Online Satsang of August 21, 2024

[Dhyan Mikael:] Good evening, and welcome to Satsang.

I am happy that you are here. I am happy that we can have Satsang again today. Welcome.

Yes, as always, I'll start by saying a few words about what we're doing here for those who are in Satsang for the first time today. Sometimes I tell a bit about my life – how I got to that what I am sharing today. And otherwise, I just answer questions. If you have a question you want to ask me, if you have a problem you want to talk about or if you want to know something about Samarpan Meditation or about happiness or about Heaven or about life, then you can just ask me a question– either in the chat of the YouTube broadcast or in the chat of the Zoom broadcast.

You can also give a hand signal and then you can talk to me. And we'll just do that for an hour and a half. I try to answer the question, and if there's no question here online, then I have some questions that have come to me by email, and I'll read them out and say a little bit about them. And I always find these Satsangs magical, because basically there are always the same questions. It's always the same problems and nightmares that plague us as human beings.

Everyone always has the feeling that they are doing particularly badly and that their problems are unique and unsolvable, but basically, we are all like that. And when you have heard this a few times, after a few Satsangs, then you realize: "Wow, we really are all in the same boat". And the solution is always the same... and then, the whole thing becomes a little easier. Yes, that's what we are doing tonight, and I am delighted that you are here. Simone, do you already have something you could read out?

[Simone:] No, dear Mikael, there's nothing here yet.

[Dhyan Mikael:] Well, fine. Then I'll just start talking myself, and read out a question.

Don't believe, but experience it for yourself

Link to topic in video at 2m43s

Don't believe anything, just experience it for yourself</topic> It's quite funny. I recorded a video this morning that will probably be released this weekend, and in that video, I talked about something that keeps coming up. And the first question I'm going to read out right now is also exactly this topic. Now, this is pure coincidence, that this fits together so well... namely that many people have the feeling that this Samarpan Meditation is so difficult; and that there are so many rules; and that you have to believe so many things; and that it can't all be right.

And I made a whole video about this today morning, because I keep hearing this from people, and this is exactly the direction of the first email I'm going to read out. And so, I'm simply going to say something about it again this evening because this topic is very close to my heart. And that's why I'm particularly pleased about it now.

"I have done a lot of training and was with Soham for a long time. I'm currently training in presence medicine, where everything is absolutely coherent for me, in contrast to Samarpan Meditation. What is the soul, and is there an individual soul in the unity that we all are? I learn in presence medicine that the soul is the psyche. But how can I be my psyche, which is constantly changing? I am currently learning one sentence: how much faith do I need to simply be here now?

And that this whole belief is the cause of all the misery that happens in and around us and has nothing to do with being a natural human being. With Swamiji and his instructions, I always have to believe something. Soham often says that he asks him inside, but doctors would call this schizophrenic. Then there are already two in one, although in truth there is not even one, but only life itself."

Yes, thank you for this email and for this question. It's not really a question at all.

It's like this: there's nothing simpler than Samarpan Meditation. And just a week ago, Swamiji spoke about this again in his last discourse. He said: the unique thing about Samarpan Meditation is two things. One is that it costs nothing. Everything about it is free. And the second is that there are no rules. There are no rules at all. You don't need to change yourself to do this meditation.

You don't have to change your diet; you don't have to suddenly become vegan or vegetarian. You don't need to belong to a religion, you don't need a Guru, nothing. If you drink alcohol, you can just keep drinking, but you just meditate if you like. If you smoke, you keep smoking. And you don't need to believe anything. It's not about faith at all, on the contrary. Swamiji says again and again: this path, this meditation is the path of your own inner experience.

Because you can only follow what you experience yourself, nothing else. And that's why I can do the meditation – because I'm like you. I can't believe anything. I don't follow any doctrine. I can't believe anything that might happen one day, possibly when I'm dead, and then go to heaven, but I'm only interested in what I can experience myself now. And that's why meditation is so wonderful for people like you and me.

There are no rules at all. You don't need to change, you don't need to belong to any religion, no Guru, nothing. And you don't need to believe anything either. This meditation is the path of your own inner experience. Because you can only follow what you experience yourself, nothing else.

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But still, many people say exactly what you write: "You have to believe so much. There are so many instructions."

But the reason for this is not that Swamiji gives any instructions. As I said: there are no instructions about this meditation. But the way we listen as human beings... We are shaped by... Let me put it this way: we are trained to listen to what someone wants us to do. It starts as a small child. As small children, we are dependent on our parents for better or worse, and we learn to listen to what they want from us so that we can be loved.

And we still do that today, as adults. And then we hear instructions, we hear conditions where there are none. But we can't tell the difference because we are simply the way we are. And that's why I keep repeating, over and over again, and that's why I'm happy to have this opportunity to say again: this meditation doesn't have any of that. You can just meditate if you like. No one is forcing you to do it.

We are trained to listen to what someone wants us to do. And then we hear instructions, we hear conditions where there are none. And that's why I keep repeating: there is none of that in this meditation. You can just meditate if you like. No one is forcing you to do it.

Link to quote in video at 8m02s

It's simply the best thing that has happened to me in this life, and I've tried a lot. And that's why I talk about it. And Swamiji – this is the Indian Guru who brings this meditation, for those of you who don't know – he says exactly the same thing. He says: "I bring this meditation, and I offer it to you. Whether you take it up; whether you do it or not, that is your business alone." You are not doing it for anyone else, just for yourself.

And if you like doing it, then do it. Like I said, I don't know anything better. But if not, then go your way; go another way. But as I said, this meditation is the path of your own inner experience. It's the only path I know where you don't have to believe anything – nothing at all. And I really am like that... I am so stubborn. Only what I experience myself, only that can I believe. But then there's nothing more to believe because it's mine. I experience it myself.

This meditation is the path of my own inner experience. It's the only way I know where you don't have to believe anything – nothing at all. And I am so stubborn. I can only believe what I experience myself. But then there's nothing more to believe because it's mine. I experience it myself.

Link to quote in video at 9m43s

And there's something else that is at play here. You know, it's like this: We have something built into us that doesn't want us to become free; that doesn't want us to arrive; something that doesn't want us to become strong inside and become a soul. And this part of us that I am talking about is also called the ego. And the ego secretly does everything to keep things the way they are now, and it turns everything into something complicated and difficult, simply so that we don't finish this path.

We have something built into us that doesn't want us to become free: the ego. And the ego secretly does everything it can to keep things the way they are now, and it turns everything into something complicated and difficult, simply so that we don't finish this path.

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And that's why your ego is now spoiling Samarpan Meditation for you by making you listen to rules and conditions and instructions where there are none. But your ego will also do this with other things. You certainly know this from other areas of your life. Right now you are very enthusiastic about this other path, and I am happy for you. But you will see: if you then start to really go down this path, and when this path could become dangerous for the ego, then you will experience exactly the same thing there. You say that you have already undergone many trainings in your life.

And that's exactly how it is. We learn one thing, and if we would really do it, then we would be liberated, but before that happens, we stop. We find something we don't like about it, and then we start the next thing. And with this next thing... if we really did this next thing, we would be liberated, but then, at some point, we don't like it anymore. Then we stop and do the next thing. And that's how we muddle through life. Basically, we keep doing the same thing, over and over again, and we don't make a single inch of progress.

And that's just the trap of our ego. We all have it. It's not a problem for you personally. Everyone knows the. And at some point, at some point you get the strength to finish one path, and then it's all over. Which path that is for you, that is your decision. I can't say. For me, it was Samarpan Meditation.

