You want grace?
Well, ask God, maybe he'll give it to you
And the theologian will tell you, "Yes, God, gives his grace freely. He gives it to all because he loves all. It's here, like the air. All you have to do is receive it."
Or a more orthodox, a Catholic Christian would say, "All you have to do is to be baptized, to take the holy sacrament of the altar, the bread and wine, the body and blood of Christ, and there is the grace right there
And it's given by these simple physical means so that it's very easily and readily available
Well, a lot of people got baptized
And it doesn't always take
People fall from grace
Why do they?
You see, we're just talking about the same old problem, but we've put it a step up
But it's the same problem
How can I improve myself?
Was the first problem
The second problem is
[Chorus]
You want grace? I want grace, we want grace, hey
You want grace? I want grace, we want grace, hey
You want grace? I want grace, we want grace, hey
You want grace? I want grace, we want grace, hey
How can I accept grace? They're both the same problem
Because you've got to make a move
Which will put yourself out of your own control
Into the control of a better
If you don't believe in the Christian kind of a God, you can believe in the Hindu kind of a God
Who is your inner self
You see, you've got a lower self, which you can call your ego
That's that little scoundrelous fellow, who's always out for me
But behind the ego, there is the Atman, the inner self
The inward light, as Quakers would call it, the real self, the spirit
Which is substantially identical with God
So, you've got to meditate in such a way that you identify with your higher self
How do you do that?
Well, you start by watching all your thoughts, very carefully, watching your feelings, watching your emotions, so that you begin to build up a sense of separation
Between the watcher and what is watched
[Chorus]
You want grace? I want grace, we want grace, hey
You want grace? I want grace, we want grace, hey
You want grace? I want grace, we want grace, hey
You want grace? I want grace, we want grace, hey
So that you are, as it were, no longer carried away by your own stream of conscious
You remain the witness, impassively, impartially
Suspending judgment, and watching it all go on
That seems to be something like progress
At least you're taking an objective view of what is going on
Of what is going on
You're beginning to be in a position to control it, but just wait a minute!
Who is this self behind the self, the watching self?
Can you watch that one?
It's interesting if you do, because you find out, of course, that this is, just as the problem of grace
It is nothing more than a transposition of the first problem
How am I to be unselfish by my own power?
It becomes how am I to get grace by my own power?
Well, ask God, maybe he'll give it to you
And the theologian will tell you, "Yes, God, gives his grace freely. He gives it to all because he loves all. It's here, like the air. All you have to do is receive it."
Or a more orthodox, a Catholic Christian would say, "All you have to do is to be baptized, to take the holy sacrament of the altar, the bread and wine, the body and blood of Christ, and there is the grace right there
And it's given by these simple physical means so that it's very easily and readily available
Well, a lot of people got baptized
And it doesn't always take
People fall from grace
Why do they?
You see, we're just talking about the same old problem, but we've put it a step up
But it's the same problem
How can I improve myself?
Was the first problem
The second problem is
[Chorus]
You want grace? I want grace, we want grace, hey
You want grace? I want grace, we want grace, hey
You want grace? I want grace, we want grace, hey
You want grace? I want grace, we want grace, hey
How can I accept grace? They're both the same problem
Because you've got to make a move
Which will put yourself out of your own control
Into the control of a better
If you don't believe in the Christian kind of a God, you can believe in the Hindu kind of a God
Who is your inner self
You see, you've got a lower self, which you can call your ego
That's that little scoundrelous fellow, who's always out for me
But behind the ego, there is the Atman, the inner self
The inward light, as Quakers would call it, the real self, the spirit
Which is substantially identical with God
So, you've got to meditate in such a way that you identify with your higher self
How do you do that?
Well, you start by watching all your thoughts, very carefully, watching your feelings, watching your emotions, so that you begin to build up a sense of separation
Between the watcher and what is watched
[Chorus]
You want grace? I want grace, we want grace, hey
You want grace? I want grace, we want grace, hey
You want grace? I want grace, we want grace, hey
You want grace? I want grace, we want grace, hey
So that you are, as it were, no longer carried away by your own stream of conscious
You remain the witness, impassively, impartially
Suspending judgment, and watching it all go on
That seems to be something like progress
At least you're taking an objective view of what is going on
Of what is going on
You're beginning to be in a position to control it, but just wait a minute!
Who is this self behind the self, the watching self?
Can you watch that one?
It's interesting if you do, because you find out, of course, that this is, just as the problem of grace
It is nothing more than a transposition of the first problem
How am I to be unselfish by my own power?
It becomes how am I to get grace by my own power?
[Chorus]
It's me that's wrong
It's me that's wrong
I would like to improve
I would like to improve
It's me that's wrong
It's me that's wrong
I would like to improve
I would like to improve
And if only I could be the right person
Is this man going to tell me something that will help me to change myself
So that I will be a more creative and cooperative member – of the human race?
