EE7.5 - Auto-Suggestion and Outer Suggestion

Auto-Suggestion and Outer Suggestion

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Ánanda Vacanámrtam Part 14
Bábá in Taiwan

Notes:

official source: Ánanda Vacanámrtam Part 14

this version: is the printed Ánanda Vacanámrtam Part 14, 1st edition, version (obvious spelling, punctuation and typographical mistakes only may have been corrected). I.e., this is the most up-to-date version as of the present Electronic Edition. Words in double square brackets [[nbsp; ]] are corrections that did not appear in the printed version. 23 August 1979, Taipei

Online additional information

Regarding psychic waves and parallelism, I said that there are two things for auto-suggestion and outer suggestion.

Auto-suggestion is done through what? Your own incantation. The incantation, what is it? Is it an internal or external acoustic expression?

When you say something, you [suppose] are saying, “Rama”, it is a vocal expression, external expression. So while using your incantation, what do you do? Just the internal vocal expression. When you think, what do you do? You say something internally.

What is thinking? To say something internally. To think means to speak within. Just try to think something, to speak within your mind. In that case, no one else will hear. And when you speak externally, use the vocal cord externally, then others may hear.

And there is a third style of expression. There is external expression but only you can hear. It is called what? What is its name in Sanskrit? Upáḿshu. (speaks loudly). Ráma, Ráma, Ráma. External vocal expression. (Baba closes his eyes and pauses) Internal. (Baba mouths the words “Rama”) You can hear, others can not. Upáḿshu.

I told you in [[Tainan]] that actual progress is in spiritual level, not in physical or psychic level. Your progress is auto-suggestion or outer suggestion, when you say something like… “Sudarshan, be an ideal man. Sudarshan be an ideal man,” When you say internally, what is it? It is auto-suggestion. Sudarshan is giving suggestion to Sudarshan. The conscience goads Sudarshan’s mind towards the idealistic stance of Sudarshan. – “Be an ideal man.” The mental picture is in the mind of Sudarshan. And the conscience of Sudarshan says, “Sudarshan, be an ideal man.” The conscience of Sudarshan goads towards that ideal figure. Do you follow the psychology? What is it? It is auto-suggestion. “I must be a good man. I must be a good boy. I must do something concrete for the world. I won’t be afraid of anybody in this world. I must be a good boy. I must do something concrete for the world. No power in Heaven or Earth can check me.” What are these things? Auto-suggestion. I think now the term auto-suggeston is clear to you. I used the word in DMC.

When someone else is saying, “Sudarshan, be a good boy. Sudarshan, be an ideal man. Sudarshan, start your life afresh, forgetting all your past mistakes and misdeeds.” what are these things? Outer suggestion. Suggestion coming from the outside.

What is the best auto-suggestion, on what you are to do? You are to use your incantation, always use your Iśt́a Mantra. That is the best auto-suggestion. Auto means what? Auto means self. Autonomy means self government. Automatic-done by self.

Then what is the best outer suggestion? When you are in good company, from that good company there comes outer suggestion. Here you are getting outer suggestion. This outer suggestion strengthens the vitality of auto-suggestion. So, outer suggestion is a necessity, is indispensable for a man’s spiritual progress. This outer suggestion is called Satsauṋga in Sanskrit.

What is Satsauṋga? Have you understood what is outer suggestion? So many good discussions are there. These discussions will have an effect on your mind – Effect of outer suggestion. Now all the company or all the associations can not give you outer suggestion. If you are in the company of thieves, they can say, “Steal, steal, go on stealing.” This is also a sort of outer suggestion. In case of auto-suggestion, you are sure that there will be cent per cent success because of that mantra, that incantation. In the case of outer suggestion, there will be good company and bad company. And the outer suggestion coming from bad company may be detrimental to your progress; and not only your progress, but the progress of the entire humanity. If you become a giant, then so many people will be destroyed by you. So there must be a careful selection of company. That is what in Sanskrit is called Satsauṋga. Sat means good, and sauṋga means association = Satsauṋga. Sadvipra, one who is a good intellectual.

What is good and what is bad? A constant fight is going on between good and bad. In your mind, in our society, in the country, in the entire human society. Never-ending fight between good and bad. When good is established over bad, when the result goes in favour of good, that result is known as conscience, the authentic and established power of discrimination. It is called conscience in Latin. As a result of fight between good and bad, when the resultant goes in favour of good, that resultant is called power of discrimination or conscience. The English meaning of conscience is power of discrimination. For conscience the Sanskrit term is Viveka.

