23.09.2001

Yatha Vairyo. Ashem Vohu.

AHURA. AHURA.

Om Shanti
Om Shanti.
Om Shanti, Shanti.
Om Shanti, Shanti.
Om .
Om.
Om Brahma Namah
Om Brahma Namah
Om Brahma Namah
Om Shiva Namah
Om Shiva Namah
Om Shiva Namah
Om Vishnu, Vishnu, Vishnu Namah
Om Shanti
Om Shanti
Om Shanti



How has this week been for all of you?

Better than last week, Sir.

Good. A few small changes in your diet are required. You may continue with what was told you last week, but this week you are allowed, if you desire, one cup of milk either to be taken once or through the day. But do not exceed one cup. All other milk products are still not permitted except a small quantity of curds to be consumed not more than twice a week or home made cheese again not to be consumed more than twice a week. If you have the home made cheese you must not have the curds. We urge you all not to have any coffee or coffee derivative in this week. What you must have is a tea that is to be prepared in the way we ask you. Boil the required quantity of water and add a few sprigs of tulsi, mint and green tea leaves. No dried, black tea leaves are to be added if you can avoid it. If you have to add them they must be added after the water has stopped boiling and it is not on the flame any more. Do not permit the dried black tea to be in the water for more than twenty seconds. The leaves that are to be added must be introduced in the water for one minute. The tea should be had at once. If the dried black tea is not in the tea then the tea can be kept and had after a little while. But if the black tea leaves have been introduced the tea must be had at once. It would be better if no milk if added to this tea. A further change is to be made. We ask you all to cut down on the quantity of white sugar, whether it is taken in its form or as an introduction to your food. We are now going to ask you for one more reduction in your diet which some of you will find very difficult. For one month no cocoa or cocoa products are to be consumed. When you have cocoa and cocoa products, when this cocoa is introduced into your body it lowers its vibrations and pulls you down to the solar plexus chakra and hara. That is why chocolate satisfies you when you are hurt or upset because it gives an energizing solace to these two lower chakras. Our endeavour is to go towards the two higher chakras. For one month.

My son (to Y) there is a change in the diet of this child which she must now follow. She must start the day with the tea preparation that we have given. She is now not allowed any coffee. It will be very difficult for her because to a little extent this child of mine has a coffee addiction. Coffee is once again a product that gives solace to the solar plexus and hara. You must have noticed that she drinks the largest amount of coffee when she is most angry or upset. She must have the tea preparation. All of you must have the tea preparation at least once a day. You can cool it and have it, if you do not add the dried black tea leaves. These have in them toxins which your body keeps accumulating and cannot throw out very easily.

 Child (to R) when healing someone with acidity, ulcers or cancer one of your symptoms that you can look for is the consumption of tea, coffee and cocoa and cocoa products.

Sir, are these for all cancers or the cancers of the abdomen?

All these are not the reason for the cancer. They will give you an indication about the reason.

Thank you, Sir.

Can we dare to make yet another suggestion? (All laugh)

If you must consume any alcohol, if you must, then you are permitted not more than a small quantity not more than once a week. Alcohol is to be completely avoided by you all, gently. Fortunately none of you here have an addiction and therefore giving it up will not be a problem. You are all what you call social drinkers and that is why we have said
' if you must'.

Is it alright to serve our guests?

Of course.

Sir, that means cognac chocolates are completely out.  (All laugh)

Sir, could you explain the tea preparation. I am a little confused about that.

For the tea, my child, take exactly the quantity of water that you require. This must be boiled. While it is boiling introduce a few sprigs of tulsi, mint and green tea leaves. This shall stay in for only one minute. If you find this distasteful and you need the black tea leaves, you may introduce that after the pot has been removed from the flame and do not let it be in the water for more than twenty seconds. No white sugar is to be added.

What about jaggery?

Jaggery is an excellent substitute.

Sir, what about honey?

Honey is very good, but remember that when honey is consumed in large quantities without the correct antidote the body cannot deal with it well.

We are already taking it with the lukewarm water.

That is why we are asking you not to consume more.

Should I also consume this, Sir, because I am taking neem and tulsi in the morning?

Son, you must stop your coffee. If you have to take tea, have the preparation we have given. Otherwise your diet remains constant.

Sir, so for me it is not compulsory to take the tea.

