by Gurani Anjali
If you have been touched by love from within, you cannot throw it away. You cannot give it away. You cannot give love away because it is the wonderful essence that keeps you going on and on. Once you’re touched, you know. That’s why we cry when we are rejected. We cry, and we go into a corner to hide because this love that burns within us has to be expressed over and over again. The expressions are very important. It is not enough to say, “Oh, I feel so much love.” It’s not enough to say, “I felt the love.” It must be shown, it must be seen, and it is so potent that it lasts forever. It doesn’t turn, it doesn’t get rancid, it doesn’t spoil. It stays forever. Isn’t that wonderful to know?
Have you been touched? Yes . . . no? Yes, all of you have it, but you still crave it. At times, you get stifled because you hide it. You feel congested and stuffed up because you’re hiding it. Love has to be expressed, and the expressions are a thousand- fold. Take lessons from the flowers. They have such a sweet scent to them. Not all flowers express like the rose, and roses don’t smell like dandelions. Each flower expresses in its own way and in its own time, depending on how much heat is felt. Heat is very necessary for fragrance to be aroused and spread. You must feel the heat of that love that you have and then the expressions are very natural. Now if you say you have love, turn to the person next to you and express the love that you have. What will you do? Take a few moments so that the heat may rise within you through the power of these words. How will you express that love that you have within you? Come from the silent depth within you. You see, you must stir up the heat. The heat is very important. There has to be a fire burning. And when the fire’s burning, the heat will spread and then the expressions are made.
Okay, are you ready? Stand up. Go within the silence of your own being. Feel that inner stirring; everyone is born out of love. And we want to continue to spread that love. When you feel the power of love within you, then it is not difficult to love somebody. Pick anyone in the room and express that which you feel within. You see, the fire never goes out if you constantly remember. You must stir up those embers, like in a fireplace. You have to move those embers around so they’ll continue to burn brightly.
Yes, we must express the inexpressible. You have so much love—hug and feel the love within. Express that which is sacred. Very sacred. You need it, and that’s why you cannot give it away. But you can express it a million times. So buy the flowers. Offer them up. Continue the expression. Get that box of candy, make sure it’s special candy. Wrap it up nicely, or take it in a paper bag. It’s all right. And keep on giving. Yes, everyone in this world wants to express their love. Just do it. Don’t wait for the perfect time. Don’t look around and ask, “Now, who’s worthy of my love?” No, then you are picking and choosing. And the more expressions one expresses, the more unspeakable joy is experienced. And you will have a continuous smile on your face.
Don’t be angry at your brother. Don’t be angry with your sister, your mother, your father, your friend, anyone. Don’t be angry at them, but express the love that you have. Yes, express it, even though you may be beheaded like John the Baptist, who cried in the wilderness. The love was so overwhelming that John the Baptist sacrificed everything to take on and give to the many the love that binds us all.
In the love that we have, we experience and live through the isolation that is our constant solitude. That love is so sacred it can never be given away. Hence, the multiplicity of the many in the one, and the one in the many. The multiplicity exists because of that love that you have, which can never be given away. It’s priceless, no one can even afford to buy it. It is so priceless. Therefore, we can only express, and in the many expressions, we show the joy that we hold within us. And we walk, and we talk, and we dance, and we sing. We are constantly creating; out of nothingness, everything becomes. And we find ourselves constantly becoming, opening up, becoming, becoming. And so a father will turn and say, “This is my son. These are my children. This is my house. This is my orchard. Look at the wonderful fruits. This is my backyard, my house. Look at the colors of my house. These are the rooms.” Out of that isolation which is our constant, our solitude, so much comes. And yet, it’s not enough. Isn’t that wonderful?
