“God” did not create the universe. “God” became the universe. Therefore, everything is God. All everything. Hence there is as much God in me as in you, in darkness as in light, in the telephone pole as in the fish, in the sinner as in the saint. Hence there is no need to run from temple to mosque, from church to synagogue. Hence it is in daily living that one finds spirituality.

However, the luminous aspect of God may be called The Divine.

Just because I teach that all is God, does not mean you can behave in any loose and random way, hurt people, be crude and rude, and then justify it by saying that God is acting through you no matter what you do, because you are God. No, there are qualities to embody that are necessary to spirituality, and these include being kind and happy and loving and humble and generous. It is the role of the life-guru to remind each of his shishyas of this. The” sinner” is as much god as the “saint,” but the difference is that the sinner will not realize the deeper joys and inner bliss because of his/her daily actions. Also, the effect that the sinner has on other people is not as uplifting and therefore it diminishes the joy that is the birthright of all.

Freedom of choice is our greatest blessing and our greatest curse. Freedom of choice is also our greatest power. Our choices determine our destiny. Learning how to make decisions, how to make choices, is a fundamental teaching that, with proper guidance, leads us to the joy of life, the abundance of our Spirit. The Spirit is not stoic or serious or something to be feared. Instead, our Spirits are full of joy and abundance and are waiting for our connection with them so that they can shower the joy onto us. But we resist because we are so attached to our old ways, our sorrows and weaknesses and penurious nature. The entire spiritual path, with all its complexity and rituals, is really designed for only one thing: to bring the joy and plenitude of our Spirit into our day-to-day life.

Respect, kindness, humility, gratitude, joy, laughter, are qualities that make our lives more connected with Spirituality. Sitting for years on mountain tops and meditating may make your mind very focused and your body powerful, but spirituality is found in your daily thoughts of kindness, your words that help others, your actions that uplift yourself and your creed. Deep down inside we all already know this. Therefore, the real job of the spiritual teacher is not to teach us a whole bunch of new complicated stuff but to remind us of the simplicity which we have forgotten.

Dharma is your individual purpose, your mission, the reason you were born. A guideline for the discovery of Dharma is connecting with your passions, your skills (gunadharma). That which makes you feel fulfilled is another guide to dharma. Dharma is often connected with your nature, yet, very often our Dharma is to change our nature and grow! Do not get too attached to what you believe is your dharma because your dharma changes based upon your age, your obligations, and other external factors. Also, do not believe that you have only one Dharma. It can be your dharma to be a loving son or daughter, a nurturing parent, a helpful spouse, as well as a professional, all at once. There are many dharmas. Svadharma, or your individual purpose or duty; Sanatana Dharma, the eternal and unchanging principles that are the same for all of us; Sadharana dharma, the duties not dependent on the stage of your life; Varnashrama dharma, your purpose that depends on your social status and the stage in your life, etc There are 4 Purushartha, reasons for all human life, and dharma is the first of them. Thus, dharma is the very reason for your life.

There is no absolute truth. There is just the truth that I totally believe in, in the moment. What I truly believe without any reservation, without any doubts, without any hesitancy, is my truth for now. When my mind believes it, my feelings agree with it, and I feel free and open in my heart and body, then I know I am living my truth of the moment. When every part of my consciousness agrees, I am living my truth. What is true for one person may not be true for another. What is true at one stage in your life may not be true at another stage in your life. What is true in one relationship may not be true in another relationship. Thus, truth has to be lived in the moment.

Love is not some romantic fantasy. Love is simply the feeling of union. When I feel totally connected with another human being, when my heart feels open when I am around them, when I feel a flow of energy between them and myself, I am in love. Love can flow between the teacher and the student, an observer and a work of art, the guru and the shishya, a man and a woman, a parent and a child, myself and a peaceful sunset, myself and the Divine. Hence, when there is unity, when there is no separation or division between the subject and the object, the feeling is love. Perhaps the most profound love is felt when I truly connect with my own spirit in my heart center.

The opposite of happiness is sorrow. The opposite of joy is grief. Bliss has no opposite. It simply is. It is the essence off what we are. Usually, bliss is not something we seek as much as the result of the unification with my soul. When I am truly connected with my spirit, then I am in a constant state of bliss. The bliss lurks behind the vicissitudes of life. I may feel joy when something beautiful happens and I may feel sorrow when something sad happens yet, when I am connected with my spirit, behind the superficiality of the joy and the sorrow I always feel bliss.

I’m happiest when I’m in a state of love and living my dharma. Yet, a large part of happiness is not merely the attainment of dharma but the movement towards it. As Cervantes wrote, “The road is better than the inn.” The successive achievements towards a worthy objective are the foundation of happiness. Also remember that happiness is not something we seek outside as a result of an action or an event. Most people think, “When I win the lottery I will be happy. When my son graduates, I will be happy. When my daughter gets married, I will be happy. When I get a better job, I will be happy.” Then, happiness will always elude you because you are dependent on somebody else or something else to make you happy. In this case, you are simply a slave to other people and to events, a victim. Happiness is simply a choice and, at any moment we can with a little practice, choose either to be unhappy or happy. It is an act of will.

Integrity is wholeness. When I am living in integrity, all parts of me are committed to that particular moment, to that particular life. This means that there is no discord between my beliefs and my actions, between my thoughts and my words. So, when every part of me is committed to my action, no part of me doubts myself nor is hesitant, my action is coming from integrity. Living a life of integrity is very close to living a life at the highest truth that I believe and can muster. When I let my deepest belief (and the highest truth that I can connect with) lead my life, then I’m living in integrity.

Peace is not something we seek, peace is a result of our good thoughts, good words and good actions. Peace is the result of living a life without internal conflict, a life of living in my dharma with integrity. When I seek peace, but live a life of violence, lying, cheating and stealing, the most I can get is a little hiatus in the tension which I have chosen from my actions. True peace is always a result of a mind without conflict, actions that are always kind, and words that are uplifting for others.

There is very little absolutely right or absolutely wrong, globally speaking. However, generally, that which upholds dharma, whether it be my individual dharma, or that of my nation or the world, is “correct” action. Those which uplifts and enhances people’s lives is also “correct” action, generally speaking. Usually, this is action with humility and receptivity to my own inner voice. “Wrong” action is when I achieve my goals at the expense of others, when others suffer as I grow. Whenever my ego gets involved, when I lose my humility and my connection with the light within myself, my actions will usually be detrimental to my own growth and may cause pain to others. Thus, actions from the ego are almost always “wrong.” Hence, when my actions and words come from a sincere connection with my spirit, they are most probably “correct” actions. However, if they come from pride or ego, it is very likely that they will cause others pain and are “wrong.” Having said this, the understanding of the global dharma, which is usually left to the demigods, invalidates all of the above. For example, throughout the Mahabharata, Krishna is renowned to have lied and even deceived. This however, was because Krishna understood the larger picture, the global impact, and had to do a temporary “wrong” action for the greater good. The guidelines, in yoga, are: nonviolence, truth, non-stealing, conserving your creative power, and non-greed make up the foundation of “correct” action. Obviously, actions that come from greed, violence, untruth, over sexuality and stealing another person’s work or thought, must be “incorrect” actions.