The one Wish that counts

Good morning.

I'm very happy that you are here. Welcome.

Shaping your own reality?

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This morning, I want to talk about a very interesting subject. I would like to talk about "creating one's own life". I want to talk about whether it is possible to manifest your life, to be the creator of your own life.

And I want to talk about whether this is something you should want to do.

This is a subject which comes up very, very often. I get a lot of letters about it because you find so many successful, famous people talking about exactly this subject. They say: "You can do this. I show you how."

I would like to start this video with reading out an email that reached me about exactly this subject.

"There are well-known successful people who say: we are our own creators when we recognize who we really are, and when we awaken from the dream of the ego illusion. It is said that we, who are a part of God, can then shape our reality by feeling that a wish has already been fulfilled in life, and then this happens, because the outside is a mirror which reflects it.

I always assumed that every moment arises out of itself and that Divine energy guides us from within, and that only what is meant to be on our path through life will happen, and that we either say 'yes' to it, or we want it to be different which then creates suffering. I have already asked you something like this before, but somehow, I don't seem to have understood it yet."

To me, it sounds like you understood it perfectly well.

It is exactly how you say it.

Let me quote your email. You really said it so nicely: "Every moment arises out of itself. Divine energy guides us from within. Only that what is meant to happen will happen in our life. And we can say 'yes' to it, or we can want it different, and then we suffer."

What you said so beautifully in your email sums up the secret of life and the secret of happiness.

But why is it then that so many, as you say, successful, well-known people, with thousands or millions of people listening to them, they say: you can be the creator of your own life, once you let go of the ego illusion?

Well, first of all, let me briefly talk about why these people are so successful. They are not successful because what they say works. They are successful because they talk about something everybody would like to believe. And we are stupid. Us humans, we are really stupid, me included.

But why is it then that so many successful people say: you can be the creator of your own life, once you let go of the ego Illusion? They are not successful because what they say works. They are successful because they talk about something everybody would like to believe.

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About one and a half years ago, in some advertisement, they said: "Hey, if you participate in this quiz and if you give us your email address and your phone number, then you have a very high chance to win some prize." And I am a man. This was a really cool tool you could win there. And I knew this is a stupid idea. I knew that this is just scam.

But in that moment, I was a little bit more stupid than I usually am, and I just participated. I filled out this form, and I sent it in. Of course, I didn't win anything, but I was harassed by sales calls on the phone and via email and via SMS for one year until they stopped. And I knew it, but I wanted to believe it. I wanted this nice tool for free.

And so, I learned my lesson once again. So, we want to believe it. That's why they are so successful. And, you know, I don't want to say that these highly successful people are lying. What they say is true: you can shape your life.

You can manifest certain things in your life. It's like this: Where you put your attention to, that will grow. If you give something all of your energy, you will be successful, in one way or another. But the question is, what do you really want? Let's make an example. You want to be successful. You want to have money in abundance so you don't have to worry anymore about money and so you can fulfill all of your wishes. Why do you wish this? Let's look behind that wish which is on the surface.

If you are really honest, if you are still for a moment, and if you look inside, you will find: "What I really want is – I just want to be happy.

I wish for money, I wish for financial success and financial independence in my life because I believe that then, I will be happy; then I will not worry anymore."

And now the thing is this... You can shape your life, you can manifest your wishes – but it will not make you happy.

You will have the next wish. You will have the next worry. When you have money, you will worry that you will lose it.

When you have a nice car, you will be worried that somebody crashes into it or steals it. No matter what you do in your life, no matter what you achieve, it will not make you happy, because everything you achieve, everything you do, will also go away again. Everything.

And that's why it creates even more suffering. It doesn't make happy.

You can shape your life and manifest your wishes – but it will not make you happy. You will have the next wish and the next worry. No matter what you achieve, it will not make you happy, because everything you achieve will also go away again. Everything. And that's why it creates even more suffering. It doesn't make happy.

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You are lying to yourself

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You put it very true. You said: these people say: "when you let go of the ego illusion, then you can manifest your life." Well, when you let go of the ego illusion, there are no wishes anymore. The ego consists of exactly that. Ego is this 'I' sense: "I want, I must. I should.

I prefer this. I don't want this." All these wishes and preferences and judgments, which is all thought, this creates this feeling of 'I'. This creates ego.

