are, what you feel about yourself... with this peace, something changes, but not your onion skins, they remain in place, but the meaning of these onion skins changes. You suddenly discover something that is really important, and the onion skins can just be there. I would like to tell you a bit about Gurus. Unfortunately, we here in the West don't have any living examples of Gurus in our society, usually. We have to import them.

But in India, there are stories of some really great and amazing Gurus. I read a lot about them. Swamiji has a magazine that comes out every two months, and in every issue, it talks about a particular Guru. And you know, these are people who have experienced and reached the highest spiritual level of development, the highest that you can experience as a soul while you're still in the body.

And one is stranger than the other. On a human level, some of these figures are, one must almost say, truly impossible. But we have a strange ideal image of what I would be like as a person if everything was okay with me at some point. That's all nonsense.

You can't live like that. Liberation takes place when I accept myself as I am – with the onion skins, with the pain, with all the knots inside me, with all the imbalances within me.

That's why it's so important for relationships that you stop wanting the other person to be different, and that you stop wanting yourself to be different. And when you can do that, everything becomes easy.

We have a strange ideal image of what I would be like as a person if everything was okay with me at some point. That's all nonsense. You can't live like that.

Liberation takes place when I accept myself as I am.

And when you can do that, everything becomes easy.

Link to quote in video at 1h05m38s

We have an ideal image in our heads of how we would be if we were healthy, how our partner would be if they were finally okay, and so on. That's all nonsense, it's not helpful. The only thing that is helpful is to love yourself as you are, now, even if it seems impossible to you.

We have an ideal image in our heads of how we would be if we were healthy, how our partner would be if they were finally okay, and so on. That's all nonsense, it's not helpful.

The only thing that is helpful is to love yourself as you are, now, even if it seems impossible to you.

Link to quote in video at 1h06m48s

And that may sound a bit trite what I'm saying here, but that's the crucial thing and the one thing we have to do in this life. Nothing more is necessary. That's why I'm talking about your question in such detail.

That is the one thing that keeps us from becoming free. That's the one thing that keeps us from getting to Heaven: this self-judgment; this very self-evident view that I still have to get rid of something, whatever, onion skins, learn this or that, become so and so, until I'm finally okay. Every person has this view of themselves and of others, and that is the one thing that keeps us away from perfect happiness, from Heaven and from God.

That is the one thing that keeps us from becoming free. That's the one thing that keeps us from getting to Heaven: this self-judgment; this very self-evident view that I still have to get rid of something, learn this or that, become so and so, until I'm finally okay.

Link to quote in video at 1h07m42s

It's even in the Bible. The story of Adam and Eve. Humanity was thrown out of paradise, but not by God, not because they did something wrong, but, and this is so beautifully written in the Bible, in this first story in the Bible: back then, humans learned to judge themselves. This is symbolized by this apple from the tree of knowledge of good and evil. Man learned to judge. And what did he judge? Himself.

Adam, as it says in this ancient parable... Adam looked down at himself and realized: there is something wrong with him. He is naked. And then he hid from God. That was the separation from God. That was the separation from himself. That was the separation from happiness, from paradise. Before that, everything was okay. And then people became more and more sophisticated. This perceptual apparatus became more and more capable, and suddenly we were able to judge ourselves.

Humanity was thrown out of paradise, but not by God, not because they did something wrong, but back then, humans learned to judge themselves.

Man learned to judge. And what did he judge? Himself. That was the separation from God. Before that, everything was okay.

Link to quote in video at 1h08m29s

And so we were in hell. And that is what we are still doing today. That's what you're describing. And the whole spiritual path is the way back to a point where we no longer judge ourselves. That sounds so trivial, but it's a bit of work. To do that, we have to learn to ignore all our judgments, all our thoughts. And when we learn to do this, then we gradually realize more and more the truth about ourselves, about the world, about God. And then we are back in paradise.

There is no God who has thrown us out of paradise, and there is also no God who stands at the gates of Heaven and stops us from going back in because we are not yet okay. We do it all ourselves, just like you. What you're describing, how you feel about yourself: "Nothing is happening, but something should be happening. And I can't be happy the way I am, I just can't." That's our hell.

