The Teachings of Guruji comprises of extracts taken from Guruji’s book, Appanam Vosirami, which was published in 1995.

Two questions come to mind.

The first, why did Guruji not write more books.

The second, why did Guruji continue to remain within the constraints of a system of an organised religion. He challenged the system when he had no choice, and yet, he chose to work within the system.

The answer to the first question is to be found in an incident in the life of St.Thomas Aquinas.

In The Testament of Beauty, Robert Bridges has drawn a vivid picture of the effect that spiritual realisation had upon St. Thomas Aquinas. He had this experience in the last year of his life and after that he flately refused to write any more; the entreaties of Reginald, his secretary, were of no avail.

“I am happier in surmising that his vision at Mass

– in Naples it was when he fell suddenly in trance-

was some disenthralment of his humanity;

for thereafter, whether ‘twer Aristotle or Christ

that had appear’d to him then, he nevermore wrote word

neither dictated but laid by inkhorn and pen;

and was as a man out of hearing on that day

when Reynaldus, with all the importunity of zeal

and intimacy of friendship, would hav recall’d him

to his incompleted SUMMA; and sighing he reply’d

I will tell thee a secret, my son, constraining thee

let thou dare impart it to any man while I liv.

My writing is at an end.I hav seen such things reveal’d

that what I hav written and taught seemeth to me of small worth.

And hence I hope in my God, that, as of doctrin

ther wil be speedily also an end of Life!”

Guruji did not write much, especially during the last forty or so years of his life. If he did, it was to write practice manuals such as “Song of the Soul”. He lectured extensively. The lectures were centered more on practice than on theory. He has described his own role as Guru:

“Slowly, practice and experience begin to guide you. In a subtle way, the guru is there, but experience grows more and more powerful. And, one day, when you get complete experience, everything will come from your true Self. Your experience will guide you. You will, of course, have the deepest love for your guru, but experience will have become your true guru.”

Guruji used to say of “Jain Dharma“, a scholarly and authoritative book on Jain thought and philosophy, which he wrote some forty years ago, that, everything therein can be supported by the Scriptures. “However”, he used to say, “if I were to write it now (1993), it would be a different book; it would be based on my own experience of reality.

One is reminded here of Hemchandracharya’s first verse in Chapter 12 of his Yoga Sutra, (English translation by Dr. A.S.Gopani).

“I have comprehensively expressed what I had absorbed from the oceans of canons as well as from the discourses of the Guru. Now I shall narrate the pure knowledge of yoga realised and confirmed through my personal perception and experience.”

The answer to the second question as to what made Guruji to remain within a system when spiritually he had gone beyond systems and organisations and societal and man-made doctrines and dogmas, can be found in Narad’s Bhakti Sutra.

“Even the realised soul ought to abide by the rules and codes of conduct prescribed by the society. ”

This, a first of its kind, is a small compilation of Guruji’s thoughts. Guruji lectured extensively and the extracts compiled here are taken from such lectures delivered mostly in North America over the period 1980 to 1990. The material is extensive and there is the possibility for many more books and compilations. The compilation in this book is from Guruji’s lectures in English, a language he taught himself after he came to North America in the mid-seventies. There has been some editing, which has been kept to the minimum to ensure that the original impact is not lost.

The style of this publication is inspired by J. Krishnamurty’s, Meditations. The blank or nearly blank pages, and there are some of these, are deliberate and signify the limitations and the futility of language and words. Guruji points this out time and again.

The publication of this book has been some-what rushed; it is timed for the Conference on Jain Approach: Philosophy, Logic, Rituals and Symbols, which conference is organised by the University of Toronto and co-sponsored by International Mahavir Jain Mission, Canada. Guruji was the founding Chairman and the only Chairman of IMJM, Canada.

I apologise for errors and omissions in transcribing and in editing. The only translation from Hindi to English is the “We sing, we sing the glories of Paras“, which Guruji wrote and which was very dear to Guruji.

This compilation of Guruji’s teachings is offered at the lotus feet of Guruji with love and devotion and with a plea for forgiveness for the errors in editing.

Toronto, 2nd. April, 1995.

S.B.Shah

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I

People are trying.

If you are trying, you cannot meditate.

Trying means your mind is working.

Most people are saying, “I am trying very hard, my best, but I cannot get success”.

You can try for anything else; you cannot try to meditate.

Trying is the opposite of meditation.

Relax completely and dissolve all thoughts;

that is the real technique.

Get rid of all conditioning;

you are conditioned to think: I am this, I am that;

I am a man;

I am a woman;

politically, I am this;

spiritually, I am this;

religiously, I am this.

We get conditioned in lots of ways.

The conditioning is the source of our ignorance.

