Why Worship the Guru or God with Attributes

The seeker may come to the correct conclusion that Knowledge is the surest way to Self Realization. Of all the methods prescribed by the scriptures, the Path of Knowledge (jnana yoga) is the surest and shortest means of Self Realization.  You have all heard the message of Non-Duality and how the visible is not real. Having heard the message of Advaita from his Guru, the seeker comes to the correct conclusion that all that is visible or destructible or has attributes is unreal.  What surprises the disciple is when the Guru encourages and endorses the worship of the God with attributes (saguna Brahman). In fact, the Guru says that worship and devotion to God, with or without attributes (saguna or nirguna) is a must even for the disciple who has Realized, to stay established in the Knowledge of Non-Duality.

Nothing is more superior to Knowledge as you know by now. The disciple wants to know why after having experienced the Truth, should one continue along the path of Worship (Bhakti).  Having come to the realization that the Truth is without any attributes, why should one continue to worship that which has attributes? In fact, having attained the Ultimate Knowledge, why should one bother to pursue any spiritual practices at all, like worship of the Guru or God with attributes?  Why should one with Knowledge of That which is without attributes (which is the Reality), bow down to an idol or photograph or an idol of a God or Guru and accept that which is unreal?

In a previous essay, this author has discussed about devotion after realization (please refer to that essay).  Let it be clear, that there should be no doubt that the teachings of the Guru are the final authority. This is called faith and devotion to the Guru. Without this there is no hope for any seeker or disciple to attain Liberation.

Having said that, the seeker has a right to have his questions and doubts cleared. Now, please consider this carefully. Having acquired Knowledge and Realization, are you still doing things in life including your work, taking care of your family, their needs, your finances, your friends, and are you still participating in the activities of your family and society? Are you still eating meals, taking a bath, drinking water, cleaning the house, and taking care of your personal needs? If the answer is yes to all of the above questions, then why is it that you want to only exclude worship of the God with attributes? How come all other aspects of your life is accepted as real but not worship of the unreal God with attributes?

With your knowledge of discrimination, you know that all that is perceived is false, and yet you do not give up any of your activities.  You listen to and obey the orders of your boss at work, which is the same as bowing down to the boss. So, why is it that you want to give up the worship of God with attributes? What is wrong with bowing down to the photograph of a God in human form or a Guru in human form or for that matter any form including one with multiple arms and legs, or with an elephant head? Please answer this question with sincerity. Has the mortal Guru who is one with attributes,  not given you access to the Ultimate in Knowledge?  Why then would you not want to bow down to this mortal Guru? What kind of knowledge is this?

One who has pride in attaining the Knowledge and feels " I am great" does not have the True Knowledge. He is one who is still identified with the body.  Mind you, if there is no worship, there is no Knowledge (jnana). It is an indication of one who is still suffering from body-mind-identification. It is an identification of one who thinks "I am the doer".

So, never give up the worship of the Guru or the God with attributes. Start every action by remembering your God or Guru. Remember that God is the doer of all actions. By leaving all actions to a God with attributes, one slowly but surely becomes identified with That which is attribute-less and eventually realizes his True Nature, which is without any attributes whatsoever. May God bless you.

One Without Doubt

On the path to the Truth one may be considered to pass through various stages. In reality, no such stages exist, as you have always been, will be and can be none other than the Absolute.  Such descriptions are therefore relative in nature and should be considered as such. The seeker (mumukshu) is the earliest stage when one is interested in knowing the Truth and one who is willing to listen to the Master or Guru with keen interest. The Aspirant is one who has absorbed the teachings of the Guru and is adept in putting the teachings into practice. The Aspirant has intuitive knowledge and experience of the Truth or Self. The one who is well established in the Truth and has merged with the Absolute is the Sage or the Accomplished.

