I'm glad to have this opportunity to tell you how wonderful it is to come down here and see all of you sitting in such command of yourselves. I don't know of any other meeting where they have the command of their physical bodies as you have under Rudi, and its always-such a pleasure, though maybe I teach meditation the same way as Rudi teaches his exercise. Rudi and I are fundamentally teaching the same thing. It's getting control of our selves, being able to get on in the world with other people. And I've taken some notes today, and I wish to read these notes. The mind is a veritable powerhouse unknown to most men, did you ever think of that? That your mind is a powerhouse; you can get anything you want in this world if you get control of the mind. Men use it negatively most of their lives and wonder why God has treated them so shabbily. Have you ever had people say to you, oh, I don't know what's happened to my life? And if you trace their lives back, they've been negative, negative, negative their whole life. And then at the end of their lives as all those negative thoughts come back to them, and then they face it.
We are making -- we are our own destiny. We are making it right now this moment. Start here and now to change into a dynamic personality, full of hope and surety that the future holds only good for you. Make a solemn. Resolve this moment to only speak words, which are true and kind and helpful, what Buddha says, speak words that are true, kind and helpful. And I met a monk in India, and he said that if a person asks you about something, you don't have to tell, if he asks a second time, you don't have to tell, but if he asks a third time, you have to tell the truth even if it hurts. This is what this monk said, so true, kind and helpful, that really curbs us quite a bit, doesn't it? True, kind and helpful words. What is true is sometimes not kind or helpful. Start sifting your thoughts before they reach your tongue and become a master soul. You see, if you sift your thoughts, can you do that? Your thoughts have to start here, and you think them, and then check them out here. Sieve them through before they come out the mouth, because once they're out the mouth, you've got to face what it has created. And a very, very nice way is in the evenings before you go to sleep and you lie in bed is to go through your day, and really do your day, and that is, live out the day and say oh, there I made a mistake, hum, there I should've shut my mouth, oh, there, look at that. And when you do this it's like taking an eraser and erasing the day out and recreating it and living it the way it should have been lived, and not with emotion and saying oh my goodness, I shouldn't have done that, but say hum, like a master, I made a mistake there, I should have done it this way. And if you do that at the end of the day, it really wipes out the day, it's almost like an eraser wiping out karma. So you start the next day, and I used to do that.
There was one person, who used to just irk me terribly, and I used to go to her house every day and she thought I just adored her, but every day I used to go because every day she'd say something that really ground in me. And I'd go the next day, sure enough I was in her house as fast as I could to sit there until one day I sat through the whole time, whatever she said, nothing bothered me. And I tell you, I danced up the streets, I danced away up the street because I had conquered my emotions. I had conquered my mind. So conquer the mind -- uncontrolled tongues are like waters rushing over a dam doing damage, and at this time we've seen it in the papers, and we've seen all this damage being done by this uncontrolled water, but our tongue is like that. They rush unchannelled -- start changing your lives from this moment with right thinking. Right thinking brings emotional control, and with it a joy of living a self-controlled life. We are making or breaking our lives this moment, we are our own destiny. Let us stop looking to the stars for our destiny and guidance and make a supreme effort to be our own stars.
Man is wonderful. Oh, if we only knew how wonderful we were in the real power of us, and we haven't even tapped the power that we are. We are so wonderful. We are glorious creations with built-in creative powers to control our destiny. We are not flotsam floating on the waters of life. How shall we control? Start by watching your mind and thoughts. You cannot stop thoughts, but you can quiet them and direct them into positive channels that Rudi has told you so many times how to do it. Somebody asks how to control their mind and he gives them a wonderful answer, how to watch it and control it over a period. If this is done, the mind gets trained to create through right thinking.
