The Source of Peace

Good morning.

Welcome.

Today is December 27th, and the Christian world just celebrated Christmas. And this time is that time where you receive all these postcards and best wishes for peace, for happiness.

It's the "Time of Peace". And I received a letter where people wrote to me that they started a campaign for peace. The slogan is: "We are for peace" – like: we stand up for peace. We want peace.

Isn't peace too much to ask for?

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And somehow, this touched me. I realized how much we are looking for peace out there in the world.

It's like we demand peace from other people. We demand peace from our neighbors, from the next country. We demand that people don't fight, don't make war, but be at peace.

And then, beautiful postcards are being written, or some people go on the street and they demonstrate for peace and against war.

But does peace come from out there? That's the question. The question is: where does the peace come from – the peace I want? Does my peace come from you? Does the peace of my world come from other people or from other countries?

Does peace come from out there? That's the question. The question is: where does the peace come from – the peace I want? Does my peace come from you? Does the peace of my world come from other people or from other countries?

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And it's interesting... It seems to me that we want peace to come from other people, from other nations, but I would like to invite you, in this video right now, to take a closer look how it is with peace, and I would like to invite you to start with yourself. Maybe you are one of those people who really wish for peace – for peace in your life, in your city, in your neighborhood, and in the world.

Maybe you are one of those people who wish that the fighting stops and that the wars stop, that violence stops, and that there is peace.

And then you look out into the world and you see all these people who fight and who wage war.

But I would like to invite you to start looking at yourself. How is it with you and peace?

You know, it's interesting... We wish for peace on a grand scale, but let's look at how it is in our lives with the small things.

You sit with the children at breakfast, and one of the children is too loud for your taste or does something annoying, irritates you, and you immediately feel how you get irritated. Maybe you even get angry. Maybe you even yell at the child.

And it's these little situations where it's about nothing. It's not dangerous, it's not life-threatening, it's totally unimportant, and yet, in these little situations, we can experience our own aggression, our own violence inside of ourselves – with a child! Or maybe you drive the car, and the driver in front of you is not driving the way you think he should drive.

Maybe he drives too slow, or he makes a mistake and you have to wait. And, immediately, you feel how your impatience comes up and how you start complaining to yourself about this stupid driver. You feel your aggression, your rage – in this situation where it's about nothing.

Or you are in a relationship, and suddenly you find out that your partner also loves another human being, maybe even has sex for this other human being, and your world breaks down and you get angry and upset and you start fighting. Maybe you even throw him or her out of the house, or you get desperate and scared.

Nothing happens to the world, everything's fine, no war, no fighting – just one person also loving somebody else, and, immediately, all of your anger and all of your violence and your rage and your desperation and your fear comes up. And these examples I make, I chose because this is something all of us know. Maybe you know these feelings. Maybe you know these situations from your everyday life, and I could come up with dozens and hundreds of similar examples. It just shows how close war, "non-peace", is inside of ourselves – inside of each and every one of us.

One little thing, and we are not in peace. Isn't this amazing? And now, such a person like you, like me, a person who is so easily out of peace, who is so quick to be aggressive and violent inside, such a person demands peace in the world. Now the thing is: your neighbor is just like you.

All the people in the country, in the entire country, are just like you: so easily triggered, so easily angry, so easily aggressive, so easily desperate, and so easily scared.

And all the people in the other countries, they are the same – just like you. So, it's like we are sitting on a huge pile of dynamite, and that's why it ignites everywhere, all the time.

And that's why you don't find peace out there. You can demonstrate for peace. You can make beautiful campaigns and beautiful postcards for peace, but it will not do anything, simply because everybody is just like you.

And that's why you don't find peace out there. You can demonstrate for peace. You can make beautiful campaigns and beautiful postcards for peace, but it will not do anything, simply because everybody is just like you.

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And you're not alone. I'm not blaming you. I'm not saying that something's wrong with you. I'm the same.

I'm just telling you these things because I know them – that's why I can make these examples.

So, where does peace come from? If it doesn't come from out there – because the world is full of people like me, full of people like you – where does peace come from?

Jesus did not fight for peace

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And it's Christmas time. Christmas is the time of peace. Jesus was the King of Peace. So, let's look how he did this. And it's totally interesting to take a really close look how Jesus did this – this peace. He is called the King of Peace. Where did he get this peace from? Did he have a huge bag of peace with him and grabbed in there and took it out? Where did his peace come from? Jesus said: "I give you my peace". How did he do this? How did this work?

Did Jesus run around, saying: "I am against fighting. I am against war"? He grew up and lived in an oppressed country. Judea was occupied by the Romans. The entire area was occupied by the Romans, violently.

Jesus was the King of Peace. Where did he get this peace from? Jesus said: "I give you my peace". How did he do this? How did this work? Did Jesus run around, saying: "I am against fighting. I am against war"?

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It was an oppressed people. The Romans sucked everything out of this country with taxes, with violence.

And there were many people who wanted peace – not the Roman peace, real peace. They wanted to change the situation, and they had good reasons. It's just like today. They saw problems out there, they saw oppression, war, violence.

But Jesus, he didn't join in this. He didn't campaign for peace.

He didn't walk around telling people, "stop fighting".

He didn't go to the Romans saying "Peace! Stop this!" And the people around him, they wanted him to do this. Judas wanted him to use his powers to liberate his people and to make peace. But he didn't want to hear anything of this.

The only thing Jesus did was making peace inside of himself. He made peace with himself and with everything that happened to him.

That's all he did, his entire life.

Jesus didn't campaign for peace. He didn't go to the Romans saying "Peace! Stop this!" The only thing Jesus did was making peace inside of himself. He made peace with himself and with everything that happened to him. That's all he did, his entire life.

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He turned inwards, and he made peace with everything he found in there. And he made peace with everything which happened to him in his life, including the crucifixion.

Being at peace with yourself

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Now, you can practice this, too. It's not that this is an intellectual exercise. It's not a decision: "Okay, I will stop fighting, I want peace." This sounds good and it's easily done, easily said, but, of course, it doesn't do anything. But maybe you know meditation. There is the Samarpan Meditation I talk about in all of my videos, because I do this meditation since many years, and this is what changed my life.

And when you try to sit down for half an hour and meditate, what you do there is seemingly totally simple. You sit down, you close your eyes, and you go with your attention, with your awareness, to the highest spot of your body – here. The Indians call this the crown chakra. Just up here. You go there with your attention – and you can only do this, when you ignore the thoughts. When you are thinking, you are a little bit lower with your attention. And it's interesting: you can really feel this difference.

There is no peace in thought.

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Now, when you do this – it's totally simple –, you will notice that immediately, thoughts come, and these thoughts, they attract your attention. They pull the attention away from the crown chakra to themselves. And thoughts are funny. Thoughts are always about something: you want something, you need to do something, something is not right, you have to take care of something. There is no peace in thought. When you are resting up here, it's very, very quiet and very peaceful.

