Ponder Before You Speak

Ponder Before You Speak

“Nanak says ponder well before you speak.  Be fully aware and say only if you know yourself.  The world has gone astray not because of ignorant people but because of those all wise and all knowing people who really know nothing, yet love to talk and advise others.  Not being conscious of what they are doing, or why, they are just a plague with their opinions and views.”

“It is not difficult to gather followers around you; you have only to start speaking and continue speaking, no matter what.  In a few days you will have gathered a whole band of followers, because there are always people more stupid than you in this world.  To find disciples all you need is a little madness in you, some arrogance, and the strength to speak your loudest, and people will flock around you.  As people begin to hang around you, many happenings will be attributed to you.  The very people who are in total darkness, never having known the light, get caught in your trap when you begin to speak on light; because they feel there is certainly something in you.”

“Nanak says whatever you say with regard to meditation, you must ponder well before you utter, because it is like playing with fire.  Nothing could be more subtle, nor more valuable.  The path that leads from the mundane world to God, the supreme spirit, is very thin and fine.  You have to contemplate a great deal before you venture to express your thoughts.”

“Do I know myself?  Have I the experience?”  If each person in this world were to take a vow to speak only of that which he has knowledge, all deceptions and misconceptions would end.  When man is ready to acknowledge his ignorance of things he does not know and realize that he has no right to talk on such matters, then life will become simple and it will not be so difficult to realize truth.”

“But there is so much untruth all around, such a network of deception and false gurudom that you will not be able to find a true Guru, a perfect master.  You will not come across a true Nanak, because there are so many impostors vying to be “Masters.”  How can you discern among them?  There are no criteria to go by.” 

“Therefore Nanak says speak only after great deliberation, and only after you have known and experienced directly.  Don’t play with the life of others.  This is exactly what you are doing when you advise others on things you are ignorant of yourself.”

“But if you pose as a Guru and lead your disciples along paths you have no idea of yourself, you can cause them to wander for endless lives.  There can be no deception greater than this, no sin more heinous.  There is no greater sinner than an ignorant Guru.”

“Remember, a person can wander from guru to guru and, finding them worthless, his faith is shaken and his hope is lost.  He begins to feel that there is nothing but hoax and hypocrisy in the name of religion.  When ninety-nine out of one hundred are hypocrites how can one trust the one who is genuine?  Such a person, even if he meets a satguru, a Nanak, will invariably be very wary of him, naturally suspecting him to be like the others.”

“Thus Nanak exhorts us to speak only after due contemplation because it is like playing with fire, like laying a wager on other peope’s lives.  Think well before you speak or else hold your peace.” – Osho “The True Name” pg. 167-169

Do not teach until you are truly ready to teach.  You need to focus your energies on your own inner development.  Do not believe yourself to be a Master when you are still a disciple.  Know your place.  If you are a child, do not mistakenly believe that you are the father.  If you have yet to find your inner light, seek for the guidance of those above.  The little brother to bigger brother, the bigger brother to father.  The disciple shall follow the Master, the Master shall follow the Tao.  Be very careful when guiding others towards the spiritual path, if you do not know yourself, do not speak.  Know whom you are speaking to and be ready to clear up any misunderstandings.  You cannot be a spiritual guide to all, because all is too much to handle. If you are to guide anyone on the spiritual way, select a few, and take your time.  Enlightenment can never be mass-produced. 

– Sifu Freddie Lee