In the beginning, in meditation, I don't know how many of you meditate or you sit, and the mind wanders, and you keep bringing it back, as Rudi says, you bring it back to a center, it wanders again, you bring it back to a center. In meditation, have you ever noticed the minds wanders off and off and off, and for about ten minutes you've gone off, and all at once you find out you've gone over to India or someplace, and then you bring it back. Over a period of time if you bring it back, that mind is going to get controlled, even as a horse that you have rings on it, and you can steer it to the left or to the right, your mind will become like that.
Everyone here knows these simple truths because Rudi has told you over and over and over again. But confronted with negation, are you equal to thinking the opposite and bringing the good into action? It is the intelligent repetition of the same idea on the mind that brings the awakening in the form of manifestation to keep thinking on the positive what you want to be, what you are like. Keep thinking on that positive, and it will surely begin to manifest in you. If we continue to keep a certain thought in the mind intelligently, it will surely manifest in your life. An example in the bodily health plane, in the physical, here's an example; I'm giving you an example. A girl came to me and she said she had a tumor about the size of a grapefruit on her ovaries, and she said what could I do about it? I don't want an operation. I said you continuously think positive. Take a thought that this is dwindling, dwindling, dwindling, becoming smaller and smaller and smaller, and becoming a mere nothing that will get out of you, and place your hand on that place. Make time during the day, and she was working in an office, and she used to run to the ladies' room, put her hand on her side and say this affirmation. She went back to her family doctor and he found that it had dwindled down to the size of an olive. And when she went to the doctor for the operation he could find nothing. With her mind, her positive mind, the positive thought energy had dwindled that down.
And there's a lovely story, you wouldn't have heard of Father Devine, but there was a Negro who was a great leader here in New York at one time, and he had absolutely hundreds of thousands of people. And one day somebody had a goiter and went before him, and every time Father Devine would get a run out, he stood there and he said, look at my goiter, and Father Devine would simply swish past and say, it's wonderful. And then the next day he could stand there and Father Devine would go past, and he would say look at my goiter, Father, heal it. And he would say, it's wonderful, and this went on for many days and he finally went to a friend of mine and he said, what is this, every time I tell Father Devine about my goiter he says it's wonderful. And the next day he went again, and as he swished past, he said it's wonderful, and it completely disappeared. And later he had an interview with Father Devine, and he said why did you always say this horrible thing in me was wonderful? He said, I never said that was wonderful, he said I saw the perfection there and said that was wonderful. He looked through the negations into the positive and saw the perfection there, and that's what we have to do to make our lives perfect, we have to really see the perfect and act the perfect out.
Why live in the dregs of life when the pure, radiant waters of immortality are waiting for you, say the masters. Live in the fullness of God's love and purity, live a life of mental, emotional and bodily control that leads to the mountaintop of liberation. Why be bound to the laws of birth and rebirth? Why not step outside the rebounds of burns into the center that stands still. And in us is that center, you get into that center, the pendulum doesn't swing on. A rat running around in a wheel in a cage gets nowhere -- only when he stops can he come out the cage door that's open waiting for him. So are we rounding on the wheel of life, unwilling to stop this continuous whirl of life, to stop and stop off and look at it all?
Only meditation and concentration and doing exercises Rudi teaches here can we do this. I talked to one of my pupils, and she said that this week she had been trying to be positive and see the good in everyone, in spite of them being very worthy people, she said it is a fight and hard, uphill work. Yes, to get to the mountaintop of spirit we have to fight against our lower natures. Take water to the top of the hill and it will run downhill; so with us, until we have trained our self to be positive. It is easier for us to think and feel negative. We have a mental body and an emotional body and a physical body. The mental body only cares to think anything, positive or negative, it doesn't, it only wants to be active, this mental body, you know, it's active, active, active. So with the emotional body, it likes to feel anything. It likes to feel angry; it likes to feel joy, that's the emotional body that goes on thinking. Just so it's feeling -- have you ever started to get angry, and you feel your emotions getting hotter and hotter, and you start talking to someone and you really can't stop, the mouth won't stop, it goes on and on and on, the mind getting angrier and angrier at every moment, and as you talk and feel you go on and on, and almost enjoying the fight, you're so immersed in it. All of this goes on until such a day as discrimination takes place, and you only want positive feelings. And at that time you make the effort to control, knowing full well if you allow negative feelings and thoughts, then it will take at least 24 hours before you have built up your spiritual body again, which has been torn down after you get angry.