But you hardly reach there, and, immediately, you will notice that you are back in thoughts. And these thoughts seem to be important. They seem to be true. They seem to be so valuable and important that you need to give them attention, otherwise, you are irresponsible and you neglect something. I mean, it's just thoughts, but that's how it feels. And in this tiny little environment of your head, you can experience how difficult it is to be at peace. Try it. If you meditate already, you know what I'm talking about.

In this tiny little environment of your head, you can experience how difficult it is to be at peace. If you meditate, you know. You sit there, nothing to do. You have this half an hour of time where you can just meditate – total luxury –, so you could just sit there in complete peace. But you don't.

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You sit there. You know: there is nothing to do. You have this half an hour of time where you can just meditate – total luxury –, so you could just sit there in complete peace. But you don't. Isn't that interesting? I call the thoughts also the troublemaker. That's the one which wages war: the thoughts. You sit there, and all you want is rest with your attention here, in the quietness, at this amazingly peaceful spot. And then, the thoughts come, and it is virtually impossible for you to ignore them.

It takes all of your power, all of your determination, to ignore the thoughts and return with your attention to the crown chakra. That's the strength of these thoughts. And what do these thoughts tell you? "You can't just sit here. You can't just be quiet and at peace. You have to do this. You have to do that. This is important. That is important. You need to do this. You need to change that." There is no peace in thoughts. Never ever.

I call the thoughts also the troublemaker. That's the one which wages war: the thoughts. And what do these thoughts tell you? "You can't just sit here. You can't just be quiet and at peace. You have to do this. You have to do that. This is important. That is important. You need to do this. You need to change that." There is no peace in thoughts. Never ever.

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Sometimes, you have beautiful thoughts, but as soon as you entertain them, they will switch into the opposite – then you have negative thoughts. There is never peace in thought.

And this shows you where the violence comes from. This shows you where the war comes from. This little playground in your head, that what you begin to experience when you dare to meditate... Most people don't want to meditate because it faces them, it confronts them with the reality of their own being. It's like a mirror. It's like you're meeting your own inner reality, very, very sobering, very unpleasant. You want to find peace.

This is what you want out there in the world, and then you meditate and you think, "now I will experience peace". And there are many people who started the meditation because I talk about it all the time, and then they write to me: "But, Mikael, there is no quietness. I'm in thought all the time. I can't meditate." Yes. Isn't this interesting? You want peace, but you can't even have a minute without thought.

Most people don't want to meditate because it confronts them with the reality of their own being. It's like a mirror. It's like you're meeting your own inner reality, very, very sobering, very unpleasant.

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And that shows you what the task is. That shows you what the homework is.

You want to find peace. You meditate and you think, "now I will experience peace". There are people who write to me: "There is no quietness. I'm in thought all the time. I can't meditate." Isn't this interesting? You want peace, but you can't even have a minute without thought. And that shows you what the task is. That shows you what the homework is.

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Everything depends on you

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And you can learn this, you know. When you start meditating, it's kind of frustrating because you experience how weak you are and how strong your thoughts seem to be. It feels almost impossible to resist them, but you just keep going. You are distracted by your thoughts and you return up there with your attention, ignoring the thoughts for just a moment – and that's enough. But then they grab you again. And then, as soon as you notice, you let them go again, no matter how important they seem to be, no matter how convincing, how urgent.

When you start meditating, it's kind of frustrating because you experience how weak you are and how strong your thoughts seem to be. It feels almost impossible to resist them, but you just keep going, ignoring the thoughts for just a moment – and that's enough.

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Now, imagine you are sitting there in your room, there is nothing to do, you are in complete safety, no urgency, nothing to do – and yet, the thoughts are able to convince you: "You can't sit here in quiet for 5 minutes. You must give me attention. This is more important!"

And this same power convinces you and everybody else out there in the world of all these things which have to be done, and this leads to conflict, this leads to war, because nobody believes: "I can be in peace now". There is always something so important, so urgent: "I cannot be in peace right now" – that's the feeling. Now, imagine if everybody in the world feels like this: there is no peace. That's our world. So, that's why I say: this is the task, and it's the only task. You know, it's truly amazing.

You are sitting in your room, nothing to do – and yet, the thoughts convince you: "You can't sit here in quiet. Give me attention. This is more important!" This convinces you and everybody else out there in the world of all these things which have to be done, and this leads to conflict, this leads to war, because nobody believes: "I can be in peace now".

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When you keep meditating, despite this experience, this admittedly frustrating experience of this power the thoughts have over you, when you keep meditating, you get stronger slowly, slowly. Slowly, slowly, over the weeks, over the month, over the years, something in you, you don't know what, becomes stronger. This strength in you to decide where your attention should be, that grows. And it gets easier and easier to ignore the thoughts and to give your attention to this quiet, silent spot up here. That's where you always find peace. Always. Also now.

When you keep meditating, despite this admittedly frustrating experience of this power the thoughts have over you, you get stronger slowly. This strength in you to decide where your attention should be, that grows. It gets easier to ignore the thoughts and to give your attention to this quiet spot up here where you always find peace. Always. Also now.

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And the more this strength grows, the easier it is to ignore the troublemaker, to ignore this war wager in your head.

And then, you become peaceful inside of yourself, more and more. The thoughts are still there. It's like the thoughts are always there, but more and more, you just ignore them. You don't listen to them anymore. You don't take them serious anymore. And then, peace starts growing in you. That's how it feels.

The more this strength grows, the easier it is to ignore the troublemaker, to ignore this war wager in your head. And then, you become peaceful inside of yourself, more and more. The thoughts are still there, but you just ignore them. You don't take them serious anymore. Then, peace starts growing in you. That's how it feels.

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And then, you begin to experience something really interesting. This peace which you just develop inside of you, this peace which always has been there: the more you give this attention, the more the world you see around you looks more peaceful. It's like your eyes change. Whereas now all you see is darkness and conflict and war, your eyes change and all you see is quietness and peace – and just humans with their troubles.

This peace which you just develop inside of you, which always has been there: the more you give this attention, the more the world you see around you looks more peaceful. It's like your eyes change. Whereas now all you see is darkness and conflict and war, your eyes change and all you see is quietness and peace – and just humans with their troubles.

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And you experience yourself that it really is as if by this change in you, the world around you changes. It's amazing. And then you know where peace comes from. You discovered the source of peace. You know, it's like this... The peace is already in you, but you are unable to give it attention. And in meditation, it's like a little game.

You experience yourself that it really is as if by this change in you, the world around you changes. It's amazing. And then you know where peace comes from. You discovered the source of peace.

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In meditation, we play this game: don't give your attention to the thoughts – that's what you usually do – but ignore the thoughts and give your attention to this spot up here, this physical spot you can touch, and there you will feel peace, silence. And then you play this game, and then you notice, "I can't remain there with my attention". It's just not possible. It seems like the war, the troublemaker, is more attractive. So, the peace is already there, now. It's not that you have to find it.

The peace is already in you, but you are unable to give it attention.

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It's not that you have to do extremely difficult tasks and a long journey to finally find peace somewhere hidden in the world. No. The peace is already in there – in you. All you need to do is learn to give this attention. It sounds easy. It is easy, but it is not – simply because we are so used to listen to something else.

