Written Messages

Jerez de la Frontera (Spain),

21 march 2016

Kriyayoga devotees of this city arranged a visit to the biggest prison of this country located in this area. About 300 men and women prisoners, with all kinds of criminal backgrounds, attended Shibendu Lahiri’s talk. It was quite a novel event.

Life cannot be criminal. It is the mind - which is separation from Life - that runs into criminality. Mind, in fact, is the enemy of Life except while performing daily tasks for our food, clothes and shelter. Mind is a myth. It is not real, even though it gives functional value in performing our daily tasks. All the perversions and criminalities are generated in the field of mind.

It was indeed wonderful that these prisoners participated in this event seriously and patiently. Only a few were restless and talkative. They had to be reprimanded and made silent. There were very good questions which revealed the energy of understanding and also there were intense dialogues with a few prisoners. The program went on for one and half hour as this was the time limit fixed by jail authorities. Otherwise perhaps it could have continued longer as the immensity of the process was indeed profound.

They were suggested to watch and observe their attitude towards their jailers, relations and inmates without the wicked activity of the mind, but in a state of wisdom. Not with motive or opinion, but in a state of let-go and patience. They will then realize that a subtle transformation is taking place in them. Order is transformation, not something out of this world. They may wake up to their violence, cruelty, jealousy, cravings —just waking up—with immediacy, not taking time. This time is mind and it sabotages understanding and transformation. Taking time generates mental undertakings, not deep understanding. Competition and comparison is destroying the world. Thought denies love and generates lust. Can they see it instantly? Ending of thought is the emergence of the living quality of Life. This is transformation — not becoming, comparing, but a state of being — being absolutely nothing in the inner being. Outwardly we have to be something to function, to perform our daily tasks. Destruction is essential — not of buildings and things, but of all psychological devices and defenses, silly gods, beliefs, dependencies on priests, borrowed knowledge and stupid experiences which are all conditioned reflexes from the mind. Without destroying the stupidity of the mind, there cannot be creative understanding. Another cannot help in these matters. One by oneself has to do it by one’s own awareness. For total Freedom, the brain must forsake all its inward, secret mechanism of authority, envy, fears and so on.

Jai Prisoners!