And the way I stopped years ago being negative was because I'd find myself going downhill like this is a negation, how you go up and you get joyous and then in a few days or 'a few weeks you go down like this and you think, oh, and you go up again and you think I've never been so glorious and spiritual, and down you go again. So I found myself doing that years ago when I was a kid, and I found that when I went down here I'd get the flu. So I used to start down on this negative going down and I'd say all right, do you want to get sick? Because you can go right to the bottom if you want to, or you can stop here, and I'd stop there and go up, without letting the full fling downwards go downwards. Because we can stop ourselves. Sickness comes on, headaches, flu, failure, all from uncontrol. The masters of life stress positive thinking, which leads to positive, living, for every thought must be accounted against us on the judgment day, and every day is our judgment day. What we ask, what we are now is the sum total of what we have been in this life and the last. What we will be depends on what we are now this moment, so become positive and learn to be a master in this life. Go out from here tonight really being the master, that you've really got control. They say, and most of these believe, you are what you eat. You are careful not to eat certain chemicals in foods, yet you would not hesitate to be negative. Be as choosy with your thoughts as you are with your food.
Jesus said it was not so much what you eat, what you put in your mouth, as what came out. Let us believe and live as if we can end rebirth in this life and come back if we wish as teachers and helpers of others. If we want to come back to this life, come back as teachers, not just because we were pulled back into this earth plane again. Life becomes beautiful when we are not tied to it; if you take a dollar bill and put it up against one eye, that little old dollar will close up the whole world. Take it and put it away and you can see again. Sit looking and you get the right perspective, and some say in India you have to become like a ripe coconut ---a coconut inside when it's ripe, the fruit inside gets away from the shell, and if you shake it, it rattles, and we have to become like that, like a ripe coconut. Not to cling to our bodies, not to cling to our themes, but just free to look on at it.
St. Theresa, the Little Flower, says not to worry about anything you are not to be worrying about one year from now. Everything changes, and what is the problem now becomes nothing as time marches on. Let's think of that, let's not worry now about something you're not going to worry about a year from now. Be full of hope and a positive attitude in life, and life will change to suit you.
Once when someone came to me with a terrific problem, my first thought was, how big, how terrific. The master came and said if you worry, there is no chance to save this person. If you use your emotions and mind positively instead of worrying it will come out all right. And I did and it did. You have a wonderful opportunity under Rudi here, most people wait until they are old and decaying away before they turn to God. You have turned to him while you are young, and when you say I surrender all to God; you really have something good to surrender. Your enthusiasm, your youth, your love and purity, beautiful gifts to offer God. And in between and in return, He will give you Himself. Some believe when they say Thy will be done, have you ever heard a preacher say Thy will be done and you think oh, my God, Thy will be done, more horrors will come on us. But it doesn't mean that at all. It shall be Thy will be done means all the glories, all the wonders, it really is only perfection. He wants us to be happy, healthy, beautiful, glorious, and be a living emblem of God. So be unafraid to turn to God and say, here I am, and just as I am I come to you; in return, God will give you back Himself.
