[FILLERS] [PUBLISHER'S NOTE] [filler] The Lily and the Moon official source: not located. Writers who wish to quote from any of the fillers should mention: "The source document or tape for this quotation has not been published in official form." cross-references: Ba'ba''s Grace this version: is the printed Ba'ba''s Grace, 1st edition, version (spelling mistakes only may have been corrected). Train yourself in the ideal of the lily, which blossoms in the mud and has to keep itself engaged in struggle for existence day in and day out, parrying, bracing, and fighting the shocks of muddy water and storms and squalls and sundry other vicissitudes of fortune, and yet it does not forget the moon above. It keeps its love for the moon constantly alive. It seems, however, but a most ordinary flower. There is nothing extraordinary about it. Still this most ordinary little flower has a romantic tie with the great moon. Similarly, you may be an ordinary creature -- you may have to pass your days in the ups and downs of your worldly existence - still do not forget that Supreme One. Keep desires inclined towards Him. Always keep yourselves merged in His thought. Go deep into the mood of that Infinite Love. [photo caption] What you love most in the world is Baba for you. For me, you little boys and girls are Baba. [PUBLISHER'S NOTE] official source: Ba'ba''s Grace cross-references: none this version: is the printed Ba'ba''s Grace, 1st edition, version (spelling mistakes only may have been corrected). SHRII SHRII A'NANDAMU'RTI is the spiritual guide for millions of spiritual aspirants all over the world. He is called Ba'ba', which means "beloved". From His early childhood, men and women of all ages have been drawn to Him by the power of His love. Living an ordinary life, as a child, as a schoolboy, as a railway officer in a small town in India, at the same time He taught many sincere seekers how to realize the Truth within themselves. Soon the number of His disciples was multiplying so rapidly that He began to train others to teach the practices of self-realization; and thus the organization Ananda Marga, the Path of Bliss, was founded, and spread rapidly all over the world. Those who follow His teachings find their lives transformed; the confining walls of their egos dissolve and an all-embracing cosmic feeling begins to fill their hearts. They begin to look on all people as brothers and sisters, as the manifestations of the Supreme. They want to serve those manifestations. They cannot bear to see others in pain, and they want to share with all the bliss which they themselves enjoy. From Hong Kong to Buenos Aires to New York, many people are working tirelessly in the service of humanity, motivated by His indescribable love. In these discourses Baba speaks of the journey of the Soul. The journey begins with Absolute Consciousness, the pure essence, Paramapurus'a, God. Due to the force of the Cosmic Energy, Prakrti, that Supreme Essence is transformed into this vibrational, manifested world, into "crude" matter. And then the return journey home begins. The creation, drawn by that supreme attractive force of the Cosmic Nucleus -- the power of love -- gradually evolves again into subtler and subtler entities, with higher and higher expressions of consciousness: unicellular organisms, plants, animals, higher animals, and finally man, the most evolved manifestation of that Consciousness. At a certain point in his evolution, there awakens inside of man a desire to know himself, to know his purpose in life. When this desire awakens, he is ready to begin sa'dhana, the "effort of completion," the practices of meditation by which he will accelerate his evolution and hasten his journey home to the pure Consciousness from which he came. When this desire awakens in him, his guide appears, the teacher who will lead him forward on the path of realization. Guru means "dispeller of darkness," and the Master does exactly that; with His own divine powers, He clears the clouds from His beloved disciples' minds. He helps them transcend all their negative tendencies so that their true nature -- divine perfection -- may shine forth from within. For the Guru is verily the perfect expression of that Supreme Consciousness. It is God who in the form of the Guru is drawing His beloved children to Himself. As the disciple progresses more and more on the path of realization, as his perfect nature flowers more and more within him, he feels the pervasiveness of love -- God's love, the Guru's love, love within himself -- and in ecstasy he sees love everywhere. God, the Guru, his innermost self, and all creation, all become one. The devotee reaches this sublime state by His Grace alone. For the devotee, His Grace is all. [filler] Is He moving? No, no, He is not. He lies motionless like the stump of tree. Is He far away? No, no, He is not. He is very close. He is the Life of my life. He is within you, within me. He is within and without all and at all places. When a sa'dhaka gets adequately acquainted with His Blissful Entity, we say that he is established in God. At that stage both inside and outside attain unity. Mind then remains aloof from the attraction of trifles, and real acquaintance is made with the Supreme Being. While the body remains in the mortal world, the soul is merged the Supreme Soul. [filler] Life is a spiritual sa'dhana, and the result is to be offered at the altar of the Almighty. [filler] You are never alone or helpless. The force that guides the stars, guides you too. [filler] The persons who can dedicate their all to the thought of the Great and the inspiration of the Supreme are verily the greatest heroes. Such heroes indeed are the virtuous and they alone are capable of taking human history from darkness to light.