You cannot build up faith, you should simply become aware of your doubts and drop them. When you drop your doubts, faith is already there.
A doubt is like a cloud hovering over the mind. Wake up and realize, 'What is this doubt? It is only putting me down and making me heavy. I don’t need it'.
If you refuse to be bogged down by doubt, which you have had in the past many times, then you wake up. And when you wake up, faith is already there.
Faith cannot be built but doubts can be done away with.
There is no end to clarify doubts. You should never go to clarify doubts because when you answer one doubt, it will give rise to ten other doubts. Simply become aware, 'This is weighing heavy on me', and drop it. Then you snap out of it and you come to a place deep within you which is of strength, truth, and endurance. That is called faith.
You would have noticed that whenever you have doubt, you feel weak. When you have faith, you feel very strong; almost invincible from within. So the choice is between feeling strong and invincible or feeling weak.
Doubts are always about something good. We never doubt something that is negative, that is bad. We doubt something that is good. Just this one awareness is good enough to snap you out of it.
See, I tell you, there are not many people who know the ten mahavidyas. So you don’t need to do any of those. You simply relax and listen to some chanting. The Art of Living has released so many chants, and they are all a part of that only.
The sahaj mantras that are given to you are a beej (seed) mantras, they are all great.
Somebody may say they will give you the knowledge of the ten mahavidyas, but it is too complicated. I would say, you just honor them from a distance. For your practice, whatever has been given to you is great. If you feel like, you can join the Vedic programs that happen at our centers. In 40 days and you will understand more about these things. If you come to India, we also do the upanayanam (thread ceremony) and you can learn the mantras then.
There are so many people who say, 'I will give you this knowledge, that knowledge', but it will only become a messy confusion.
It works, doesn’t it? You take your attention to different parts of the body one by one, you see how the body and the consciousness are separate. Yet, they are one with each other.
If we are disturbed, our actions will not yield fruit. When we are calm, we get intuitive thoughts and with these thoughts you make a plan and take action on it. If you have to deal with an oppressor alone, it is not possible. You have to create awareness and in a group it is possible. At the same time, keep your intention strong and know that there is a power that will guide you and support you.
Remember, sometimes Mahatma Gandhi had to walk alone. Other times he created such a big wave of awareness and moved the whole continent, isn't it? And he always meditated. Every day they did satsang, they would sing bhajans every evening. Morning he would read Bhagavad Gita.
So Mahatma Gandhi had the spiritual force, otherwise he couldn’t have done what he achieved.
No, they don’t need to get rid of local governments. They can have them but along with that they can have a bigger vision.
See, you don’t have to get rid of your family responsibilities. You take care of your family, at the same time you can also take care of your village, your city or your county. You can do both roles and there is no conflict between them.
Well, you cannot make someone else think differently, or change their perception. If they think that way, it is up to them. As far as you are centered and strong, you are fine. You go on.
Janice is one such example. She has done so much even when she had two little kids. And there is another teacher of ours in Poland, she had three little ones, and with the kids she would teach a hundred or two hundred people.
So we should not think that we cannot do something because of kids. You should definitely not neglect them, you have to take care of them. Give attention to kids, but at the same time, if you have an intention to do something for the society, you can do it. Keep some time for it.
