Stairway To Heaven

Whenever there is a mention of the word 'Heaven', all types of conceptual images arise. The fact is that most if not all have no clue what Heaven is or would be. The general conception is that it is a place of eternal happiness and bliss. A place where all your wishes get fulfilled and there shall be no more needs or wants. Indeed a mystical and perhaps mythical place. Most people look up towards the sky to indicate that there is a Heaven somewhere up there or out there. The strange truth is that Heaven is right here and available right now. Yes. That is the plain and simple truth. IT can only be experienced while you are alive. While you still have the feeling or sense of being, the sense "I am".

Heaven is not up there or somewhere out there. Neither do you have to climb up the stairway. On the contrary, one has to climb down the stairway from where you came from. Yes. From where you first started. On going down the stairs, one has to go backwards. Backwards all the way to the beginning. Your beginning. Only when one tries can this stairway be descended. So, why don't you step down and start going back?

At the end of the stairway is a tiny little trap door. The label on the trap door says "I AM". You are now afraid to step in through the trap door for you know not what lies beyond. Do not be afraid. Remember we are heading back to where you came from. From where this whole journey began in the first place. Will you please step in through the trap door. Yes, despite your objections, you will easily fit in through the door.

Once you have stepped through, you enter a dimensionless area of lightless light and soundless sound. An area of stillness of which you are still aware. There is only a feeling of beingness.  You may feel you are in Heaven but actually you are not. This feels like Heaven, you may say. But do not be fooled. It is Heaven and yet it is not.  You want to dwell here for a long long time. It is peaceful, blissful and totally silent. You keep falling through this area unaware of where you will go next. It is almost an endless abyss.

As one falls further into the abyss, at one point you have actually exited out of the area of beingness, and now there is complete absence of any sense of beingness. In this deepest depths of abyss, you have dissolved completely.  There is no question of being or no being. This is the region beyond awareness or no awareness. Indescribable. This is your True resting place, your Home, which you never ever left in the first place. All of the rest is just an imagination. An illusion.  If so, who is it that wants to descend down the stairway to Heaven?

The Great Knowledge I AM

It is not uncommon for a person to take himself/herself to be someone superior to others based on the knowledge that he or she has. One feels that one has so much knowledge of arts, sciences or even spirituality. This inevitably leads one to believe in his or her greatness and uniqueness.  Unfortunately, even pursuit of spiritual knowledge without the guidance of a Guru can lead one to this assumption.  Let us go about in seeing how false this assumption is.

Have you ever questioned as to the primary source of ALL Knowledge? Is it not true that unless you are, there can be no question of a 'you' acquiring knowledge of any kind? Then let us start from the very beginning. The very beginning of a "you". Yes, you, the reader. Let us explore as to where you came from. Can you trace yourself back to the beginning? Just try. Going back is simpler than it appears. In your mother's womb, you were not aware of your own existence (the fact that you are).  Let us call it 'ignorance' of the fact that you are.  However, after the birth of the body, which you now assume as your self, spontaneously and without any particular cause, you came to KNOW you are.  From the 'ignorance' sprouted this Knowledge of Being.  Initially, this was just a generalized knowledge of Being.  Neither being this or that. Just Being.  Then, somewhere in your first two years of existence, this Original Knowledge that you are, became identified with the body and the thoughts.  With this came the idea of being an entity, an entity with a body and mind.  An entity that calls itself "I". Once this "I" idea or thought took hold, there was no going back!  The story just became more and more complicated. Concepts were added over other concepts and here you are thinking of yourself as a person. You now want to be free as you are utterly fed up with the continuously changing concepts about your own self. You are unable to find out who you really, really are.