I would like to improve
[Chorus]
It's me that's wrong
It's me that's wrong
I would like to improve
I would like to improve
It's me that's wrong
It's me that's wrong
I would like to improve
I would like to improve
So in so many people's minds, and from so many different angles, there is this urgent feeling that I must improve me
And this is critically important
Because it's obvious, at least, it's superficially obvious
That the way things are, we are going to hell fast
Now, in this question
Can I improve me, there is the obvious difficulty
That if I am in need of improvement, the person who's going to do the improving is the one who needs to be improved
There, immediately, we have a vicious circle
[Chorus]
It's me that's wrong
It's me that's wrong
I would like to improve
I would like to improve
It's me that's wrong
It's me that's wrong
I would like to improve
I would like to improve
[Chorus]
It's me that's wrong
It's me that's wrong
I would like to improve
I would like to improve
It's me that's wrong
It's me that's wrong
I would like to improve
I would like to improve
It's me that's wrong
It's me that's wrong
I would like to improve
I would like to improve
It's me that's wrong
It's me that's wrong
I would like to improve
I would like to improve
And if only I could be the right person
Is this man going to tell me something that will help me to change myself
So that I will be a more creative and cooperative member – of the human race?
I would like to improve
[Chorus]
It's me that's wrong
It's me that's wrong
I would like to improve
I would like to improve
It's me that's wrong
It's me that's wrong
I would like to improve
I would like to improve
So in so many people's minds, and from so many different angles, there is this urgent feeling that I must improve me
And this is critically important
Because it's obvious, at least, it's superficially obvious
That the way things are, we are going to hell fast
Now, in this question
Can I improve me, there is the obvious difficulty
That if I am in need of improvement, the person who's going to do the improving is the one who needs to be improved
There, immediately, we have a vicious circle
[Chorus]
It's me that's wrong
It's me that's wrong
I would like to improve
I would like to improve
It's me that's wrong
It's me that's wrong
I would like to improve
I would like to improve
[Chorus]
It's me that's wrong
It's me that's wrong
I would like to improve
I would like to improve
It's me that's wrong
It's me that's wrong
I would like to improve
I would like to improve
So, it all comes down to this basic question
That human beings have, for a long, long time been concerned about transforming their minds
Is there any way in which one's mind can be transformed
Or is it simply a process which is nothing more than a vicious circle?
I could ask
[Chorus]
Why have you come here? What were you looking for?
Why have you come here? What were you looking for?
Why have you come here? What were you looking for?
Why have you come here? What were you looking for?
Would it be too presumptuous of me to say that you were looking for help?
That you hoped you would hear somebody who had something to say
That would be of help and relevance to you, as members of a world
Which is running into the most intense difficulty?
A world beset by a complex of problems, any one of which would be bad enough
But when you add together all, all the great political, social, and ecological problems with which we are faced, they are appalling
And one naturally says, "The reason why we are in such a mess is not simply that we have wrong systems for doing things, whether they be technological, political, or religious."
[Woman] Hallelujah!
But we have the wrong people
The systems may be all right, but they are in the wrong hands because we are all
In various ways, self-seeking, lacking in wisdom, lacking in courage, afraid of death, afraid of pain, unwilling, really, to cooperate with others, unwilling to be open to others
And we all think that's too bad
It's me that's wrong
[Chorus]
Why have you come here? What were you looking for?
Why have you come here? What were you looking for?
Why have you come here? What were you looking for?
Why have you come here? What were you looking for?
[Outro]
Yeah, boy!
Yeah, boy!
That human beings have, for a long, long time been concerned about transforming their minds
Is there any way in which one's mind can be transformed
Or is it simply a process which is nothing more than a vicious circle?
I could ask
[Chorus]
Why have you come here? What were you looking for?
Why have you come here? What were you looking for?
Why have you come here? What were you looking for?
Why have you come here? What were you looking for?
Would it be too presumptuous of me to say that you were looking for help?
That you hoped you would hear somebody who had something to say
That would be of help and relevance to you, as members of a world
Which is running into the most intense difficulty?
A world beset by a complex of problems, any one of which would be bad enough
But when you add together all, all the great political, social, and ecological problems with which we are faced, they are appalling
And one naturally says, "The reason why we are in such a mess is not simply that we have wrong systems for doing things, whether they be technological, political, or religious."
[Woman] Hallelujah!
But we have the wrong people
The systems may be all right, but they are in the wrong hands because we are all
In various ways, self-seeking, lacking in wisdom, lacking in courage, afraid of death, afraid of pain, unwilling, really, to cooperate with others, unwilling to be open to others
And we all think that's too bad
It's me that's wrong
[Chorus]
Why have you come here? What were you looking for?
Why have you come here? What were you looking for?
Why have you come here? What were you looking for?
Why have you come here? What were you looking for?
[Outro]
Yeah, boy!
Yeah, boy!