You have an abundance of love within you, and so you want to go places. You want to see how much more you can multiply yourself. And so the expressions of love come out as, “Oh, I want to do healing, I want to be a good architect, I’ll be a doctor, I’ll be a nurse, I’ll do this, I’ll do this.” Why do you want to do all that? Creating the multiplicity of your very own solitude. The love that speaks without words, without saying, “I am loving, I am loving, I am constantly loving everything around me.” Why? The love that one has cannot be given away, no matter how much you try. Forget it. Even when we say, “I love you.” It is merely words. It’s an expression that comes from that isolation, that solitude, that love that is never ending. It is so wonderful to know that you can express, a million times, your love to everyone, not just a special one or two. You limit yourself. You see, you don’t want to do that, right? You want to give it away from the silent depth within you. You just want to give it away, but you can never do that. Because if you did, how would you continue? You may say, “Oh, I fell in love with this guy and he was rotten to me, so I went to another one, and he wasn’t good to me so I went to that one. I feel like a ball that has been rolling around all these years. I wanted to love and give my expression to someone. But I got hurt, so I went here and there, because I wasn’t getting something back.” No, a true lover never looks for anything back.
The one who loves is a lover of love. Isn’t that wonder-ful? This would make the best song. But everyone is walking around being afraid to express their love. Now, everyone must express their love without the fear of, “Oh, she’s going to get the wrong idea.” No one wants to be trapped in love, either. Did you know that? You don’t want to be trapped with “I love you, but are you going to trap me?” So you’ve got to be a lover of love. Love the love that you have within you. Love that first, and then, put your bucket into that well. Draw it up, and then, pour it out a little at a time, so everyone will drink from the well that never dries up. Then you will be happy. Love does not want to be trapped, and it can never be trapped. People bind themselves to one another, and hold each other in a vise that simply strangles them. True love is something that cannot be trapped.
You can fix your body in a place, in a chair, in a room, or wherever. You can fix a body, but love is free to be, anywhere and everywhere. You see, this body has limitations. That’s why you must look at your body and say, “Hey body, what would you like to do today? What would make you feel good?” The body is made up of earth, water, fire, air and space. So give the body, in its equal proportions, earth, water, fire, air and space. And you’ll feel wonderful. Take a nice shower, drink a lot of water, or feed the body, eat something wonderful—but really eat. To eat one has to have a craving for food. You know, there is no craving for food. Everybody just eats. “I have nothing better to do, so I’ll eat. I’m bored, so I’ll eat.” Right? Nobody craves food because there’s so much at your fingertips. Everything is available, right? Can’t find anything in the refrigerator? Go down to the deli. Get yourself a sandwich. Just eat. There’s a compulsion to eat. There’s no craving to eat. There’s no desire to eat, because there’s no santosha, no contentment. When there is contentment, then one is content with what one eats. And the natural cravings occur, so that the body may survive. The body has a rhythm. Very few get in tune with it. There will be natural cravings to eat such and such a food at such and such a time, which comes naturally from the body that has lived for so long. And it is not because of habit that one will eat, but one will eat because the body needs a certain element for it to continue. It could be water, it could be fire, it could be space, it could be prithivi (earth). Few are in tune with the natural cravings. And therefore, there is so much waste of food. So much waste of food. Let the body tell you. It will show you exactly what food is good for you. The body knows; the senses are aware of how to feed and nourish this body.
So become a lover of the love that is deep within you. Love the love you have within you. Love it. Become very close to it, and then express your love. Then the body will be cared for because the love within you will naturally care for it. This body is a temple, and within this divine temple is the most sacred part of you called love. Because love lives in this body, it will make sure that the body stays healthy and strong. It may need asanas some days; some days it may need to just sit still. And because of the love that’s within, the care of your own body will come very, very naturally. So I hope you will all fall in love with love. And become a lover of the love that you have.
How do we live in society? What do we do here in this world? What do we do with the people in our lives? . . . Give them love. Express that love. You can offer to them an expression of love, but love can never be given away. You can give love in the form of a gesture. The next time you do so, first, dip into that well that never runs dry. Then put a smile on your own face, because you feel the joy. And then say, “Hi, how are you?” And then caress someone. It doesn’t matter who. Don’t be afraid. And then, if you don’t want the other to get attached, quickly say, “Namaste,” so that you may bring them between these two hands and hold them there. Om, shanti.
Why does one practice tapas (austerity)? To avoid the pain that comes from clinging to everything that is subject to change. But if you dip into that well which never runs dry, then you do not become afraid of attachment or detachment. You are then free to be. Free to be. Attachments are very painful. Clinging is very painful. You know, now, from all the practices you’ve learned and done, that clinging is painful. The only thing that you can hold onto and be with is that sacred love that is within you. And from time to time, the heat is felt. So don’t burn up with the heat. Take a walk. And make an offering to that love that you feel within you. You have to love that love.
