Unrecognized Diamond

Good morning.

This morning, I want to talk about a subject which is hard to put in words.

Maybe you wonder... In all of my videos, I talk about the same things, but maybe you wonder: what is he actually talking about? What is this? What is he talking about, this 'inner', this inside, this silence, this space, this Heaven?

When it comes to spirituality, we talk about things which are hard to grasp, things we cannot see, we cannot touch.

And in this video, I would like to get a little bit closer to this.

Wanja chooses the rattlehorse

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And I would like to begin with a story. I don't want to tell you a complete story, but I want to talk about these ancient tales, these ancient myths. And in many of them, there is the same situation described. And the situation is such that the hero of the story, the person we follow in the story... often it's not a hero but a totally simple person who doesn't even know that he or she is the hero of the story.

In those stories, this human being comes into a situation where he has to choose, and the choice is always the same. On the one hand, there is something which looks not valuable at all, maybe even ugly, unattractive.

And on the other side, there is something which looks beautiful and valuable and fantastic.

And in each of those stories, in some way, the hero of the story gets an indication that he should choose the first one – that he should choose that one which, on first glance, looks like nothing; looks so ordinary that it's easy to overlook it, to discard it as nothing at all. And in each story, it's a little bit different.

Sometimes, an outsider, some wise man or somebody tells the person: "Hey. Listen. When you are in that situation, choose this one, even though you might not know that this is what you really want." Or in some other story, it's some quiet inclination our hero has inside of himself, in his belly.

And then, the hero chooses that one, and then it turns out that this is the right choice. And the other one, which looked so valuable, so fantastic, so beautiful, crumbles into dust.

I just remember one of those stories.

It's a very old Russian tale, and in that tale... it's called "The strong Wanja". Wanja is an old Russian first name. And in this story, Wanja, a farmer's boy, goes on the journey of his life. And during this journey, it's a beautiful story, he meets an old witch, a bad, dangerous witch, and he has to fight the witch, and this witch had been killing many, many people.

But when our hero, Strong Wanja, came, the farmer boys of the surrounding villages told him: "Listen. Don't go there. She will kill you. But if you succeed, if you can defeat her, then you will be able to choose. She will offer you something. She will offer you horses.

And then, choose this old, ugly horse. Don't choose the beautiful one." I am not even sure whether this is the way this story went. I think it was even different. I think it was, in this case, his own inclination that did it. And that's how the story then went. Wanja defeated the old witch, and the old witch brought him into a stable and said: "Here you can choose your prize."

And in that stable, two horses were standing. In one corner, in some back corner, in a dark corner, a really old, old horse was standing, barely alive, looking terrible.

And then, this other horse: beautiful, strong, young, big; just a treasure of a horse.

And the witch was praising the beautiful horse, of course, but something told Wanja: "I want the old one."

And when our hero chose the old horse, something amazing happened. The witch got so angry, it killed her, because he had chosen the right one. The beautiful horse was turning back into that which it always had been before the witch was doing her magic. The beautiful horse turned out to be some useless thing, some stone or something. And the ugly horse turned into the most precious, beautiful horse anybody ever saw. It was just amazing: a strong, beautiful horse which then helped our hero to finish his journey in life.

The diamond in the beggar's pouch

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And then, there is also another story, from India. This story is about a beggar.

This beggar is sitting at the side of the street, begging for food, and in his begging sack, in his bag, in his begging bag, he has some piece of glass he found somewhere a long time ago.

And one day, a wise man came by and said to the beggar: "Hey. Listen.

This piece of glass you have in your bag... Look a little bit closer. Look what it really is." And when the beggar took the piece of glass, which looked like rubbish, and when he started polishing it... And the longer he polished this piece of glass, the more he could see: "Wow.

This is a diamond. This actually is a diamond."

And one day, a wise man came by and said to the beggar: "This piece of glass you have in your bag... Look what it really is." And the beggar took the piece of glass and started polishing it. And the longer he polished this piece of glass, the more he could see: "Wow. This is a diamond. This actually is a diamond."

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But he would not have noticed by himself. He didn't look. He didn't polish it. It didn't look like a diamond. He thought it's worthless.

So, all these old, old, ancient stories point to a truth in our life. They point to the fact that we, as human beings, do not know what the actual valuable thing in our life is.

We choose many, many things which look beautiful and strong and valuable, but they all turn back to dust. And the one thing which is valuable, we overlook, because we do not recognize it. We do not recognize what it really is.

All these ancient stories, they point to the fact that we, as human beings, do not know what the actual valuable thing in our life is. We choose many things which look beautiful and valuable, but they all turn back to dust. And the one thing which is valuable, we overlook, because we do not recognize it. We do not recognize what it really is.