(Sir shook his head.)

Sir, can an ayurvedic tea mixture be taken instead of this preparation?

If you are certain that there are no other hidden additives then it is fine.

Sir, can we put in lemon or ginger?

Any natural addition is fine, even peppercorns. But, if you add these, the tea must be consumed at once.

Sir, do they have to be boiled with the tea?

None of these will be boiled. They will be added to the tea later.

Sir, the neem that I ..

Now, for neem. We wish all of you to consume one leaf of neem in the morning and one at night. It must be chewed. You may take it plain, with the honey that you already take, or with a few other tulsi leaves. All of these will be fine.

Sir, can I have an ayurvedic neem preparation as I find neem very difficult to take.

Child, having the leaf in its natural form is the best. And you will not find it difficult when mixed with honey. If you have a problem, try this. Take the required number of leaves for a week and dry them. Neem leaves dry very quickly. Once they are dry turn it into a powder and introduce a small quantity of the powder into the honey.

Sir, if you are already consuming more quantity of leaves...

You must stop.

Sir, N has found that recently neem has a taste even more bitter than usual. Is there a reason for this?

That is a matter of seasons.

Continue with the exercise. How are you all finding the exercise?

Very good, Sir.

Sir, with the candlelight I find I am getting a headache.

You are placing the candle very close.

Sir, I am rather uncomfortable lying flat on my back.

If you wish, my son, you can do this sitting. Place the candle on a shelf, but do not permit the shelf to be between your crown and the candle. The shelf can be a little distance away, but not between your crown and the candle.

Yes, Sir.

Sir, N feels that she does not get the benefit of the meeting like the other sitters do. Is there anything you can say about this?

She is resentful. You see, my son, for all of you, including this child, a constant reminder is of a great help. Receiving the reminder directly and receiving it through indirect means is different. She can get over this by going to some meditation class, or yoga class. There are so many opportunities now. Let her look for some thing to help her. In fact all of you, my children, would benefit a lot if you practiced yoga.

Sir, why does yoga hasten the spiritual progress so much?

Child, yoga is only one of the means. There are so many different ways to grow spiritually. Yoga is only one such. But because yoga helps you to link with your inner self easily it seems as though it hastens the process. When you attend a formal class of yoga, whether it is done separately as an individual or together in a group, this formal training with an experienced practitioner helps because your mistakes are checked at once.

Sir, could you tell us something about kriya yoga?

Son, that is a yoga that can be understood even in its very basic form after a number of years of other yogic training. It is most beneficial when you have already worked upon each individual chakra and they are in complete link. Kriya yoga is not a practice that one plays around with or decides to experiment with out of a sense of curiosity. So we will not get into this.

Sir, most yoga classes stress only on the physical exercises.

They must. Because that is the only way you all learn. The physical is still the most important to you and therefore it is only common sense that they start with what is most important to you.

Sir, what about tai-chi?

Child, all of these come from ancient cultures. Tai-chi also works with the energy around you, and how it is used by the physical body during different movements and how the physical body can link with its own spirit. Whether you follow one or the other, names may be different, practices may appear to be different, but they are all only harmonizing universal energy with your own. Even the arts which you call martial are really very strong spiritual exercises. The true exponent of these martial arts knows that he is practising this not to harm but in order to grow within himself so that he can help others. Each one's path is different but they all come home.

Sir, because of my work out of town I have not been able to pay that much attention to my dogs and that is making e feel very guilty.

Your guilt will stop you from enjoying either your work or your dogs. Child, a short while ago in your life you faced a crossroad, as so many have faced crossroads. Your crossroad was to go along one path and to devote your entire life to the welfare of the dogs. The second path was to choose to do what you really desired and take a brief look into this world of material pleasure. You took this road. Naturally on this road your association with your dogs will be reduced but never will it be completely removed. So do not blame yourself. Enjoy the road that you have chosen, the love that you share with the animals will always be your strong force. Do not allow guilt to make the road less joyous.

Thank you, Sir.

Sir, when we are meditating very often there is a strong pull at the back of the neck. What could that be due to?

This part of the neck is the part where the earth energy combines with the energy of the air. The two energies merge and enter here. At the same time the spiritual energy of a guide or another entity that wishes to communicate with you also enters through here. That is why you feel a pull.

Sir, is that the best time we can communicate with the masters?

