Let’s Learn from Leaves and Trees about the New Type of Humanity from Shri Mataji Nirmala Devi

This is a Compilation with Words of Wisdom from Shri Mataji – the founder of Sahaja Yoga Meditation – and we introduce it to you as an Introspective Exercise. Let’s learn from Leaves and Trees about the New Type of Humanity by Running in the Way of the Roots. Are you ready?! Let’s go ..

Collectivity – The Tree and The Leaf

“In the Collective only, the maturity starts. It is a living process as I told you. Now supposing a tree is growing and you take out a leaf from there and the leaf will say, “I’m going to grow by myself.” It cannot grow. It will be left out. So that is what one has to remember: that it is a collective happening. We all have to meet and grow together.”

“Now, those who are not collective will disappear one day into thin air, like a dead leaf. I think people don’t understand the meaning of collective happening. It is just like a tree growing and with the tree everything else that belongs to tree also grows. So for the growth of this tree one has to remember that you have to stick onto the tree. But the tree is not going to run after you, “Stick on, stick on to me, stick on to me.” For that whatever has to be done, has to be done. You know, when the winter comes, all the leaves fall off. What they do is to create a barrier between themselves and the tree by some living process. They create a barrier in between, there’s a little bark that comes in between. Now when that happens the leaves fall off and the tree becomes barren.”

“Now same thing happens in Sahaja Yoga. When you do not accept the principle of Sahaja Yoga you put a barrier in between the sap and the leaf. Now when that happens, the leaf falls off. So you have to open out yourself, your heart, everything to suck in the sap to nourish. You have to give up your Ego and Superego, your conditionings and ideas you have had from before. This is what is the surrender, is the Islam. And that is to be achieved. But that is not going to help the tree, it is going to help you. Now some people say, ‘I’m not ready.’ Then how will you grow?! “

(Excerpt from Shri Mataji’s Talk during Shri Mahalakshmi Puja in Mechelen, Belgium on October 9th, 1987)

Collectivity and Picnics

Shri Mataji: “..this picnicking has helped you to make your Collectivity better. That’s how they started having picnics and in the picnics they develop the collectivity, which is very beautiful to be One with the Nature, see the bounty of the nature and the variety that they have.”

Every Leaf is Different yet Collective – One with the Nature

“It is an innate feeling inside always that you should be one with the nature, that you should enjoy the nature. I mean it’s maybe because they say we have evolved from animals so we like nature. But it’s so much [..], so much your temperament, everything when you see the nature and start seeing it, how it obeys the laws which govern it. Now see, if you see every leaf, any leaf, is not comparable with another leaf, if you put it under microscope they’ll be all different leaves.”

Leaves: Variety and Unity as Collectivity under the Divine Laws

“The variety’s so much in the Nature, but still how they abide together and the greatest thing they have is that always the desire to get the sunlight and every leaf, every branch tries to give chance to another leaf and another branch, that they all get the sunlight.”

“If you have to see collectivity, really you see in a jungle or in a place like this. How they live together and with such happiness, with such unity.”

“They are all under the complete control of the divine laws, no doubt, and they are so much enjoying.”

(Shri Mataji’s Talk at Lane Cove National Park, near Sydney, Australia on April 5th, 1994)

That’s One Tree

“I will give a very good example of the collective.”

“I said you have to consider that we are like a tree, all getting the sap from One Tree.”

“Now supposing a leaf which falls off during say winter time, what she does that in between the leaf and the branch they create a kind of a cork and because of the cork nothing can go to the leaf and the leaf falls off. In the same way, if you continue with our conditionings and our false ideas – ‘I want to have a separate… my own business‘ then you become like that leaf and then you don’t grow. So those people who say, “Oh we are meditating at home (i.e. by ourselves), we are doing this at home”, they don’t grow, because they are not getting the sap. You see they are just getting separated. This is the point many people miss and don’t understand that how is it in the collective we grow better and not out of collective. “

“So those who say that, ‘No, we would be alone and we’ll have our own meditation, all that’,

they will never grow, this is the point: you may have, but you should always be (in) the collective.”

(Shri Mataji’s arrival speech at Meli ashram in Vienna, Austria on October 12th, 1987)

Shri Ganesha is like a Great Mother and “You can’t see a Tree growing“

Shri Mataji: “Now look at Shri Ganesha (the divine principle governing the Root Chakra) – how gentle he is, how sweet he is and how innocent he is. His ways are so gentle: how he works on you, how he makes things for you, how gently he does all these things. Like see now you cannot see this flower opening. In my room you put some flowers and they started growing. You can’t see the growth. If you put a camera of a special nature which can record, you can see it growing there, but you can’t see [normally]. You can’t see a tree growing. You can’t see a flower opening out. You just can’t see anything that is growing by nature, by Shri Ganesha. He does it so gently. Now also he will not grow trees one on top of another! But in such a way that they all get the suns rays.”

