No Questions About IT

"I clearly understand all that is taught in Advaita philosophy, but.....". This is perhaps the most common comment from a true seeker and most will admit that while this teaching in some way resonates with them, they still continue to have doubts and as a result continue to suffer.  Why is that? The reason is quite simple enough.  Almost all seekers look at this teaching as something to attain. They somehow have this notion that once they intellectually understand the teaching, then everything will automatically fall in place. The problem is that they have started out with the wrong belief of being an individual, an entity that has some substance and is independent of the world around them. They look at themselves as being separate.  To them, THAT is some 'thing' that can be attained and added to their list of achievements. To them, God is a separate entity, an entity that can be KNOWN. They fail to realize that anything that is known is an object.  And all objects can exist only if there is a SUBJECT that can know them.  They have failed to understand the very foundation of the entire teaching of Advaita or Non-Duality.  Instead of turning their ENTIRE ATTENTION TOWARDS THE SUBJECT i.e. "I", they look to the world of objects, reading material, talks, and sensual experiences for an answer.  As long as there is this feeling of being a separate entity, there is no way that one can REALIZE one's True Nature.  Give up this concept of being a conceptual entity. Enquire into the nature of this concept called 'me'.  Giving up all concepts, what and who are you?  Without a form or name or a label, can you please describe your self?  Any description has to be related to a concept.  Because you believe your True Self to be also a concept, you look for conceptual understanding.  You are not a concept. YOU ARE THAT!  How can THAT which is beyond all concepts be ever described or grasped?

So, what can one do to REALIZE?  One can only let this Knowledge sink in deep within, without trying to conceptualize. Thereafter, the intellect is given up in favor of intuition. Intuition comes from the Heart. Heart is what one has to rely on to Realize one's True Nature. Heart is where the Grace is.  When one gives up the intellectual battles and relaxes, leaving everything to Grace, then Grace takes over and Self-Realization is natural. In fact, you can never be apart from Grace. All struggle, including the struggle for Realization is by the ego. Giving up the struggle means giving up the ego.

One who has REALIZED will never say " I understand IT!".  He or she will just keep quiet. When there are no further doubts or questions, then one can be sure that there has been UNDERSTAND-ING.  The one who has questions dissolves as soon as Realization occurs.  Who is there to have any questions? There can be no questions about IT.

I Know Not Who I am

Bulla! I know not who I am
Bulla! I know not who I am

Nor am I the believer in the mosque
Nor am I in Idol worship
Nor am I in the pure or the impure

Nor am I in the Vedas
Nor am I in intoxicants
Nor am I the carefree deviant

Nor am I union nor grief
Nor am I in the pure or the impure
Nor am I of the water nor of the land

Nor am I fire nor air
Bulla! I know not who I am

Nor am I Arabic nor from Lahore (city in Punjab)
Nor am I the Indian city of Nagpur
Nor a Hindu nor a Peshawari Turk

Nor did I create the difference of faith
Nor did I create Adam or Eve
Nor did I name myself

Beginning or end, I know just the self
Do not recognize "the other one"
There is none wiser than I

Who is this Bulla Shah?
Bulla! I know not who I am

Written by Bulla Shah, an 18th Century Sufi Saint

Love for the Divine

You may wonder where this particular essay is heading to. Is this really Advaita when we talk about love for the Divine? The fact of the matter is that you long for union with the Universal Consciousness.  It is the common goal of every individual. Only, one does not know that this is what they want. This union, if it can be so called, is what results in the feeling of unexplainable peace or joy. In this state of union, there is no sense of a "me" and there is no description of the state that can be put into words. This state of union with the Divine is ineffable. This union, this discovery of God or the Divine, is the simplest and most natural of things, if only one could grasp what is being pointed to. This union can be achieved not through any intellectual exercise (including just reading this or other Advaitic literature) or through ceremonial and ritual activities, but only through sheer and sincere devotion and love for the Divine. The Divine is closer to you than you are. The Divine or God, is the source of you and thereby everything else. The goal can be literally reached without crossing the road. The Divine may be best found in the here and now. It is just a matter of letting go of the external distractions and influences and surrendering to the Divine. As the saying goes you must believe in what you don't know so that you can come to know what you believe in. There is no point in looking for the Divine elsewhere when HE is right here and now. Just return home to the place you never left.