Friendships

Why were Chariji and Babuji 

against friendships in ashrams or 

even outside ashrams?

Friendships are usually 

transactional, conditional, 

limiting, limited, 

between two separate beings. 

Based on a shared past. 

Trying to recreate its 

past positive aspects 

for a shared enjoyable future.

When only the Guide 

is considered as a friend, 

he changes your understanding 

of friendship 

as a relationship 

from limited and transactional 

to unlimited and flowing, 

ever-present.

Even the Guide is not 

a conventionally human friend.

He is a channel 

for love to flow through 

to you 

from his inside 

to you externally and 

for love to flow through 

from you 

from your inside 

to him externally.

Why flow? 

Why not just give and take?

Because flow is 

never-ending, 

inexhaustible, 

ever-present.

Flow never started.

Flow never ends.

But its expression 

ebbs and flows and 

even pauses, seemingly halts - 

depending on 

the channel's capacity, 

its expandability, 

its ability to sustain 

tsunamis as well as zephyrs.

If you understand yourself 

to also be a channel, 

then your transactional attitude 

will change.

Now your friendships with others 

will become 

subtler, deeper, wider, dynamic, 

but all in the present. 

And so, 

most importantly, 

independent of 

the residues of 

a shared past or 

imagined future. 

Natural. 

Easy-going. 

Non-sticky. 

Non-manipulative. 

Wholehearted. 

Positive. 

Energizing, not enervating.

Flowing.

Living.

No, thriving!