These people say: "when you let go of the ego illusion, then you can manifest your life." Well, when you let go of the ego illusion, there are no wishes anymore. Ego is this 'I' sense: "I want, I must. I should. I prefer this. I don't want that." All this creates this feeling of 'I'. This creates ego.

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If I don't have ego, I don't have wishes. The ego consists of wishes and wants and opinions.

And that's the misunderstanding: if you are busy shaping your life according to your wishes, that's the ego working.

It might be successful for a while, but it will not make happy, no matter what you do. It's like you're lying to yourself. When you say: "If I become so egoless and so 'here' and so happy, then I can shape my life", then you are lying to yourself.

If I don't have ego, I don't have wishes. The ego consists of wishes and wants and opinions. And that's the misunderstanding: if you are busy shaping your life according to your wishes, that's the ego working. It might be successful for a while, but it will not make happy, no matter what you do.

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It's only the ego which shapes and wants, nothing else. Once you are happy, once you let go of your ego, there are no wishes – because the ego is made up of wishes.

It's like you're lying to yourself. When you say: "If I become so egoless and so 'here' and so happy, then I can shape my life", then you are lying to yourself. It's only the ego which shapes and wants, nothing else. Once you are happy, once you let go of your ego, there are no wishes – because the ego is made up of wishes.

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And, you know, it is like this. If you are busy trying to find a way to fulfill your wishes, because you believe with every part of your being that this will make you happy, then what you're actually practicing is: you are giving energy to the wishes. And even if this wish will fulfill, you practiced "having wishes", and you will have the next wish the next day. And it will go on and on and on like this.

If you are busy trying to find a way to fulfill your wishes because you believe that this will make you happy, then what you're actually practicing is giving energy to the wishes. And even if this wish will fulfill, you practiced "having wishes", and you will have the next wish the next day. And it will go on and on and on like this.

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So, what is the solution?

Jesus said something very interesting, which was completely misunderstood. He said... How did he say it? What is the English translation?

I think he said: "Blessed are those meek in spirit, because theirs is the Kingdom of God, the Kingdom of Heaven." Another translation is: "Blessed are those poor in spirit", but it means the same.

Jesus was not talking about poverty in practical life. Meek in spirit, poor in spirit means: no wishes. The spirit is empty: no wishes, no preferences, no judgments, no "I want this, but I don't want that". Meek in spirit means: nothing in there; the spirit is empty; just a 'yes' to that what is. And if you are this way, then you are in the Kingdom of God.

Jesus said: "Blessed are those meek in spirit, because theirs is the Kingdom of Heaven." He was not talking about poverty. Meek in spirit means: the spirit is empty, no wishes, preferences, judgments, no "I want this, but I don't want that". Just a 'yes' to that what is. And if you are this way, then you are in the Kingdom of God.

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But we don't want to hear this. And then, we look for tricks: "Okay, how can I be egoless, how can I be meek in spirit, and still fulfill my wishes?" And that's what these successful people cater to, but you fool yourself.

Jesus told the secret of happiness. He says, when you have no wishes, no preferences, then you're in Heaven. Then you are egoless. There is no ego.

But we don't want to hear this and we look for tricks: "Okay, how can I be egoless, how can I be meek in spirit, and still fulfill my wishes?" And that's what these successful people cater to, but you fool yourself. Jesus told the secret of happiness: when you have no wishes, no preferences, then you are in Heaven; then you are egoless.

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And that's what Samarpan Meditation is for, this meditation I like to talk about so much, because in my experience, this is the way to happiness.

You can't just stop wanting. It doesn't work. You can't just drop your ego. Wanting to drop the ego is another wish, and the ego will never drop itself. Sometimes it pretends to, but, of course, it never happens.

But when you meditate the Samarpan Meditation every day, you practice this letting go. You practice this being empty, meek in spirit, for half an hour every day. More you don't have to do. And when you do this, your ability to let go of these wishes grows more and more, and you just begin to be happy. You don't even know how it happens.

You can't just stop wanting. You can't just drop your ego. Wanting to drop the ego is another wish, and the ego will never drop itself. But when you meditate, you practice this letting go, this being empty, and your ability to let go of these wishes grows more and more, and you begin to be happy. You don't even know how it happens.