The whole spiritual path is the way back to a point where we no longer judge ourselves. That sounds so trivial, but it's a bit of work.

To do that, we have to learn to ignore our judgments, our thoughts. And when we learn to do this, then we are back in paradise.

Link to quote in video at 1h10m10s

And we overlook how fundamental it is what we are doing here. That's what we humans have been doing for tens of thousands of years, and that's why we're in hell – just because of that.

And that's why it's so worth trying to make peace with yourself; to learn to love yourself, even though it seems completely absurd at first. "What, I'm supposed to love myself like that?"... after hearing for forty, fifty years that you have to change, from your partner, from your mother, from your father, from everyone else, but mainly from your own head. But I'm telling you: this is the one thing, there's nothing more to do, and that's why I keep talking about it in all the videos.

Accept yourself as you are. Don't wait for change. Accept yourself as you are now – forever. You won't always stay like this, but accept yourself, unconditionally, forever, as you are today. And tomorrow you will do the same, tomorrow, just as you are tomorrow.

Accept yourself as you are. Don't wait for change. Accept yourself as you are now – forever.

You won't always stay like this, but accept yourself, unconditionally, forever, as you are today. And tomorrow you will do the same, tomorrow, just as you are tomorrow.

Link to quote in video at 1h12m36s

Thank you.

The Story of the Seed

Link to topic in video at 1h13m09s

[Simone:] Mikael, Chris has one more comment.

[Dhyan Mikael:] Yes, please.

[Simone:] "I mean my external situation. It's often almost unbearable for me. I know it is about the inside and I am practicing, believe me, I am practicing accepting everything. But it's so hard."

[Dhyan Mikael:] I know it's hard. I know it's hard. Don't worry about the outside. You know it. It is all about the inside. If you take care of getting in peace with the inside, then the outside gets easier too.

I didn't say it was easy. I just said: it's worth taking on this seemingly impossible task. Most people don't want to know about it. It is difficult. In reality, it's not hard at all, it's quite easy, but it feels infinitely difficult. We want to run away from it, we don't really want to have anything to do with it, but it's worth it.

And that's why I keep saying: You just need patience. Look, I was just talking about where this comes from. This misery that you feel, this hopelessness that speaks from you, this misery began at the dawn of humanity. This is what being human is all about: this ability to perceive yourself and therefore, automatically, to judge yourself.

I didn't say it was easy. I just said: it's worth taking on this seemingly impossible task.

Most people don't want to know about it. It is difficult. We want to run away from it, but it's worth it. You just need patience.

Link to quote in video at 1h13m58s

And now, very gradually, after tens of thousands of years, we are learning to perceive ourselves without judging. That is a gigantic task. We feel like failures because we think: "That's banal, everyone should know that and be able to do it, why can't I do it yet?" What you are shouldering is the legacy of humanity. This is the burden of humanity.

This is what being human is all about: this ability to perceive yourself and therefore, automatically, to judge yourself. And now, very gradually, after tens of thousands of years, we are learning to perceive ourselves without judging. That is a gigantic task.

Link to quote in video at 1h14m54s

It's no small thing. As I said, it is possible, it is actually quite easy.

We just have to keep saying 'yes', and then it becomes easy. That's why I want to keep encouraging you, because I know exactly what you're talking about. It feels infinitely difficult. And then someone like me or a Master or a Guru comes along and says: "Say 'yes' to it."

Just say 'yes'. It feels totally crazy. But that's the one thing we are learning.

And we can't change it on the outside.

What's bothering you on the outside... I don't know exactly what it is, but what's bothering you on the outside is basically just an invitation for you to practize saying 'yes' there, because it's easier there than in here. But if you say 'yes' out there, then you can also say 'yes' in here.

And meditate, if you're not already doing that. You said: I know who you are. I don't know. You can write me an email if you want to, to give me a hint so that I can recognize you. But if you're not meditating yet... You know, in this situation that you are in, and probably many other people listening here in Satsang... You feel so alone, hopeless, desperate. You think: "Where is help supposed to come from here? How is that supposed to work? I can't." And that's true: you really can't.

