Lot of people like to cook. They even cook a variety of dishes. And when they begin to eat, it tastes familiar and they continue eating. While eating, we say things like it tastes better than before or it is not as good as last time – but essentially we continue to eat! Before cooking, the hunger is intense. After you cook and all the food in ready, if you observe carefully, your hunger would have decreased slightly. Why? What is the psychology behind this? This is because of mental satisfaction. Before cooking, you are dissatisfied that you have not yet been able to eat food. After cooking a variety of dishes, you get to make a choice and the mind is now confused on what to eat more, or what to taste.

So what you listened to all this days is wasted. You have not eaten anything so far. You have only cooked all the items. You are only claiming that you know this dish, you can cook that dish, but you have not experienced the taste of it, even a little bit. Similarly, if you put to practice what you heard, at least to a small extent, then you will understand.

If one, who doesn’t follow the language being spoken in a gathering, hears even one word from his own language, he assumes that to be the topic of discussion. You need concentration. But, right from the beginning, if you think you are not interested in the subject, you will never be able to absorb a thing, even if you have a liking and respect towards the speaker. Because of the love you have towards the speaker, if you make an attempt to hold on to one word he spoke, and concentrate, eventually, you will understand the subject.

To test whether rice is cooked, you only need to test one grain. You do not have to try all. You have listened to so many of my discourses, but you have not neither checked nor tasted even a single grain of rice. Your heart has become a ‘collection item’ – so it seems like you have heard it all before but there is no experience of having put it to practice. If you put to practice, it will be an experience and can connect with it instantly – it will not seem like just words long ago. You will feel it in your heart and mind.

**Shravana, Manana and Mathana are very important. Shravana – listening intently. Manana – register it in your mind. Mathana – Understand the essence, absorb the gist. Put to practice at least 5-10% of what you hear. Do not fear how it can be done. That will be a sign of laziness. You were not lazy to listen, but you are lazy to practice! **

(Q&A session 04/10/2015)