This knowledge 'I am' (or consciousness) is the very foundation on which all other knowledge depends.  Because of this Knowledge 'I am" (or consciousness) there is the appearance of the world.  This very Knowledge when acting through the senses creates the world for you.  This very Knowledge gives rise to the "I" and the feeling of being an entity. This very Knowledge is the source of all that you know and can ever know.  It is indeed this Knowledge- 'I am", which is so great since it is the creator of all that is known as well as unknown. It is therefore the most valuable of your assets. Pray to this Knowledge -I am. Hold on to IT. Since IT is the source of a 'you', it is also the source of the way out of a 'you'. It is therefore the gateway to freedom. Hang on to IT.  When you thank the Lord, you are actually thanking this Knowledge-I am, for it is the greatest of all. Jnana (Knowledge) is all there is.

Don't you think it is appropriate to go back to where you came from so that you can once and for all identify who you really, really are? Instead of wasting time burying yourself in more and more concepts, is it not appropriate for you to inquire into the primary concept? Do not just read but meditate over what is being said by all the ancient sages. This Great Knowledge I am is available for free to everyone. It is just of matter of paying attention to IT.

Don't Worry, Be Happy

Are we all not familiar with the statement ' Don't worry, be happy'?  Yet, are you really, really happy? And then, what exactly is happiness you may say.  Obviously, to each individual the definition of happiness will be different and vary with the conditions and multiple factors. In short, the underlying equation can be summed up as happiness is present when the wants of a person are met. However, in your observation of the world around you, would you agree that when the wants of a person are met there is happiness? Obviously, not.  For when a particular want has been satisfied, there is soon another want or need.  Suppose, you want a really nice big house and you recently won the lottery and actually end up buying a nice big house of your choice, would that be the end of your suffering? Maybe so, for a short period of time. Thereafter, you are back to square one. Which is wanting something else and still suffering as a result thereof.  It soon becomes obvious that searching for permanent or unchanging happiness in this world of changing objects and conditions and environment is futile, since one has no control whatsoever over these changing world. Next, the wants and needs are infinite, including wanting happiness (which in itself is a need and want). Yes, you may portray an image of happiness and contentment, and on asking some people may actually say that they are happy. What they mean is that they are happy at present but cannot testify to that fact at a later time or date. For the one who says he is happy today may have a major tragedy befall him and there goes his state of happiness.


It becomes obvious that no state is permanent or eternal. All states including the state of happiness are transient. So, that brings us back to the question of what exactly do you mean by 'Don't worry, be happy'?  It depends on how you interpret it. The statement itself would have to be split up into two separate statements.

First, let us discuss the statement 'Don't worry' since it seems to precede the next statement of 'be happy'.  Perhaps, not worrying may be a prerequisite to being happy?!! Can you ever be eternally worry free? Not likely. At the least even a very happy person will eventually worry about his pending death and the pain and suffering associated with death. So, how can you be free of worry?  Firstly, worry is nothing but a thought.  A thought that arises spontaneously.  And since you identify yourself with the thoughts you take ownership of the thoughts (worries included). There is no way anyone can be free of worry as long as there is association of one's identity with the body and the mind. In the mind, the thoughts are endless and constantly welling up one after the other. Even if one meditates, there is no question that as soon as one finishes the session of meditation and returns to the surrounding environment, there will be multiple thoughts and as a result worries of some nature or the other.  Anyone who has practiced meditation and yoga would testify to the extreme difficulty and virtual impossibility of permanently controlling thoughts. And that is because thoughts will continue to arise based on vasanas (the only English word that comes close to describing this is "impressions"). To avoid diversion, we will not go into the discussion of vasanas for now. The only way out is for one to inquire into 'who is worrying?'. That brings us back to establishing your real identity. Once it becomes clear that the thoughts are not who you are, then the question of worry does not arise. Since, worries are nothing but thoughts, as soon as one realizes that he or she is not thoughts but one who is aware of thoughts, the worries automatically cease. Therefore, Knowledge remains your only hope. Knowledge of who you really, really are. Once established in this Knowledge of your True Identity, although thoughts may arise, there is no association with them, leaving you to revel in the peaceful oneness with your own self.