“Just like a Great Mother, I must say, the way, gently, he (Shri Ganesha) does everything.”

“Every leaf is made differently – what an Art! Every leaf! In the whole world you cannot find exactly the same leaf whether it is from Australia or from America. The leaf, if you see it under a microscope, will differ. Every leaf! Can you imagine? Look at his work, how gently he puts everything, how gently he works. And while we are living on the grounds of Shri Ganesha how gentle we should be. And in dealing with people we should be extremely, extremely gentle. We should show that we are Ganesha’s special ganas (angels under the command of Shri Ganesha). That’s what I feel about Australians.”

“We have had some mishaps, I know, doesn’t matter. But that’s alright. A few of them were like that. But all of you should really learn to be very loving, gentle, kind and concerned.”

(Shri Mataji’s Talk at Shri Ganesha Puja in Perth, Australia  on February 9th, 1992)

Are we / you Inside or Outside the Tree / the Leaf?!

Shri Mataji: “Even to understand the scriptures you have to become a free person, which you are not. You have to be your own master. For that you cannot pay. I am too free that I cannot accept anything. To get your freedom of Spirit you can’t pay because money is binding.”

“Money has no value in the Divine field!”

“Nothing can bring forth this but your own ascent. And how do we ascend? Is there anything built within us? So whatever I am telling you today is the knowledge of the roots. What we see is the knowledge of the Tree. We see it from outside. We see a leaf from outside. If you have to treat the leaf we have to go to the roots. But from outside, when we see the tree we are still outside the tree. When you have to treat the leaf, you have to go to the roots. If you pluck out the leaf, it is dead. Then [if] you put it under the microscope you can go on seeing cells after that you can see the nucleus. You can go on analyzing it, and analyzing it making it dead, dead and dead and dead.”

“But to treat it you have to go to the roots and this knowledge of the roots we have to know.”

The Holy Ghost – The Knowledge of the Roots – The Inner Knowledge – From the Bible and Seers like William Blake

Shri Mataji: “There’s nothing wrong in knowing something new. These are not new ideas. These are ancient ideas. Very ancient ideas. In The Bible it is described as The Holy Ghost. One priest was asked, I saw, on the television. A very high ranking priest, “What do you know about Holy Ghost?” He said, “I am agnostic.” So then they said, “Then what are you doing here?” He said, “I am doing my job!” If that is the attitude towards God, towards your inner knowledge, then you can never reach there, as you cannot reach the tree through the leaf – you have to go to the roots. This has been available only to seers like, you can say, William Blake. Like we had many in other countries. But they did not talk about it because perhaps that was not the time for people to know. But in many languages it is described.”

(Shri Mataji’s Public Program at South Bank Polytechnic, London, UK on June 22nd, 1984)

Assume your own powers as Spirit & Kundalini rising with guidance from the Centre of Innocence

Shri Mataji: “You must assume your own powers as Spirit and you can see here clearly that the Kundalini energy rises and without any guidance from anything else but the Mooladhara, the centre of innocence. That’s an eternal childhood, the innocence within us, that’s something eternal that does not die. It may sleep off but is awakened as soon as your Kundalini rises. That is the reason why Christ did not die. Because He is the incarnation of that innocence. And Innocence is the first thing that was created and that is the first center in which we have been built. That’s our blessing. That’s what is the biggest auspicious thing we have.”

“The Kundalini rising itself will give you back your innocence. It will be awakened and you will know what you have so respectable within you. You will develop your self-respect, and your security, and all the courage that is needed, through this power of Divine love. You have to know that the subject is too vast and I must have given thousands of lectures in the West in English language also and many more in India. So, in these two days I cannot go too far. But when you get your Realization you become the knowledge. And you become the joy.”

Learn from Roots & Leaves & Trees & Autumn about the New Type of Humanity

“But one has to understand that it is a collective growth, like on a tree, there are many leaves, and are nourished by the sap of the tree.”

“Supposing one leaf wants to be separated then a bark develops between the tree and the leaf. It happens in the Autumn. and the leaf falls off. So you have to keep to the collective to grow together. Many people who get Realization stay away from the collective, and say, “Mother, we love you very much. We had your photograph, we were meditating, still we got cancer.”