Now, what is good and, bad? What is Sat and what is Asat? The physical, mental, or spiritual action that helps you, or your association in developing your spiritual life, that lessens the distance between you and your Lord is good. And your physical, psychic, or spiritual actions that increase the distance between you and your Lord is bad. That which encourages the proximity between you and your Lord, your goal, your idealistic goal, and the distance is decreased, lessened, is good. And when it is increased, it is bad.

So while selecting company, you should be careful whether its discourses, its activities, its plans or programmes are to decrease the distance between you and your Lord. This is Satsauṋga, good company. Otherwise it is Asatsauṋga. Even intellectual discussions of a high order may not be Satsauṋga if it has got nothing to do with lessening the distance between you and your Lord, you and your Goal. That type of intellectual discourse, in my language is called intellectual extravaganza. Baoddhika Amitavyayitá. Satsauṋga and Asatsauṋga. When it goads you on the path of the Lord, it is Satsauṋga. From this moment, you should always try to have Satsauṋga. That Satsauṋga will give you outer suggestion.

Those who are engaged in Satsauṋga and lessening the distance between the Lord and the aspirant, their actions are called Puńya. And those who try to increase the gap, their actions are known as Pátaka. Puńya and Pátaka – virtue and vice.

“You should always be engaged in doing Puńya.” Ahorátram, day and night. “Ahoh” means sunrise to sunset, not to zero hours in the nights, sunrise to sunset. And “Rátri” means sunset to sunrise. Ahoratri means 24 hours.

You may ask, “How can I do Puńyam while sleeping? In the wakeful state, I may do Puńyam. But while sleeping, how can I do Puńyam? Can you? Yes, you can. What’s the difference between habit and nature? When habit becomes one with your existence, it is called nature.

Suppose you are a teetotaller. What is the meaning of “teetotaller”? Now, a friend offered you some alcohol, then after three days, the friend offered you another glass of alcohol and you accepted it. After that it is your habit that you won’t be able to be without alcohol. Then it is a habit. Finally, alcohol will be drinking you, you won’t be drinking it. That is why the doctor will tell you to stop it. Everyone will tell you to stop because you have become helpless. It has become your nature. By constant practice or under pressure of circumstances, one becomes habituated, and by encouraging this habituation, it finally becomes nature.

This is auto-suggestion. “Now it is time for my meditation”, what is it? You are trying to habituate yourself. But when you cannot live without puja, then it has become your nature. Try to make it what – habit or nature? Nature. I never take a drop of water without doing puja. Why? It has become my nature. And I want that all of you should make it your nature also.

When auto-suggestion will become your nature, what will happen? While sleeping you will be repeating that japa (repetition of mantra) in your unconscious mind. You are sleeping, so conscious mind is not active. You are not having any dream, so your sub-conscious mind is also not active. But unconscious mind is there. Automatically there will be japa. 24 hours you are doing Puńya. While you are sleeping, you will be engaged in doing japa and using your incantation. Kuru puńyam Ahorátram. Be engaged in doing Puńya all 24 hours.

And you should always encourage the company of Satsauṋga – those who are engaged in Puńya. And always avoid the Sauṋga of Pátakiis-those who are engaged in Pátaka. That company will deprave the people, degenerate the people. Among Pátaka, there are two classes, two branches. One is Pápa, the other is Pratyaváya. Pápa means to do the “don’ts” of life. Don’t steal. If you steal, it will be Pápa because you are doing the “don’ts” of life. Pratyaváya means not to do the “dos” of life. You should help a man in distress. You should help the suffering humanity. These are the dos of life. If you do not do them, you are doing Pratyaváya. Pápa plus Pratyaváya is Pátaka. There are two kinds of Pátaka.

Always be engaged in Puńya and always avoid Pátaka. Always try to be with those people who are engaged in Puńya. Never be with those people who are engaged in Pátaka. This is because these Puńyavána people who are engaged in Puńya will give you outer suggestion, good outer suggestion, positive outer suggestion. Pátakiis will give you negative outer suggestion, and their suggestions are detrimental to the progress of the human society.