We learn one thing, and if we really did it, we would be liberated, but before that happens, we stop doing it. And so we muddle through life. Basically, we keep doing the same thing, over and over again, and we don't make a single inch of progress. That's the trap of our ego.

Link to quote in video at 11m55s

But you will have to decide on a path at some point, otherwise it's not you who takes the path, but your mind, your ego, and that sends you in a different direction every few years. At the end of my answer to you, I would like to say something about this term 'soul'. You have to be a little careful with these words, because of course, every person and also every Guru and every method uses these words in a different sense, with a different meaning.

At some point, you will get the strength to complete a path – which one, that is up to you. For me, it was Samarpan Meditation. You will have to decide on a path at some point, otherwise it's not you who takes the path, but your ego, and that sends you in a different direction every few years.

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What you say about the soul being the psyche is what we commonly understand by 'soul'. This inner life that we perceive of ourselves, these conscious or unconscious thoughts, everything that unconsciously controls us from below, that's what we like to call the 'soul'. But you're right: it can't be you, because this psyche is changing all the time; all the time... There is nothing constant. That is not you. When Swamiji speaks of 'soul', he means something completely different.

He's talking about something that you don't even know at the moment, but which you gradually get to know and strengthen through meditation. Your soul – that which you are – is that which has nothing to do with this body and everything that belongs to this body. The body does not only include what you can touch, what you can see, but also your thoughts, your wishes and your dreams, this sense of self, the psyche... it's all body. And all that disappears when the body dies. But the soul is what was here before the body came. And the soul is what is still here when the body is long dead.

That is you – but you know nothing about it. And through Samarpan Meditation, you learn to gradually experience this part of yourself. And the more you can really experience this part – not by believing something, but by experiencing yourself, more and more – the more all these things that are connected to the body – the psyche, the thoughts – lose more and more of their importance and weight. And then all your problems disappear. Yes, that much I wanted to say about this term 'soul', because everyone understands it differently.

The soul is what was here before the body came, and what is still here when the body is long dead. That is you – but you know nothing about it. And through Samarpan Meditation, you learn to gradually experience this part of yourself. And then all your problems disappear.

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So much for that. As I said: mediation is the way for me because I don't have a... I am disabled. I am a disabled person. My disability is that I'm incredibly stubborn and that I can't stand rules. I can't stand rules... I always have to figure it all out for myself. I have to experience it all for myself. I can't do anything else.

But that's a good thing. I recommend that to everyone else too. And when Samarpan Meditation came to me, I thought: "Wow, this is my path. Nobody is telling me what to do. It's simply a tool, a tool with which you discover everything yourself and experience everything yourself. It's simply fantastic. Thank you for this great question.

And, as I said: whether you meditate or not, which path you take, is up to you. What you want to make of this life, what your goal in this life is, what is important to you, that is entirely up to you. I talk about meditation because it makes me happy to share this path which has made me happy. It simply gives me immense joy. But whether someone picks it up and then does it themselves or not is not my business. It's your business. Thank you.

[Simone:] Mikael, I don't have a question to read to you yet.

[Dhyan Mikael:] Okay, thank you.

The deceased twin sister

Link to topic in video at 18m15s

[Simone:] Hold on. Kerstin is just asking if she can ask you a question.

[Dhyan Mikael:] Yes, of course, I'd love to.

[Simone:] Just a moment, then I'll turn the sound on for Kerstin.

[Kerstin:] I'll be right there. Should I write it or should I speak?

[Dhyan Mikael:] You can speak now, I can hear you right now. Hello, Kerstin.

[Kerstin:] Hello. Hello.

I've just come in, but I've already listened to you and I'm brand new here, for the first time.

[Dhyan Mikael:] Then welcome, how nice.

[Kerstin:] I've just spontaneously felt the urge to ask you something. Well, first of all, because you spoke briefly about the soul which is still here far beyond death, and I'm just experiencing... My twin sister just died six months ago, and I realize that it's challenging me all over again.

And also the relationship with my mother, which was always difficult anyway and is now simply even more difficult. And I just realize... I know how now... I somehow have the feeling that my sister Julia is still here, but for me as a living person, I'm now really dealing with my mother, who is simply very narcissistic and I just have the feeling that I'd like to sort things out with her before she leaves or I, or whoever leaves first.

But there's no getting anywhere, she is stubborn and narcissistic, self-centered, and I always see the only way out is to break off contact. And I wanted to ask you how you see it.

[Dhyan Mikael:] Yes, thank you very much. So, those are two separate questions. Thank you very much, very much. Thank you, I'm glad you're here. Let's start with your sister and the soul thing. It's like... We are usually identified with this body. Specifically, it means: I think I am this body. If this body gets sick, I am sick. If this body dies, then I die. That's the feeling we have, and we ignore it.

All people always act as if they will live forever – in this body, mind you. That this body will die very soon, for all of us, we ignore that. And then, when someone close to us dies, especially if it is someone very close to us, we are shocked because we can no longer ignore it. Then, the truth hits us in the face. Then, you know: I'm going to die soon, too. You don't even know what to do. We don't know how to deal with it at all.

We ignore the fact that this body will die very soon. And then, when someone dies, we are shocked because we can no longer ignore it. Then, you know: I'm going to die soon too. You don't know what to do. You don't know how to deal with it at all.

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We are not this body, but if you hear me say this, it's of course of no use to you at all. I just told you at the beginning: the only thing that benefits and helps me is what I can experience myself. That's why I used to have a problem with the Christian church: because everything I heard there sounded quite good, but it was all something that I obviously can't experience now. I have to wait until I'm dead and then supposedly you go somewhere and then you experience something. That never satisfied me; that never interested me either.

But you really are this soul that exists far beyond the death of the body. I go even further: the soul has nothing to do with the body. I would like to use an image that Swamiji used the other day. I think it was Swamiji, I'm not quite sure. The body is like a car. You are the driver. You have nothing to do with the car. You live your life without a car. At some point, you get a car, and then you get in it and drive it. And if the car gets a dent, you don't care: you don't have a dent.

At some point, the car breaks down, and then you get out and move on, and after a short time you've forgotten about the car. Maybe you get a new car, but you are in no way identified with the car; except for very few people, mostly men, who love their car dearly. But apart from that: you have nothing to do with it. And so is our relationship with the body. It's not that the body also has a soul. No.

It's not that the body has a soul. The soul is here, and sometimes it has a body. I have nothing to do with this body. I know that, and you can know that too. And when you know that – and by 'know' I mean: when you experience it – then it all relaxes.

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The soul is here; and sometimes it has a body – now the one sitting in front of the camera with you, with me the one you can see right now. I have nothing to do with this body. I know that, and you can know that too. And when you know that – and by 'know' I mean: when you experience it; not this knowledge up there, but when it slowly becomes your experienced reality, very gradually – then it all relaxes. Then you are not afraid of the death of the body, because it is simply completely unimportant.

And the closer you get to your own true identity, your own soul – that's a very exciting thing – the closer you also get to all other people, who are in fact also a soul. Your twin sister... You say you have the feeling that she is still here. Your sister's soul is completely undamaged, and the closer you are to yourself, the closer you are to what is her essence. She is still here, but of course no longer in a body.

And the closer you get to your own true identity, your own soul – that's a very exciting thing – the closer you also get to all other people, who are in fact also a soul.

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But talking about the whole thing is useless. It only helps you if you start to get to know it yourself; to get to know your identity. And that's what the spiritual path is for; and the one I know is Samarpan Meditation. I talk about it all the time, and the reason why I like to talk about it so much is that I... I say this in many of my videos: I was on this spiritual path for a long time and I was totally happy and everything was fine.