And so, that is a nice little tangle
If I put this in the language of oriental philosophy and religion
It would be something like this
[Chorus]
The Buddha said that wisdom
Must come only from the abandonment of selfish craving, or desire
The Buddha said that wisdom
Must come only from the abandonment of selfish craving, or desire
One who abandons that desire attains nirvana
Which is supreme peace
Liberation
Nirvana means, in Sanskrit
Blow out
That is, exhale the breath
Exhale the breath
The opposite, desire, is to breathe in
Now, if you breathe in, and hold it
You lose your breath
But if you breathe out, it comes back to you
It comes back to you
[Chorus]
The Buddha said that wisdom
Must come only from the abandonment of selfish craving, or desire
The Buddha said that wisdom
Must come only from the abandonment of selfish craving, or desire
So the principle here is if you want life, don't cling to it
Let go
Let go
But the problem is if I desire not to desire, is that not already desire?
How can I desire not to desire?
How can I surrender myself
When myself is precisely an urge to hold on
To cling?
To cling to life, to continue to survive
To survive
To survive
[Chorus]
The Buddha said that wisdom
Must come only from the abandonment of selfish craving, or desire
The Buddha said that wisdom
Must come only from the abandonment of selfish craving, or desire
I can see rationally
That by clinging to myself, I may strangle myself
I may be like a person who has a bad habit
As a result of which he is committing suicide
And he knows that
But can't give it up
Because the means of death are so sweet
If I put this in the language of oriental philosophy and religion
It would be something like this
[Chorus]
The Buddha said that wisdom
Must come only from the abandonment of selfish craving, or desire
The Buddha said that wisdom
Must come only from the abandonment of selfish craving, or desire
One who abandons that desire attains nirvana
Which is supreme peace
Liberation
Nirvana means, in Sanskrit
Blow out
That is, exhale the breath
Exhale the breath
The opposite, desire, is to breathe in
Now, if you breathe in, and hold it
You lose your breath
But if you breathe out, it comes back to you
It comes back to you
[Chorus]
The Buddha said that wisdom
Must come only from the abandonment of selfish craving, or desire
The Buddha said that wisdom
Must come only from the abandonment of selfish craving, or desire
So the principle here is if you want life, don't cling to it
Let go
Let go
But the problem is if I desire not to desire, is that not already desire?
How can I desire not to desire?
How can I surrender myself
When myself is precisely an urge to hold on
To cling?
To cling to life, to continue to survive
To survive
To survive
[Chorus]
The Buddha said that wisdom
Must come only from the abandonment of selfish craving, or desire
The Buddha said that wisdom
Must come only from the abandonment of selfish craving, or desire
I can see rationally
That by clinging to myself, I may strangle myself
I may be like a person who has a bad habit
As a result of which he is committing suicide
And he knows that
But can't give it up
Because the means of death are so sweet
The title of these talks that I'm giving here is "Mind Over Mind."
And I'm going into
All the various problems
Which have to do with the control of the mind
And so, I might
Introduce what I'm going to say by saying it from different points of view
For example, if you're interested in communications
It will be the problem of feedback
Or if I may put it in theological terms
How does man follow the will of God
If the will of man is perverse?
The theologians say
You cannot do this without having divine grace
Or the power to follow the will of God
How, then, do you get grace?
Why is grace given to some
And not to others?
If I cannot follow the will of God by my own effort, because my will is selfish
How will my will, which is selfish, be transformed into an unselfish will?
If I cannot do it, because I am already the selfish will
Then grace must do it
Then grace must do it
If grace has not already done it, why not?
Because I didn't accept it?
But by definition, I have no power to accept it because my will was selfish
Must I then become a Calvinist
And say that only those people
Who are predestined to receive grace will be able to live the good life?
The good life
Then, we come back to the inadmissable position
That people who live evil lives do not get grace because they are not predestined to it
Out of the infinite wisdom of the Godhead
Then God himself must be held responsible for their evil deeds
And I'm going into
All the various problems
Which have to do with the control of the mind
And so, I might
Introduce what I'm going to say by saying it from different points of view
For example, if you're interested in communications
It will be the problem of feedback
Or if I may put it in theological terms
How does man follow the will of God
If the will of man is perverse?
The theologians say
You cannot do this without having divine grace
Or the power to follow the will of God
How, then, do you get grace?
Why is grace given to some
And not to others?
If I cannot follow the will of God by my own effort, because my will is selfish
How will my will, which is selfish, be transformed into an unselfish will?
If I cannot do it, because I am already the selfish will
Then grace must do it
Then grace must do it
If grace has not already done it, why not?
Because I didn't accept it?
But by definition, I have no power to accept it because my will was selfish
Must I then become a Calvinist
And say that only those people
Who are predestined to receive grace will be able to live the good life?
The good life
Then, we come back to the inadmissable position
That people who live evil lives do not get grace because they are not predestined to it
Out of the infinite wisdom of the Godhead
Then God himself must be held responsible for their evil deeds