In meditation, we play this game: don't give your attention to the thoughts, but ignore the thoughts and give your attention to this spot up here, and there you will feel peace, silence. And then you notice, "I can't remain there with my attention". It's just not possible. It seems like the war, the troublemaker, is more attractive.

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And once you discover this, that it's just up to you: it's just this ability you need to learn to be Master of your attention – that you say where your attention rests –, then you can bath in peace. The peace is already there. Now it's only about you turning to it, and it's a practical thing. It's really like a practical exercise.

The peace is already in there – in you. All you need to do is learn to give this attention. It is easy, but it is not – simply because we are so used to listen to something else. And once you discover that it's just this ability you need to learn to be Master of your attention, then you can bath in peace. The peace is already there.

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And once you start experiencing this, then you know: "Ah, that's where peace is". You still are unable to be there all the time. This is no problem. It takes a long time until this peace becomes more attractive for your attention than the thoughts, but you know the direction. You know: "Ah, there it is. Now I know."

Then it gets easy.

And once you start experiencing this, then you know: "Ah, that's where peace is". You still are unable to be there all the time. This is no problem. It takes a long time until this peace becomes more attractive for your attention than the thoughts, but you know the direction. Then it gets easy.

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And once you know this... Once you know, once you experience the source of peace firsthand yourself, then you don't look for peace out there in the world. Then you know: "It's not about talking about peace. It's not about fighting for peace. It's not about demonstrating for peace. This all doesn't help. I need to develop the peace inside of me." Then you just know. And then you do this. And then you come to peace.

Once you experience the source of peace firsthand yourself, then you don't look for peace out there in the world. Then you know: "It's not about talking, fighting or demonstrating for peace. I need to develop the peace inside of me." Then you just know. And then you do this. And then you come to peace.

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Jesus and the devil

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And that's what Jesus did. He made peace with himself, inside – as you can do, by meditating. And when you do this, you get into peace with everything which happens in the world and in your life – just like Jesus.

That's what Jesus did. He made peace with himself, inside – as you can do, by meditating. And when you do this, you get into peace with everything which happens in the world and in your life – just like Jesus.

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But this troublemaker in you, these thoughts, they don't want to let you do this. They will always give you an excuse why this is not working. They will convince you: "Ah, but this out there, this is more important. There you must fight. There you need to stand up and you need to fight. There you can't be in peace. It's impossible." It will happen to you. I promise you.

But this troublemaker in you, these thoughts, they don't want to let you do this. They will always give you an excuse why this is not working. They will convince you: "Ah, but this out there, this is more important. There you must fight. There you can't be in peace. It's impossible." It will happen to you. I promise you.

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And that's the beautiful example of Jesus: He lived peace – he didn't believe his own thoughts.

That's the beautiful example of Jesus: He lived peace – he didn't believe his own thoughts.

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There is this beautiful example. It's even written in the Bible. You know, back at that time, there was no word 'thought' – this inner voice. They didn't have this word. Jesus called this "the devil". This voice inside of you, telling you all these things, convincing you of everything you want and you need and you should and you shouldn't – Jesus called this "the devil".

And he had this devil inside of himself, too. And there is this one story. Jesus was standing on the roof of the temple, and it is written: the devil told him – his thoughts told him –: "Hey, just throw yourself down from the roof. The angels will catch you."

Back at that time, there was no word 'thought' – this inner voice. They didn't have this word. This voice inside of you, telling you all these things, convincing you of everything you want and you need and you should and you shouldn't – Jesus called this "the devil". And he had this devil inside of himself, too.

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And he said to the thoughts: "Go away". In the Bible, it says, he said: "Devil, get Thee behind me." It's an image: he turned away from the thoughts. He put the thoughts behind himself – he turned away. He looked in the opposite direction. He didn't look at the thoughts. He looked the other way, to the silence, to God.

Jesus was standing on the roof of the temple, and the devil – his thoughts – told him: "Throw yourself down from the roof. The angels will catch you." And he said to the thoughts: "Devil, get Thee behind me." It's an image: he put the thoughts behind himself – he turned away. He looked in the opposite direction, to the silence, to God.

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Jesus had thoughts, like everybody else. He had the devil, like you have the devil in your head. I like this word for thoughts, this is great. And his strategy was, this is his advice: "Turn away from it. Ignore it. Don't listen to him – to this devil."

Jesus had thoughts, like everybody else. He had the devil, like you have the devil in your head. I like this word for thoughts, this is great. And his strategy was, this is his advice: "Turn away from it. Ignore it. Don't listen to him – to this devil."

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That's Samarpan Meditation: you ignore the thoughts and you look the other way – not down there; you look up here. You rest in peace. You ignore the thoughts. And this seemingly simple exercise, that's what changes the world. And he did this, all the time. And I just said: you will find all kinds of reasons– not you, but your mind, your devil... You'll find all kinds of reasons why you can't be in peace right now. You will have a situation where your head says: "This is impossible. Here you must fight."

And Jesus... his life was an example for everybody else around him. He demonstrated how you live in peace. And it is being said that he sacrificed himself for us. I never understood what this means. He was willing to act as an example for us that you can be in peace with everything, and that when you are in peace with everything, that then, you become bigger and bigger.

You transcend everything. That was his example. He even was in peace at the cross. Jesus was being crucified, and while he was hanging on the cross, there was this moment of desperation, and he was in peace with his desperation. And because he was in peace with his desperation, the next moment, he was in peace with the crucifixion, and he said: "Lord, Thy will be done. Here I am."

Jesus was being crucified, and while he was hanging on the cross, there was this moment of desperation, and he was in peace with his desperation. And because he was in peace with his desperation, the next moment, he was in peace with the crucifixion, and he said: "Lord, Thy will be done. Here I am."

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And Jesus did this to take away all the excuses from you. He gave you an example that you can be in peace with everything. You are not being crucified. Your challenges are not that big, but they appear so big. But he went through the most challenging situation a human being could imagine – and still be at peace. He just took away all the excuses from you. Now you cannot say: "I can't be in peace with this." Yes, you can.

Jesus gave you an example that you can be in peace with everything. You are not being crucified. Your challenges are not that big, but they appear so big. He went through the most challenging situation – and still be at peace. He took away all excuses from you. Now you cannot say: "I can't be in peace with this." Yes, you can.

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You don't want to – okay, that's one thing. But you could, if you wanted. And this we practice in meditation, over and over and over again. So, it's up to you. People go out there demonstrating for peace, they write these beautiful cards and do these campaigns, because they feel powerless. They feel like their peace depends on the world and on some politicians or God knows what. And this is not true.

The peace depends on you, on you alone. When you become capable of being at peace, your world will be full of peace.

That's how it works. That's the source.

People demonstrate for peace, write beautiful cards and do campaigns because they feel powerless. They feel like their peace depends on the world and on some politicians, and this is not true. The peace depends on you, on you alone. When you become capable of being at peace, your world will be full of peace. That's how it works. That's the source.