But when I got to know this meditation, I realized: "This is where it really starts. Now I'm starting to experience the things that really matter." I didn't even know before that this was possible in this life. And that's the great thing about it.

The narcissistic mother

Link to topic in video at 25m47s

And in a way, this also has to do with your mother. Maybe you've heard that before.... These Gurus you can ask, they always have the same solution for everything; they always say: meditate, and all your problems will be solved – including those with your mother. And today I know why that is, because I experience it myself. You want to sort things out with your mother and you realize that this is not possible.

The truth is, that we can never actually resolve anything with other people. The cause of our problems, the real cause –, not what other people believe, but what I know today... The one cause of all our problems is that we are far from ourselves. You don't know who you are. You think you are this body, this psyche, and it's all incredibly complicated, incredibly paradoxical; everything is contradictory; nothing stays the same, and there are only problems everywhere.

The one cause of all our problems is that we are far from ourselves.

You don't know who you are.

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But the more you get to know yourself, the more... Well, I experience it like this, very concretely: the more I get to know this inner being, this soul, the more I am connected to the source... let me call it that. It feels as if I no longer need anything from out there, from other people. I no longer need intimacy with a woman in order to feel at one. I no longer need harmony with other people to feel at peace. I find that inside of me.

And this clarification that we are constantly seeking, this peace, this arrival – which we are constantly trying to achieve with other people and which sometimes works, but only for a very short time; with a lover you have it for a few weeks or a few months, but then it's all gone again – we can only really have that with ourselves.

And when we have that with ourselves, when we slowly get to know our soul and this source that we all have built in – otherwise we wouldn't be able to live at all – then all those problems out there with our fellow human beings dissolve, because then we're no longer looking for anything.

This clarification that we are constantly seeking, this peace, this arrival, we can really only have with ourselves. And when we slowly get to know our soul and this source that we all have built in, then all problems with our fellow human beings dissolve because we are no longer looking for anything here.

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We look for things in places where they are not, and that is why everything is always so frustrating and so difficult. And narcissists are a very, very big help on this path because they make us really feel: nothing works here. That's what you're experiencing. You want something from your mother. If you want something from a narcissist, you've lost. But you think you need something from her. You think it's important for you to clarify something with her. Her reaction is important for you to come to peace with yourself. But none of that is true.

We look for things in places where they are not, and that is why everything is always so frustrating and so difficult. And narcissists are a very, very big help on this path because they make us really feel: nothing works here.

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[Kerstin:] No, I think rather... Well, I've been on the spiritual path for many years, and I actually know this space too. And I say... Well, for me, I'm a bit... not split, but where I say: well, I am not my body, and I know, feel and also embody what that means, and yet I am here as a human being; and yet I have relationships; and yet I have connections; and yet I have emotions. And that is also important to me as a human being. And I think my mother is my greatest challenge, and probably my greatest Zen Master too.

[Dhyan Mikael:] Yes, she actually is.

[Kerstin:] As a small child, I constantly experienced rejection from my mother, and emotional abuse, and that is already an issue. It's not even like you're saying: okay, it was difficult, but...

[Dhyan Mikael:] Yes, that's a tough one. It shapes you for the rest of your life.

[Kerstin:] Exactly. And that's always the question for me... because I also want peace, and I know that it doesn't depend on her. Nevertheless, there is the thought, and I actually wish that I could have a connection with her, but I just realize: I can't keep this inner peace when I'm with this woman.

[Dhyan Mikael:] And that really is the case. It starts with ourselves alone, and that's where the little plant starts to grow, and very gradually you can carry that into everyday life – very, very gradually. 'Mother' is "advanced stuff", the advanced class. Once you've got the hang of it, then it will be easier with your mother too. But I'm telling you... You say: you have an experience of this room, but you are also human.

My personal experience is this: the more I live inside myself, the more I have my attention only inside myself, the more alive my life becomes, but I'm not looking for anything there anymore. The less I search out there and the more I find inside, the more alive life becomes; the more intimate the relationships become.

I occasionally talk about relationships... Today I don't even know how I was able to have a relationship with another person earlier in my life, because you can't feel the other person at all and can't perceive them at all as long as you are not at rest in yourself. But once you do that... once you have learned that, then you have a completely different kind of relationship with the other person. You just have to experience it. For people who don't do that... For people who imagine that, it sounds like a contradiction: "Yes, but I also want to live as a human being."

But someone who already lives like that, like Jesus for example, simply says: You have no idea what real life is. You have no idea what a relationship is. What we normally call a relationship is simply a neurotic affair, nothing more. But since everyone lives like this, it seems normal and desirable to us. And the few people who have discovered their soul and live there no longer have all these problems. You can't even imagine what it's like. You just have to experience it for yourself, and then, after a while, you realize: "Oh, that's what he meant!"

The more I have my attention only in myself, the more alive my life becomes and the more intimate the relationships become. I don't even know how I was able to have a relationship before, because you can't feel and perceive the other person until you are at peace with yourself.

Link to quote in video at 31m09s

Unfortunately, this is too lengthy for Online Satsang, but I have already spoken about this in one or two videos, just about this topic, where my spiritual Master once said something like this to me. Twenty-four years ago, I came to Soham, my spiritual Master, and I once had a conversation with him like the two of us are having now, also about relationships. And I told him what it was like with my girlfriend. I was really proud of the fact that I have such an intimate relationship with her and can respond to her and feel her so well.

And then he said to me: "Mikael, that's not a good idea at all, what you're doing." And he said: "Turn inwards." And I thought he was crazy. I loved him, I adored him, but on this point I was one hundred percent sure: that's not true; he has no idea. I thought I knew better. And ten years later... I was long on my way, I came more and more to myself, more and more, and ten years later... I had long forgotten about it, I stayed with him anyway, but I just didn't listen to him on that point.

But ten years later, I was so close within myself that the way I lived relationships had completely changed, without me really realizing it, because it's such a gradual change. And then I started, I don't know, maybe ten years ago or so... That's when I started to experience for the first time what it's like to be completely at peace with myself and then, in a totally magical way, to understand, perceive and feel my fellow human beings. I don't think about it.

You have no idea what real life is and what a relationship is. What we call a relationship is simply a neurotic affair, nothing more. But since everyone lives like this, it seems normal and desirable to us. The few people who have discovered their soul and live that way no longer have these problems.

Link to quote in video at 32m34s

[Kerstin:] Yes.

[Dhyan Mikael:] I simply do what I feel inside me and what suits me, and in an absolutely magical way, that always suits the other person too. And that's when the scales fell from my eyes. All of a sudden I thought: that's why he meant back then – ten years earlier. But I couldn't imagine it. And so it is with any kind of relationship, especially with those very difficult relationships with people who are very, very close to us, because that's where we are most blind, and that's where we have the most buttons and the most programs and traumas.

I know exactly what you're talking about. I also had very helpful parents. And you know... what you say about your mom, I could say about my dad. Today I love him and am so grateful to him, but I've only been able to be that since I became independent from him by arriving at my self. And that really is the solution to this kind of conflict. You won't find the solution with your mother. The more you look for it there, the more she has to send you away. There's no other way.

Today I love my father and am so grateful to him, but I've only been able to do that since I became independent of him by arriving at my self. And that really is the solution to this kind of conflict. You won't find the solution with your mother. The more you look for it there, the more she has to send you away.

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[Kerstin:] Yes. Thank you.

[Dhyan Mikael:] Yes. We can't get around the homework. unfortunately, it is like that. Thank you for asking. Thank you.

No more waiting for the answer

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[Simone:] Mikael, Sephter would have liked to talk to you too.