“You have to have nourishment all the time. You have to be collective. Firstly, as we don’t take money, we don’t have very big palatial places for you to come in. We have humble houses where you can come and meet everyone, and become a part and parcel of the whole, and develop yourself. You should forget you come from a rich family or you are a very big personality. Forget all that. Here you are a yogi. You have entered into the Kingdom of God (i.e. connected at the crown chakra level), and All of you are part and parcel of the Whole, and all these ideas of Ego must go. All these ideas that I am something, will disappear. Then we’ll have a New type of Humanity ..” 

(Shri Mataji’s Public Program in Paris, France on Nov 3rd, 1987)

“ To go from the leaf to the roots is very difficult, but to go from the roots to the leaves is easier.

So for this ascent we have to be humble, to know about the knowledge – knowledge about the roots.”

“Fashion is a human affair, it’s not divine. Look at these trees, how do they fashion themselves? Towards the sun. Every leaf is exposed to the sun, every leaf; because it has to get chlorophyll,it has to get the power of the sun in itself, so the every leaf is towards the sun. They don’t do any fashions, do they?!”

(Shri Mataji’s Talk during Devi Puja’s India Tour in Brahmapuri, India on  December 27th, 1985)

The Sahaja Yogi: How can you keep your Self-Realization if you are not in touch with the collective?

Shri Mataji:  “You cannot. You have to keep some connection with the collective. It’s like say nowadays it’s Autumn you have seen. In Autumn what happens? A bark like a cork develops between the leaves and the tree. And such a leaf falls off and dies. You have to be in the collective, you cannot keep your Self-Realization without collectivity. Is very important to be with the collective. This is one point people fail, because they think they’ll lose their individuality. It’s a wrong idea.

Actually when the leaf dies it has no individuality. On the contrary, when it is on the tree you’ll be surprised, that one leaf cannot tally with another leaf in the whole world. Such an individual thing it is.

It is I would say unity in diversity, complete unity in diversity. Because that is the variety is the one that gives beauty to this world. Otherwise if we are all sort of dressed of the same way, walking the same way, it will be such a boring company.”

(Shri Mataji’s Public Program in Porchester Hall, London, UK on November 16th, 1987)

Individualism – Separation – Domination: Not a sign of a Yogi

“Some Sahaja Yogis I’ve know have been boasting that ‘I’m the one who is going to establish Sahaja Yoga here and I’m this and I’m that. I’m a separate person and Mother is specially selecting me.’

“Anyone who thinks like that is no more a Sahaja Yogi.”

“It’s like he is holding onto a tree and thinking that by holding onto one leaf he is going to dominate the whole tree. Such a person will just have that little leaf in his hand which will also die out after some time.”

“You have to run in the way of the roots, of the branches, of the leaves, of the flowers and of the fruits.  You have to be the essence of the tree that nourishes and not just the outward leaves with wrong ideas about yourself. And the people, superego, who are limited by their small personal problems also must know that they will have the same fate in Sahaja Yoga.”

“Put the problems of the tree always ahead of the problem of a leaf.”

“Now it is high time to jump from that little area to the vast area which has no bounds. And once that happens you will be surprised all these petty little problems will drop out in the ocean of greatness.”

“Don’t indulge into them, and leave them in the hands of the tree. So that all your small petty problems will be looked after by that nourishing force.”

You Belong to That Great Tree of Life

“Because you belong to a tree of great wisdom, tree of great sustenance and religion, and tree of great mastery, the mastery that you can never know how great it is. You belong to a tree that has complete security for you, and you belong to a very great tree which gives you complete witnessing of the drama, and which gives you understanding that the Whole is a part and parcel of you, and you are part and parcel of the Whole.”

“So you belong to the great ocean of love and generosity. So this Great Tree of Life has everything integrated within itself. This is the tree of life that has been described in the Bible, the Tree of Fire they call it.”

“Now, you have become One with it. You are blessed by it. You are loved by it. You are gently guided by it. It’s so gentle that you do not even feel the guidance-like a leaf when it fails on the ground it doesn’t make any sound. Try to become identified with that power- that is what you are. Like the meaning of the word, is identified with the word, like the moonlight is identified with the moon, sunlight is identified with the sun. Let that identification be that oneness, that integration so that you become the light of God’s love, that people know God through integration, so that you become the light of God’s love, that people know God through your depths and your fruits. Is the most fulfilling job, highest paid in every way, the most satisfying, energy giving and dynamic. You don’t have to give up anything – just be organized in the light of your Spirit yourself.”