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Being rich and being happy?

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So, I was just talking about this misunderstanding that there is a way to fulfill your wishes and still be happy. And this can't be. It's a contradiction. If you want to fulfill your wishes and shape your life according to your ideas, then you are ego. It just is like this, and happiness will not be created this way. That's the one misunderstanding. Don't fool yourself. And there's another misunderstanding about what Jesus said.

I was talking about this misunderstanding that there is a way to fulfill your wishes and still be happy. And this can't be. It's a contradiction. If you want to fulfill your wishes and shape your life according to your ideas, then you are ego, and happiness will not be created this way. Don't fool yourself.

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You know, it is like this that the people around Jesus, they didn't know from their own experience what Jesus was talking about. For them, that was all theoretical. For them, it was like Jesus was talking about something in the future, because it was nothing they could experience right now. So, they didn't understand Jesus, because they didn't have their own experience of it. And so, they tried to understand by just looking at him. What does he do? How does he live? And Jesus was a poor man – in the eyes of the others.

He was not poor. He was a king. He was the richest man of all, but outwardly, he didn't possess anything. He just had the clothes on his body; that was all. So, people thought: the secret of happiness is poverty, the secret of happiness is having nothing. And then Jesus said: "the poor in spirit". In Christianity, there is this belief that being rich is a hindrance on the way to Heaven: "If I renounce everything I have, then I will be happy." But this is not true. This is a misunderstanding.

What prevents the rich man from entering Heaven... That's what Jesus said. He said: "It's easier for a camel to go through the Eye of the Needle".... The Eye of the Needle was an extremely small, little door in the gates of Jerusalem. He said: "It's easier for a camel to go through this tiny little door" – which is impossible, a camel doesn't fit there – "than for a rich man entering Heaven. But the problem is not the riches. The problem is the wanting of the rich man.

He is rich because he put all of his attention to his wish to become rich. So, he became rich, but not happy. The problem is not the riches. The problem is the wishes. And Jesus said: "If you have wishes, you will not enter Heaven." It's not a punishment of God. It's not that some mean God is standing at the gates of Heaven and saying: "You have wishes – you can't enter here." No. Of course, this is not true. This is just a description of how our human nature works.

In Christianity, there is this belief that being rich is a hindrance on the way to Heaven, but this is not true. What prevents the rich man from entering Heaven is the wanting of the rich man. He is rich because he put all of his attention to his wish to become rich. So, he became rich, but not happy. The problem is not the riches. The problem is the wishes.

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If you have wishes, you can fulfill these wishes. You will find some way to fulfill them. But if you are a human being entertaining wishes, then tomorrow, you will find the next wish and then the next wish and so on. You will never be free of wishes. Wishes do not go away by fulfilling them, quite the contrary. You get ever more into the habit of having wishes. You fulfill one wish – you are still not happy: "Okay. Maybe I have to fulfill the next wish.

I'm still not happy. Okay. Let's try the next wish"... But the problem was having wishes, that's all. So, it's not a problem to be rich. It's not a problem to be successful. It's not a problem to be famous. But wanting to be rich, wanting to be famous, believing that this is important, holding on to that, being worried to lose the riches, being worried to lose the appreciation of other people – that's the problem.

It's not a problem to be rich. It's not a problem to be successful. It's not a problem to be famous. But wanting to be rich, wanting to be famous, believing that this is important, holding on to that, being worried to lose the riches, being worried to lose the appreciation of other people – that's the problem.

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So, if you do what Jesus suggests: if you are meek in spirit, if you let go of your wishes, if you just let life happen the way it is, if you just say 'yes' to life, then you will become happy. How your life looks like practically then, that's another story. Maybe you become extremely successful. Maybe you have a simple life, but you're happy; you are a king. That is my experience. I have a simple life, I don't have much, but I am a king.

If you do what Jesus suggests: if you let go of your wishes and just say 'yes' to life, you will become happy. How your life looks then practically, that's another story. Maybe you become successful, maybe you have a simple life, but you're happy; you are a king. That is my experience. I have a simple life, I don't have much, but I am a king.