My class usually meditates, and I think that Rudi wouldn't mind us meditating -- would you like to tonight? Would you like to have a meditation? And I believe in meditation like I do in my own group, and I believe in meditation for this reason here, because a crowd of us sitting here like this, and we just sit quietly and say now we'll meditate and the silence comes, some of us maybe hit the jackpot, as I call it, and some others' minds are wandering here and wandering there and wondering what time it is and wondering how long the meditation's going to be. And it accumulates the thoughts coming in the room, whereas if I lead it, everyone's mind comes to one point and a wonderful power comes in. And I will chant now and bring the power. We're going to think of Rudi tonight, because I know Rudi will be thinking of us. He'll be thinking of this group here, and before we start our meditation, we're going to put Rudi in front of us, with a vigil light on. (Chants) We call the power down; we call upon the holy angels and the masters. (Chants) Please close your eyes imagine the vigil lights together, and peace is filling up the room. First let's place Rudi in our hearts, with the vigil light in our minds, in our imagination sitting in his chair on the stage, him in his orange robe, his beautiful eyes looking at you, his strength and power. And just for a moment let your mind, watch what your mind is thinking, just watch what it's thinking, it might be thinking something crazy, something that is not related to us meeting here, just think. Whatever you want to think, think for a moment. Now with concentration bring it back to the word power. And get back to what this power means to you, does it mean worry power, or the power that Rudi has. Define what that means, that word, divine power. Take the word love and concentrate on that, keep one with that concentration, don't let your mind wander anywhere; this is just to concentrate on the word love. What does it mean to you? If your mind wanders bring it back to that word. Now we're going to go deep within ourselves, we're going to place the whole armor of life around us, just imagine with me, use your imagination and think that . . . with this wonderful light of energy of God. And to the right of you as far as you can see is this wonderful energy of God, your life. Don't let your mind wander, play the game with me tonight. Above you as far as you can see is this light of God, far up, down below you go as far as you can see is this light of peace. Now feel as if you're sitting in lotus position far up -- in back of you is this wonderful power of God. Oh, and in front of you is this power, I can feel it here in this room; you are surrounded by this wonderful light of peace. Rest in your heart center as Rudi tells you and breathe in and out and try and feel this love that's here in this room and this power. Breathe in and out of your hearts, feel this love inside. Don't let your mind tell you, no, my heart isn't awake, my heart's a big clump, my heart's hard, don't let anyone's mind tell you that. Because no one has a dead heart, everyone's heart is alive and beautiful, full of divine love and God's will. Begin to feel a peace around you and through you, and let your body relax. Now feel that you are not feeling love, but you are being conscious of love or peace or bliss. Go on feeling and become a feeling person. Center your mind on the heart. Feel this wonderful love flowing through and take of it, take of this love that's in the room, coming from Rudi and it's coming from the masters and from the angels and from me. Take of it. Now rest in your forehead. Come up to your forehead and just rest there and look inside your forehead and see all the darkness and light and energy. The space gets bigger and bigger in there, your eyes get bigger, your sight gets bigger, and in your forehead is a feeling of God there.
Love is the key word, and if your mind wanders, bring it back to love. You are so disciplined, it is wonderful. You are wonderful in your discipline. Feel now, ask yourself, who am I? Ask yourself who you are. Am I this body? No, that's only the overcoat I wear. Am I this mind that's ever-changing? No, that is caused by a thinking mind. Am I these emotions? No, I am not these emotions. Then who am I? Dive deep within yourself to that ocean within you. Let the bubble that you are break and become the ocean that is. Just rest in your own self now, doesn't strive, don't struggle, don't think of the future, just be right now happy, divine, perfect. For that is your true self. How wonderful, no place to go, nothing to strive for, just to be this moment my own true self. Now in this moment of love, let us pour love to Rudi, because in having an object to love, our hearts open up. Just think of everything you can think of to be grateful for this moment to Rudi, his generosity, his kindness, his love, his sturdiness, his power, and his bursting gratitude for the moment. Think of how many more things you can say that you're grateful for. The very room you sit in, carpeted so beautifully, Rudi's providing for us. I will feel this grateful sense of love when you all expand your hearts with the wonder of life and the wonder of God and the wonder of your teacher. Watch the breath expand your heart. Be aware of every breath that's God coming in and out, come alive this moment. Let's all for a moment put our minds and hearts on Nityananda, the guru of Rudi know what he looks like, and call his power forth, take of his power. Start the Om sound, like a beautiful cathedral sound. (Students doing the Om sound)