There is no best time.

Sir, is that the same reason for the pull on the lower back or middle of the back?

The lower back and middle of the back are for completely different reasons. When the pull is felt in the middle of the back it means that the solar plexus chakra is being 'harshly' cleansed. The greater the pull the stronger is the cleansing. In the lower back the cleansing is being done to the hara.

Sir, in the last meeting you said that it is up to us whether we will be able to communicate without words. But, is it not automatic when we are on the other side that we communicate without words?

Spirit needs no words. It is the physical embodiment that needs the words. If you can overcome the trappings of the physical embodiment and be the spirit that you are, then you too will need no words. It is when the physical embodiment is no more that the spirit needs no words. In the physical embodiment you have to strive to reach such a stage.

Sir, was Shakespeare an evolved being? His writings sometimes border on the spiritual.

Shakespeare was a writer who wrote with compete inspiration.

Sir, was it not Sir Francis Bacon who wrote under this pen name?

(Sir smiled and shook his head) Sir Francis Bacon again was another writer who was very often inspired. Shakespeare completely wrote under an inspirational trance. But in physical embodiment Shakespeare was not one who would be considered religious or spiritual. He was wild, loved fun in all physical forms, enjoyed the material world around him, and therefore no one credited him with wisdom. That is why his works have been read as mere pieces of entertainment. If you can read his writings and look for hidden truths the allegories will leave you spell bound.

Sir, what is the connection between N and Shakespeare? There seems to be a lot of affinity.

No affinity. Only a common love for writing.

Sir, what about all these prophecies that have been made and translated, of Nostradamus?

Child, one must be very, very cautious. There is no doubt about the genuine prophetic ability of that soul. But as happens very often there are those who find it thrilling to fool people, trick others.

Sir, he made prophecies about things that were not present in his lifetime, of which he could know nothing.

He wrote a lot, and all of which is true. What you need to be cautious of, my dear one, is whether you are reading his words.

Sir, now there is talk that the Israelis are responsible for the WTC tragedy. Who is it, Sir, the Israelis or the fundamentalists?

How does that in any way take away from the entire large universal truth? Do you still not understand that your endeavour of trying to pin blame is only your desire to run away from your personal responsibility of this act. Yes, there are those whose job it is to investigate and discover. Let them do their earthly tasks. But when you use all the information that is being disseminated in order to make intellectual talk, you are once again playing your intellectual games hoping that no one will notice that you have run away from your responsibility. You asked whether that it is the Israelis or the fundamentalists and I tell you that it is you. But that is truth that none of you wish to acknowledge. And so the newspapers and your television sets form very welcome little hiding places for your games of 'hide and don't seek me out'. If you all continue with these games then what must, will.

Sir, but how are we responsible for this? How have we contributed towards this?

With every angry word that you spoke, with every irritable thought that you thought, with every action that harmed another even the slightest. You have forgotten that all action, word and thought are only energy. You have also forgotten what physics has taught you. That when you create energy you do so knowing full well that you cannot destroy it. You cannot convert it into a different form but you cannot destroy it. So your harsh judgments have their energy there. And your angry words have their energy there. And your actions have their energy there. Where does all this energy go? Do you think it merely dissipates into nothingness? It stays and accumulates and just as bad cells in your body group together to become what you call a cancer, these energies group together tighter and tighter ever expanding. This energy lies untapped in the universe and it waits for a catalyst so that it can be used and channeled. What took place was the result of this catalyst. But who provided this energy?

Sir, did karma have a hand in this as well?

It must, mustn't it? Karma is merely cause and effect and isn't this merely an effect of all that you have put out. Karma is not only the result of what has passed in ancient times. You can face a karmic result here and now. To give you a simple day to day example this might eliminate doubts about karma. You may have heard an angry word in the morning and retaliated angrily, saying what you should not have spoken. Your excuse is always "I was angry' 'I did not mean that'. But your words have created the energy and for a long while that energy stays around you. It does not immediately go into something that you call space. This energy is now around you and when you go through the day a friend, a loved one, a business partner, a stranger on the road, any one who comes close to you becomes a catalyst and channels your anger energy back to you. Cause and effect almost at once.

Sir, if there is good energy that is released can it negate the negative energy?

