The experience is what the seeker hopes will give him/her realization of the Truth. Unfortunately, this myth has been perpetuated by misinterpretation of the teachings of the ancient texts on Advaita. Strange as it may seem, only one who has Realized can truly understand the message of these ancient texts without misinterpretation. While the purpose of these texts or teachings is to point a seeker towards the Truth of who they are, the paradox is that the real meaning cannot be grasped until the seeker Realizes the Truth.
Most seekers are chasing experiences throughout their spiritual journey. They have been told or somehow come to the conclusion that Self Realization is some sort of everlasting ecstatic experience where once and for all the world as it is ceases to exist. This cannot be farther from the truth of it. One must realize that all experiences have a beginning and must therefore have an end. What begins and ends cannot be the Truth for the Truth is eternal and that implies no beginning and no end. After the so called ecstatic experience ends, the experiencer, which in this case is the seeker, goes back to the same mundane state or field of mundane experiences and ends up being disappointed. Remember, what comes and goes is not Real. Then what is Real? Obviously, any experience cannot be real for all experiences must have a beginning.
The object of experience can exist only if there is an experiencer. There must be experiencing for there to be an experienced. There must be experiencing for there to be an experiencer. The only common factor is experiencing. One must focus the mind on the experiencer. As soon as the experiencer is realized to be a false entity, the object of experience disappears and all that remains is experiencing. Experiencing is always in the present. It is always here and now. There is no experiencer or experienced, only experiencing. Experiencing is the manifestation of Consciousness and is only in the realm of Consciousness. Being is experiencing, without an experiencer or experienced.
So, would you still chase experiences knowing that it is a futile effort? Stop it, right here and now. Just BE.
Sunday, June 12, 2011
Tuesday, June 7, 2011
Reconciling the Truth with the Illusion
A common criticism for the philosophy of Advaita or Non-dualism is that it is not practical. Many a seeker feels that this teaching cannot reconcile with what is the perceived reality of the world. This is because, to the seeker, what is called the Illusion or the world and its activities goes on despite the assertions of the Guru that it all nothing but an illusion. When carefully probed it becomes clear that the problem is not in Advaita. On the contrary, it is obvious that the very problem lies in the seeker having not found out his True Nature. On realizing one's True Nature, the Truth remains and the Illusion remains only as an illusion. The Illusion does not disappear for the so called "me' since the "me' and the illusion are one and the same. The "me" is part of the illusion. One cannot be a part of the illusion and see the illusion for what it is. Just like a person who is sleeping cannot tell you that he is sleeping well. The seeker wants to maintain his identity while investigating into the nature of the Truth. How can the seeker realize the Truth with this condition of maintaining a separate identity? Only when the feeling "me' as being a separate entity with independence subsides does the Truth become apparent and obvious immediately. Yet, there is actually no one to claim observance or realization of the Truth. Truth is not an object to be realized. Truth is itself the grounds or the substratum upon which all of manifestation arises. Because it is difficult to put Truth into words for communication, one has to rely on commonly used words in language to point to the Truth. Yet the word is not the thing and this must be borne in mind when investigating into the nature of Truth. The question of reconciling Truth with the Illusion can only arise for a seeker who has not fully Realized the Truth. For upon Realization, there is no one to put forward any questions. The seeker has merged in the Truth. Only Truth remains.