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Don't try to change the world

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Swamiji, the Guru who brings the Samarpan Meditation into the world and whose disciple I am, he says something amazing, something which goes against what most people believe. He says: "Don't look how far the darkness reaches. Don't look how far the darkness stretches out there in the world. Don't look for the end of the darkness. Instead, ignite your own light, ignite your own lamp, and then, your world, the world around you, becomes peaceful and light."

There will be light in your little world, and this will change the entire world. This light is contagious.

He says: it's not about you giving the darkness, the problems in the world, the wars, the suffering, attention. If you do this, you will never ever find the end of this. You will get lost. But instead, turn away from this, and take care of the light inside of you. This will change everything. And this goes against everything your thoughts tell you.

He says: it's not about you giving attention to the darkness, the problems in the world, the wars, the suffering. If you do this, you will never ever find the end of this. You will get lost. But instead, turn away from this, and take care of the light inside of you. This will change everything.

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You believe: "If I am not against war, if I don't fight for peace, if I don't fight against this suffering and that suffering, nothing will ever change."

But Jesus said: "This is not the way.

You change. You become peaceful."

Swamiji says: "You light your own lamp, your own light inside of you." Every Guru, every Master, every saint has said the same thing. We still don't believe it. We still believe the opposite. But that's how the world works.

You believe: "If I am not against war, if I don't fight for peace, if I don't fight against suffering, nothing will ever change." But Jesus said: "This is not the way. You change. You become peaceful.“ Swamiji says: "You light your own lamp." Every Guru, every Master, every Saint has said the same thing. We still don't believe it. We still believe the opposite.

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Maybe you have heard this saying that the world is a reflection of your inside, and this is an example of this truth.

When you become capable, inside, of choosing the peace over the war, and that practically means, when you become capable of ignoring your thoughts and instead rest with your attention in the quietness – the quietness you find here; that's where the peace waits –, then, when you become capable of this, at the same time, your world will change.

That's how it works.

Maybe you have heard this saying that the world is a reflection of your inside, and this is an example of this truth. When you become capable, inside, of choosing the peace over the war, and that practically means, when you become capable of ignoring your thoughts, then your world will change. That's how it works.

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Why is nobody doing this? Because when you start doing this, you are being confronted with yourself. You notice: "Oh, wow. I thought the world is bad. I thought the world is terrible, and the world is at fault. And now I notice: it's me! The war is inside of me. I'm weak.

I'm listening to the devil all the time – to my thoughts." And it's a little bit uncomfortable to being faced with this reality, and that's why nobody wants to look that way. It's easier to look out in the world. It's painful to confront yourself with your own inner reality – but that's what will bear fruit. That's productive.

Why is nobody doing this? Because you are being confronted with yourself. You notice: "I thought the world is at fault. But it's me! The war is inside of me. I am weak. I am listening to the devil all the time – to my thoughts." It's easier to look out in the world. It's painful to confront yourself with your own inner reality – but that's what will bear fruit.

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Trying to change the world is not productive. It doesn't change anything – quite the opposite. You add to the war. You add to the problem. But when you go the uncomfortable way inside, when you become willing to accept: "Okay, I can hardly have one second of thoughtlessness inside of me and then I believe the devil again", when you are willing to face this, then you become willing to practice, then you become willing to change this. And that, you learn by meditating. It's very simple. It just takes time.

Trying to change the world doesn't change anything – quite the opposite. You add to the war. You add to the problem. But when you accept: "Okay, I can hardly have one second of thoughtlessness and I believe the devil again", then you become willing to change this. And that, you learn by meditating. It's very simple. It just takes time.

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Yes.

And as I said: it's up to you. You need to do it. That's where the peace comes from. And it's easier to demand peace from some imaginary world, and it's work to learn to choose peace inside. That's work, but it's worth it, and I invite you to do this.

It's up to you. You need to do it. That's where the peace comes from. And it's easier to demand peace from some imaginary world, and it's work to learn to choose peace inside. That's work, but it's worth it, and I invite you to do this.

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Harbor no hope

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Just this morning, I read something that Swamiji wrote, and I would like to share this with you, because he said something else which sounds just really impossible. He wrote: "Don't have hope.

If you harbor hope, you will get despair."

And I only got aware of what he wrote because, actually, what I had read was a comment on this what Swamiji wrote. Somebody commented in some group somewhere where this Swamiji sentence was posted. This person said that this sounds totally cynical to him, what Swamiji says there. This person said: "Having hope is important. It's the source of our inspiration and energy, and this is where change comes from."

And it's interesting. I want to speak briefly about this, because it's really important to understand this. What is hope?

When you feel powerless, when you have the feeling, "I can't do anything, there's nothing I can do. All I can do is hope", then I hope. I believe that something will happen, and then, everything will be good again. That's hope. And that's why hope and despair are so close together: because the fundament of the hope is your powerlessness. And it's like you have two ways to deal with this powerlessness.

The one way is: you have hope. You believe, you tell yourself: "Everything will be fine. There's nothing I can do, but everything will be fine." But the next moment, you don't believe your own thoughts, and you notice the reality of your powerlessness, and then, you are in despair. It's like hope and despair are just two sides of the same coin, and that is your belief: "I can do anything. I am lost."

That's why hope and despair are so close together: the fundament of hope is your powerlessness, and the next moment, you don't believe your own thoughts, and you notice the reality of your powerlessness and you are in despair. It's like hope and despair are just two sides of the same coin, and that is your belief: "I can‘t do anything. I am lost."

Link to quote in video at 48m51s

And hope is just a cheap excuse. You can do something, but you don't want to. It's cheaper, it's easier to hope. It's easier to say, "I can't do anything", and then, you hope. But this will lead you nowhere, because it's up to you.

Hope is just a cheap excuse. You can do something, but you don't want to. It's cheaper, it's easier to hope. It's easier to say, "I can't do anything", and then, you hope. But this will lead you nowhere, because it's up to you.

Link to quote in video at 49m50s

That's how I understand the sentence of Swamiji when he says: "Don't harbor hope". Rather, take up the unpleasant task. It's unpleasant to meditate in the beginning because you're confronted with this painful reality inside of yourself that your thoughts are just stronger than you – seemingly. It's not the truth. They are nothing.

Swamiji says: "Don't harbor hope". Rather, take up the unpleasant task. It's unpleasant to meditate in the beginning because you're confronted with this painful reality inside of yourself that your thoughts are stronger than you – seemingly. It's not the truth. They have no power that you don't give them.

Link to quote in video at 50m23s

They have no power. They have no power that you don't give them. The power which the thoughts seem to have only comes from your attention. As soon as you begin to take your attention away from them, they get weaker and weaker and weaker. It's amazing. That's why you don't need hope because there's a way. You can do this.

The power which the thoughts seem to have only comes from your attention. As soon as you begin to take your attention away from them, they get weaker and weaker and weaker. It's amazing.

Link to quote in video at 51m01s

Jesus never talked about hope. He said: "Pray. Surrender." Surrender means: ignore the devil, ignore these thoughts which seem so true and so important, but rest inside. Trust your peace. And then, you begin to experience how life becomes magical.