Never. But the negative energy itself can be transformed, and we have given you exercises how to do this. But we have also cautioned that these exercises are extremely potent and must not be done unless you are completely ready. Now, my child, answer your own question. Was it the Israeli? Was it an Afghani? Was it an Indian? Was it an American? Does it really matter who the catalyst was? But by looking for that catalyst, you hide behind that catalyst; you permit that catalyst to take the blame, because in that you are secure in your hiding.  And if you continue to judge this action harshly, if you continue to ask for retribution and revenge for this action, if you continue to pass harsh judgments on those you consider bad and evil, you will also continue to feed the negative energy that is already cancerous in this universe. That is the road you can take. You have that right as a human. The right and choice of free will to go upon that road but when you take that road you must do so knowing all the consequences. When you travel on a strange road do you not first try to find out where that road will lead? Or do you travel on that road till it leads you into a brick wall? There is another road. This other road, and we repeat this other road, will not negate what you have already put out. This other road will be one of understanding, this other road will not have one harsh word spoken, and this other road you do not look at with your physical eyes. You see, you hear, you understand, you accept, you believe and you are only your heart. That road will enable you to emit an energy that you call good. We call it productive, because this energy can produce itself, unlike negative energy. Negative energy needs to be produced by an external object or person. It cannot regenerate. Productive energy can regenerate itself. Your one act of pure love can regenerate and manifold itself throughout. It also needs a catalyst to be channeled. Once you have put out enough positive, productive energy and once you are comfortable on this other road you can then start this very, very hard and sometimes dangerous task of transforming non-regenerating energy.

Sir, if we got together in a group to send light..

Why do you need to be in a group?

Wouldn't that energy be more advantageous, Sir?

Every individual, every moment needs to give out this energy. How convenient it would be for you if we asked you to do this once a day for fifteen minutes because then you would feel right that 'I have done my duty'. This is not something you do at a set time. You do this just as you breathe. Do you keep aside a time for breathing? Then how can you keep aside a time for emitting the energy of love? My children, can you understand better now?

Oh, yes, Sir.

Can you understand now why we have not asked you to sit together for five minutes every day?

Sir, but we are still at the stage when we can love with our minds and not with our hearts.

Even that, my son, is something that you have not attained completely, even that. And those are the fist steps you need to take. Why do you blame the first steps? It is the first steps that will eventually take you to your destination. You cannot expect to go to your destination without taking the first steps.

(There was a long silence and Sir said not a word)

Questions.

Sir, sometimes I am faced with a very great anger. How should I react?

Do not react. Respond. There is a difference. When you react, my child, you are only using the first messages that your mind, through set thought patterns, will transmit to you. When you respond you ignore these first messages. You take a few moments to disconnect from the set thought patterns of the mind, to look within the soul and then to look out from the soul. When you look out from the soul you will understand why another is doing what he needs to do. You will understand the role that you and another play. You will understand that what you are looking at and mistaking for a complete picture is really only a very small part of a huge jigsaw puzzle that you cannot see yet. When you are faced with anger you are also faced with a question of your own responsibility. My child, you get angry when you react to another's words and actions. When you respond you do not get angry. Anger is reactive. It needs a catalyst and when you permit the other person or a situation to be that catalyst you must then take your own responsibility. So to your question how 'do I react', our answer is 'do not'.

 Now we will tell you how to respond. A response, my child, is very rarely instantaneous in the initial stages. When you are learning to get off the band wagon of reactivity and get on to the slow train of response you have to 'wait'. These few moments of waiting are essential because these moments you will require to disconnect from the mind which is still so important for you. When you have disconnected, once again review the situation, this time asking only one question of your soul ' what lesson do I need to learn from this moment'? You all look at your lives and look for large lessons to learn when life puts forth lessons for you every moment. So ask yourself 'what lesson do I need to learn from this moment'. You may or may not get an answer. If the answer is not forthcoming it only means, my child, that your mind is not disconnected enough. Now do not get angry with yourself for that. It is all part of a long process.  But, if you do not get an answer, permit yourself to make you believe that there is an answer that you are not getting, that there is a lesson that you are not seeing, and if there is a lesson, there naturally has to be someone or something that has to teach you that lesson. When someone or something does something for you, you must express gratitude. You would never have learnt all that you did in school were it not for your teachers, and although sometimes teachers in life take on very ugly faces they are still your teachers and they must be acknowledged and they must be thanked.