Now, we will discuss the other half of the statement "be happy". Actually, when the first part of the statement is clarified and one becomes established in one's own True Nature, the second part is automatic.  Once you stop worrying, where is the question of worrying about being happy?  There is no question of one being eternally happy. One is automatically happy being one's own self. Just Being is being happy. As soon as you be someone, then there are all sorts of states of mind to which you are attached. That is because, being this or that or someone involves being associated with the thoughts or the mind. Happiness is your True Nature. There is no question of a "me" being eternally happy. As soon as there is a "me" (an entity with a name and form, a someone), there are all sorts of emotions that this "me" can attach itself to and hence the happiness is also transient.  Remember, being me is unhappiness. Just being is happiness.

I Am All There Is

Get this clear as it is relevant to who you are too. Because I am, there is the world of objects. If I am not, can there really be a world or the universe or for that matter any thing?  Since, all feelings arise in me, they are all me. Since, thoughts arise in me, all thoughts are me. Since, sensations arise in me, they are all me.  All perceptions arise in me, and hence all perceptions are me. Since all objects are nothing but thoughts, and thoughts arise in me, all objects are therefore me and nothing else. All thoughts, feelings and perceptions arise and subside in me. Therefore, all is me. I AM ALL THERE IS.  There can be none other than me. I alone AM.

Pure Consciousness, Self Consciousness and Consciousness of Objects

There is often a lot of confusion about the use of the word consciousness. While it can loosely be defined as 'awareness of one's own existence, sensations, and surroundings', when used in Advaita literature, it can have a whole different connotation. We will explore the meaning behind consciousness as used in Non-Duality literature.

In your unmanifest natural state, you are Pure Consciousness or the Absolute. In this so called state, there is no awareness of being or not being. This state is beyond description but definitely one that is intuitively known to a Jnani (Realized).

Then, there is the state of Self Consciousness or the state of Awareness of Being, or knowing that I am. It is this state of Self Consciousness which is experienced by all but ignored by almost all but a few.  It is the state which is always known to everyone as the sense of Presence. No one reading this blog right now can deny their own existence at this very moment. It is simply the state of Being. Not being this or that. Just Being.

The next state is the state of Consciousness of Objects or the state of being a Jeeva (individual or ego). In this state, one thinks of oneself as being this or being that and attaches attributes to the original state of being.  In this state, the primary knowledge "I am" gets further translated into the concept "I am so and so" or "I am this body" or "I am John".  Simply put, one attaches a name and form to the primary concept "I am".  The "I am" gets polluted with multiple and constantly changing attributes such as " I am happy", or "I am sad" or "I am rich" or "I am poor" or  "I am enlightened" or "I am ignorant" and so on and so forth. What is evident is the fact that the attributes are limitless and always changing veering from one opposite to the other.  A state of utter confusion and delusion.

Most seekers are stuck in the state of a Jeeva until they meet or somehow come across the teachings of a Guru, who then shows them their True Nature as being other than the body or the mind.  Some will realize the state of Self Consciousness and fewer still will abide in their ultimate state of the Absolute.

While these states and classifications are meant to make it easy for the ignorant Jeeva to understand, in essence they have no such demarcations. It is all ONE and there can be none other than the One. All these states etc. are only to get the Jeeva to understand the essence of One-ness of all. All questions arise in the state of Consciousness of Objects.

Pride- The Biggest Obstacle

For years and months you may have been struggling to find the answer that has been so elusive. But, when it happens, it happens in a flash. In a fraction of a second, it all becomes clear. The whole story becomes obvious. You Realize that the one searching is the one sought.  It is after all an epiphany that occurs to most of the seekers.  There is no doubt that for quite some time thereafter, there are a multitude of emotions that pass through the mind. One may cry or one may laugh for even small occurrences.  One realizes how simple it all is and yet so elusive.