And that's why Satsang is helpful, because sometimes you get a feeling that you are being carried and that it can all happen by itself. You may not be able to explain to yourself how this is possible, but it really does happen by itself if you just stay here, where you are. And when you meditate, when you do the Samarpan Meditation, and while you rest in the crown chakra and let all these things go, again and again, it is as if power comes into you. Maybe you think you are doing everything wrong.

Maybe you think you can't do it with the meditation and you're not doing it right. None of that matters. But from that direction, from there comes the power that will take control of everything in your life. That's where the power is already coming from. Without it, you wouldn't be able to take a single breath. But if you – which is why this meditation is so wondrous – if you practize meditating, simply resting there with your attention, at this still point, then it's as if you're getting a pressure refueling.

Your soul is nourished. And then, very gradually, the hopelessness disappears and a strength, an inner strength enters you. And the outside has not changed. You may still have the same problems as you have now, and you're just as messed up on the inside as you are now, just like me. But it's no longer a problem. It's less and less of a problem.

You become stronger inside, and after a while you can actually just laugh about these external problems because you no longer have a problem with them.

This meditation really is an enormous help, otherwise you just despair. You don't know what to do. But then you get inner strength in a very magical way, every morning again and again, again and again, and very gradually it changes. There's a beautiful story that Swamiji once told, and I remember it now that you've said it, Chris. He talks about the seed. A small seed has fallen into the earth, and now it's time for the seed to sprout. But the seed is completely desperate. It is wedged between huge stones above it and next to it. The seed has no idea how it will ever grow.

But near the seed, and the seed is an image for our soul, for how you feel right now, deep inside... You begin to awaken, you become aware of yourself, and the only thing you can do is despair. And that's how the seed is, that's what Swamiji is talking about. This is the state of us as a seed, when we start wanting to grow; when you accept this challenge, this point where you are now, and that's why you end up in Satsang... So, there is this completely desperate seed.

But near the seed grows a huge tree, and the roots of this tree speak to the seed and tell it, "Everything is fine. Do not worry. Be patient." And the seed doesn't understand anything, but then it looks up and sees: "Wow, that big tree, if it says that, it must know what it's talking about." The seed is still completely desperate, but it has patience, and slowly, slowly, it begins to grow. A tiny little plant. The stones are still all there, but this tiny plant is beginning to grow very gradually between the stones.

And it is still completely desperate and says: "But the stones, I can't move them"... The roots of the tree are always whispering encouragement and saying: "Everything is okay, don't worry." That's me, that's Swamiji. The courage you get from me is not mine, I don't do anything, I'm not much better than you, you know. But I know Swamiji, and I live in his trust, in his certainty, and I can pass that on a little, so that you have patience and confidence: "Everything is difficult and everything is hopeless, but okay, something about what I'm hearing is right.

I'll just stay where I am for now." And so the seed continues to grow, very gradually. And the little plant meanders... The stones don't change. The difficulties in life do not change, but very gradually the seedling grows higher, comes to light, becomes a small, tiny tree. The stones are still there, they haven't changed, big chunks.

The sapling becomes a tree and grows bigger and bigger, having long forgotten the stones. The stones are still there. Nothing has changed. But the tree has become bigger and bigger and stronger. And that is us as a soul. At the moment, you are this small seed. Your soul has never had the opportunity to grow. But if you start to meditate again and again, again and again, if you seek connection to a big tree like Swamiji, or, if you can't do that, to Soham, or, if you can't do that, to a small tree like me, then you get the confidence you need to just stay where you are now.

And then you keep meditating, and your inner being, what you really are, this soul inside you, will be nourished and gradually become stronger. The soul knows nothing of this, but it grows bigger and bigger. And I promise you, it won't take long, and when you remember the difficulties that drive you to despair today, you'll laugh and smile and think: "Wow, something has really changed." That's how it works. It works not by making the stones out there smaller. It works by growing our inner selves, and we just get so big that life doesn't scare us anymore; not at all.

Yes.

Thank you.

Tears and self-pity

Link to topic in video at 1h26m54s

We have three minutes left, Simone.

[Simone:] I have two more questions, Mikael.

[Dhyan Mikael:] Let's start with the first one.

[Simone:] Exactly. Eliane writes: "Dear Mikael, sometimes when I have to cry, I catch myself thinking if I'm feeling sorry for myself and so I choke back the tears. Can you tell me something about it? Thank you."