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The moment when I opened the door

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And now, I want to talk about this what these stories point to; what that is in our lives as human beings which we do not recognize.

If you know me... I'm a practical guy. I'm an engineer. I am only interested in those things which I can experience – which I can experience myself practically. I am not interested in theories and stories, no matter how beautiful. I need it real. So, what is it really in our lives what these stories point to?

I want to tell you something about my life, a little true story from my life. About 26 years ago, I experienced something very, very interesting; one could call it my first enlightening experience, although I don't like this expression.

At that time, I did a therapy. I was working on my childhood trauma, and I was in the hands of a beautiful, beautiful therapist who was himself totally enlightened. I was really lucky at that time that I ended up with him, and I had many sessions with him. And during these sessions, I was ending up always in the same situation; in the same inner situation.

I felt like I was standing in front of a door, and behind that door, terrible monsters were waiting to break through the door, and I had to really make sure that this door stays closed, otherwise, something terrible would happen to me. It was like all of my fears were waiting behind that door, and these monsters were raging and really loud and terrible. But at the same time, I knew that my task was to open the door. Somehow, it was clear. I was scared, but I knew: I have to open the door.

But I was unable, I was so scared, and I spent a few of these therapy sessions just standing in front of the door, trembling, and being unable to do anything. But one day, somehow, I was ready. I opened the door. And the instant I opened the door, everything changed. And these were inside experiences I'm speaking about. I was in a kind of a trance, and these experiences were inside. And as soon as I had opened the door, the monsters were gone, the door was gone, I was gone, and I was simply space.

I could say: I was in an infinite, quiet, peaceful space, or I could say there was no 'I'. There was just space. It was a remarkable, beautiful, very, very peaceful experience. I experienced infinity. I experienced my true nature, although I did not know this at that time. Back then, 26 years ago, it was a remarkable experience I will never forget, but I did not know what it is. I liked it, but then it was over, and I went on with my life.

And then I came to my spiritual Master, Soham, and with him, I learned to be 'here'; to live in the moment. I learned to get to know myself, to accept myself, to love myself, my feelings. And then, 7 years ago, my Indian Guru Swamiji came into my life, and with him, the Samarpan Meditation.

Polishing the diamond

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And now, I live in that space which I experienced for the first time 26 years ago. I don't even know how it happened. Back then, it was an experience of this amazing space, and it vanished again. The experience was over.

It was just a memory.

But now, I notice: I live there. I am that – all the time. It has become my reality, my constant experience.

But back then, I did not know what I was experiencing. I did not know what it is what I was experiencing.

And Swamiji, my Indian Guru, he says the following. He says: enlightenment is easy. He calls it 'self-realization'. This first experience, this inner experience of yourself, your soul, this space... and for everybody, this experience is different.

But he says: this first experience, that is easy. That is one thing. But what's much more important is what comes after that: then we have to learn what it is what we experienced – because we don't recognize it. We have a great experience. We think, "wow", but then we forget it again. It's just a memory.

Enlightenment is easy. This first experience of yourself, that is easy. But what's much more important is what comes after that: then we have to learn what it is what we experienced – because we don't recognize it.

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Maybe we liked the experience, maybe we like the memory, but we go back into our lives, and we don't know what it is what we experienced, because it's so quiet, so normal, so dim compared to the loud and bright things of the daily life.

And all the things in daily life, in everyday life, seem to be so important and so valuable and so attractive and so urgent.

And this memory we have of this first incident, of this first encounter with our soul, even though we might not forget it, seems far away and useless. It's like: "Okay. It was beautiful, but it doesn't help me now."

And this Guru now says: now the challenge in our life as human beings is to experience that this what we have gotten there, this knowledge, this experience we had, that this actually is what we are looking for.

And this is nothing we can do intellectually. It doesn't help when I tell you this. It doesn't help when a Guru tells you this, or when you read this in a book.

What I'm talking about is that now a process starts where, slowly, slowly, we begin to experience more and more: "Ah, that is what actually is valuable." All the things which appear to be valuable are worthless, and the one which appears worthless, that's actually the diamond. And this is a process, this recognition.

The challenge in life is to experience that this what we have experienced actually is what we are looking for. A process starts where we begin to experience: that is what‘s valuable. All the things which appear to be valuable are worthless, and the one which appears worthless is the diamond. And this recognition is a process.

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And you know this. You know this space. Everybody who listens to this video knows this, in one way or another. As I said: it's different for every human being. The way you experienced it, the way you would describe it, might be completely different than what I say about it, but it doesn't matter. You know this other space, this other kind of being. And now to give this your attention and not the urgent, important, loud, beautiful world – that's the challenge. But you can't do this, because it seems totally unattractive and unimportant to you.