The big problem is that the ego is not going to surrender that easily.  It has vested a lot a in maintaining its portrayal of being real.  The ego has over the years become a behemoth. It will not go down as easily as that, just because it became clear in an instant that it is totally, totally false. The ego is now ready for a final fight. A fight for its own survival. It will do all it can to make sure that the sense of "I am this body and mind" survives despite the Blessings and Grace of the Guru.  All of you readers have read about the many stories of battles between the good and the evil.  In the various ancient mythological stories and up to the modern times, these stories are all pervasive.  Now the story is all too familiar as it is being fought, right here at home.

The ego makes one feel like " I am a Realized Person".  The ego makes one say " I know something that you (poor ignorant fellow) don't yet know".  The ego makes one feel like " I can help the mass of suffering humanity".  In many a case, the ego is slowly but surely winning ground.  This is most evident in the fact that the one who is Realized begins to slowly fall into this trap. In fact, the trap is so slippery that the fall is all the way to the bottom.  All that has been achieved is lost so easily, to the ego, to the sense of pride in the "me".   The ego ( the "I-thought") behaves in a manner that makes one feel superior to the ignorant others. How can all these people be so ignorant- you begin to say to yourself.  There is a look of bewilderment in those who cannot follow what you say but can feel that there is some element of truth in what you are saying. Some may even begin to call you a 'guru'.  There may be adulation from the ignorant masses. Slowly but surely, one begins to fall in the trap of the "name associated with the form", which is none other than the ego, this 'me'. The once beaten down "small me" becomes a BIG ME.  After all, this "me" is now Realized, Enlightened.  "I am now the ONE"- you are convinced.  Pity the poor ignorant people who just cannot "get it"- you begin to think to yourself.  It is all too common to see many a guru who falls into the trap of the ego, enjoying all the adulation, enjoying all the very traps of wealth and fame which they ask their followers to despise and discard.

There  is no bigger obstacle than PRIDE.  Pride in the sense of achievement is the biggest obstacle to True Realization. So, how does one go about avoiding or battling this pride - which is none other than the ego masquerading as pride? This where the Guru comes into the picture.  The Grace of the Guru should never be forgotten.   One should unblinkingly think of the Guru at all times. One must never, ever, feel that they have achieved anything in life. All achievement is the Grace of the Guru. One must be totally, totally convinced that "I have never done anything ever".  All that is, is the Grace of the Guru.  Again, and again,  it is exhorted here, that TOTAL SURRENDER is a must. One must surrender completely to the Guru. As soon as the ego raises its head up, and it will do so many many times, it must be decapitated.  Give up all sense of pride in being an individual. Remember, there are no individuals. There is only Consciousness and all belongs to Consciousness.

Much Ado About Nothing

If one actually reaches the conclusion which this author hopes all who read this blog will eventually do, it will become abundantly clear that all of this is much ado about nothing. In your Absolute state, there is neither a you nor the inquiry nor the world of objects. You may say, then why should I even DO any of this inquiry. Well, if you do not inquire into who you really, really are, then you will continue to suffer. The concept of being an entity or an individual is the source of all suffering. Find out who you are and when you eventually do, then you will actually laugh (or cry) at the many years you spent trying to put an end to your suffering. How strange is it for mankind to go on searching for something that he/she already is! Totally amazing, isn't it?

Keep it simple for simplicity is your True Nature. Don't go on building concepts over concepts and get lost in a maze. The maze leads you away from your self.  To come back to your own self, one must give up all concepts. How difficult can that be? If one just sticks to the primary concept "I am", then will other concepts develop? Just get to the root of this primary concept -"I am". When one goes to the source of the river, is there any turbulence or currents? Is there actually a river, when one goes to the source?  If one goes farther away from the source of the river, what does one get? The ocean, of course! Is it not easier to drown in the vastness of the ocean?  In the same way, the farther one goes away from his/her source, the more he drowns in his own concepts.