Rain's choir

Life is a continuous give and take. It is a pulsation, just like breathing -- you breathe in, you breathe out. If you are happy, happiness goes out, happiness comes in. If you are celebrating, your breathing becomes a celebration. You touch somebody's hand and you have transformed that man's being -- at least for a moment; you have given him a glimpse, a taste. And of course you are related to many people, in many ways.... They all will start feeling. Many many people who are selfish are needed in the world -- they will become a small broadcasting station of happiness. And then whatsoever you feel like doing, you do. If you want to serve a beggar, serve. But first things first. Otherwise you cannot serve anybody because you have not served even yourself. And god is not going to ask you, 'Why was somebody else a beggar, and somebody poor, and somebody dying?' -- no. He will ask you, 'What have you done with yourself? I had given you an opportunity -- has your seed sprouted? Have you flowered? Has your life been a fulfillment? Have you lived?' If you don't live rightly, your whole energy becomes evil, des-tructive. Have you noticed the interesting fact that if you read the word 'live' backwards, it becomes 'evil' ? Just spell your life a little wrongly, and everything goes rotten -- it becomes evil. So live truly, authentically, sincerely -- that is the most funda-mental thing. I show you life! I don't show you service. Service comes as a shadow. A really alive person is continuously sharing his energy -- whatsoever he has -- because he knows that the more you share, the more you have. So, that you have to decide, otherwise meditation will not be possible, because meditators are bound to be selfish people. A meditator is simply forgetting the whole world. There are so many problems in the world -- and he is sitting with closed eyes under his bodhi tree, meditating, watching his navel! He is really not a good person at all! There are people dying -- you should go and help them to live. There are hungry people. There are orphans, there are wars going on -- you should do something! And you are sitting under the tree and gazing at your navel.... Have you gone mad? But a buddha, a christ, a krishna -- they all flowered in deep silence. Of course once you have flowered, your fragrance can go to the winds, but never before! You don't have anything! So my suggestion is: first be selfish, then altruism will come on its own accord. Then it has a beauty... a totally different quality. Then you are not a do-gooder. You don't impose anything on anybody. You are a sharer, and to whomsoever accepts some-thing from you, you feel grateful, because he has accepted something from you. Then there is no ego trip. Just be here, meditate a little, do a few groups. Touching is very very meaningful. In fact, if the mother has not touched the child very deeply, the child will always remain divided between feeling and thought. Much hugging is needed -- and that has disappeared. Breast-feeding is needed, otherwise the child never starts feeling. Now in the west, mothers don't like to breast-feed because their breasts will lose shape. They don't want to hug too much... touch is almost a taboo. I was just reading about one japanese sculptor whose works were being shown in New York. The curators of the american museum were very much confounded, because he insisted on one thing which was never heard of before. He insisted that below each of his statues he wanted a small sign -- there was no trouble; they said that he could have a sign -- but the sign read: 'Please touch' -- statues! He said, 'I won't allow my work if these signs are not allowed in the museum. Then there is no need for my exhibition. Unless somebody touches my statues, how is he going to feel?' The curators could not believe what this foolish artist was wanting, because in american museums you have the sign, 'Don't touch! Keep aloof!' And that is not only in the museum -- in life also, touching has disappeared. So this is the problem that arises -- the person has not been touched in his childhood, so he does not know how to feel, because touch brings the feel. You can devise methods. If somebody says he cannot feel, then let him lie down -- touch him, hug him, let him feel the warmth of the body. Mothering techniques will be needed. If a woman can help, it will be good. If the woman can play the role of the mother, it will be good. Let him move backwards again to his childhood -- when he was small and he was hankering for warmth. Warmth is food for the feeling part -- that's what is needed. Then he will start moving into emotions. He may start crying... then help him. He may get angry, may move into a tantrum... then help him. But touch seems to be the gateway, so try with touch methods. Wado