(Shri Mataji’s Talk to Sahaja Yogis in Lausanne, Switzerland on August 25th, 1983)

When is The Tree growing?!

“When you are peaceful, only then does the tree grow. The tree inside you grows in your thoughtlessness, and you ascend. You will know all kinds of truth. So many big and small things like this happen, and it surprises us. You know the truth by its roots. For example, if the leaves of a tree are damaged, you don’t treat the leaves. Instead, you have to get to the root and treat it. In the same way, first of all, you realize the truth on your fingertips (as vibratory awareness of the subtle system). The knowledge of the whole Vedas (ancient Hindu scriptures) comes inside you, and you know the truth. The knowledge of the whole world comes inside you.“

(1986-02-19 Public Program in Jaipur)

Sky, Earth, Trees and Leaves — The Power of Ritumbhara Pragnya – Surrender to the Living Process during the Cycle of Life

“What Shakti (means “power” in Sanskrit) is this, which changes all the seasons?! We never stop to think about this. Sometimes clouds move about in the sky.  Sometimes the world is covered with flowers.  And sometimes light and colors form like paintings in the sky.  Sometimes all the leaves fall from the trees.  If the leaves do not fall, how will the Mother Earth get nitrogen ?!.  That is why trees have to shed and not only this.  That is why Pragnya happens.  And everything on this earth is fully surrendered to it.  Fully surrendered to Ritumbhara Pragnya: ‘Whatever You think fit, let it happen to us.’

“Leaves have to fall from the tree. Let them fall.  Then new leaves have to come.  Let them come.  Flowers have to bloom.” 

“So let them blossom.  If they have to turn into fruit, let the fruits come. “

“If they have to be plucked.  Let them be plucked. “

“There is no objection.  We will keep on giving fragrance and when it has to end, let it end.”

“If you observe the entire creation you will see how effective Ritumbhara Pragnya is:  It is a living process. ”

(Shri Mataji’s Public Program in Hindi “Prem Hi Parmatma” (Love is God) in Noida, India on March 4th, 1991)

“People have their own ways of doing things, that one has to merge, has to surrender to The Whole. We must learn to surrender our own little, little things to The Whole, and then you’ll be surprised that we will become so congenial, so integrated – despite our different characters. You have to maintain your different character, different style of talking, different style of walking, different style of expression. But the character, if it is not brought forward, the whole thing is so ugly so horrid. Like the stinking, rotting leaves these days. But if you remove the leaves, these old leaves, these useless leaves, then you find the beautiful grass below.”

“So nobody should identify with your temperament. That is very important for Sahaja Yoga. “

All of you should get well, and see that you Really achieve that sparkling radiance within.”

“You won’t believe that your Mother works very hard. Very, very hard She has to work with you people, and I have to really pull you through, really pull you through. But still you find me very happy because I see something that is so beautiful, that is so nice, so sweet, so great in you, and whenever I see that I just say, “This will all go away after all, you see these are all dried leaves, they will have to go, Autumn will be over and Spring will be coming.”

“So you see, I forget it, and I just don’t worry about how much I have worked, how much I have to work out.”

“But trust each other, love each other and give more trust and more love and understanding..”

(Shri Mataji’s Birthday Puja in London, UK on March 23rd, 1980)

 

Importance of Autumn, falling Leaves and Nitrogen for Trees – Destruction or Reconstruction 

“Interviewer: Please, explain the difference between East and West, what can India bring to the West…?
Shri Mataji: In the West, the knowledge that they have, is the knowledge as they call it of the tree – outside. You see the leaves and you see the branches and you know all about it. But they don’t know about the roots, on which this tree is standing. That knowledge is in India. One must know the roots. Unless and until you know the roots, you cannot progress in a proper way, in a balanced way. In the nature if you see, every tree of a kind like a coconut tree has a particular height, it doesn’t cross over. Or you see any natural growth, on this earth has its own limitations. It is also the whole nature has a beautiful cycle. Like a tree, it goes up and the water from the leaves is evaporated by the sun, so the water rises up to the leaves again, then it forms a catalyst for the rain to come in and then it rains but during the wintertime there is no sunshine, so the leaves drop out; because of the shortage of water, so they drop out. Because they drop out there is no Destruction as such but there is a Reconstruction because the leaves which fall down give the nourishment of nitrogen to the roots you see, so there is a beautiful cycle which works spontaneously without any trouble.

