A sage sent out the residents of his hermitage to travel in order to learn from the vast school of the world. When the set time was over, all of them except one returned. The sage was delighted on seeing their achievements and accumulation of knowledge. They had come back with much learning.

Eventually the other young student also returned. The sage said to him, “You have returned last of all; certainly you must have learnt more than all the rest.” The young man replied, “I have returned without learning anything. On the contrary, I have forgotten even that which you taught me.” What could have been a more disappointing answer?

Then one day the same young man was massaging the body of the sage. Rubbing his back, he murmured to himself, “The temple is very beautiful, but inside it there is no image of the divine.” The sage heard it; he was outraged. Certainly these words were said to him. Certainly it is his beautiful body that has been described as a temple. And seeing the anger of the sage the young man started laughing. This was like adding fuel to the burning fire. The sage turned him out of the hermitage.

The Student Becomes the Teacher

And then one morning when the sage was reading his scriptures, the young man casually stepped in from somewhere and sat near him. He sat there as the sage continued to read. At this very moment a wild honeybee flew in the room and started searching for an exit. The door was open­­—the very door through which it had entered, but becoming utterly blind it was making futile efforts to go through the closed window. Its humming sound began to echo in the stillness of the temple. Standing up, the young man said aloud to the bee, “Stupid, there is no door there, it is a wall! Stop and look behind you. There is only the door by which you have entered.”

Related » Beware of the spiritual shortcut

It was not the bee but the ‘master’ who heard these words—and he found the door. He looked into the eyes of the young man for the first time. This was not the youth who had left to go traveling. These eyes were different. Now the master knew that what the young man had learned was no ordinary learning. He had returned after knowing something, not after learning something.

The Master Learns a Divine Lesson

The master said to him, “Today I have come to know that my temple is empty of the divine, and that until now I have been hitting my head against the wall and I haven’t found the door. Now what shall I do to find the door? What shall I do so that my temple does not remain empty of the divine?” The young man said, “If you wish for the divine, be empty of yourself. Only he who is full of himself is empty of the divine. He who becomes empty of himself finds that he has been full with the divine forever. And if you wish to find the door to this truth, do the same that this honeybee is doing now…”

The master saw that the bee was doing nothing now; it was sitting on the wall, just sitting. He understood. He woke up. He realized as though a sudden flash of lightning happened in the darkness. He also saw that the bee was now going out through the door.

This story is my whole message. This is what I am saying. Nothing has to be done to attain the divine; rather, dropping all doing, one has just to see. When the mind becomes quiet and looks, the door is found. The peaceful and empty mind is the door.

My invitation to you all is towards that emptiness. That invitation is of religion itself. To accept that invitation is to become religious.

This was first published in the October 2015 issue of Complete Wellbeing.

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Dada Vaswani

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Jashan Pahalraj Vaswani, or “Dada” as he’s fondly addressed by his millions of followers around the world, celebrates his 95th birthday on 2nd August 2013. Although a scientist by training, he has conquered the world through his love, compassion and humility.

Over the past five decades, he has worked tirelessly towards spreading the message of his Master, Sadhu T L Vaswani. As a leading spiritual luminary, he has addressed the World Parliament of Religions in Chicago, the British House of Commons in London, the Global Forum of Spiritual Leaders in Oxford, the Millennium World Peace Summit of Religious and Spiritual Leaders at the United Nations in New York. In 1998, he was bestowed the prestigious U-thant peace award.

Dada surprises

I recall my first contact with Dada, a few years ago. I got the privilege to interview him in person. The experience of meeting him was so profound that I wrote an article about it, even before I finished writing the interview. This was published in our August 2008 issue. Even today, after five years, the memory of my interaction brings me goose bumps. His responses to my questions were as spontaneous as they were rich. The clarity of his thoughts triggered a strange feeling of euphoria in everyone who was present in the room. I can never forget that moment when, upon thanking him, touching his feet and asking for his blessings, he said to me, “I should thank you and you bless me, as I see God in you.” Saying this, he bowed down to touch my feet. I was speechless! Here was a man who practised everything that he preached. He just didn’t say it as so many do—he actually saw God in everyone.

Since that blessed day, I have had the honour of meeting him several times on different occasions and he has never failed to surprise me by recollecting our previous interactions in detail. The last time I met him in December 2012, he caught me off guard yet again. I was in Pune and thought of visiting the Sadhu Vaswani Centre to attend the Sunday morning discourse. Somehow he learnt of my presence. As I was sitting in the audience, Dada started the session by announcing to the audience of devotees that I was there, referring to me as his ‘very dear friend’. He then went on to praise Complete Wellbeing, calling it one of the best magazines in India. Later, he publicly felicitated me, and also my mother and my wife, who had accompanied me.

The divine is in you

Dada’s strength comes from his simplicity, faith, humility and his deep love for his master, Sadhu T L Vaswani. His teachings are simple and clear—and that’s what makes them so inspiring. Cutting across religion, Dada’s messages urge us to embrace the love of God—a God he sees in everything and everyone.

The post When I met God in human form appeared first on Complete Wellbeing.