You know this other space, this other kind of being. And now to give this your attention and not the urgent, important, loud, beautiful world – that's the challenge. But you can't do this, because it seems totally unattractive and unimportant to you.

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The two ways of recognizing

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So, there was this story about the beggar, and the beggar has this piece of glass. And for the eyes of the beggar, it's just rubbish. It's just an old piece of glass. He might as well trash it. He doesn't even know why he still has it in his bag. And now the challenge is to polish this so you can see what it actually is.

So, how do you polish this? How does this work? There are two ways I know how this works. The one way is to spend time with a Guru for a long, long time.

This is a way for very, very rare people.

And if you spend a lot of time with a Guru... This Guru is a being which lives in this space; somebody who knows the diamond, through and through. And by being close to such a human being for a long time, this knowledge, this inner experience, comes to you, and more and more you begin to see the diamond in you yourself.

It's like it rubs off on you, just by being around the Guru. But as I said: this path is not for everybody. But there is another path, this is the second way I know, and this is the Samarpan Meditation. And this is the path for all those normal people like you and like me who live in society, who have a normal life.

And when you meditate every morning... you just meditate for half an hour. And during this meditation, you turn to that which you don't recognize. You put your attention to the inside. You don't even know why. It feels totally useless to you. There's nothing. It doesn't feel good. It doesn't feel attractive. It doesn't feel 'wow'. But you rest inside.

You rest in the crown chakra with your attention, for half an hour, and you don't even know why. But when you do this for a long time – that's how you polish this piece of glass. The longer you do this, the more you realize what you actually hold in your hand. The longer you meditate... and with the longer, I don't mean in one session, like, you meditate for 10 hours. I mean: you do it every day for half an hour, that's enough.

But then you do it day after day, month after month, year after year. And the longer you do this in your life, the more you begin to live in this space, in this diamond; the more you become this diamond. It's hard to put this into words. And more and more, you realize: "Wow. This is actually all I ever wanted. This is what I always looked for. This is Heaven. This is me. This is my soul. This is God."

During this meditation, you turn to that which you don't recognize. You rest in the crown chakra with your attention for half an hour and you don't even know why. But when you do this for a long time – that's how you polish this piece of glass. The longer you do this, the more you realize what you actually hold in your hand.

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And in the beginning, when you start meditating, you don't see this. You don't know why you do this, but something inside of you knows: "Yes, but this is the right way."

It's like we have this diamond inside of us, we have Heaven inside of us, we have God inside of us, but we don't recognize it. We cannot see it. It's something we have never learned to recognize, and that's the challenge in life. It's not something you have to find outside. It's not something you have to achieve.

It's like we have this diamond inside of us, we have Heaven inside of us, we have God inside of us, but we don't recognize it. We cannot see it. It's something we have never learned to recognize, and that's the challenge in life.

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It's not some something you have to gain. You have it already, but this doesn't help you.

You don't know why you meditate

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You have this piece of glass in your beggar's bag all your life. But to you, it's just a piece of glass, nothing else – not even a beautiful one.

And now, to start polishing this piece of glass, that looks totally stupid to you... Why spend time polishing this piece of rubbish? But that's what we do when we meditate; when we give attention to our 'inside', which to you just feels empty and void.

You have this piece of glass in your beggar's bag all your life. To you, it's just a piece of glass. And now to start polishing this, that looks totally stupid to you... Why spend time polishing this rubbish? But that's what we do when we meditate; when we give attention to our 'inside', which to you just feels empty and void.

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And you want to take care of all the important stuff... TV is much more attractive to you, and your friends are more attractive, and all the urgent important things. And then, to take time for this every day, to polish this piece of glass, to meditate for half an hour every day, feels totally stupid. But the longer you do this in your life, the more you begin to experience – it's not a knowing, it's not an intellectual knowing, but the more you experience: "Wow. This what I give my attention to here, in my meditation, this is alive.

This is vast. This is rich."

And more and more, you realize: "Wow, this is me. This eternity; this vastness, this is God. This is Heaven."

And then your life still happens. Life still happens: you still have friends, you still have a wife or a husband and a job and work and joy and pain and feelings, but it's not important anymore. You live somewhere else. You live somewhere which is not touched by this life. You returned home, and you carry this 'home' inside of you, all the time. That's the piece of glass, but you don't recognize it. And this life is the time given to you to learn to recognize this – to polish this diamond.

And then your life still happens, but it's not important anymore. You returned home, and you carry this 'home' inside of you, all the time. That's the piece of glass, but you don't recognize it. And this life is the time given to you to learn to recognize this – to polish this diamond.

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True heroism

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I want to come back to this story I told in the beginning. You know, when you read such an old tale... You read the story that our hero... He gets told by somebody: "Listen. When you are in that situation, just know that the actual valuable thing is that one which looks so ugly and so unattractive. Choose that one, and don't let yourself be tempted to choose the shiny one. They try to trick you."