[Dhyan Mikael:] Yes, please.

[Simone:] I'll switch her audio on.

You can speak, Sephter.

[Sephter:] Thank you. Hello.

If the body is the car and the soul is what's on top of it – that which the car doesn't even need, can live without a car – then my question is: I would love to talk to Ramana. It's always one-sided, even with Jesus Christ, when I pray. Then I always have the feeling: is it even being heard? But if this soul is always bodiless and has always been bodiless before, so it was never born and never died – is there a softer way to overcome this separation in this conversation when I talk to Ramana?

[Dhyan Mikael:] Yes, it works like...

[Sephter:] There's still such a wall.

[Dhyan Mikael:] Yes, I understand what you mean. I understand what you mean. Ourselves, you and I, we are in this body because we haven't finished this path yet. We still think of ourselves as the car; I no longer as much as you... maybe; I don't know; I don't know you after all... maybe not as much as other people, but still: I'm not like Ramana.

But Swamiji talks about these things more often, because Swamiji knows these things a lot... So, he knows about it. Although he is in the body, he experiences these things very differently, and he explains how it works. He says: if your soul has a particularly intimate connection with a certain Guru, for example with Jesus, or with Ramana maybe... If you then talk to Ramana and ask him for help; if you want to get in touch with him, then the following happens.

He is no longer in the body; he can no longer come to you – not in a way that would be helpful to you – but he then sends you a living Guru, and he comes in his place. And countless people have experienced this time and time again. They pray fervently to their beloved Jesus or Ramana or Shirdi Sai Baba or whoever, often at the grave of these people... In India there are these 'samadis' where you can go and where the energy of the Guru is still there.

And when people do this, the following regularly happens: a short time later they meet a living Guru who is now here, and he then establishes this connection: in reality, this is the connection between you and your own soul. This longing that you have to speak with Ramana... Ramana is not separate from you.

It's like this: we deeply long for this connection to our own soul, but we don't know about it, and us normal people perceive it as a longing for connection to another – that we can perceive. We know about Ramana, for example, we know his picture, something in us is deeply touched, and we long for this connection. But what we want in reality is this connection to ourselves. Ramana knows that. You don't know it. I don't either.

I experience it as if we were separate people. But this Guru, this Ramana, he then sends a living Guru, and he helps you to return to yourself, and then you discover this connection – to yourself! And when you live this more and more, at some point you realize: "Wow, there is no separation between me and Ramana. There is no separation between me and Jesus, between me and God." You then experience the subtly, more and more, unspectacularly; it is then simply quite normal.

Us normal people perceive this as a longing for connection to another, but what we really want is this connection to ourselves. But this Guru, this Ramana, he then sends a living Guru, and he helps you to return to yourself, and then you discover this connection – to yourself!

Link to quote in video at 40m03s

[Sephter:] Yes, it is very clear here that a lot of mind is in there. Today, for example, I sat for a few minutes and then my head wanted to plan a house move. And then there was enough consciousness that I thought: why should the mind plan a move now? I'm not interested, because I just want to let life happen. It will come to me, and when it's ready, it will happen. And then it was so clear to me that I said... I now have the last weeks or months, when I go back now (and remember), I always jumped on this thought, then I asked myself, where could I look, which site could I look for?

I haven't done that for a few days now, jumping on this thought and then wondering whether I should change jobs or leave. The question doesn't even arise, because when it comes to the end, the journey is over, whether I have this job or another one. It's still the head, because then it starts... You said something earlier: when something becomes a habit again, the ego destroys it again.

Then I'm successful at work again, and then it destroys it again. Then I look for a new apartment again, a new job, and in two years I start all over again.

[Dhyan Mikael:] Exactly.

[Sephter:] Today I had so much on my mind that what you're saying now... If I then fall into myself and have a conversation with Jesus or Ramana, then the question won't even come because the answer will already be here. I can taste what you said here.

[Dhyan Mikael:] Yes, you just have to be patient with yourself. That's a very gradual development.

[Sephter:] I experienced it once with Werner Ablass when I asked the universe for help with heartache ten years ago. It almost broke me. I said: "Jesus, I need help; I urgently need help." There was a separation with a lot of violence, with betrayal and deceit and violence, and that almost broke me. It hurt so much. I thought, this body is tearing apart now.

And then I begged, I said: I urgently need help. Two days later, I had Werner Ablass on the phone and, crying, I asked: do you have room for me in the seminar? He said: come. I said: I am crying. Am I allowed to come? Because I don't even know if I can stop crying. And he said, I don't care if you laugh or cry; come.

[Dhyan Mikael:] Yes, great. Yes, that's exactly how it works. As soon as we become open, life helps us. And I do the same as you when my head comes up with these questions and these ideas. I ignore it all because I know that if something is supposed to happen, then it becomes so obvious to me that I don't even need to think about it much. It just becomes obvious. And I don't need to give it much thought. Whenever it starts, the merry-go-round, I already know: "Yes, I know him, I'll ignore him now."

[Sephter:] Yes. And there was an answer that I now find a bit... I'm totally in resonance with that. I just don't expect an answer anymore. Now that has fallen away. Jesus Christ no longer has to answer me.

[Dhyan Mikael:] Yes.

[Sephter:] Before I asked you, it was still here: why is it only one-way? Is it a one-way street? And that's no longer the case. So you helped.

[Dhyan Mikael:] I no longer look out there. I look, as best I can, inwards. And when we sit together and talk, then you also start to look inwards a little, perhaps a little more than you usually do. And that's where the connection is, and then you no longer have any questions. It's simply gone. And that's exactly how it is. The problems disappear and the questions disappear without there being an answer. The question just disappears. Yes. Thank you very much. Thank you.

Is stubbornness part of the ego?

Link to topic in video at 45m47s

[Simone:] Mikael, I may now read out two more questions.

[Dhyan Mikael:] Oh, how nice. Thank you.

[Simone:] Ursula asks: "Isn't stubbornness part of the ego?"

[Dhyan Mikael:] That's a great question. Well, I still have an ego. I'm always busy with my ego. And that's a good thing. That's what life is for: for it to gradually become smaller and smaller. And maybe stubbornness is also part of the ego, I don't know. Let me put it this way... I could replace the word stubbornness with another word.

Let me give you an example. I wake up at half past four or five in the morning and I'm totally tired, and some voice inside me says: "Well, actually, you could skip meditating today." But then I also hear a second voice, it's more subtle; it's quieter; it doesn't argue; it's just there, very, very quiet, and it says: "But I still want to meditate." And I have the stubbornness to always listen to the quiet thing that I know is what really interests me.

But there is also this other side, which is the mind or the ego or the lazy body, the comfortable body, which always wants something else. Instead of stubbornness, I could also call it sensitivity: the sensitivity for this subtlety, for this quiet voice of the soul that knows exactly where to go. Or I could also replace stubbornness with the word 'strength': that I have more and more strength to resist this loud voice and listen to this quiet voice.

Then I hear a second voice, quieter, that says: "But I still want to meditate." And I have the stubbornness to listen to the quiet, which I know is what really interests me. I could also call it sensitivity – for that quiet voice of the soul that knows exactly where to go.

Link to quote in video at 46m45s

I honestly don't ask myself whether this is the ego or not. I only know that this stubbornness serves me – if I direct it in the right direction, because of course I can also run in the opposite direction with the same stubbornness. It's like anything: you can use it either way. But you know, I never have these thoughts: is this ego now, or is this not ego now? I don't analyze myself. I think that's completely useless. I can never know.