Now you may understand why response is so difficult and reaction so easy. Your mind has been conditioned from a very young age to react. How has this happened? When you are an infant and in complete link with your soul you will respond to every situation. As you grow and the link, necessarily due to free will, gets weaker, you look around at the lessons taught to you by your immediate environment. Your immediate environment is your parents. What does this infant see? It sees a tired mother reacting. It sees an angry father reacting. It sees a loving parent reacting. It sees joyful grandparents reacting. And slowly the infant learns that the human way is reaction. And the mind is conditioned very, very quickly to react. By the time the child is two years old this mind is conditioned one hundred percent. That is why you sometimes call these children 'the terrible two's'. You call them terrible because now they have learnt to react just like you. When they responded you yourself felt a sense of calm and peace. This calm and peace disappears when the child began to react. And as the child grows its reactivity gets heightened. For children of today this is their greatest threat. Reactivity. They cannot escape it because they are in human form. They must be gently guided to recondition. But if the environment of the children is such that there is only reactivity the reconditioning cannot take place. So when you ask such a question, my child, our answer does not seem very helpful. We have no short cuts to give you. We have no mantras which you can chant. We only give you the benefit of our wisdom. And it is this wisdom that you have to use as you desire. So sometimes our answers seem what you call 'idealistic' 'too difficult'. 'We are human' you say. Of course you are, and that is why you are respected by all, because you have taken this choice to be human.

Sir, may I say something that strikes me at this time? The talk you have given to us makes me understand the depth of spiritual wisdom in the old sayings like 'count to ten before you say a harsh word'.

Very true, and while counting with your mind let your soul reveal the truth to you.

Sir, sometimes we deliberately act as though we are angry when a situation demands that.

That is not reactivity. That is a deliberate choice that you have made in order to assert yourself and to disassociate yourself from what you find unpleasant. That is not reactivity, that is a response. You have been given a free will and if your free will choice is to disassociate yourself from unpleasantness you have the right to assert but you do not have the right to be aggressive, to be enraged, and to be harmful. When you assert, that is true productive use of anger.

This happened to me to me in office and though I was not really angry I put on this harshness and now I find it difficult to go back to the old friendly relation with that colleague.

Child, there are decisions which you will always have to make. Let me explain to you your desire. You have always been an individual who has tried to move away from conflict. You wish to be amicable, you wish to be accepted by all, and you wish to live according to your sense of harmony. When a situation gets unpleasant and you need to assert yourself you find this difficult and you allow the situation to grow and worsen till with a little help from others you are able to toughen yourself enough to assert. But because assertion is not natural to you, due to the preconditions of your mind, you confuse assertion, and this results sometimes in what you called harshness. As soon as you have been harsh your precondition of wanting amity all around once again strikes in. You must, my child, you must accept that in every sphere in every group of persons you will meet those whose actions, words and deeds you will find unpleasant. That is a judgment that you have passed, yes, and that you need to individually work upon. But there is also a practical need to remove yourself from such a situation. And if you need to remove yourself with the use of assertion, with the use of a gentle force, it is ok. Whenever you find that there is an unpleasant person or situation, there are two things that you need to do. One, you must acknowledge that you have passed a judgment. You must then look for a lesson to learn. Very often in your case it will be a lesson of making a choice of assertion with complete love for all around you and with complete love for yourself. Assertion, sternness, a firm hand are not indicative of no love. If that were so your spiritual guides would all the time be blamed for having no love. You do not need to please every one at all times. You only need to please yourself at all times and we use this word self in a very large context. Your self must be pleased, must be in harmony. That is the only right choice for everyone. And what harmonies with you need not be something that harmonizes with another, just as what harmonizes with another need not harmonize with you. And if it does not then, yes, it becomes your duty to remove yourself either physically, or if that is not possible, then by the use of, not a harsh force, but a force that has the strength of love behind it, to ensure that your harmony is not disturbed. This is a lesson that you all need to learn. When, my child, you continue to accept the unpleasant situation again and again the growing disharmony within you will lead to only one human result and that is resentment.

Yes, Sir that is what happens to me.

And this resentment will then come out as rage and stay in the universe as negative energy. And you can stop all that if at the very first moment of disharmony you stop the disharmony. Is this all clear to you?

Yes, Sir.