May be this analogy will help in understanding your True Nature. A wave is nothing but the water of the ocean with a form. In reality, the wave is nothing but water. The ocean is nothing but water. When a wave has merged into the ocean, it is nothing but the ocean itself. Can a wave that has merged in the water of the ocean ever make claims to being a wave? Can the wave that has merged in the ocean and can never be apart from the ocean, have any identity now? In the same way, a wave which Realizes its own True Nature as being only the ocean (or the water of the ocean), can calmly relax being a wave without worrying about its future and its own impending destruction as a form. The wave on Knowing its own True Self does not get destroyed as a form immediately but continues on its journey as a wave. Such a Realized Wave can tell other non-realized waves that they are in reality just the water of the ocean. Such a Realized Wave can tell other non-realized waves that they did not choose to be born as a wave and they have no control on when the form as a wave will subside. The wave form has appeared on the surface of the ocean and will spontaneously merge back into the ocean when its time is up. The non-realized waves, assuming themselves to be forms with different shapes and sizes, have overlooked the fact that they are after all nothing but the water of the ocean in reality. The non-realized waves have falsely taken the form to be the reality and ignored their true nature which is water. Such a Realized Wave can tell other non-realized waves not to worry about themselves or their future of possibly being relentlessly thrown against a rock or destroyed otherwise against their will. Such a Realized Wave can tell other non-realized waves that they are not apart from the ocean in any way and have never ever been apart from the ocean. In fact, the ocean is the substratum of their existence as a wave. In fact, the waves all arise and subside into the ocean. The ocean remains as it always has been, unchanged as a body of water.
Your True Nature or your True Self is like the water, the water at the bottom of the ocean, Still and Peaceful and undisturbed by the world of activities and turmoil which is apparent on the surface. Be Your Self.
May be this analogy will help in understanding your True Nature. A wave is nothing but the water of the ocean with a form. In reality, the wave is nothing but water. The ocean is nothing but water. When a wave has merged into the ocean, it is nothing but the ocean itself. Can a wave that has merged in the water of the ocean ever make claims to being a wave? Can the wave that has merged in the ocean and can never be apart from the ocean, have any identity now? In the same way, a wave which Realizes its own True Nature as being only the ocean (or the water of the ocean), can calmly relax being a wave without worrying about its future and its own impending destruction as a form. The wave on Knowing its own True Self does not get destroyed as a form immediately but continues on its journey as a wave. Such a Realized Wave can tell other non-realized waves that they are in reality just the water of the ocean. Such a Realized Wave can tell other non-realized waves that they did not choose to be born as a wave and they have no control on when the form as a wave will subside. The wave form has appeared on the surface of the ocean and will spontaneously merge back into the ocean when its time is up. The non-realized waves, assuming themselves to be forms with different shapes and sizes, have overlooked the fact that they are after all nothing but the water of the ocean in reality. The non-realized waves have falsely taken the form to be the reality and ignored their true nature which is water. Such a Realized Wave can tell other non-realized waves not to worry about themselves or their future of possibly being relentlessly thrown against a rock or destroyed otherwise against their will. Such a Realized Wave can tell other non-realized waves that they are not apart from the ocean in any way and have never ever been apart from the ocean. In fact, the ocean is the substratum of their existence as a wave. In fact, the waves all arise and subside into the ocean. The ocean remains as it always has been, unchanged as a body of water.
Your True Nature or your True Self is like the water, the water at the bottom of the ocean, Still and Peaceful and undisturbed by the world of activities and turmoil which is apparent on the surface. Be Your Self.
Thursday, June 2, 2011
Knowledge is Ignorance
What you seek in the form of knowledge has to be based on the Primary Knowledge that you exist. This Knowledge of Existence is delivered in the form of the thought 'I am". You KNOW you ARE. There is no doubt about it. You are absolutely certain about your existence without anyone telling you about it. In your Original True State, you did not know you exist and then all of a sudden this Knowledge appeared spontaneously. This knowledge or "I-consciousness" arose spontaneously in your early childhood. You took this knowledge as being true and thereafter started building a story about yourself being an entity with a body and name. The "I-consciousness" or the Knowledge 'I am' is the Primary Illusion. Based on this illusion, you have gone about accumulating more and more indirect or acquired knowledge. Never having questioned the validity of this Primary Knowledge, your quest for spiritual knowledge was pursued in the wrong direction! The spiritual knowledge or indirect knowledge is nothing but more layers of ignorance(not knowledge as you think) added upon the Primary Illusion or Primary Knowledge of "I-consciousness". Hence, despite all your claims to understanding of the pointers to your True State, you have continued to suffer because you have failed to understand this Primary Knowledge. Suffering means that you have continued to search and seek out knowledge or experiences.