So, our hero gets warned, and then you read on in the story, and then our hero comes into that situation, and he chooses the right one: he chooses the unattractive. And when you read this, you are amazed, because you realize: "Wow. Everybody else would have gone for the shiny one, for the appearance, for that which looks valuable but, in reality, is worthless." And this hero of ours, he chose that which looks so insignificant.

And then, when you read the story, there you notice what an extraordinary thing that is: that a human being chooses that one, where everybody else would have gone for the appearance – for the rich, valuable looking thing, which is, in reality, worthless. And that is the true hero: this inner strength to choose that what you learned to be the diamond, although it looks like nothing. That is what makes this person in the story the hero: this trust, this strength to choose that one you know is the diamond, although it doesn't look like it.

And that is the true hero: this inner strength to choose that what you learned to be the diamond, although it looks like nothing. That is what makes this person in the story the hero: this trust, this strength to choose that one you know is the diamond, although it doesn't look like it.

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And that is your challenge in life. You know: "Yes, it is there." You know it. And then, you're being tempted by your everyday life, and it all seems to be so important and so valuable. To have a good relationship seems to be so important and so beautiful to us. To have love or riches, the recognition of others, or wealth and security, this seems to be so important and so worthwhile of our time and energy and attention. And then... this emptiness; this inside; there is nothing. "Why should I"? But, you know.

And that is your challenge in life. You know: it is there. And then, you're being tempted by everyday life: to have love or riches or wealth and security, this seems to be so important and so worthwhile of our time and energy and attention. And then... this emptiness; this inside; there is nothing. "Why should I"? But, you know.

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The profound challenge of your life

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And Swamiji says: for many people, it is like this that in one life, you have an enlightenment experience – in one life, you get self-realization –, but then, you need another life to realize what you have gotten. He says: this is normal. For many people, it takes a long time until they even begin to learn that they actually have the diamond.

Such is our challenge – very profound.

So, if you are a person who has a taste of this, maybe through meditation or through some accident in your life or whatever... If you had this in this life, and now you have the desire to explore this and to give this your attention and to foster this, then you are a rare human being; then you are really, really lucky. That is a big gift, a great treasure. And that is why I make videos. I make all of my videos for one reason only: to encourage you to do that which feels so unimportant: "Meditate; turn inside; give this your attention."

This is how you polish your diamond. And I want to tell you again and again: if you do this, you will discover the diamond. It is inevitable. It takes time, and because it takes time, a long time, that's why I remind you again and again, just so you remember: "Yes, I know." I don't tell you anything you don't know. I can't do this. But I can remind you, and then you notice: "Ah, yes. I know. Okay. Yes. Thank you. Thank you for the encouragement. Thank you for the reminder."

If you had a taste of this, and now you have the desire to give this your attention and to foster this, then you are a rare human being and really lucky. And that is why I make videos: to encourage you to do that which feels so unimportant: "Meditate; turn inside; give this your attention." This is how you polish your diamond.

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Because the outside world is so tempting, so loud. There is nothing wrong with the world – it's just not important.

If you do this, you will discover the diamond. It is inevitable. And because it takes a long time, I remind you again and again, just so you remember: "Ah, yes. I know." Because the outside world is so tempting, so loud. There is nothing wrong with the world – it's just not important.

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So, this is why you are here: to polish your diamond; to be patient and stubborn and to choose – even though all of your friends and all of the world thinks that the shiny horse is the valuable thing – you choose the old, ugly, sick, and dying horse, seemingly dying, totally unattractive. Nobody gives it a second look. But you know: that's the way.

And then, at in the end, you discover: "Wow. That's the diamond, and all the things I used to believe in, all the things I took so important, so urgent, so valuable, they're all nothing, all worthless." You know.

This is why you are here: to polish your diamond; to be patient and stubborn and to choose – even though all of the world thinks that the shiny horse is the valuable thing – the old, ugly horse. Nobody gives it a second look. But you know: that's the way. And then, at in the end, you discover: "Wow. That's the diamond."

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That is what all these old tales remind us about: polish your diamond, and then slowly, slowly, you will recognize what you carry inside of yourself. And that's why I often say in my videos: an enlightenment experience is completely unimportant. It just happens or it doesn't happen. What's important and what's worthwhile is the polishing of the piece of glass: meditating.

That is what these old tales remind us about: polish your diamond, and then, slowly, you will recognize what you carry inside of yourself. That's why I often say: an enlightenment experience is completely unimportant. What's important and worthwhile is the polishing of the piece of glass: meditating.

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It is so beautiful that you are here.

I love you.