How am I supposed to know whether this is ego or not? I can't know. I just always do what is most obviously right for me at the moment, at a particular moment; I just do that. And I even go so far as to not ask myself later whether it was really good or not. I just do it. I experience it as well as I can without thinking about it, without analyzing it, and as a result, something learns by itself, and life gets better and better and easier. That's how I do it.

I don't analyze myself, and that's why I can't really answer the question of whether it's ego or not. By the way, Swamiji said: as long as we are in this body, as long as we have a body, there is always a trace of ego. A faint, small trace of ego is still there somewhere, in almost all people, otherwise they would no longer be here. But as I said: I don't worry about it, otherwise I'd be going round in circles all the time. Thank you for your question.

I never think: is this ego or not? I don't analyze myself. I just do what is most obviously right for me and I don't ask myself later whether it was good or not. I experience it as best I can, and something learns by itself, and life gets better and better and easier.

Link to quote in video at 48m30s

Amazed and helpless carried by life

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[Simone:] Then I'll read out the next question, from Jeanette Nicole.

[Dhyan Mikael:] Hello Jeanette Nicole. How nice that you are here.

[Simone:] "Hello Mikael. I don't have any goals at the moment. I love just letting life flow and being full of wonder, like a child, how everything happens by itself, relieved to be absolutely helpless and yet carried by life. How do you see that?

Thank you."

[Dhyan Mikael:] Herrlich. Yes, I live the same way: no goals, helplessly carried by life. Wow.

Yes... once you risk living like this, you experience: wow, life carries me. Wow, that's life. Yes, that's how life works – just like that.

Yes, I live just like that: no goals, carried helplessly by life. Once you risk living like this, you experience: wow, life carries me. Wow, that's how life works.

Yes, that's how life works – just like that.

Link to quote in video at 50m27s

Meditate without automatically being a disciple

Link to topic in video at 51m08s

[Simone:] Then I would like to read a report from Karin.

[Dhyan Mikael:] Hello, Karin.

[Simone:] "Dear Mikael, I was reluctant to do the Samarpan Meditation for a long time because I somehow thought that I would then automatically be a disciple of Swamiji. But as you keep explaining the process in such a simple and inviting way, I'm now doing it after all, and I'm thrilled. In fact, I'm finally meditating regularly and it's exciting. Thank you."

[Dhyan Mikael:] It's so important to me... You know, that's actually why I started making videos in the first place. I've seen for years how people had problems with a spiritual Master or with a Guru or with Samarpan Meditation all over the place, and I could see that the whole problems didn't really exist; that it's all just our funny perception of things; that our head creates all these problems, and that it's really so simple. And I experienced this again and again, from the sidelines so to speak, when I worked as a crew member for Soham in Satsang, as a technician.

And at some point I had such a heartfelt desire that I could contribute something so that people would know how simple it really is. And that's why I started making videos. You know, I keep saying: I am a completely unspiritual person. I just do what I want, nothing else. I'm not doing anything the right way at all, and I am getting happier and happier. And Samarpan Meditation is the greatest blessing. And I already know there are many people around me who take it all totally seriously and try to do everything right.

I am a completely unspiritual person. I just do what I want, nothing else. I'm not doing anything the right way at all, and I am getting happier and happier. And Samarpan Meditation is the greatest blessing.

Link to quote in video at 52m50s

But Swamiji says that's not necessary, on the contrary: it's not helpful at all, and I can't help it. And this rebel attitude of mine, this black sheep attitude, I'm so happy to pass it on, because then, everything becomes so easy. And I am really happy that you've started and that you're having such wonderful experiences with it. I told you earlier that I made a video about this topic this morning: about the resistance that many people have with Samarpan Meditation or with a Guru. I'm not quite sure yet, but maybe I'll call the video "The Meditation of Freedom".

You are so free; there is nothing that is not freedom. And that's just so beautiful, but we can't usually believe that. Jesus was the same way. Jesus was pure freedom, pure redemption; and the church has made something narrow, something moral out of it, but that's normal. That's just what happens when people take things into their own hands with their misunderstandings. And that's why I try to keep reminding people how it really is. And I'm really happy when it is being heard. Thank you so much for reporting. Thank you very much, Karin.

Jesus was pure freedom, pure redemption; and the church has made something narrow, something moral out of it, but that's normal. That's just what happens when people take things into their own hands with their misunderstandings. And that's why I try to keep reminding people how it really is.

Link to quote in video at 54m09s

Impossible not to take it personally

Link to topic in video at 54m44s

[Simone:] Now I'll read out the next question, Mikael.

[Dhyan Mikael:] Yes, please, Simone.

[Simone:] It comes from Hiranyakashipu.

[Dhyan Mikael:] Hello Hiranyakashipu.

[Simone:] "Hi Mikael, you once talked about not taking things personally, personally and somehow inadequately or threateningly. From the point of view of experience this seems impossible. Everything seems personal. Can you say something about that?"

[Dhyan Mikael:] Ah, thank you. Thank you for your question.

Well, it's like this... I want to talk briefly about what makes it so personal. Experiencing in the moment is your experience, but that's not what I mean by 'personal'. If you're just experiencing what is, then there is no person experiencing it. You simply experience: "Ah yes. Now someone is stepping on my foot. Okay, that hurts. Now I'm sitting in the beautiful sun, that's wonderful"... And so you experience one thing after another. Then you may experience a threatening situation and experience that you are afraid: "Ah, okay"... It doesn't become personal through the experience itself.

It becomes personal by two things: by the fact that we have preferences; that I say: this is what I want and this is what I don't want. So, actually, it's just this one thing: that you want certain things and don't want others; that you evaluate: "This is good; I want that; and that is bad; I don't want that." And when this desire, these preferences, when they are added, then it becomes personal. This is what the 'I' is made of: these preferences, this judgment. That is the material from which the ego is made off; the 'I'.

I want to talk briefly about what makes it so personal. Experiencing in the moment is your experience, but that's not what I mean by 'personal'. If you're just experiencing what is, then there is no person experiencing it. What makes it personal is that we have preferences; that I say: I want this and I don't want that.

Link to quote in video at 55m28s

And then you experience something, but you don't experience it purely: "Ah, someone is stepping on my foot", but "Ah, that hurts, I don't want that. How can he do that! I absolutely have to prevent that next time. What can I do to stop it happening again and how can I get back at him?" Everything becomes personal within a few seconds. But if you just experience it, as if there was no one there who wants something else, then it's a completely different matter. The funny thing is that people then don't step on your toes anymore at all.

And when this desire, these preferences, when they are added, then it becomes personal. This is what the 'I' is made of: these preferences, this judgment. That is the material from which the ego is made off; the 'I'.

Link to quote in video at 56m43s

You know, the great Gurus of this world all have the same inconspicuous advice. Jesus said, when he was asked: how do you get to Heaven – or I translate: how do you get rid of the ego? How does one become happy? And he said: "Pray: Your will be done." That was his way. The entire teaching of Jesus can be summarized in this one sentence: "God, Lord, Life... Your will be done." And that means, "I have no preference. I say 'yes'." And when you do that, the 'I' disappears for the time you do it.

Jesus said, when he was asked: how do you get to Heaven – or I translate: how do you get rid of the ego? How does one become happy? And he said: "Pray: Your will be done." That was his way.

Link to quote in video at 57m58s

If you have no preference, if you don't choose, there is no 'I'. There is no one. There is no one who takes anything personally. You might experience the same thing, but it's no longer personal. And to do that, you just have to stop, give up, give up your preferences, your desires, your choices. And then people naturally say: "But you can't live like that. Then people are constantly stepping on my toes." Yes... We are totally convinced that if I don't constantly control life, then everything will go wrong.