“So in the Nature everything is controlled and is absolutely integrated.”

(Shri Mataji’s Interview in Alibag India on December 3rd, 1988)

Learn about Eternal Things, Living Trees and  Converting Stones into Living Beings

“See the Nature, how beautifully it works. During the Fall season, all the leaves from a tree fall down and the nitrogen from the fallen leaves, is absorbed by the roots of that tree, because of which they are nourished and the tree again is laden with new Leaves. Fall season also is very important because, the Earth can receive the sunlight better, which is essential for the earth. The whole Nature works in a synchronized manner, and keeps the whole circle intact.“

” The Eternal things are always built on the things which are already existing. For example, there is a root, on top of the root a plant grows, it starts branching out, and then leaves grow on it, then it blossoms, and then the flowers become fruits. ”

(Shri Mataji’s Public Program Day 2 in Dharm Acharan, Delhi, India, on Feb 22nd, 1986)

“It’s such a deep knowledge and it is such an all pervading knowledge. Because once you know in a tree the sap that goes to all the leaves and all the ends of it and if you can move the sap, your attention can move with the sap, you can know the whole of the tree. You cannot know leaves and then know the tree. How many leaves can you count? But to know the tree the best thing is to get to the sap. To treat a tree is best is to get to its sap, isn’t it?”

“In the same way when you go from inside out then you find that you know yourself and others very well. ”

“You see if you have stones and if you have living trees, stones do not receive anything from the sun but the leaves receive something, isn’t it, they are more sensitive, that’s the difference.”

“Then in Sahaja yoga there’s a possibility that you can convert stones into living beings, can be done. Yes, because they see, you see they see you, they understand the value that you are, gradually, rationally they start understanding then they reach certain conclusions, then they come to Sahaja Yoga, then they get realized, it works out that way. But with seekers it’s very different, seekers just jump into it. They do not think about it they just get it. They get it so fast that they don’t think about it, they just they get it. So they are so sensitive, that’s the difference.”

(Shri Mataji excerpts from Public Program Workshop in Sydney, Australia on March 29th, 1981)

The Force of Ekadasha Rudra

Shri Mataji: “In the Nature if you see everything circulates in a very regular manner. For example in the winter time the leaves have to fall down because the nitrogen of the leaves has to go into the Mother Earth to nourish the trees. Moreover, the Mother Earth must get the sun’s rays, so there should be no leaves and the sun’s rays can penetrate into the Mother Earth to nourish her. Then the trees, when they are nourished, they again become green and lush so that they receive the sun’s light and make chlorophyll out of them. Also they suck in the water from the Mother Earth and throw them in the atmosphere to act as [a] catalyst for the rain to come. Then the rain comes during the rainy season, then again nourished with water the life. Again they lose all their leaves and the whole circle goes on in a beautiful manner. There is no reversion, it’s just a continuous circle going in a very beautiful manner to create and recreate.

Shri Mataji: “But with the interference of man, nature gets disturbed. Also you can enhance the nature, you can save the nature’s destruction which could be natural also. But when you get your Realization, when you get your Realization, then, with your vibrations, you can save all natural things that are decaying under the modern influence. So first of all we see the effect of Realization how it acts as Ekadasha Rudra: it destroys the negative forces which are trying to destroy the nature.”

Evolution through Introspection

Shri Mataji: “One day I am sure you all will evolve to such a state that even your glance is sufficient to make the trees grow, to make the fruits sweet, to make the flowers fragrant. That’s possible because our growth is showing results. Slowly, slowly, it is showing results, because you should not be stunned, you should not be shocked, so that you can see for yourself What You Are and What You are Achieving.”

Shri Mataji: “But to allow this force within us to grow first of all we should be very Introspective. We should try to see ourselves, what is happening to us? We must watch our steps: are we moving towards our construction or towards our destruction? What are we doing? This Ekadasha Rudra force which is within us is so powerful, is so very powerful that not only in Nature but also in human beings it acts.”

It acts in a way that you are shocked and surprised.”

(Shri Ekadasha Rudra sahaja yoga seminar, Moedling, Austria, 8 June 1988)

Note: all excerpts are from Shri Mataji’s speeches offered around the world; most photos were taken in Halton region of Canada by local yogis from our weekly classes in Burlington or Oakville and “around”. Many a times we were amazed by Mother Nature’s participation right after/before/during our collective meditations. We shared few “samples” above. We’d love to hear from you – drop a reply /comment if you like. :-)  and you can further explore the articles presented below.