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Swamiji, this is this Indian Guru who brings the Samarpan Meditation from the Himalayas into society, he talks about this too. He says: if you start meditating the Samarpan Meditation, what happens is that you become empty and clear and attentive and you just live in the moment. And just by being like this, everything you do will become successful. All your wishes will be fulfilled when you meditate, because you become so clear and so quiet inside. You are so attentive. Everything you do, you do better than ever before.

But this is not what will make you happy. What will make you happy is that what you learn through meditation, just as a by-product, so to speak: you lose your wishes. You lose your ego. You lose your wanting and your judgments – and that makes you happy. And the more you are in the moment, the emptier you become, the happier you become, the more successful you are in everything, and your life becomes wondrous.

So, there is no contradiction. Becoming happy doesn't mean that you have to be poor, but it also is not true that you have to become rich or successful in order to become happy. You just become happy, and then you are a king. No matter how your life looks like, you enjoy a happiness and a contentment which is completely independent of what you have and how your life looks like practically.

And these are the two misunderstandings about the spiritual path. The one is: "I want to manifest my own life, I want to fulfill my wishes, and then I will be happy." This is not true. This is the path to suffering. And the other misunderstanding is: "I must be poor. I must have nothing. Then I will be happy." This is not how happiness is created. Happiness is created by just letting go of the thoughts, the wishes.

That's all. Then you are rich. Then you are a king, really.

The one misunderstanding is: "I want to manifest my own life and fulfill my wishes, then I will be happy." This is not true. This is the path to suffering. And the other one is: "I must be poor, then I will be happy." This is not how happiness is created. It is created by letting go of thoughts, wishes. Then you are rich. Then you are a king.

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The power of truth

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There is only one thing you have to ask yourself in life: "What makes me happy?" And it's interesting... You know the answer. It's not that I want to convince you of anything. What I do here is not a discussion. I don't want to give you the right arguments, the right reasons so you can believe what I say. That doesn't work, and this is not my intention anyway.

I just tell you how it is, and you know yourself. And when you hear me tell the truth, you know: "Yes, this is right. This is true. I know it." That is the power of truth. Maybe you never heard it before, maybe you never thought this before, but when you hear the truth, immediately, you know: this is true. You know it. It's amazing. And that's why I talk about it, just so you remember: "Ah, this is true."

There is only one thing you have to ask yourself in life: "What makes me happy?" And you know the answer. It's not that I want to convince you of anything. I just tell you how it is, and you know: "Yes, this is right. This is true. I know it." That is the power of truth. And that's why I talk about it, just so you remember: "Ah, this is true."

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And then just ask yourself: "What is it that makes me truly happy?" Ask yourself: "This where I invest my time and all my energy into, is this something which will make me permanently happy? Is this something which will still be here when this world is gone, when this body died? Will I still have it? Is it still here?" If not, then it's not worth your attention and your energy.

Just ask yourself: "What makes me truly happy?" Ask yourself: "This where I invest my time and energy into, will this make me permanently happy? Will this still be here when this world is gone, when this body died? Will I still have it? Is it still here?" If not, then it's not worth your attention and your energy.

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But when you meditate, when you practice letting go of your wishes, when you practice saying 'yes' to life no matter what is here, the riches and the trouble, then something grows in you. There is an energy and a happiness and a Heaven growing in you which is completely independent of what you have and what happens. That is what Jesus was talking about. That is eternity. That is the only thing you can take with you. That is the only permanent: this inner happiness.

When you meditate, when you practice letting go of your wishes, then something grows in you: an energy, a happiness, a Heaven which is completely independent of what you have and what happens. That is what Jesus was talking about. That is eternity, the only thing you can take with you, the only permanent: this inner happiness.

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So. the whole thing is really easy. You know the truth. You know what works and what doesn't. You know where you lie to yourself. And when you hear other people talk, maybe you want to believe it, but you know it's not true. And you hear somebody else talk, and maybe he says something you don't really want to hear, but you know, you just know: it's the truth. So, it's your decision. And my advice to you is the following. Just be true to yourself. Be the way you are, but meditate.

This is not my advice. Swamiji says this again and again. He said: "Don't change. Be the way you are, but meditate." If you dream of manifesting your life, if you dream of shaping your life in exactly the way you imagine it to be, then go for it. And I'm not being sarcastic. I'm not making fun of you. I tell you: this is the way for you to find out for yourself how it works. Just go for it. That's how I live. I always do what I feel energy for. I go where I feel drawn to.