The Sage or the Accomplished has merged his identity with the Absolute. The Sage has banished all doubt about the nature of the Truth or his True Nature. The Sage is unmovable in his conviction about his True Nature. The difference between an Aspirant and the Sage is the complete absence of doubt in the Sage. When the Aspirant becomes doubt- free and has unfailing conviction, he may be recognized as a Sage.

Initially, the Aspirant may have some doubts about his experience of the Self or the nature of the Truth as heard from the Guru. But, upon continued contemplation (nidhidhyasana) on his True Nature, the Aspirant becomes doubt-free. Knowledge with doubt is false knowledge. Spiritual action carried out with doubt will not succeed in getting the seeker to his goal. Devotion with doubt is useless to the seeker and is a sign of a false devotee (Bhakta).  Spiritual life with doubt is utterly useless. Pilgrimages done with doubt are useless and serve to only increase the doubt. Living with doubt, gaining spiritual knowledge with doubt, and listening to the Guru with doubt are all useless and unlikely to result in achieving the spiritual goal of Liberation (mukti).  All greatness achieved by one with doubt is useless.

It is ridiculous for one with doubt to boast about his knowledge of the scriptures for such talk is rudderless and only amounts to meaningless babbling.  The one with doubt knows well that there is no satisfaction in this type of false knowledge and is indeed actually miserable in his own bondage.

True Knowledge is free of all doubt and is conviction itself.  So, how does one overcome doubt? Doubt can be overcome by continuous contemplation on the nature of one's own True Self. Doubt is overcome by complete faith in the Guru. Doubt is overcome by continuous discrimination between the true and the false.  Doubt is overcome by complete surrender to the Guru. Body identification leads to sustenance of doubt. One who is thoroughly convinced that he is indeed the Supreme Self is indeed the Sage. What attributes can you give to the Sage who has no form and has merged with the Absolute?

Only the Rare One

Please consider this as the blog for the month of November 2013.

Although the Knowledge of Nonduality and the Truth is freely available and accessible, it is but a few who will ever approach it with a sincere desire. A few curious people may be inclined to dig a little deeper into the subject matter. Most will listen to the teachings of non-duality with a detached interest and then subsequently completely forget about it.  Out of the many, perhaps one person may actually feel an unquenchable thirst to not rest until the Truth is realized. Such a one is indeed very rare and fortunate. Such a one may look and behave like any other individual but make no mistake that once one has a conversation with him/her, there is no doubt about the profundity of his/her statements and observations.  Only a Jnani will recognize another Jnani immediately. All others will perhaps hear out the Jnani and come away with either nothing or else an observation that the talk was "deep" or "way over my head".

Despite the obvious simplicity of these teachings, one may not comprehend what is being pointed to. The reasons are many, but the main ones are the persistent identification with the body, lack of unquestioned faith and trust in the Guru, lack of a sincere desire, looking for some sort of gain from this Knowledge, feeling of superiority over others even if the knowledge gained is limited,  failure to continue to be devoted to the Guru, lack of eternal gratitude to the Guru, lack of humility and lack of compassion for others who may not understand this teaching. Basically, most of these reasons point to the fact that one believes himself or herself to be an entity, a person, despite the repeated explanation by the Guru that you are NOT an entity and all that you really, really are is the limitless Consciousness.  Keeping the ego alive and well fed is perhaps a major cause for the Understanding not to occur.

But, the rare one will drop all objections and obstacles to allow for the pointers from the Guru to penetrate deep inside. With continuous nurturing, analysis and meditation over the teachings of the Guru and with a sense of deep gratitude and reverence towards the Guru, the rare one will develop a deep conviction about the Truth. Once, the teaching has taken root, it will continue to grow no matter what one does and does not do. Unlike other kinds of knowledge, this Knowledge of the Truth continues to grow and get stronger. To go around thinking that one is the body and the mind, despite all the instructions and teachings of the Guru is indeed foolish.

Enlightenment in Five Verses- Part Three

Please read the preceding parts of this blog before proceeding to read this one. This is Part Three.