The entire teaching of Jesus can be summarized in this one sentence: "Lord, God, Life... your will be done." And that means, "I have no preference. I say 'yes'." And when you do that, the 'I' disappears for the time you do it. There is no one.

Link to quote in video at 58m28s

But you know where that leads to. You've been doing this for many lifetimes and it leads to nothing. But once you start to try out what these great Gurus like Jesus say, once you really try it out and just accept what happens, then you start to experience life impersonally. Everything will be different. You experience life completely differently. And it's not at all the way you imagine it to be. It is completely different. All problems disappear.

We are convinced that if I don't constantly control life, everything will go wrong. You've been doing that for many lifetimes and it leads nowhere. But if you try out what these great Gurus like Jesus say and just accept what happens, then you start to experience life impersonally. Everything becomes different.

Link to quote in video at 59m22s

And that's why this Samarpan Meditation is so magical, because it helps you do just that. 'Samarpan', this word 'Samarpan' is an Indian word, a Sanskrit word, and it means 'surrender'. That's why for me, Jesus, who is very close to us in the West, and Samarpan Meditation are one and the same thing. The teaching behind it is exactly the same. In Samarpan Meditation, you learn not to want anything for half an hour, not even in meditation: to have no goal in life, but also no goal in meditation – exactly what Jesus advised us to do: "Your will be done.

In Samarpan Meditation, you learn to want nothing, nothing at all, for half an hour: to have no goal in life, but also no goal in meditation – exactly what Jesus advised us to do: "Thy will be done. I have no goal, no preference." And this meditation is the tool for learning this.

Link to quote in video at 1h00m42s

I have no will, I have no goal, I have no preference." And this Samarpan Meditation is the tool for learning this. You ask, "How can I not take this personally?" And then I tell you, "Stop choosing. Stop judging." And then you say: "But how is that supposed to work? It happens automatically." And you're right: you do that automatically, all the time, all the time, even when you're asleep, even in your dreams. And that's what the Samarpan Meditation is for. It's the tool to learn that, so to speak.

You ask, "How can I not take this personally?" And I tell you, "Stop choosing and judging." And you say, "But how? It happens automatically", and you're right: you do that automatically, all the time, even in your dreams. And that's what Samarpan Meditation is for. It's the tool to learn to do that.

Link to quote in video at 1h01m15s

And when this 'taking it personally' goes away, you have a different life. All problems in life only arise because we take it personally.

And when this 'taking it personally' goes away, you have a different life.

All problems in life only arise because we take it personally.

Link to quote in video at 1h01m53s

Thank you for your question. Such a lovely question; thank you.

I can't hear you, Simone.

The End of Paradise

Link to topic in video at 1h02m23s

[Simone:] Hiranyakashipu added that the 'personal and somehow inadequate or threatening' refers to the second. So, everything seems personal and somehow insufficient or threatening to him or her.

[Dhyan Mikael:] Yes, it really is like that. As soon as we start... there's this beautiful story in the Bible that tells us exactly that. That people lived in paradise and living in paradise means: not to judge. And then paradise came to an end. And how did paradise come to an end? This is beautifully written in the Bible: Adam ate of the fruit of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. Let me translate this into simple language. Adam began to evaluate things: the knowledge of good and evil; the knowledge: what is good, what is bad?

Back then, people developed the ability to judge things, to have preferences: I want this, I don't want that. And immediately, they were out of paradise – not because God was evil, but because they had started to ruin their own paradise. They could no longer see it. They had begun to judge. And the first thing they saw... immediately they had a problem: Adam was afraid of God. The Bible says it so beautifully in this story of paradise: at some point... God always came by every day and flirted with the two of them, with Adam and Eve.

And how did paradise come to an end? Adam ate of the fruit of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. Humans developed the ability to judge, to have preferences: I want this, I don't want that. And immediately, they were out of paradise – not because God was evil, but because they themselves ruined it.

Link to quote in video at 1h02m52s

Everything was fine and relaxed, but that day God came by and couldn't find Adam anymore. He said, "Adam, where are you? What's wrong?" Adam had gone into hiding. And God said, "Why have you been hiding? What's wrong, for God's sake?" Adam was afraid, had hidden himself and said, "I'm naked" – there is something wrong with me. He was afraid: "There is something wrong with me; something bad is about to happen". As soon as we start to judge, our reality changes completely and what was just paradise becomes hell: immediately, we have a problem. We are immediately threatened.

As soon as we start to judge, our reality changes completely and what was just paradise becomes hell: immediately, we have a problem. We are immediately threatened. As soon as there is an 'I', there is a threat – immediately.

Link to quote in video at 1h04m29s

As soon as there is an 'I', there is a threat – immediately. And that's when it started, tens of thousands of years ago, when people started judging. That's this image of 'eating the apple': we started to judge. God had said: "Don't eat this fruit." God had said, "I know you could do this now; you're so far developed now, you could start judging things now. Do everything, have fun, have joy, but please don't start this. You'll spoil everything."

But of course we did, and since then, we've been in hell; since then, we've felt threatened; since then, we've been afraid; since then, we've seen problems everywhere. And they end as soon as we stop judging; as soon as we start to say, "Okay, I'll stop judging. I'll stop having desires. I now say: Thy will be done, Life. You do it again – like you did back then." And when we do that, even though it seems completely absurd to the mind, all problems disappear. That is the return to paradise. And then, there is no longer a threat. All threat is gone. There are no more enemies.

This is this image of 'eating the apple': we started to judge, and since then, we've been in hell; since then, we've felt threatened; since then, we've been afraid; since then, we've seen problems everywhere. And they end as soon as we say: "Thy will be done, Life."

Link to quote in video at 1h05m00s

What happens in Satsang

Link to topic in video at 1h06m21s

[Simone:] I'm going to read a question, Mikael, from someone who calls himself 'To the One'.

[Dhyan Mikael:] What does he call himself?

[Simone:] 'To the One'.

[Dhyan Mikael:] 'To the One', yes. That's a great pseudonym.

[Simone:] "Dear Mikael, how is it compatible that some Satsang speakers say they can't give anyone tips because there is no one – but you and others seem to be talking to someone?"

[Dhyan Mikael:] Well, I said earlier: I am completely non-spiritual; I'm completely non-esoteric. I am interested in practical things. I'm an engineer, I program; I like things to be practical. And practically it's like this: I'm sitting here, you're sitting there, and we have this wonderful opportunity to talk to each other using language, and I just do that. I mean, of course I could say to you now, "there is nobody here, and there's nobody there either", but that's kind of strange for me.

I don't worry about that. What's happening here, in reality, has nothing to do with the words either. I'm not really giving you tips. I mean, basically it's true: I can't give you tips, but I can do something: I can just be the way I am. And what we do here is: I experience you, I feel your energy and your vibration, and you feel me and my energy and my vibration. And something is being transmitted. This has nothing to do with the words.

In reality, it has nothing at all to do with what I speak, what I say. We could also exchange cooking recipes here, and you would still pick up something from me here in Satsang that is somehow different for you and that makes something resonate with you and enriches you – but not because I am giving you a tip, but because you are experiencing me. That's all, actually.

What happens here has nothing to do with the words. I'm not actually giving you tips. What we are doing here is: I experience you, I feel your energy, and you feel me and my energy. And something is being transferred. It has nothing to do with the words.

Link to quote in video at 1h07m20s

And this experiencing each other is so helpful because it makes you... It is as if I were lending you my inner perception for a certain period of time. Simply by sitting in my aura for one and a half hours, you suddenly feel things inside of you that you might not otherwise feel so clearly. And that's because we get a little closer for a while.