You know the truth. You know what works and what doesn't. You know where you lie to yourself. And when you hear people talk, maybe you want to believe it, but you know: it's not true. And you hear somebody else talk, and maybe he says something you don't want to hear, but you just know: it's the truth. So, it's your decision.

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I do what fascinates me. That's what I try out. And then, in no time, I find out the truth about it. That's the easiest way to live, and that's the quickest way to happiness. So, if you have wishes and you want to fulfill them, go for it – but meditate at the same time. It's not a contradiction. And by meditating, your ability to see clearly, to see what really happens, that will grow. And that makes it so fast, this learning and this finding the truth.

I want to encourage you to be true to yourself – and to meditate at the same time. And while you are busy fulfilling your wishes, while you are busy finding out whether this is actually the way it happens, you meditate and you become happier and happier anyway, no matter what you do. It's really amazing, this life. So easy.

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Don't believe anybody

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And that's all I ever do: I want to encourage you to be true to yourself – and to meditate at the same time.

And while you are busy fulfilling your wishes, while you are busy finding out whether this is actually the way it happens, you meditate and you become happier and happier and happier anyway, no matter what you do. It's really amazing, this life. So easy.

I want to encourage you to be true to yourself – and to meditate at the same time. And while you are busy fulfilling your wishes, while you are busy finding out whether this is actually the way it happens, you meditate and you become happier and happier and happier anyway, no matter what you do. It's really amazing, this life. So easy.

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So, don't believe anybody. Don't believe me. Don't believe all these other people, no matter how successful they are. Find out for yourself. Try it out. Go where you feel drawn to and just find out. That's why we are here: to find our path to happiness – and you will find it. That is why you are here.

Don't believe anybody. Don't believe me. Don't believe all these other people, no matter how successful they are. Find out for yourself. Try it out. Go where you feel drawn to and just find out. That's why we are here: to find our path to happiness – and you will find it. That is why you are here.

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Write to me if you have questions

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If you have questions about this... This is a subject where misunderstandings and doubts come up very easily. If you have questions about it, I am really happy to receive your questions. On my website, I have the Ask Me page, and there you find my contact information. You can write an email to me, you can write a handwritten letter to me, and I will answer. Sometimes, it takes quite a while for me to answer, but I will answer.

If you write an email, I will write back with an email, and if you write me a letter, you will get a letter from me also. But the actual answer to your questions I will give in a video or in Satsang, because we all have the same questions. Your question is also the question of many, many other people, and that's why I always answer the actual question through this medium of video or Satsang, so everybody can listen to it, if they want.

Support me if it gives you joy

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And I also invite you: if you like my videos, if you feel joy to support this, you can support me financially. If you feel like this, on my website, I have the Donate page, and there you can find all the information about how this is possible. And here, it's exactly the same as with everything else. I tell you: just do what you feel like. I don't tell you: support me because then you will contribute to a better world.

I don't tell you: what I do is so important and, be part of something great. I mean, maybe it's true. Maybe I contribute to a better world, but that's not the reason why I make videos. The reason why I make videos is because it's such a joy for me. I just want to pass on what I found to be true and helpful. It's joyful for me. That's why I do it. And the only reason you should support me is if you feel joy with it; if it makes you happy.

And other than that, I want you to feel no obligation whatsoever. Whatever I do, all the videos, all the Satsangs, everything I offer is free of charge, and it is really free: you don't have to feel obliged. But if you feel joy, support me. I'm very happy. I can really use some support. It helps me to make more videos, and it makes this whole thing possible, otherwise, I cannot do it.

Yes: Be true to yourself always, and you will find your path to Heaven, your path to happiness. And remember: when you have wishes, look what your true wish is. Look behind the wishes: "What do I actually want?" And when the answer is: "Oh, I just want to be happy", then find your path to happiness.

Be true to yourself always, and you will find your path to Heaven, your path to happiness. And remember: when you have wishes, look what your true wish is. Look behind the wishes: "What do I actually want?" And when the answer is: "Oh, I just want to be happy", then find your path to happiness.

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I'm so happy that you are here. Thank you for being here.

I love you.