In the real sense what we are, we do not know.

Yet we adopt something as an identity.

But whatever we adopt is insufficient.

How you can know your reality?

First you leave.

First you give up all your conditioning;

all that you have collected;

all that you have;

all that you have stored.

First you finish all kinds of thoughts.

Then you have to go beyond.

*****

II

Dissolve yourself.

You are not body. Body is composed of elements.

You are not thought.

All thoughts are coming from outside.

You are divine soul.

You are divine soul.

You are eternal.

You are immortal.

You are the source of wisdom.

You are the source of bliss.

You have absolute perception, knowledge, conduct.

You have infinite energy.

You are the ocean of energy.

You are the ocean of love.

Dissolve yourself.

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III

 Lord Mahavira considered celibacy to be a matter of paramount importance.

He said:”If I am not here or if I am not available or if I was to leave this body

and someone wants to see me,

go see any celibate person. He is Mahavira and he represents me.”

Celibacy is the base of life.

You can increase, develop, awaken your powers by celibacy.

In nature flow is from top to bottom.

A celibate changes the complete direction of flow

and his flow of energy is from bottom to top.

He is bringing his energy up.

That is celibacy.

Lord Buddha said do not go against desire;

welcome desire.

But you watch. When you watch, desire will be no more.

Lord Mahavira said desire is not bad.

Without desire no-one can get any strength or power.

Therefore, he did not allow any impotent person

to become monk or nun.

Because, being monk or nun is not beneficial

to an impotent person.

What you really want is what is your capacity for creating energy and making an implosion.

Without complete desire and without sexual desire you cannot sustain energy.

Sexual desire is base of whole life-force and energies.

When desire comes, do not control it,

do not suppress it.

Absorb it.

Lord Mahaviraa taught different systems.

for Pratisalinta, which means to absorb.

If you can absorb this desire by

breathing, by thinking, by watchfulness,

then you are getting more strength and power.

Lord Mahavira used to fast for months and after that he wanted to break the fast.

The wish to break the fast created desire for food.

He welcomed desire but yet did not give in.

He would not break his fast till his pre-set conditions were all fulfilled.

Then nature, mind, senses and desire

are all working together.

Thus he attained completeness..

Celibacy does not mean that desire is sinful;

or, sexual desire is sinful.

The sexual desire, the union with opposite sex

is natural.

This is by instinct.

This is the way of nature.

But you want supreme consciousness.

You have to go opposite the nature.

You have lot of energy in your head.

You are letting this energy flow downwards.

This is nature.

The desire is very strong.

But Mahavira, Buddha, Rishis, celibates,

the supporters of celibacy are telling us:

“We have one system. By breath we can bring up

your whole energy to top of the head –

Sahasrar“.

The main energy of life-force is kundalini.

The main center of life is Sahasrar,

top of the head.

If you can bring up the kundalini energy to Sahasrar,

you get boundless and limitless happiness.

This experience is described as “Atmarati“;

self is the divine male and the divine female on a spiritual plane.

Then physical sex becomes mud and worthless and

desire for it is absorbed and does not have to be controlled or suppressed.

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IV

Desire is beautifully entangled with life-force.

When life appeared, then too life was result of Desire.

Whole life is Desire.

If someone is hoarding everything, that is Desire.

If someone is donating everything, that is Desire.

People fight. Desire is in the background.

All the people are propelled by Desire.

Today, stealing;

tomorrow, saint.

Both Desire.

Thief is getting no happiness.

So many people changed their lives.

Desire.

People kill – Desire.

Noble Desire is still Desire.

Desire of Salvation.

Desire of liberation.

Whole world is slave of Desire.

When Desire is working, you collect karmic particles.

If you want salvation, what is salvation?

Watch Desire, keep awake.

Desire will dissipate.

Your whole system is divided amongst two things:

Mamkar and Ahankar

Mine and Yours.

Occupation and Destruction.

Your life is nothing but Desire.

Does it mean that when Desire is finished, life is finished?

But, no.

There are two different systems.

Desire shows your incompleteness, your lacking.

If you have everything, you have no Desire.

Desire is indication of your deficiency.

You are missing something.

You are lacking something.

If you have everything, you have no Desire.

Desire is in control of your mind.

But only mind is not responsible for this.

When the causal body wants to change, convert, divert – it produces Desire.

You are also getting Desire from environment, from space.

All the material of Desire is coming from Etherial body – Pranik body.

But Desire is affecting them.

Desire is very powerful.

Desire cannot be fulfilled.

You are running day and night, to what purpose?

You are earning money, to what purpose?

So many people donate money, that is Desire.

When you abandon Desire, then what happens?

That is the real state.

*****