We have to experience everything twice. Once as an aspirant and the once as an awakened being. You may have to travel to the same places, eat the same foods, meet the same people, go through the same pleasures and pain, see the same movies, and listen to the same jokes. The only difference is you. You will laugh at all your past reactions. You will wonder if the experiencer of all these events even existed. Even when watching the reruns of a TV show, Seinfeld, your reactions will be different. If you visit the places you went to, your school, college, and work, the memories are there, but it will feel that they all happened in a dream—that they were not real. This is because the real experiencer does not exist. The mind has the movie of memories. You can watch it, and the person in the movie looks similar to you but is not the real you. For everyone’s sake, you play your part by showing the reactions you had. Inside, you are telling yourself, “I was the dumbest person ever created. I got affected by such small things. One who was scared of cockroaches, snakes, rats, dogs, lizards, and other creatures, or cried and had fear of financial losses, death of loved ones, major sicknesses, or the pain of various attachments.” You too will laugh at the reactions of the ignorant you. Enjoy living the second time. Hope each one of us gets to live twice. — Satish Daryanani