It is as if I were lending you my inner perception for a certain period of time. Simply by sitting in my aura for one and a half hours, you suddenly feel things inside of you that you might not otherwise feel so clearly.

Link to quote in video at 1h08m39s

And getting a little closer for a certain amount of time, and having something to do in this way, is simply relaxed and practical when you do something together, and then you just talk. And we talk about some spiritual stuff now, but in reality it doesn't matter at all. We could also play chess together, or we could discuss cooking recipes together, as I said, or simply go for a walk in silence, and this transmission would also take place.

Swamiji wrote his six-volume autobiography a few years ago – incredibly beautiful; I can only recommend it to everyone – and he talks about this. This Guru, he was together with eleven or twelve, I think twelve different Gurus in the Himalayas – one after the other, not all at once. Swamiji has a very amazing biography. And in the autobiography, he describes these phases of his life where he was with one Guru and then with another.

And then he describes all the things that the Guru taught him and that he learned there, and the gifts that he received from the Guru, and the knowledge and understanding that he received from this Guru. And in some places he mentions in passing that the Guru never actually spoke to him. They were just together, walking around the area, Swamiji was sitting with him, doing some kind of service for him... And he said: what I am telling you here are all the things that I could perceive inwardly when I was sitting near him. He didn't speak them at all.

When you read the autobiography, you actually get the feeling over most of the time that they were constantly talking to each other, but Swamiji once said: that's not true at all. They hardly ever spoke to each other at all, but simply by sitting in this incredibly strong aura of this Guru, he perceived within himself everything that made this Guru so special. And that is the magic of human interaction. This is how the guru-disciple relationship works, and this is also how Satsang works. It has nothing to do with the words at all.

Simply by sitting in this incredible aura of this Guru, he perceived in himself everything that made this Guru so special. That is the magic of human interaction. This is how the guru-disciple relationship works, and this is how Satsang works. It has nothing to do with the words at all.

Link to quote in video at 1h11m23s

But talking somehow makes it easier, I don't know. That's why I have no problem with it, even though it might be totally unspiritual. Thank you for your question.

[Simone:] Miedel has now asked if there might be a link to this meditation on YouTube, Mikael.

[Dhyan Mikael:] Yes... You can go to my website, dhyanmikael.de, and on my website there's a page called 'Meditation', and on that page I've put together lots of links about this meditation. This meditation does not come from me. I only pass it on as a student of this meditation, so to speak.

It comes from Swamiji, and there is the Samarpan-Meditation Deutschland eV in Germany, Austria and Switzerland, and they also have a website, a German-language website with lots of information, and you can also find the link to it on my website. And you can find out more there. And if you can't easily find what you're looking for, you can also send me an email, and I will either refer you to the right place where you can find it, or I can refer you to the contact who can then give you the relevant answers. Thank you.

[Simone:] The person who calls himself 'To the One' wrote again: "Thank you for your reply. You are so sympathetic."

[Dhyan Mikael:] Thank you. I don't know... I just am the way I am, and if this is good for you, then I am very happy.

Simone, do you have anything else?

[Simone:] I think I have the question... Hiranyakashipu thinks that I read the question from him incorrectly. I'd like to read it out again now, as he wrote it, just to make sure you got it right.

[Dhyan Mikael:] Yes.

[Simone:] I don't like it when I read it out incorrectly. It's not meant to be like this. I'm sorry. "Hi Mikael, you once talked about not taking things personally. From the perspective of the 'I' experience that seems impossible. Everything seems personal. Can you say something about that?" And Hiranyakashipu later added 'personal and somehow insufficient or threatening' to the 'everything seems personal'.

[Dhyan Mikael:] I understood it the same way. That fits. It's all good, Simone. That's exactly how it came across to me. And that's true: from the point of view of the 'I', it's impossible. Only when you step away from the 'I' – and I described this to you: when you stop having a preference – then it becomes impersonal, and suddenly, everything is possible. But from the point of view of the 'I', what I am talking about is completely impossible. It's simply not possible, and what I am saying is completely crazy. But nevertheless, it is like this.

From the point of view of the 'I' it is impossible. It's only when you step away from the 'I' – when you stop having a preference – that it becomes impersonal, and suddenly, anything is possible. But from the point of view of the 'I', it's all completely impossible, and what I am saying is completely crazy. But nevertheless, it is like this.

Link to quote in video at 1h14m57s

Feeling the suppressed feelings of others

Link to topic in video at 1h15m40s

[Simone:] Then I'll read out another question from Alexandra.

[Dhyan Mikael:] Hello Alexandra, nice to have you here.

[Simone:] "Can one feel someone's negative feelings that the other person is suppressing? Thank you."

[Dhyan Mikael:] I don't know what you mean by that... Whether you mean whether it's possible that the negative feelings you perceive are actually coming from someone else, and they are spilling over to you because they don't want to feel them. Or whether you mean whether it's possible to help someone else who doesn't feel the feelings themselves by feeling them. But basically, it doesn't matter which of these two variants you really mean, because the answer is the same.

First of all, I'll tell you how I do it. When I feel something, I never ask myself whether it's my feeling or your feeling. What I feel, I just feel – that's it. I don't dissect it: "Ah, that's your feeling. That belongs to you, you have to feel that. And this one is my feeling"... You can't do that. It's not necessary either. What I feel, I simply feel. I am at peace with it. And then I'm relieved; then I'm at peace.

That's all I need to know. You are right, of course: when you are dealing with people who aren't able to feel their own feelings; who don't know anything about it at all... Most people don't know what kind of emotional mountain they've been sitting on all their lives. And the more sensitive you become, the closer you get to your soul, the more permeable you become, the more you perceive all these things in your surroundings. It's true: that's just the way it is.

And then two things happen. One is what I just said: I feel everything that comes to me, because then it passes through me. The more willing I am to feel what comes to me, the less burden I carry. And what I have increasingly noticed in my life over the last few years is that the more sensitive I become, the better I look after myself.

When I feel something, I never ask myself whether it's my feeling or your feeling. I don't dissect it: "Ah, that's your feeling. You must feel that." You can't do that. It's not necessary either. What I feel, I simply feel. I come to peace with it. And then I'm relieved; then I'm at peace. That's all I need to know.

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I am more withdrawn than I used to be because I neither need nor want this constant contact with lots of people, because I have enough to feel for myself. I don't need to have all the baggage of other people so close to me all the time. The closer you get to yourself, the more you feel, and then you don't need exciting things in your life any more, because normal everyday life is exciting enough. Your own inner life is exciting and interesting enough.

You don't need any more drama and no more movies and no more books and no more arguments and no more conflict. And as the years go by, I become more and more careful and keep my space better and better. I like interacting with people very, very much, but I'm becoming more selective about the environment and the context in which I do it, so that I am comfortable. But as I said: everything that comes my way, no matter who it belongs to, I just feel it. There is no other way.

The closer you get to yourself, the more you feel, and then you don't need exciting things in your life any more, because everyday life is exciting enough. Your own inner life is exciting and interesting enough. You don't need any more drama and movies and books and arguments and conflict.

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And I don't care whether someone else feels their feelings or not. That's not my business. My concern is only whether I feel my feelings. There are sometimes discussions between partners, for example, where one person says to the other: "This aggression is yours. Why don't you feel it? I don't want to have anything to do with it." That leads nowhere. If you perceive someone else's aggression and it triggers you, then it's your aggression. And then to come to peace with it... that defuses the story for you, completely. And then the other person can be the way they are.