And you will experience how every difficulty you meet in your life, no matter how impossible, no matter how big, turns into a blessing, again and again and again. It's absolutely amazing.

Jesus never talked about hope. He said: "Pray. Surrender." Surrender means: ignore the devil, ignore these thoughts which seem so true and so important, but trust your peace. And then, life becomes magical. You experience how every difficulty in life, no matter how impossible, turns into a blessing, again and again.

Link to quote in video at 51m34s

Yeah. Then you have discovered the source of peace, and it's inside of you.

You just have to learn to choose it.

Then you have discovered the source of peace, and it's inside of you. You just have to learn to choose it.

Link to quote in video at 52m20s

And now, at the end of this video, I would like to answer to a few questions I received via email. I love to do this. When I speak about certain aspects of life in a video, then I read out some questions and I answer these questions, and they make the whole thing so practical. What Jesus talked about and also what I share here might sound like theory, like a philosophy, but it's not. It's totally tangible. It's practical advice. And when I answer the questions about all these practical aspects of our human life, then it becomes so clear how this works.

And if you have questions, you can write to me. I'm very happy to receive your email or your letter or your comment. On my website, on the "Ask me page", you find the contact information, and I'm happy to receive your questions. I might write you back briefly, but the actual answer I always give in a video or in a Satsang, so everybody can listen to the answer. And sometimes, it takes a while until I can answer. It's just that I have limited time, I have limited energy, and sometimes it takes a few weeks, but I always answer, and I'm very happy to receive your question. So...

The elephant in the hut

Link to topic in video at 54m31s

The first email I want to read out is from a lady, and she was attending a discourse of Swamiji, of the Guru whose disciple I am. He was in Germany, and he gave a discourse where people could come and listen to. And the lady who writes this email, she attended this discourse, and this email is about her experience and what this did to her.

"Dear Mikael, your video, 'Path Without Rules', is so wonderful because it depicts exactly what I have experienced since I met Swamiji in Germany. For me, the encounter with him triggered something like shock or trauma, which then caused fear and insecurity and mistrust. and then, a time of total confusion, a time where I was confronted with deep shadows, I fell into a hole, and everything you say about the silence and peace and the vastness... when I met Swamiji, it was not like that for me.

And, of course, I then felt wrong. During the encounter, it was as if I didn't understand anything he was saying, and I was totally overwhelmed by everything. And I had the feeling that I can't grasp this energy, I can't hold it, I can't receive it, and collapse inside because it's just too much. So, I ask you, do you perhaps need an initiation or preparation when you meet such a Guru? Afterwards, I couldn't do Samarpan Meditation anymore out of fear that these states might come back.

I was afraid that, if I rest with my attention in the crown chakra, my life energy would be drained from me. There was a fear of energetic abuse. Can you say something about this?"

Thank you for your email. Thank you for your courage to write to me. This email is a few months old, and now, I'm finally ready to answer this.

What you experienced is a really good sign. I am happy to read what you write. You know, there are two kinds of people. Some people meet a Guru or a Jesus – Swamiji is just a Jesus of the present time... Some people meet such a saint, and they are just indifferent. They think: "What is he talking about? I don't care", and they go on. They go their own way, and they forget it again.

But then there are people like you or like me, people who are being deeply touched. How you are being touched depends on your inner state, where you are at on your spiritual path, but you are being touched. And in your case, you have been touched deeply. And this is an amazing sign. You are ready.

And I just remember a saying I once heard. Some spiritual Master said this. He said: "When God enters you, it's like an elephant, walking into a small hut: afterwards, the hut is never the same again." And that's like what happened in your case. An elephant walked into your hut, and your hut is not the same. It just is like this. God is so big. He needs space.

You say that you couldn't understand what Swamiji was talking about and you couldn't grasp it, and it is like this. If we listen to a living Jesus, if you listen to a Guru like Swamiji, with our intellect, trying to understand what he's talking about, we cannot understand. He talks from a point of view, he talks from a level of experience and maturity, where we are not, so we can't understand. And if we try to understand, we are totally confused. It's normal.

The way to listen to a Jesus, the way to listen to a Master is with the heart, meaning: with feeling. You don't listen to the words. You just experience how it is to sit in front of this living God and what it does with you. It's like you let the river flow through you. You don't have to understand a word. The discourse you experienced was with translation so you could understand the words, because Swamiji's Hindi was translated, in this case, into German, but in other places, it's translated to English.

But you could just as well be sitting in a discourse with him and not understand a word because of the language. And for most people, it's better because then, the mind doesn't have a chance to understand anything. And then, the only thing you can do is just feel it, and that's the best. And then there's no confusion.

A living Jesus like Swamiji talks from a level of experience and maturity where we are not, so we can't understand. The way to listen to a Master is with the heart, meaning: with feeling. You just experience how it is to sit in front of this living God and what it does with you. It's like you let the river flow through you. You don't have to understand a word.

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And the other thing I would like to tell you is: when God comes into you, when you begin to be open to God, to your soul, then, the ego has to go.

There is only space for one in that house – the house you are. You can be there, the 'I' – or God. Both don't fit. As long as the 'I' is sitting there, God doesn't come. When God comes, the 'I' has to go, and that's what you experience. What you experience, these very strong reactions, is your ego, trying to hold its space. But you have to let go of it, one way or another. Not now. It may take time but that's what happens in this life. That's why we are here: to slowly, slowly become stronger. And for most people, it's a gradual process.

There is only space for one in the house you are. You can be there, the 'I' – or God. Both don't fit. As long as the 'I' is sitting there, God doesn't come. When God comes, the 'I' has to go, and that's what you experience. These very strong reactions, is your ego, trying to hold its space.

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That's the benefit of Samarpan Meditation. When you meditate, very slowly, day by day, week by week, month by month, your soul grows stronger – that part which is you, not the ego. And while this grows stronger, slowly slowly you learn to live without this 'I' sense – without losing your ground and without getting into panic. But sometimes, you briefly experience how it is without an ego, and it feels, when you are not used to it, when you didn't practice this for many years, it feels very strange sometimes.

That's the benefit of Samarpan Meditation. When you meditate, very slowly, day by day, week by week, month by month, your soul grows stronger – that part which is you, not the ego. And while this grows stronger, slowly slowly you learn to live without this 'I' sense – without losing your ground and without getting into panic.

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But I'm happy that you write this. As I said: some people are totally indifferent, and that's totally okay. For every person on this planet, there is a path to liberation, a path to happiness, a path to God. And if somebody comes close to Swamiji and is completely indifferent, this person will find his or her way somewhere else. But if you are being touched – whether it's in the way you experience or in another way, doesn't matter at all – then you found your way.

So, don't worry about it.

You say, you are worried about energetic abuse. You say you are worried that when you put your attention to the crown chakra again, it will drain your energy.

Well, here's what happens. I described this a little bit in the beginning of this video. Inside of you, there are these thoughts, and they seem to have power. They don't have power, but it's the power you give them by giving them attention. And, there is this peace, this eternal stillness.

And when you turn to this stillness, when you rest with your attention in your crown chakra, that means you withdraw your attention from the thoughts.