Before you can love and fully express, know that within you is this power called love and it moves you to express the inexpressible. It’s such a wonderful thing, love. And when you’re expressing it, you feel as if you are like a mountain. Yet, when you express your love, you feel light. You don’t feel heavy. There is no tension. There’s a lightness and the river is flowing. When you share your sandwich with someone, that offering is not merely the food itself. Rather, the food has taken the form of the formless and so it appears as food, and you offer it. And the person who receives a portion of the most beautiful love that you have allows you to express the inexpressible. So it is very necessary in our lives to offer up and to give, showing our expression of love. It’s such a wonderful thing. There is always someone around that will receive, and in the receiving, it’s not the fruit, it’s not the flowers, it’s not all that stuff that is important, although the offered objects are very necessary. There is always a receiver. And in turn, in the giving there is the taking. That love is expressed over and over again. The one who is receiving is also expressing the love. And the face brightens up, there is laughter, ridiculous words are said, because what else can you do? Because that love is so precious, we sometimes fumble around trying to say the proper words, or act in a very proper way. And no matter how proper we try to be, it’s still ridiculous because that love is so sacred.
At certain times of the year, everyone gives gifts. So when you give your gift, put your breath into it and say, “om shanti” (peace). Put your love into it, then fold it up and give it away. Never think of yourself as being poor, or think you have nothing. You have everything, you have everything, yes, you have everything. Now don’t tell me you don’t, because you do. Yes, you have everything. Want to name it? Just name the things you have. You will never feel empty anymore. You’ll never feel like you have nothing, “I’ve got nothing.” What do you need? I have everything. I have everything. I have everything. I have the sun and the moon and the stars at night. I have the grass under my feet. I have food to eat and a room to sleep in. I have water, hot and cold. I have everything, I have everything. I have everything. Yes. What is it that you’re wanting then, if you have everything? Why do you feel that you want something? All the time you have everything. Now, what you really want is to express the inexpressible. So you start at the beginning. On the spiritual path we offer flowers. First we acknowledge the love we have, and we ignite the flame, that represents what is within us, burning brightly in a windless place. And then, we offer up flowers. Flowers represent our temporary life in this world, the impermanence, and so we offer flowers at the havana (altar), near the flame. And then we offer incense for space (akasha), and then we offer fruits. Fruits signify the fruits of our actions. So let the fruits be sweet, succulent, colorful. So much around us, we have everything.
When one begins to offer, and continues offering, one approaches liberation. From time to time through the great love that you feel within, you will enter and be shown the reality of life. You will have glimpses of that, and slowly, a little at a time, all will be made known to you. So your offerings are very, very necessary. The more you offer up, the greater you become. And the greater you become, the more you offer up. The expressions must continue for your life to continue. Your life continues because there is that love within you. Constantly offer, constantly express, every single day. Always dip into the sacred well that never runs dry. Om, shanti.
In expressing the inexpressible, don’t question too much with the mind, because that which is sacred will express itself through your life. Don’t ask, “why,” don’t ask, “how,” don’t ask, “where.” Become conscious of the anahata cakra (the heart center). Become conscious of that place, and then let it move within you. Asking too many questions, looking for answers all the time, seeing how much you can add and subtract, does not allow for freedom. Peace in this world can be attained only when one finds peace within.
Fruit represents fullness, selflessness. And it is sweet, it is silent, it is refreshing. It is most welcome. Offer up your fruits also. Fruits, when they are not offered up, go into dissolution. They decompose and become unfit to be eaten. So make your offerings plentiful because you are immense, because you have the greatness within you to do so. Allow for your heart to open up so eventually you will think from the center of compassion. Not to be compassionate, but to love. That is my message for you today.
Look at the fruit when it comes your way and give praise. The one who puts the fruit on the tray is also blessed. The one who offers it to you is also blessed. And the one who takes the fruit, that will be felt within, with tender affection, that one is also blessed. There are many, many blessings in life. We must look for them and praise them. Om shanti. In this age of so much confusion, everyone still wants to love. So let us be in that perfect place and allow for everyone to be.