Money and Enlightenment

Baba Sri Siva Speaks:

"Many people ask me the question, 'Why do you need money? Isn't Enlightenment everything?' They quote examples of the Buddha, Jesus and Shankara who practiced renunciation and asceticism and eventually attained enlightenment. I have a very simple answer for this question: 'You are neither the Buddha, Jesus nor Shankara.'

The Buddha lived in the 6th century B.C., Jesus about 2000 years ago and Shankara in the 10th century. Things have greatly changed since the time of the Buddha. It was okay for the Buddha to leave his wife, child, father and kingdom in search of Enlightenment. Is it okay for you to do that? Or is it the right thing to do? Is Enlightenment opposed to having a wife and kingdom? Can't you be Enlightened with all the comforts?

Remember, the Buddha lived in a world in which there were no antibiotics. According to one tradition, the Buddha himself died of food poisoning. Apparently during the time of the Buddha, they knew nothing about refrigeration, bacteria and viruses. Teeth were extracted manually without Novacaine and there were no by-pass surgeries. What do you think of this world of the Buddha, ignorant or enlightened? What holds true of Buddha's world is the same as Shankara's and Jesus' worlds as well. I am not saying that these beings are not enlightened. I am referring to the phenomenal nature that changes every minute, creating new evolution.

There are two kinds of knowledge: knowledge of the spirit and knowledge of matter. The spirit knowledge is timeless. Knowledge that concerns matter is time-bound. In other words, the knowledge of the spirit is called the inner knowledge, the knowledge of soul consciousness. The knowledge of matter may be called the outer knowledge. Our science and technology belong to the outer knowledge.

Someday we should find a way out so that we can meditate for 8 hours and work for 3 hours. At least we should start somewhere to buy more time for meditation. This means we should have enough money to cover our bills. Just think of the times that you sat in meditation. Just consider how many times you were bothered by thoughts that have to do with your bills. Most of the time you got out of your meditation frustrated, bitter and cynical. After that you either went to see a movie or had a couple of beers to forget your misery.

What I am saying to you is that money will not give you Enlightenment, but it will give you a sense of safety and security to pursue a meditational practice. I want to make this point very, very clear. This is the reason I teach you techniques for manifestation. Always remember the 2 mantras, 'Ara Kara' and 'Thiru Neela Kantam'. Thiru Neela Kantam removes your bad karma that is the cause for your suffering. Ara Kara gives you the desire for material things and the manifestation of them in real life. It is important to play the CD whether or not you are at home. Think of my form constantly. Offer flowers to my picture. Circle my picture clock-wise 9 times. You will find that the doors are opening in every direction. I have nothing but pure compassion for all of you. Stay in touch and you will live my Bliss. Don't worry about ascetics and renunciation. Those practices are not relevant for our contemporary civilization.

Answers to Questions

I want to address 2 issues that came from recipients of the newsletter.

Someone has said that to make money quickly is not all that good. I think this is a wrong attitude. My teaching has always been, 'Waiting is a waste of time'. It will remain the same. I would rather do it now than later. I'm not going to be persuaded by people who want to make money later in their life.

Praying to the guru, or to the Divine, is to set into motion your faith that leads to miraculous results. As far as praying to me is concerned, just put a flower in front of my picture and say a prayer to access my energy. You can mentally say the following, 'I want you to send your energy to help me manifest my desires. Om Shreem Sivaya Potri.'"

You can download a picture of Baba Sri Siva www.babasrisiva.com Click on the picture and then follow directions.

Baba Sri Siva has created a Karma-Busting CD which has the Thiru Neela Kantam mantra on it as well as a Manifesting CD which has the Ara Kara mantra on it. Both are available in the Products section of this website!