It is imperative that you question as to how this Primary Knowledge or consciousness came upon you. This Primary Knowledge can be present only as long as this body form is nourished with food and maintained. When this food body disintegrates (called 'death' in common lay terms), then the Primary Knowledge departs. So, where has all your accumulated knowledge gone to? What is the use of all your accumulated indirect knowledge of the arts, spirituality, sciences etc.? What is the sum total of all your indirect knowledge and experiences? Could you have had any experience of any kind without consciousness? Is it not true therefore that all experiences are in consciousness? And is it not true that you have placed so much emphasis on the experiences and on the indirect acquired knowledge of spirituality without inquiring as to who or what is the primary experiencer? Is it not true that all your sadhana (spiritual practice) is only to perpetuate and pay homage to the acquired knowledge and experiences? Can you in all sincerity ask yourself these questions and come to conclusions?
This Primary Knowledge is time bound and body bound. Therefore it is not eternal. What you truly, truly ARE is THAT, which is ETERNAL. Eternal means that which is not born and therefore does not die, that which is timeless and therefore any thing cannot be IT. So, it is essential to analyze and understand the true nature and origins of this Primary Knowledge and having understood that it is only an illusion, an appearance bound by time, you discard it as not you. The Primary Knowledge- I am, is itself not the Truth but it is all that you have access to. Therefore, while you must pray to this Primary Knowledge as your God, you must realize that what you truly, truly ARE is Prior to this Primary Knowledge. Question this Primary Knowledge of I am. Stay with this Knowledge. Pray to this Knowledge. It will lead you to Its Source. Keep the mind focused on this Primary Knowledge, the Knowledge 'I am'. Anything else you think about is leading you away from Its Source. As this author's Guru Nisargadatta Maharaj pointed out- "Go back. Recede." Realizing that you are Prior to any knowledge or ignorance, can you take any pride in knowing who you truly, truly ARE?
What you truly, truly ARE is prior to or beyond any knowledge and ignorance. Discarding all knowledge and ignorance as not mine, I rest in my True State which is the Stateless State of THAT. I am THAT.
It is imperative that you question as to how this Primary Knowledge or consciousness came upon you. This Primary Knowledge can be present only as long as this body form is nourished with food and maintained. When this food body disintegrates (called 'death' in common lay terms), then the Primary Knowledge departs. So, where has all your accumulated knowledge gone to? What is the use of all your accumulated indirect knowledge of the arts, spirituality, sciences etc.? What is the sum total of all your indirect knowledge and experiences? Could you have had any experience of any kind without consciousness? Is it not true therefore that all experiences are in consciousness? And is it not true that you have placed so much emphasis on the experiences and on the indirect acquired knowledge of spirituality without inquiring as to who or what is the primary experiencer? Is it not true that all your sadhana (spiritual practice) is only to perpetuate and pay homage to the acquired knowledge and experiences? Can you in all sincerity ask yourself these questions and come to conclusions?
This Primary Knowledge is time bound and body bound. Therefore it is not eternal. What you truly, truly ARE is THAT, which is ETERNAL. Eternal means that which is not born and therefore does not die, that which is timeless and therefore any thing cannot be IT. So, it is essential to analyze and understand the true nature and origins of this Primary Knowledge and having understood that it is only an illusion, an appearance bound by time, you discard it as not you. The Primary Knowledge- I am, is itself not the Truth but it is all that you have access to. Therefore, while you must pray to this Primary Knowledge as your God, you must realize that what you truly, truly ARE is Prior to this Primary Knowledge. Question this Primary Knowledge of I am. Stay with this Knowledge. Pray to this Knowledge. It will lead you to Its Source. Keep the mind focused on this Primary Knowledge, the Knowledge 'I am'. Anything else you think about is leading you away from Its Source. As this author's Guru Nisargadatta Maharaj pointed out- "Go back. Recede." Realizing that you are Prior to any knowledge or ignorance, can you take any pride in knowing who you truly, truly ARE?
What you truly, truly ARE is prior to or beyond any knowledge and ignorance. Discarding all knowledge and ignorance as not mine, I rest in my True State which is the Stateless State of THAT. I am THAT.
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