DIVINITY IS AN ENERGY AND HAS NO WILL
In the largest sense, there is nothing else that exists but divine will. Man tends to narrow down the vastness of divine will to their own will, which consists of nothing else but their egos! The ego says, “I do this, and I do that,” yet it does nothing at all. For how could the ego function at all without that energizing force that is there of divine will?
The concept of Divine Will is a misnomer; it is a fallacy. Divinity has no will at all. Divinity is an energy. But where the will comes in is in manifestation, for as every kind of energy, that energy has to express itself in some way or the other, and that energy expresses itself in manifestation. This manifestation, in turn, is what has created you and your very existence; your very creation is nothing else but a manifestation.
DIVINE WILL CONSISTS OF MOTION, BUT IN UNDERLYING MOTION, THERE IS STILLNESS
What is manifestation? Manifestation is the relativity of life from its grossest level to its highest level. Yet it remains manifestation, which that energy empowers. This manifestation is called Divine Will. When we say, “Thy will be done,” what does it mean? That means, may the totality of manifestation cooperate with me. Let me not fragment it or cut it into pieces by my little self. We try to gather the pieces that we have cut up into the totality of manifestation so that we can merge into manifestation itself. The totality of manifestation.
This mergence is the first step that will take place for you to become one with the energy. Manifestation is like waves on the ocean, rising and falling, rising and falling, rising and falling. But yet, what creates those waves? That is the question. The creation of those waves is because of the energy currents that flow deeper down in the ocean, and that is the energy man has to reach to become Divinity itself and not the will. So here is a process of elimination all the time, where you go from your ego will to divine will, and then you merge away into that infinite energy because divine will is not limitless. It has its limitations. It is limited to the structure of this universe, while the energy that we talk about, the impersonal God, if you wish to call it that, is beyond this universe. Yet, it penetrates every atom of the universe. Thus, through this penetration of energy, we find the entire universe functioning. Because the very act of functioning is a process, it is constantly filled with motion. Nothing can exist in this universe without motion. Everything is moving. Even as we sit in this room, we are hurtling through space at thousands of miles per minute.
You take the example of light: it moves a hundred and eighty-six thousand miles a second. Everything is moving. You think you are sitting still there; no, you are moving. Every cell in your body is in motion. Otherwise, you would not be sitting here. Otherwise, you would not exist; you would disintegrate. So, divine will consists of motion.
But, underlying this motion, there is the stillness that man has to reach and will reach in time to come. And achieving that stillness, you will become part of the motion that controls this entire universe and still be apart from it. You become the observer of the motion, and in that observation, you will find that stillness, and yet, you are involved in the motion of divine will.
DIVINE WILL DOES NOT CHOOSE FOR YOU; YOUR EGO CHOOSES FOR YOU
When it comes to choices, who chooses for you? Your ego chooses. Because the ego is patterned, and according to its patterning, it makes its choice. You are fond of mountains, or someone is fond of the sea. Because you are used to mountains, you are attracted to the mountains, and if you are fond of the sea, you are attracted to the sea. But man can combine within himself the mountains and the sea together. What is the difference between the mountain and the sea? You would have just as much ozone up in the hills, the mountains, as you would have at the seaside. What is the difference between the molecular structure between the mountain and the sea? None whatsoever. And where did the mountain come from? It was an eruption in the sea that caused the mountain to rise. In my younger days, I used to love mountaineering, and on the mountains, I used to find sea shells. So, did the mountain not rise from the sea itself? So why do I discriminate between the mountain and the sea? If I could bring myself to find the oneness of everything, the mountain and the sea and the land in between them, then I comply with divine will.
Therefore, choices are made based on your preferences, and these preferences are influenced by preconditioning. That is why you choose the mountain or you choose the sea. So, choices are made because of your ego self, and your ego self is nothing else but thought formation. The process is simple. You inform the formation. When you can do that, you will learn to observe yourself and the various methods of the mind that lead you to certain kinds of choices.
You have a two-week vacation. Are you planning to visit New York or Los Angeles? How does that choice come about? You may have read some articles about New York, which has attracted you to the city. You want to see the Empire State Building, or perhaps you have read articles about California’s 17-mile drive. Therefore, you are attracted to that. The choice is a matter of conditioning that repeats itself. Divine will does not choose for you. It is your ego self that decides, and the ego self, as I have said before, is nothing but a whole conglomeration of thought forms created by yourself, by your environment, by your childhood, by past lives, perhaps, who knows.
THE ENERGY, THE IMPERSONAL GOD, IS THE EMPOWERING FORCE AND NOT DIVINE WILL
Ah, but the most significant area to explore is having a choiceless choice. What does that mean, choiceless choice? Where you do not choose anything, but you flow into everything. Then, in that flow, the right path is shown to you, indicating whether you should go to New York or Los Angeles. Mind you, Los Angeles is quite nice. I like Disneyland. I do not like New York. At night, you cannot walk through Times Square or Central Park without getting mugged.
