________________
life without Conflict
Dadashri: As your intellect increases, so does your internal suffering. When a child is born, does he have intellect? It is necessary for you to think about your business for ten to fifteen minutes, but if you go beyond this, then you will be bombarded with thought after thought and that is going beyond normality. When that happens, you must let go. Thoughts about your business are inevitable but if you become engrossed with the thoughts, they will linger on, leading to worries, and such adverse meditation is very detrimental for you.
153
Keep Your Intentions Pure To Pay All Debts
Questioner: I have incurred a very heavy loss in my business, what should I do? Should I close the business? I am in deep debt.
Dadashri: Losses incurred in a cotton business cannot be recouped by opening a grocery store. Losses incurred in business have to be regained from the same business; you cannot recoup your losses by doing a different job. Can you recoup losses from a business of contract by opening up a beetle nut store? The injuries you incurred from whatever trade you were in will have to be healed in the same trade. Therein lies the medicine for your wounds.
You have to maintain only one thing that you do not want to hurt any living being, even in the slightest degree. Be pure in your intentions to pay off all your debts. If your intentions are pure, you will be able to fulfill all your financial obligations. Money is considered the eleventh life, and therefore you must never keep money that belongs to others. If others keep your money then it does not matter, but your intention must always be that you want to pay them back,
life without Conflict
down to the last penny. Keep this intention in your awareness, and then you can engage in your business. Play your game, but do not become a player. If you become a player, then you will be doomed! Do not speculate in your business.
Be Aware of the Dangers but Be Fearless
154
Every business has gains and losses associated with it. If there are a lot of mosquitoes in your room, they will not let you sleep. But you would not be able to sleep even if there were only one or two. So you can say out loud, 'O world of mosquitoes! Merely two mosquitoes will not let me sleep, so why not the rest of you come also?' These profits and losses are like the mosquitoes.
What is the law? Avoid entering the depths of the ocean of business if possible. If you do, then do not be afraid. God is with you as long as you remain fearless. If you become afraid, God will say, 'Go to Ohliya!' (muslim sage) or find a guru. There is no difference between a racecourse and a fabric store, as far as God is concerned. But if you want liberation, then it is better that you come out of this worldly ocean.
Do you know how I run my business? Before I set the ship of my business in the waters, I perform all the necessary religious rituals and then I whisper in the steamer's ear, 'You may sink whenever you want to but that is not my wish.' Then whether the steamer sinks after six months or after two years, I adjust to the situation and tell myself, 'At least it lasted six months.' Palaces of desires will not fail to bring disappointment. It is very difficult to remain detached in this worldly life, but you are able to do so because of the knowledge and the intellectual methods that I give to you.