You drain the energy from the thoughts, the energy which fuels them. Without your attention, the thoughts have no power of their own. The devil feeds on the energy of your attention. Without this attention, he has no power of his own.

These thoughts seem to have power, but it's the power you give them by giving them attention. And when you turn to this stillness and rest with your attention in your crown chakra, you withdraw your attention from the thoughts. You drain the energy from the thoughts, the energy which fuels them.

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And that's what happens when you meditate on the crown chakra: the thoughts, the ego, experiences an amazing energy drain, and it will fight for its life. The thoughts, the ego, the 'I' will fight for this energy. It will fight for your attention.

Without your attention, the thoughts have no power of their own. The devil feeds on the energy of your attention. Without this attention, he has no power of his own.

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It will give you all kinds of reasons why this is not a good idea – because it depends on your attention.

That's what happens when you meditate on the crown chakra: the thoughts, the ego, experiences an amazing energy drain, and it will fight for its life. The thoughts, the ego, the 'I' will fight for this energy, for your attention. It will give you all kinds of reasons why this is not a good idea – because it depends on your attention.

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That's where this feeling comes from. But in reality, you, that what you really are, will receive an abundance of energy, unlimited energy, eternal energy, when you rest in this peace you find in yourself.

And that's why I encourage you, don't worry. Everything is fine. Meditate.

The beginning is the most difficult part. That's where the thoughts, that's where the devil – I like this word from Jesus – throws the biggest tantrum, because that's the time in the beginning, where it still has a lot of energy, because you gave it energy all of your life. But this is only a short time. It will get quiet very, very quickly.

Meditate. The beginning is the most difficult part. That's where the thoughts, that's where the devil – I like this word from Jesus – throw the biggest tantrum, because that's when it still has energy, because you gave it energy all of your life. But this is only a short time. It will get quiet very, very quickly.

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So, there is nobody out there, draining your energy. There's nobody out there trying to abuse you. You experience this inner struggle. That's what all human beings have to face, and it's unpleasant in the beginning. And when you meet a Jesus, when you meet a Guru, he provokes this struggle.

Why Jesus says: I will bring no peace but war

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I just remember something. In the Bible, there are the 4 gospels, but there are more gospels than these 4 which made it into the Bible. And in one of these gospels which did not make it into the official Bible, there's one saying of Jesus. He says: "I will not bring peace. I will bring the sword. I will bring war. I will turn the son against the father and the father against the son." And I did not understand this when I read this the first time. But what you experience, this is what he was talking about.

You know, when you live without God, without Jesus, you live like an ego, and everything is fine. There is no conflict. Your thoughts have the rule. There is no opposition. But when a Jesus comes into your life, for the first time, the ego needs to make space. It's being pushed aside, and then, the war starts. Then, you get your first taste of freedom. You meditated a little bit. You tasted the silence.

There's one saying of Jesus: "I will not bring peace. I will bring the sword. I will bring war." When you live without God, you live like an ego, and everything is fine. There is no conflict. Your thoughts rule. There is no opposition. But when a Jesus comes into your life, for the first time, the ego needs to make space. It's being pushed aside, and then, the war starts.

Link to quote in video at 1h08m35s

You tasted the peace. And the thoughts, "the devil", the ego, the 'I', starts waging war. That's what Jesus said: "I will bring the sword. I will bring war, fire." Then, the fight starts; the fight: who is the Master in your house? The ego, the thoughts – or this peace? That's why it's a little bit turbulent in the beginning. And I have the impression that this is what you experience.

You meditated a little bit. You tasted silence, peace, and the thoughts, "the devil", the ego, starts waging war. That's what Jesus said: "I will bring the sword. I will bring war, fire." Then, the fight starts: who is the Master in your house? The ego, the thoughts – or this peace? That's why it's a little bit turbulent in the beginning.

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Thank you for writing. I'm very happy that you are here.

Surrender is always new

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So, I would like to read another email.

Here, again, a woman is writing, and she has a lovely question about surrender.

"I would also like to ask you a question that has been on my mind for the last few days. What is the difference between surrender and letting things happen to you? I think, surrender is something active, and putting up with something is, like, passive. I am in a situation in my relationship right now where I've realized that I've struggled in the past and that I wanted to influence things a lot. I recently got to a point where I gave up.

It's like I waved the white flag of surrender, so to speak, because I couldn't and I didn't want to go on like this anymore. And everything flowed out of me, and I let go. It was incredibly liberating, and I felt the desire to surrender to the situation and accept it as it was. Now, I realize that I keep asking myself: how does this actually work in practice? What does surrender mean? Who or what do I surrender to? Does it mean acceptance?

How do I deal with it when my partner creates distance and then gets very close again? How can I stay with myself without accepting everything? Is it even possible to surrender to a situation like this? Although I'm usually very clear and decisive in my life, I've felt like a sailboat in this relationship for years, a sailboat which is drifting back and forth with the wind. Obviously, the helmsman or the helmswoman is missing here. Maybe you can say something about this."

Thank you. Thank you for your question. I'm very happy to receive this.

Maybe you wonder what I'm doing here sometimes. I sit cross-legged on a little table in front of the camera. I don't have an office chair. I sit on a tiny little table, because I love to sit cross-legged, but I'm not an ascetic who can sit for many hours like this. I love to sit cross-legged, but every 10 or 15 minutes or even shorter, I switch the leg position or I sit normal for a moment so my legs don't fall asleep. And that's the gymnastics you can observe here sometimes.

Yes, this is a really cool question: how does this work in practice – Surrender. When you hear me speak about it, it sounds good and wonderful, but then, you're faced with a practical situation in your life and you don't know at all what you are supposed to do; what surrender really means. And, usually, it's like this that people who are not attuned with the inside, people who live outside, they interpret the word "surrender" with the outside world, meaning: "Okay, something happens and I just accept it. No matter what it is, I just say 'yes' to everything."

And that's not surrender. Surrender is... I put it this way. You surrender to that what is closest to you.

You surrender to that what is closest to you.

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Let me give you an example.

Your partner wants something from you, and then, you feel inside of yourself maybe an openness. You feel: "Yes, this sounds good. I have energy for this". And then you say 'yes' to this. You have energy. Okay – you agree. You don't surrender to him. You surrender to your own inner reality.

But maybe your partner comes to you and he has some idea. He wants something. And you feel: "Oh, no. No. I don't have energy for this. I don't have any lust for this." And then you surrender to this, and you tell him: "Hey, darling. I'm sorry. No. I don't feel any energy for this. I don't want to. Sorry." That's surrender.

Your partner wants something from you, and you feel an openness, and you agree. You don't surrender to him. You surrender to your own inner reality. But maybe your partner comes and you feel: "No. I don't have energy for this." And then you surrender to this, and you tell him: "Darling. I'm sorry. No." That's surrender.

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You surrender to this, what's closest to you, and that's usually your own energy. Sometimes, you experience a situation which is extremely difficult for you, maybe even life threatening, but you realize you have no idea what you should do. You don't see any possibility that you could do anything. You feel inside: "All I can do is surrender. I don't know what to do."