So, it is not a matter of choosing; it is a matter of being chosen. There is a difference. You are selected to do a sure thing by that divine will, and you just flow with it. Why not? I may have used this analogy before in some country; I am not sure. You sit at the ocean side, and you watch all those waves up and down and up and down. But you can enjoy those waves if you become a surfer and surf along on the waves. Then it becomes a sport, it becomes a play, and is life, not a play? The actors on the stage act away, playing their parts. Yet the actor realizes that if he were to play Romeo or Hamlet, or any other character, he is not that Romeo, he is not Hamlet, and he is not Julius Caesar either. He is playing a part. So, if life could be regarded as just playing a part and flowing with the part. The director is there to direct you. That Energy. That impersonal God, if you would like to use that kind of terminology, is directing you all the time.
Therefore, it is energy that is the empowering force, not divine will. To repeat, it is a fallacy of all theologies, “Thy will be done.” Thy will is never done without it being empowered by this energy. It is the energy that energizes the divine will that constitutes this universe, and after all, this universe is only a process, only a process. How many universes are created and destroyed every day? How many galaxies are not created every day and destroyed every day? At this very moment, thousands upon thousands of stars, a million times larger than our little planet Earth, are exploding. So, where does divine will come into play if it was not for this energy?
DO NOT CHOOSE, JUST BE CHOSEN
There is truth in divine will, but that is not the sum totality of it all. The divine will is the entire constitution of this universe, and by being in harmony with this constitution, our lives can become happier. And automatically you do not even need to choose anything, because choosing involves your little mind. So do not choose, but just be selected. I did not choose to come here, but I was chosen to go here. Do you see the difference? There was some force, there was some power, that propelled me to come here. Recently, I was ill for three months in bed, and the people in South Africa said to cancel the trip. I said, “No, no, no, no, no, no, I must go and see my beloveds.” So, it was not a matter of my choice; I was chosen to come. There was some force, a magnetic force, perhaps, that pulled me here to be with you.
These ideas might sound revolutionary to you. However, that is the truth, and it is the absolute truth. You go to the dressmaker shop, and you look around at all the various dresses. Then, in one moment, you say, “Oh, let me take the red one.” Then you look around, and you say, “Oh, this black one might seem better.” Then you look around more, and you might say, “Oh, the blue one might be better, or the pink one might be better. “That is just the workings of your mind. Because every one of those colors will be good enough for you, everyone will be good for you. Brighten up your face and create a glow through your meditative practices; every color is suitable. I can put on any color suit and look just as good because the inner self reflects itself through the clothing you wear. It is the inner self that is important. It is not the feathers that make the bird. Because the feathers would not exist if the bird did not, it is the bird itself. Like your turkey today, you turkeys. Life is such fun! Enjoy the fun and let go of the decision. You do not need to make a choice.
A lady came up to me this morning; she had arrived late the previous night, I believe. She came to say hello, a very loved one, and I said, “Oh, that is a lovely suit you have got on.” She said, “I especially put this suit on for you to see you.” She could have come to me naked, and I will still love her just as much. The feather does not make the bird. The bird makes itself, for the bird has no choice; it is chosen.
So, we try to do this and that, and we want to go to a party next week, and we start worrying now, “What dress am I going to wear.” You try to pick out a fantastic dress, but you might arrive at the party to find five other women wearing the same kind of dress. Where is your choice? Where is the option? Just be your natural self and live in harmony with nature, for nature constitutes the entire universe. You flow with the current, and even in the river of life, you get knocked about by driftwood or whatever or by rocks, so what? You get knocked around; it is not your choice. Perhaps there are many great lessons to be learned. Because everything in life is a lesson in itself, this must be recognized. Every moment that you live is a lesson. But people do not realize it. How many of you sitting here now listening to me are conscious of yourself? Very few. You have lost that consciousness of yourselves because your attention is riveted on the words I am speaking. But if you could combine that consciousness with my words and form a unified whole, how much more would you enjoy it?
HE CHOOSES AND I AM ONLY THE CHOSEN
Therefore, the choice is also related to one’s level of consciousness, depending on how developed it is and the extent of awareness you possess. Can any of you tell me how many times I blew my nose while I was sitting here? Be aware! And once a specific awareness is developed to a certain degree, then choices become more natural. You no longer need to choose. You are chosen. You are the chosen people of Divinity. Is it not true? That is what all theologies say, nothing new, which I am telling you. So, being the chosen people of Divinity, why not remain chosen?
Why try to choose things yourself? When you try to select things yourself, you say, “I am the doer.” But you are not the one doing it at all. You say, “I walk up these steps.” Are you walking up those steps? No, you are not. It is that energy that is propelling you to walk up those steps. So, if a greater amount of attention and consciousness is paid to the energy, rather than saying, “I am running up the steps” or “walking up the steps,” life would be much, much better. So, the dominant thought in one’s mind should be, “I am not the doer; he is the doer. I am not the chooser. He chooses, and I am only the chosen.”
While you are sitting down for lunch, dinner, or whatever, think about what Guruji has said. Consider this, and by doing so, these precepts, concepts, and prepositions will become increasingly embedded in your consciousness. As they become more deeply ingrained, your awareness expands, allowing you to become more aware of the world around you.
Thank you very much.
… Gururaj Ananda Yogi: Satsang US 1985 – 43
