Meditation and Meditative Walking
An excerpt from a talk given by Phiroz Mehta at Elmau, Bavaria on 21st September 1975
Notice particularly the subtle forms which greed takes, particularly culturally. You may say that there are no thoughts or desires in my mind at the moment, perhaps tunes are running through your mind or pictures, or your thoughts are towards some teacher whom you follow or would like to follow, or some particular ideal which you have. But notice the power of greed at work in all these subtle forms. You enjoy these, you want to possess them. The very act of giving yourself to God or the teacher or anything has a possessive element in it. Watch it very carefully, it is very subtle, very deep. And whatever it is, don’t say to yourself, “I must get rid of it.” Don’t get rid of it. This is your teacher, this is the actual fact about oneself. I am like that, I am this greed. Look at it that way. Look quietly… The vigilance centre, the attentiveness, which is the officer in command, so to say, must remain perfectly poised, giving no orders either for or against, but just watching, watching… As you watch don’t say, “I am experiencing this” or “I am like this”. Just observe the fact, that this is greed… You may notice if you are attentive intensely and rightly that when you see, actually see, not merely say, but really see, that this is greed, you are aware of the force of greed throughout the world. And you see how greed, not only in oneself but throughout the world, gives rise to evil, to the diseased state of the mind, and therefore to sorrow, unnecessary sorrow. See it, don’t be shocked by it, don’t be afraid of it, just quietly look at it. Don’t dislike it or hate it. There it is — greed. And if your attentiveness is pure and you are calm inside, you will experience the reality of compassion coming right out of your innermost being, your very physical heart, so to say, and spreading through you, just compassion, something which we do not experience in the ordinary way. And you will realize in actual awareness the unity with all mankind. There is this suffering for oneself, for mankind through greed. See it…
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