798

(part 2)

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And when thou prayest, thou shalt not be as the hypocrites are: for they love to pray standing in the synagogues and in the corners of the streets, that they may be seen of men. Verily I say unto you, they have their reward.
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And Jesus says: Don’t be a hypocrite. Don’t pray just to show others that you are praying. That creates the collective mind. You are always looking at others– what they think about you. You are asking for respectability. The hypocrite is one who lives for respectability. Whatsoever gives respect to him, he goes on doing; whether he wants to do it or not is not the point. He may even be against it. He may want to do just the opposite, but he goes on fulfilling the desire of the people because he needs their respect.

Jesus says: 'And when thou prayest, thou shalt not be as the hypocrites are...'– At least when you pray, forget the society, the collective mind. At least when you pray, forget formalities. Pray only for God, not for anybody else.

'Verily I say unto you, they have their reward.'– And if you pray only just to show others that you are a great prayer, then that is your reward– the respect that you will get will be all that you get. That is not of any worth.

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But thou, when thou prayest, enter into thy closet, and when thou hast shut thy door, pray to thy Father in secret.
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Jesus says: Pray in secret, pray in privacy. Pray outside the collective mind. Forget the society and the church and the people– forget all. Because when you forget all, only then can you remember God, not otherwise. In secret, in privacy, let your prayer be.

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But when ye pray, use not vain repetitions, as the heathen do: for they think that they shall be heard for their much speaking.
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And Jesus says: It is not a question of repeating any formal prayer, the real question is of the heart– not what you say, but what you mean. It should not be formal; a formal thing becomes dead. It should be alive, authentic, pulsating. It should show your heart, and this moment where you are– it should represent it. It should be true and real. And don’t be worried, Jesus says, that you have to talk much to God. The only way to talk with him is in silence.

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Be not therefore like unto them: for your Father knoweth what things ye have need of, before ye ask him.
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There is no need to say anything. Just bowing down in silence will do. Just becoming utterly quiet will do. Silence is the language for prayer. But it may be difficult to go into silence directly, because all that we know is language.

So Jesus says, then
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After this manner therefore pray ye:
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If it is very difficult to be silent, to be utterly silent, then start in this manner. Remember, Jesus says: 'After this manner'... not ’exactly like this.’ Find your own way, create your own prayer. At least create your own prayer if you cannot create anything else.

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...therefore pray ye:
Our Father which art in heaven, hallowed be thy name.
Thy kingdom come. Thy will be done in earth, as it is in heaven.
Give us this day our daily bread.
And forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors.
And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil;
for thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory, forever.
Amen.
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Jesus says: 'in this manner'...– He is just giving you an example, he is not giving you a prayer, remember, he is simply saying ’In this way...’ just to show you a way. Then you create your own prayer.

The whole point is that you should be surrendered, that you should be full of gratitude, praise, that you should be ready to receive... open, listening. That you should be silent... in secret, in privacy. Your love has to be poured out at his feet. 'In this manner'...– Find out your own prayer, create your own prayer. Let it be your own. A borrowed prayer is a false prayer.

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Give not that which is holy unto the dogs, neither cast ye your pearls before swine, lest they trample them under their feet, and turn again and rend you.
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Jesus says: You need not pray in the market-place, you need not pray just to show others that you are praying. That will be wrong, that will be like giving 'that which is holy unto the dogs'...– People who don’t understand prayer, if you pray there, you will be misunderstood.– '...neither cast ye your pearls before swine'– These pearls of your heart should not be thrown before the swine.– '...lest they trample them under their feet, and turn again and rend you.'

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Ask, and it shall be given you...
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Just ask your God, just let your prayer be for him, absolutely for him.

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Ask, and it shall be given you; seek, and ye shall find; knock, and it shall be opened unto you.
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God is always ready. It is not that only you are searching for him, he is also searching for you. 'Knock, and the door shall be opened unto you.'– He has been waiting there a long time for you. Man’s search is not one-sided. From the other side there is as much longing to meet– that is the meaning of this message.

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Ask, and it shall be given you; seek, and ye shall find; knock, and it shall be opened unto you:
For every one that asketh receiveth; and he that seeketh findeth; and to him that knocketh it shall be opened.

Therefore all things whatsoever ye would that men should do to you, do ye even so to them: for this is the law and the prophets.
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Pray in secret... Prayer should be just an address between you and your God, a dialogue. And then your behaviour... and Jesus has completed the whole sketch for the religious life. With people, do only that which you would like them to do to you. That is all! In short, the whole message of the law and the prophets: Do unto others what you would like them to do to you. That should be your behaviour. and that is enough preparation for prayer. And then, close your doors, go in secret and pray to your God. If you have not done anything wrong to people, then there is nothing blocking your path. If nobody is angry, if nobody is against you, if you have not been hurting anybody– you are ready. Your prayer is going to be heard. Then let your prayer be your own, authentic, informal.

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Enter ye in at the strait gate: for wide is the gate, and broad is the way, that leadeth to destruction, and many there be which go in there at:
Because strait is the gate, and narrow is the way, which leadeth unto life, and few there be that find it.
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Jesus says: There are two gates. One is that of the crowd, the collective mind, and another is of the universal mind. Both are in one way similar– they are both gates. The difference is 'for wide is the gate, and broad is the way, that leadeth to destruction...'– But where crowds move, naturally, the gate is wide, and the way is broad. Multitudes move there.

But the real gate is narrow, only you alone can move there. They are both gates– the collective and the universal look alike– but in the collective you are just part of the mass, in the universal you are not part of the mass. Before the universal you have attained to a certain freedom, ego, individuality, self-definition– you move alone.

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Because strait is the gate, and narrow is the way, which leadeth unto life, and few there be that find it.
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This thing is to be remembered: You can enter into God only in your absolute aloneness. You cannot take even your friend with you, not even your beloved. One has to go alone. The gate is very narrow. You cannot go as a Hindu, you cannot take Hindus with you. You cannot go as a Christian, you cannot go as part of the Christian mob. You will have to go as an individual. And to have an individuality you will have to develop the third mind. Only from the third can you enter the fourth. And from the fourth, slowly slowly, the fifth comes on its own. It grows, it opens like a lotus.

These are the five stages of the mind. Watch, observe. The first exists in everybody, the second also in ninety-nine per cent of people, the third in very few– three, four, five percent at the most, the fourth not even in one per cent, and the fifth is very rare. Only once is a Christ born or a Buddha. But the fifth is the goal.

Keep the goal in your vision, and go on moving, slowly slowly, from the first to the second, from the second to the third, from the third to the fourth. Man is a becoming. With the fifth mind arising, Buddha-mind, Christ mind, man becomes a being. Then man is no more man, because man is no more mind. Then man is God. And only that can be fulfilling– nothing else. And never be satisfied by anything less.

Enough for today.