It is not rude to tell another not to do something. It is not rude, nor is it hurtful. If your intention, and I do not mean the mental intention, if your soul intention is one of love you can never hurt. Yes, the one it has been directed to might perceive it as such. That is a moment of question for you. Honestly ask yourself 'did I disguise my intention to hurt or was there a genuine love within my heart which for some reason the other did not receive?' If there is genuine love you need to have not one moment of guilt. If there is guilt you need to pay attention. The guilt is teaching you a lesson that the love was tinged and marred by some mental preconditioning.

 For all this to be done you need to slow down. You need to slow down the speed of speech, of action, and most difficult, the speed of thought. Start on the easiest, words and actions and then when you have mastered this completely, slow down the speed of thought. When you have slowed it down completely there will come a time when there is no thought. You will only be in the   minute. There will be no thought of what went, there will be no thought of what will, there will be no thought of what is. There will only be I AM.

Sir, this is perceived as weakness very often, and people take advantage of you.

Why should their perception matter? No one takes advantage of you. No one takes advantage of you. You have permitted a situation to take place. You ask a question which deals with the perceptions of others. The soul does not need the perceptions of others to exist, but the physical mind does. You need external approval. You need validation. You need others to call you strong, because it is only then that your mind will accept these positive qualities within you. And as soon as another perceives you as weak or evil, once again you will accept this and make these qualities yours. No one, my children, takes advantage of you. In fact, you must strive to be taken advantage of. Let them take advantage of the wonderful soul that you are. Let them take advantage of the inner soul strength that you possess. Let them use you so that in your being used a lesson might be learnt. Let another take advantage of you to learn his lesson, let another take advantage of you to proceed from what is not to what is. But for another to take true advantage of you, you must have something to give.

 If my child I turned around and rudely said 'you are a man!' Will this bother you?

No, Sir.

Why not?

Because I know that I am a woman.

Because you are certain of your sex and you do not need validation from me. Do I need to say any more?

Before we end, Son, we are again reminding you that this child must stop her consumption of coffee. She will lose her temper, she will throw her little tantrums, but that is not to deter you. You can always take the help of the leader of this group.

Sir, she is going to resent this.

Yes. She needs to have complete control over everything and everyone. That is why she is so satisfied in school. There her control is complete. She does not need to resort to anger. Her very presence is enough to control. So there are no harsh words ever spoken in school. But the situation is different at home. These two children will not accept her control and so she must resort to harshness and as they move away from her control and grow older the harshness will increase unless she can acknowledge this weakness in herself and work on it. Remember, my son, whenever you find her harsh or resentful look for that lack of control that she is feeling. You, my son, have a gift. You know what to say to her.

More when to say to her.

That is also right. But, my son, may I point out a little weakness of yours that is growing, so that you can stop it. Your greatest gift, my son, as already told to you is your infinite capacity to listen. And you listen not with your ears but with your heart. Due to the situation around you and all that you are personally struggling with, you have stopped listening with your heart and are listening with your mind. And your mind stops you from listening completely and makes to wish to take control by voicing your views. My son, compare yourself now to what you were a year ago and you will, we are certain, be able to find the difference. Do not stop this gift. There are a lot of troubled souls who will come to you and your only task is to listen. And in your listening they will find a comfort so great that no words that you might say will matter.




HLM:


(To A) Look forward to the coming year.

(To K) Have you prayed this week?

Yes, Sir, I think I have.

How can you think?

Yes, Sir I have.

This son of mine (Y) has a complaint. I never smile, he says. (HLM smiled at Y)

(All laughed)

Thank you, Sir.

I smile, my son, but not, but not when there is no need. And you have been given this smile because there is a reason. Without your conscious mind being aware of it, my son, you have let go of your poverty.

Thank you, Sir.

And you must thank your friends and you must thank your family. NO MORE THOUGHT OF POVERTY.

(HLM got up and went to R and rubbed a spot on the nape of her neck.)

Your eye is bright. Open it further. See the world with only one eye. These two eyes make you see unreality. When you wish to see, close these eyes and see with one. It is sparkling and it will never close.

Thank you, Sir.

(HLM sent strong shafts of energy into the third eye of R. Then he went and placed his hand upon J)

He needs care.

Sir, what should I do?

(No reply)

Joy is upon you.

(HLM blessed all and the meeting ended.)