[Dhyan Mikael:] Thank you, Eliane.

I'm really good at feeling sorry for myself. When I'm feeling bad, I can moan so nicely. And it just feels good. Look at children, how they do it. When they have a hard time, they cry and complain, and it is good. Then mommy hears it, and then mommy comes and helps. And it's the same with us.

If we can allow ourselves to cry and moan and feel our pain, that is really, really helpful, and then life hears it and rushes to our aid.

But if we stifle it all and think: "I'm strong, I can do it all myself", then life says: "Okay, I'll leave you alone, go ahead and do it yourself."

I find it so liberating when you can let that happen. I'm glad... I'm a man who can also cry occasionally. I don't often have cause to do so, but when I do, it just feels so good. It makes you open and receptive. It's like one of those points: "God, I don't know what to do. I'm completely desperate. How is this supposed to work?" And then you are open to the help that comes from inside, from God.

Thank you, Eliane.

From the wedding feast: how to meet the Guru

Link to topic in video at 1h29m17s

Can we make another one?

[Simone:] Amodini gets in touch.

[Dhyan Mikael:] Hello Amodini!

[Simone:] "So nice to listen to you just before we get to meet Swamiji. How can I best prepare myself? My husband is coming along, for the first time in five years. I wonder what will happen? Five years ago, he left early – triggered by some encounters. Maybe I can let go of this longing to share Swamiji with him. Do you have an impulse for me?"

[Dhyan Mikael:] Oh, thank you, Amodini, thank you. What a beautiful question, as the last question in this Satsang, before I travel to Swamiji tomorrow and set up the technique there. I don't even know how to get there yet. My ride has canceled. But somehow I will get there, I have no doubt about that. Yes, how can you prepare for it? Don't have any expectations, of anything or anyone. Not that your husband is open to Swamiji – that's not your concern at all – but also have no expectations of yourself, no expectations of the Guru.

Yes, let go of expectations – all of them.

Jesus spoke in the Bible... Well, Jesus didn't speak in the Bible, of course, but the Bible tells us what Jesus said. He spoke of the wedding feast.

Who may come to the wedding feast? And Jesus said: "Only those who are properly dressed, all others must stay outside." The wedding feast is the encounter with God. The right clothing is innocence. Innocence means: expecting nothing; being empty. As soon as I want anything or expect anything, I cannot receive. It's as simple as that. Expect nothing.

Who may come to the wedding feast? And Jesus said: "Only those who are properly dressed."

The wedding feast is God. The right clothing is innocence. Innocence means: expecting nothing; being empty. As soon as I want anything or expect anything, I cannot receive.
It's as simple as that.
Expect nothing.

Link to quote in video at 1h31m01s

Thank you for this question, and thank you all and thank you for being here. Thank you for this beautiful Satsang.

Support me if it gives you Joy

Link to topic in video at 1h31m59s

And I would like to remind you at the end, first of all, that this Satsang is made possible by Devasetu and Jetzt-TV, for that I thank you very much. And Devasetu is very happy about donations for his Jetzt-TV project. He is doing incredible work and if you feel like supporting him, you can find all the information you need on his website. In the spiritual field, people often believe that everything is free and nothing costs money, but of course that's not true. It all costs money and it takes a lot of time.

I recently said in Satsang: everything truly spiritual is voluntary and free. And that's true: everything on the spiritual path is voluntary – it's up to you – and free of charge.

But in practical terms, it has to work somehow. Jesus needed something to eat and he needed a donkey to ride on. Devasetu needs a computer and time, and I also need a computer and time and something to eat, and that's why I also ask for financial support if you feel like it. On my website, on the Donate page, you will find information on how to do it, I am very happy. And I always put it like this: "Support me if it gives you joy."

That's the right way to support: if it gives you joy; out of pure joy. Everything is free, everything is voluntary – and: support is welcome. So, enough about that, and we have to stop now. We've already gone overtime four minutes today. I'm sorry, Devasetu. Thank you for being here. I'm looking forward to the weekend with Swamiji. I'm doing another video next Monday, after many weeks of catching up and resting. Thank you for being here.

I love you.