60. Live Facts, not Fancies

Are you sure we live in the same world?

I do not mean nature, the sea and the land, plants and animals. They are not the problem, nor the endless space, the infinite time, the inexhaustible power. Do not be misled by my eating and smoking, reading and talking. My mind is not here, my life is not here.

Your world, of desires and their fulfillment, of fears and their escapes, is definitely not my world. I do not even perceive it, except through what you tell me about it. It is your private dream world and my only reaction to it is to ask you to stop dreaming.

All the three states - of waking, dreaming and sleeping - are subjective, personal, intimate. They all happen to and are contained within the little bubble in consciousness, called 'I'. The real world lies beyond the self.

Of course facts are real! I live among them.

But you live with fancies, not with facts. Facts never clash, while your life and world are full of contradictions. Contradiction is the mark of the false; the real never contradicts itself. Evil is in the wrong approach to problems created by misunderstanding and misuse. It is a vicious circle. A false circle need not be broken. It is enough to see it as it is - non-existent.

Insanity is universal. Sanity is rare. Yet there is hope, because the moment we perceive our insanity, we are on the way to sanity. This is the function of the Teacher - to make us see the madness of our daily living. Life makes you conscious, but the teacher makes you aware.

In every concrete situation there is only the necessary and the unnecessary.

The needful is right, the needless is wrong. The situation decides. Every situation is a challenge which demands the right response. When the response is right, the challenge is met and the problem ceases. If the response is wrong, the challenge is not met and the problem remains unsolved. Your unsolved problems - that is what constitutes your destiny. Solve them rightly and be free.

The world problems were created by numberless people like you, each full of his own desires and fears. Who can free you of your past, personal and social, except yourself? And how will you do it unless you see the urgent need of your being first free of cravings born of illusion? How can you truly help, as long as you need help yourself?