His energy and enthusiasm even today is nothing short of miraculous. Dada turns 91 on August 2. Incidentally, August 2 is also the International Forgiveness Day. How befitting! As a small gesture of love towards the Master as he celebrates 91 years of his ‘earth-pilgrimage’, we bring to you a very special interview with Dada in an attempt to bring you closer to the guru.

A PILGRIMAGE THROUGH PICTURES

Dada Vaswani

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Manoj Khatri [MK]: How does it feel, celebrating your 91st birthday? How do you view your journey of life. from 1918 to 2009?

Dada J P Vaswani: By God’s grace, I have never felt that I have become old. I believe that a person is as young as he thinks himself to be. So it is that I am happy in the company of youth who, I believe, are the builders of a new and radiant tomorrow.

My earth-pilgrimage, as it seems to me, began earlier than 1918. The journey has two fundamental aspects: the physical and the spiritual. On the one hand, man is a material substance—a few pounds of dust. “Dust thou art, to dust returnest.”

On the other hand, he is what different traditions have referred to as spirit, Atman, soul, life force, consciousness or monad. How matter and spirit come together to create what we call life is a great mystery. The great English poet, William Wordsworth, reminds us, “Trailing clouds of Glory do we come from God who is our Home.” And William Blake sings, “The source of life descends to be a weeping babe.” We may believe it or not, each one of us is linked to the Higher Power. The link is called in many ways. Some call it Guardian Angel. The Jews refer to it as Lailah. The Buddhists call it Avalokiteshwara, Kuwan Yin or Kannon. We become aware of it in moments of deep silence or inspiration or archetypal dreams or mystical visions.

MK: Please reveal the secret of your health and longevity to us. is there a potion?

Dada J P Vaswani: The secret of health, to my mind, is:

1. Daily practice of silence
2. Holding in the heart no grudge against anyone
3. Rejoicing in the success of others
4. Doing as much good as a person can, to as many as he can, in as many ways as he can, and on as many occasions as he can.

MK: Can you share with us an event or a happening about your childhood or youth, something that is not public knowledge, but is still very dear to your heart—something that inspires you even today?

Dada J P Vaswani: I remember how once I was treated very roughly by someone very dear to me. It was an experience, which could have thrown me off my balance. I felt deeply hurt. At that time, I felt someone whisper in my ear: “To err is human, to forgive divine.” Immediately I cried: “I forgive! I forget! I bless everyone!” Since then I am trying to learn the lesson: “Forgive even before forgiveness is asked.” When you forgive, you are filled with the peace that passeth, surpasseth understanding. And there is no wealth richer than inner peace.

MK: Besides Sadhu Vaswani, can you name any three role models in your life?

Dada J P Vaswani

1. Baba Chetanram
2. Jamshed Nusserwanji
3. My own revered, beloved father—Shri P L Vaswani—a picture of simplicity, sympathy and selfless service.

MK: What has been the most important lesson of your life? How did you learn it?

Dada J P Vaswani: I cannot say that I have learnt a lesson, but I am trying to learn many lessons, chief amongst them is that I am nothing—a zero—and the Guru and God are everything.

Also read » Being like Dada Vaswani

MK: Please describe the most beautiful memory of your life?

Dada J P Vaswani: The most beautiful memory of my life is of the time when I did something [I will not narrate it], which made my Guru’s heart happy and he called me to himself and enfolded me in an embrace—the impact of which, I feel till today.

MK: What role has humour played in your life? Can you share you favourite anecdote/joke?

Dada J P Vaswani: I was once asked, “Which among the five senses is the most important?” My answer was: “None of the five senses, but the sixth sense—the sense of humour.”
Once, Bishop Felton J Sheen had to deliver a lecture in the Town Hall. He decided to walk there but lost his way. He said to a boy: “Can you take me to the Town Hall?”
“Gladly,” answered the lad.
On the way the boy asked the Bishop why he was going to the Town Hall.
The Bishop answered, “To deliver a lecture.”
“What is the topic?”, inquired the boy.
The Bishop’s answer was, “The Way To Heaven.”
The boy began to laugh. As he did not cease laughing, the Bishop asked him the reason and the boy answered, “You don’t know the way to the Town Hall and you are going to tell the people about the Way To Heaven? Ha! Ha! Ha!.”

(Everyone present laughs)

MK: In your childhood, what was the one value that you think shaped your personality and inclined you towards spirituality?

Dada J P Vaswani: Love of Truth and Compassion. I continue to be a seeker of Truth, Love and Humility.

MK: As a young man, did it ever occur to you that you would some day influence so many millions around the world?

Dada J P Vaswani: By God’s grace, I am aware of my insignificance. When people tell me that I am a VIP or treat me like one, I say to them, “Yes, I am a Very Insignificant Person.” Who am I to influence others? The power that transforms is the power of love. In my daily life, I seek to bear witness to the ideal of Love. Love bears: Love cares: Love dares: Love knows that it is nothing, the Beloved is All!

MK: You travel even at this age. where do you get so much energy from?

Dada J P Vaswani: The Source of Energy is within each one of us. All we have to do is to contact the Source.

Also read » Dada J P Vaswani: Humility personified

The post A Pilgrimage of Love — An Interview With Dada Vaswani appeared first on Complete Wellbeing.