And then, surrender is to accept the situation as it is and not do anything, because you clearly feel: "I don't have any idea. I don't know what to do." Sometimes, you experience an incredibly difficult situation, maybe life threatening, and you experience such an energy in you, and it makes you jump and fight and maybe even kill. Then, you surrender to this energy and you accept this – that's surrender.

Especially when it gets spiritual, people have funny ideas about surrender. Usually, they think it means that I accept everything which happens. In a way, it's true. You accept everything which happens deep inside you. And sometimes, this means: accepting the outward situation. Sometimes, it means: you fight.

You know by the subtle energy inside of you.

People have funny ideas about surrender. They think it means to accept everything which happens. In a way, it's true. You accept everything which happens deep inside you. And sometimes, this means: accepting the outward situation. Sometimes, it means: you fight. You know by the subtle energy inside of you.

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There's this there's an ancient story in the Hindu religion.

Of course, they have the same problem. People think, surrender, or trusting God, means something particular out there in the world: doing always the right thing, or following some spiritual rule. But I tell you: it means surrendering to this energy in you – to the God speaking in you. And there's this beautiful story. I forgot the names of the actors in that story, but there is this warrior. This warrior is on a horse car in war, and this warrior, that's you; that's the human being; that's the soul in life.

People think, surrender, or trusting God, means something particular out there in the world: doing always the right thing, or following some spiritual rule. But I tell you: it means surrendering to this energy in you – to the God speaking in you.

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But the horse car which drives this warrior throughout the world, that's life; that's God. And in this in this particular story, there is a rule in war that you only can kill your opponent when your opponent is, I forgot, at his feet and has a sword in his hand, or something like this. There's some spiritual rule that you have to follow.

And in this spiritual story, in this religious story, it's said that the hero of this story, this spiritual warrior, comes into a situation, meets his opponent, the opponent is on the ground without a weapon, and God tells this warrior: "kill him" – and he does. Now, this is a very drastic story. These old ancient stories, the settings of these stories are put into how the world was looking like: a lot of fighting, a lot of war, a lot of man fight, and that's why they depict these spiritual truths in the context of what people know from their own lives.

And this story destroys this belief that being spiritual, surrendering to God, means: always doing something in a particular way, in the right way. The story says: you never know what God wants from you. You never know what surrender means – until you are in that situation. And then your soul will tell you, God will tell you: "Now, do this". And then, all you can do is surrender to that.

And this story destroys this belief that being spiritual, surrendering to God, means: always doing something in a particular way, in the right way. The story says: you never know what God wants from you. You never know what surrender means – until you are in that situation.

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That's what's making surrender so exciting and so alive.

You ask whether surrender is something passive or active. It's neither passive nor active. Surrender is not doing something particular, but it's also not not-doing. Surrender has to do with awareness. Surrender has to do with being aware of what's happening inside of you. This energy which drives you, this soul, this God in you – where does he flow? In which direction does he carry you?

To sense this, and then, to allow it: that's surrender.

Surrender is neither passive nor active. It's not doing something particular, but it's also not not-doing. Surrender has to do with being aware of what's happening inside of you. This energy which drives you, this soul, this God in you – where does he flow? In which direction does he carry you? To sense this, and then, to allow it: that's surrender.

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Thank you for your letter.

Be radical and the river will flow

Link to topic in video at 1h23m38s

So, I have one more email I would like to read out in this video.

I'm always amazed how quickly time flies when I'm sitting in front of the camera. The next and last email for this video comes from a woman, and she writes about the situation in her relationship.

"My husband and I have been married for over 20 years. We have 3 children, which are basically adults now. A few years ago, I felt so lonely and out of place in the relationship that I wanted to separate. My husband agreed, because he was also unhappy with the situation. He would have put up with it better than me because he somehow seemed to expect less from the relationship and from life in general than I did. He didn't seem to be suffering as much and would have stayed in the relationship.

I didn't want to get divorced. I just wanted to experience how I felt when I was leading my own life, being there for the children, without continuing to be a couple on the outside, which, somehow, we hadn't been for a long time on the inside. Why I didn't want to get divorced also had to do with purely economic reasons and with the fact that I thought we were a kind of working couple who didn't need to be deprived of social support.

My husband is now newly in love, and his new relationship can only deepen if he no longer has a contract with another woman. So, this is now the impetus for him to get divorced as quickly as possible. A lot of pain and jealousy and sadness and anger, a whole mixture, has now become active in me again, alternating with a lot of trust and feeling that everything is completely right and okay.

Now that I am about to take this final step, I seem to want to try again with him and feel that infatuation from the beginning of our relationship. It all feels very, very ego-driven, and just like in a movie, an unexpected production on my part. And somehow, there's this constant 'no': "No, I don't want to get divorced so quickly. I want time to take this step after so many years together." He says: "Well, but we have been separated for so many years", and he can't understand this.

Somehow, my 'no' feels like ego and also like exercising power. And somehow, I think: "But when I get divorced now, even though I don't want to, then it's not right either." I would also be following a pattern, a pattern which had been active in our relationship when I didn't want to do something, but I did it anyway because he wanted to. Now I'm stuck here, and I don't know what to do."

Thank you. I'm so happy to receive your letter. I've read your letter many times, and I wanted to answer it quite a while ago. But it's interesting with letters and with answering. Sometimes, a letter wants me to wait, and I guess it's because the letter wants me to get ready, so I can answer the right way. And this is probably why it took me quite a while until I can answer now.

You know, just in the answer to the previous question, I explained that surrender always comes out of the moment. You can never know what surrender looks like. Only in the moment, when you experience the moment, when you experience your own energy, when you experience God in that moment, then you know what to do.

And it's the same in your situation. At the end, you write something very interesting. You experienced, obviously for many, many years in this relationship, that you went against yourself. You were not true to yourself. Often, you did things you didn't want to, because your husband wanted it.

Surrender always comes out of the moment. You can never know what surrender looks like. Only in the moment, when you experience the moment, when you experience your own energy, when you experience God in that moment, then you know what to do.

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And you experienced many situations in the past where you feel that you should have said 'no', but you didn't. Instead, you said 'yes'.

But now, you are in a different situation, and now, you need to look: "Okay. What's the right answer now?" When you are following your thoughts, when you are in the mind, the mind is very simple. The mind is not wise. The mind never is in the moment. The mind looks at what it experienced in the past and deducts from that what it should do now.

And the mind tells you: "You have not been saying 'no' all the time. You should have said 'no', but you didn't say 'no'. Now, at least say 'no' now." But you know this is stupid. Forget the past. If you still have feelings about this, feel your feelings, but forget the past. Now look: how is the situation now? What feels right for you right now?

The mind is very simple. The mind is not wise. The mind never is in the moment. The mind looks at what it experienced in the past and deducts from that what it should do now.

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You should have said 'no' in these situations you experienced in the past, because if you want to do something with somebody else in a partnership, in a relationship, no matter what it is, whether it's going to the movies or cooking together or having sex or taking a walk, it only works if both want the same thing. And in those situations of the past, your husband wanted something, you didn't want to, and you agreed anyway, and that is why it wasn't good. And now, you are in the same situation again. You want to continue the relationship with him, but he doesn't.