Nothing more is necessary, actually.

If you perceive someone's aggression and it triggers you, then it's your aggression. And then to come to peace with it... that defuses the story for you, and then the other person can be the way they are. Nothing more is necessary, actually.

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Thank you for the question.

What costs energy is the fight against it

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[Simone:] Mikael, I'll read another question from Andrea.

[Dhyan Mikael:] Yes, thank you. Hello, Andrea.

[Simone:] She writes: "Dear Mikael, whenever I wake up, I am flooded with a wave of anxiety. It takes a lot of energy. After a while it disappears. Do you have any tips on how I can deal with it?"

[Dhyan Mikael:] Oh yes, I do. What takes energy is fighting it. The fear comes, and the first reaction is: "Oh God, not again. What do I do now?"

But there is another option. When the fear comes, invite it in. It will come back; it knocks on your door every morning. The next time it comes, don't fight. Stop the fight.

What takes energy is the fight against it. The fear comes, and the first reaction is: "Oh God, not again. What do I do now?" But there is another option. When the fear comes, invite it in. The next time it comes, don't fight it. Stop the fight.

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I don't know how you perceive the fear, but maybe it's like a monster that wants to destroy you; like a tiger that wants to eat you. Maybe that's how it feels.

And if you are willing to let yourself be devoured by this feeling, to let it eat you up – you don't have to do anything; you just have to say 'yes' – then you will discover something quite astonishing.

Try it out for once. I'll lend you my courage. I have experienced what you are talking about in my own life. I know exactly what I'm talking about. Until now, you've been running from the fear, and it's endlessly exhausting.

And if instead you stop, stop running away, turn around and receive the fear and say 'yes'... Like I said, you will experience something you can't imagine. I am curious. Maybe you'll tell me about it one day. And when you do tell me what it's like for you when you try it, then I will also tell you what I have experienced in my life. As I said: exactly this situation I know, too.

Until now, you have been running away from the fear, and it is endlessly exhausting. And if instead you stop, stop running away, turn around and receive the fear and say 'yes', then you will experience something that you cannot imagine.

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I can really encourage you. You know, it's like this: these feelings that come to you are not an enemy. It feels like that, I know. It feels threatening, dangerous. These feelings that come to you are not your enemy. I know you can't imagine it.

But when you wake up tomorrow morning, and if you want to... if you're in the mood for it; if you feel safe enough for it, remember our conversation, and I'll be with you. I'll take you by the hand and then, invite the feeling in, open the door and say: "Okay, come in." The fear or the feeling will probably be completely stunned: "What's going on here? I've never experienced this before. She's always sent me away before." Yes, let the fear come.

It has something for you – you'll see.

These feelings are not your enemy. I know you can't imagine it. Invite the feeling in, open the door and say: "Okay, come in." The fear is probably stunned: "What's going on here? She's always sent me away before." Yes, let the fear come in. It has something for you – you'll see.

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Thank you.

Relief from a guilty conscience

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[Simone:] Mikael, Ursula wrote in the chat: "I take too much responsibility for my mother. If I don't, I have a guilty conscience. It leaves me no room for myself."

[Dhyan Mikael:] Yes, that's right. We take responsibility for other people – not because we are so great and so good and so loving, but because otherwise, we feel wrong. That's how we learned it in the past. This is how we are manipulated: if we don't do what someone else wants us to do, then that someone else makes us feel wrong. That's how it works. And as you say: it takes away all your freedom – unless you are willing to feel wrong.

I know exactly what you're talking about... so well. I used to spend my whole life trying to avoid feeling wrong. I did everything I could to avoid being wrong. I know exactly what you're talking about. And then, about twenty-two years ago today, my Master Soham said something to me. He said, "Mikael, if you are willing to be wrong, then you are free."

This is how we are manipulated: if we don't do what someone else wants, then that someone else makes us feel wrong. That's how it works. And as you say, it takes away any freedom you have – unless you're willing to feel wrong.

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You can't have it both ways. You can't avoid feeling wrong and be free. And if you are willing to feel wrong... If you are willing to be wrong – that's how it feels – then you will discover completely new things. Maybe you will even take care of this person, but then out of joy, because then you are free; or you don't want it, and then you just don't do it.

You can't have it both ways. You can't avoid feeling wrong and be free. And if you are willing to feel wrong... If you are willing to be wrong – that's how it feels – then you will discover completely new things.

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But the first and most important thing is to make peace with the fact that you feel wrong. That is the most important thing on this path. And then, you're free, and then, life starts, so right. That was the one big lesson in my life with my spiritual Master. He gave me permission to be wrong, and I learned it from him. And now I am free, and no one can put shackles on me anymore.

The first and most important thing is to make peace with the fact that you feel wrong. That is the most important thing on this path. And then, you're free, and then, life starts.

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I am free: I often feel wrong, again and again, but I no longer have a problem with it.

That was the one big lesson in my life with my spiritual Master. He gave me permission to be wrong, and I learned it from him. And now I am free, and no one can put shackles on me anymore. I am free: I often feel wrong, again and again, but I no longer have a problem with it.

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Yes.

Make peace with being wrong. That's the key for you.

Fear of the dentist

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I now have another question that I would like to read out. I promised that person that I would say something about it, and I want to do that briefly now because I want to keep my promise. "Hello Mikael. I'm terrified of the dentist. I have a small mouth and I often get sick when the dentists dig around in it with their tools. I can't keep my jaw open for long either.

I don't even know how I got through the last hour and a half session. On Monday, they wanted to put in an inlay, but we had to stop because I just couldn't take it. The tooth is at the very, very back. I have to lie very flat and it's torture. Tomorrow they want to try again. Please be with me so that I'm just relaxed and calm and have enough stamina."

Yes, I'd really like to say something about that because I've been there myself. I also have a mouth that doesn't open wide. I have a small mouth that doesn't open wide at all. It's a nightmare for the dentists. And I remember well... I once had an operation in my mouth, I had to have an apicoectomy. It was a big operation in this tiny mouth, and I'd like to tell you briefly how I coped with it.

I did two things. One: I completely trusted the doctors. I didn't know them. I was sent there for this operation, sat there in the chair and a doctor I didn't know at all came to see me; there was a dental assistant and an anesthetist who gave me a local anesthetic. And I just decided: I trust them now. I can't do anything. I am completely in their hands, and I simply trusted them completely.

And I knew that everything they did was good. And this trust, this openness from me towards the procedure and, above all, the people, relaxed something in me – and also in these people. And the whole thing went really smoothly and healed really well afterwards. And what I did during the procedure was: I meditated.

I didn't know meditation back then. I had a walkman with me at the time and I put Osho in my ear. Osho is a very well-known Indian mystic who is no longer in his body, and I really liked listening to him back then. And listening to him just made me totally calm and put me in a completely relaxed space.

And that helped: I was relaxed, the doctors were relaxed, my body was relaxed. I couldn't open my mouth much wider than usual, but suddenly it wasn't such a big problem anymore, and then, everything went well. Yes: trust the doctors completely and do something that helps you to simply relax. You can do the Samarpan Meditation while they're doing it. That is perhaps the very best thing. Go into the crown and just meditate and let them work. You don't need to be there; they do the work on their own. But I am with you.

And now we have to stop. As always in Satsang, time passes far too quickly. That's totally unfair, but that's just the way it is. Thank you for being here. Thank you for being here. I am so happy. Thank you for making this possible. Thank you very, very much. And if you have any questions for which there was no time today: you can write to me, and I regularly make videos, and I answer questions there too. And I am very happy to hear from you. Thank you very much.

I love you.