He says: "No. I don't want to." And now, it's the same again: if you want to do something together, you can only do it if both want it. If one of the two parties doesn't want, it's not possible. No matter what you want, it's not possible, and you know this, of course. I know. But, as I said: the only thing you can be guided by is what's closest to you. My advice to you is this. Become quiet. Sit down every morning, every day. Become quiet, become empty, and feel what this energy inside of you wants; feel which way it wants to go. I don't know what you will find.

The only thing you can be guided by is what's closest to you. My advice to you is this. Become quiet. Sit down every morning, every day. Become quiet, become empty, and feel what this energy inside of you wants; feel which way it wants to go.

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Maybe you will clearly feel: "Okay, it's totally painful for me. It's totally scary for me. I'm trembling, but, of course, I have to let him go. Everything else would be stupid." Maybe you feel this, and then, you will let him go with joy, with love, trembling with fear, trembling with insecurity or with pain. But maybe you feel something else. Maybe, when you are really quiet and empty, maybe you feel: "I know: I don't say yes to this. I don't let him go. I don't want this. I want it to stay the way it is. I say 'no'." Then, be true to this.

You know, there is a secret to surrender, there's a secret to life, and that is to be total. Whenever you do something totally, with your whole being, with your whole power, then it will lead to something good because then, things start flowing. You can do the wrong thing, you can do something totally stupid, but when you do it totally, radically, then, something changes. By you being true to yourself, no matter how stupid, by you being radical and total, a 100 percent, by that, you are being changed, you are being opened.

And today, maybe you say today: "No, I don't agree to this divorce. I want it the way it is", and you are total with it. And tomorrow, maybe, you feel already different. Then, tomorrow, you discover something totally new, but this new discovery is only possible when you are being true to yourself today; when you're being total with it. And that's my advice to you. Don't try to find out what's right. Don't try to do the right thing.

There is a secret to surrender, to life, and that is to be total. Whenever you do something totally, it will lead to something good because then, things start flowing. You can do something totally wrong or stupid, but when you do it totally, then, something changes. By you being true to yourself, you are being changed, you are being opened.

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Look inside. Look what's there today, now. Surrender to that, totally, no matter how stupid, no matter how impossible. And this will lead you to more wisdom tomorrow, and then, tomorrow, you are total with what's there for you tomorrow. And the day after tomorrow, you do the same, and then you live like this every day.

Don't try to do the right thing. Look inside. Look what's there today, now. Surrender to that, totally, no matter how stupid, no matter how impossible. This will lead you to more wisdom tomorrow, and tomorrow, you are total with what's there for you tomorrow. And the day after tomorrow, you do the same, and then you live like this every day.

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That's my advice for you in this situation.

I am sorry that it took so long for me to answer. I don't even know whether you are still in this situation, but life will bring you another situation where you can practice this. I have done this so many times in my life. I had situations where I wanted something. I felt total energy for something, but I knew: "This is really stupid. It's really stupid what I want to do. It's not right and it's totally unspiritual and I'm sure it's wrong." But I felt this energy, so, I did it.

I really went for it, a 100 percent. And by this 100 percent, I experienced two different things. Sometimes, in some situations, I found out: it was just amazing. It was beautiful what I experienced. It felt totally wrong in the beginning, but when I experienced it, it was absolutely perfect. And I learned that I couldn't trust my assessment of me being wrong and that I shouldn't want this. But more often than that, I experienced something else.

I went for it totally and without holding anything back. I was really true to myself. But then, when I wanted to do the next step, I felt: "I can't do this. This is not right." I totally clearly felt suddenly: "No, this is not the right way." But I could only discover this myself by being first totally true to how it felt in that moment where I wanted to do it. You understand? So, you never know where it will lead you to. The mind always thinks: "I have to make the right decision now.

I need to know the right decision now, so everything happens the right way", but this is not true. You just be true to yourself now. If what you feel to do is totally stupid right now, do it. This will lead you to the right next step. This will make you wise. This will make you open to what you already know. That's my advice. Don't try to be smart. Don't try to be wise. Don't try to be spiritual. Don't try to be a good woman.

You never know where it will lead you to. The mind always thinks: "I have to make the right decision now, so everything happens the right way", but this is not true. You just be true to yourself now. If what you feel to do is totally stupid right now, do it. This will lead you to the right next step. This will make you wise. This will make you open to what you already know.

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Surrender to what you find in you right now, and then, the next moment, tomorrow, or this evening, it might already have changed, and then, you'll be true to that. That's the secret of the river of life.

And you don't know where it will lead you.

Don't try to be smart. Don't try to be wise. Don't try to be spiritual. Don't try to be a good woman. Surrender to what you find in you right now, and then, the next moment, tomorrow, or this evening, it might already have changed, and then, you'll be true to that. That's the secret of the river of life. And you don't know where it will lead you.

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You don't know where it will lead you. Maybe you want to say 'no' right now, and it will lead you to a 'yes' in a few days, a 'yes' out of love, a totally voluntary 'yes' out of your whole being. You don't know. Maybe you say 'yes' now, totally, out of your whole being, it's the right thing for you to do: "Yes. Go. I wish you the best", and in a year, you are together and you still live together. You don't know. Life is wild. Life is unforeseeable. All you need to know is that whisper which God whispers into your soul right now. That's all you need to know.

I have always lived like this the last few decades, thanks to my Master, and It works. That's all I can say.

Thank you. Thank you that you are here. Thank you for writing.

Yes... This video was about peace: where you find peace.

And it's always in you – practically. This is not a metaphor. This is not a holy saying. It's practical: when you make peace with how it is for you right now, and when you develop the strength to ignore your thoughts and to enjoy the peace which is in you right now, then, life is easy. And then, your life becomes peaceful and light and bright.

Peace is always in you – practically. This is not a metaphor. It's practical: when you make peace with how it is for you right now, and when you develop the strength to ignore your thoughts and to enjoy the peace which is in you right now, then, life is easy. And then, your life becomes peaceful and light and bright.

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I wish you happy Christmas, all the blessings during this time. And I want you to remember: you don't need to hope anything. You are not a victim of life. This life teaches you what you can do. This life is here to bring you back into your power. You discover: "Wow. It's in my hands. My peace is in my hands. It only depends on me."

You don't need to hope anything. You are not a victim of life. This life teaches you what you can do. It brings you back into your power. You discover: "Wow. It's in my hands. My peace is in my hands. It only depends on me."

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That's why Jesus said: "I give you my peace." He was a living example of how he created his peace, how he found it, how he cultured it. This example, this is this "I give you my peace". And then you know: "Ah, it's possible. Yes, it's possible." And then, you know what you need to do.

Jesus said: "I give you my peace." He was a living example of how he created his peace, how he found it, how he cultured it. This example, this is this "I give you my peace". And then you know: "Ah, it's possible. Yes, it's possible." And then, you know what you need to do.

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Thank you for being here.

I love you.