Verse 2

ब्रह्मैवाह्मिदम जगच्च सकलं चिन्मत्रिविस्तारितं
सर्वं चैताद्विध्य्या त्रिगुनायोशेषं मया कल्पितम ।
इथं यस्य दृढा मतिः सुखतरे नित्ये परे निर्मले
चन्दलोअस्तु स तु द्विजोअस्तु गुरुरित्येषा मनीषा मम ॥ २

I am Brahman or pure consciousness. It is the pure consciousness that appears as this universe. This play of universe is conjured up by me because of ignorance (avidya) and expressed by the three Gunas or Attributes (sattva, rajas and tamas) of the mind. One who has attained this definite realization about Brahman, which is bliss itself, eternal, supreme and pure, is indeed my Guru, whether he is an outcaste or a brahmin. This is my conviction.

Verse 3

शास्वन्न्स्वरमेवा विश्वमखिलं निश्चित्य वाचा गुरोः
नित्यं ब्रह्म निरंतरं विमृशता निव्याज्शान्तात्मना ।
भूतं भावि च दुष्क्रुतं प्रदहता संविन्मये पावके
प्ररब्धाय समर्पितं स्वव्पुरित्येशा मनीषा मम ॥ ३

He who has come to the definite conclusion, after reflecting on his Guru's word, that the universe is permanently in a state of flux and change and is perishable; he who with a calm and pure mind constantly meditates on Brahman; he who has burnt all his past and future residual tendencies (vaasanas) in the fire of Pure Knowledge, submits his present body to live through and exhaust its present destiny, he alone is my Guru, whether he is an outcaste or a brahmin. This is my conviction.

This verse may need some explaining since the verse states that the enlightened person merely submits his or her body to the operation of Praarabdha Karma. You are probably already familiar with the concept of Karma. Karma can be loosely defined as the results of actions or the destiny based on actions. There are three categories of Karma. (1) Sanchita Karma - the accumulated results of actions in past births. (2) Praarabdha Karma - the results of past actions which have given rise to the present body and (3) Aagaami Karma - the results of actions performed in the present birth. For a person who upon contemplating on the words of the Guru has attained the Ultimate or Pure Knowledge of the Self, Sanchita and Aagaami karma (upto the time of attainment of Knowledge) are completely destroyed. After the dawn of Self Knowledge, any action performed does not produce any result in the form of merit or demerit. However, the second category of Praarabdha Karma is not destroyed upon attainment of Self Knowledge, and must be exhausted by living through the experiences of the present body. Once the Praarabdha Karma is exhausted, the body of the enlightened person falls and the jivanmukta (the one who is liberated while still having a body) becomes videhamukta ( one who is liberated after leaving the body).  Simply put, one who has attained Self Knowledge is no longer the Do-er of actions and hence there are no more merits or demerits attached to the actions of the body or mind, since he is neither the body nor the mind.

Verse 4

या तियार्न्ग्नार्देव्ताभिराह्मित्यांतः स्फुटा गृह्यते
यभ्दासा हृदयाक्ष्देहविश्या भांति स्वतोअचेतनाः ।
तां भास्यैः पिहितार्क्मंदाल्निभां स्फूर्ति सदा भावयन
योगी निवृत्मंसो हि गुरुरित्येषा मनीषा मम ॥ ४

The Self or pure consciousness is experienced as the "I" by all creature, plants, animals, humans and angels. It is by the Light of this pure consciousness that the inert and insentient body, mind and senses appear to be sentient. Just like the sun which illumines everything even if hidden behind a bank of clouds, the Self is concealed by the very mind, senses and body which it illuminates. The yogi, who with a quiet and calm mind always meditates on this Self, is my Guru. This is my conviction.

The sun is responsible for the production of clouds by evaporation of the water in the oceans. The clouds are visible because of the light of the sun. The same clouds may however hide the sun from our view. In the same way, the body, mind, and senses which owe their sentiency to the Self may conceal the Self by becoming absorbed in the world of objects. The Self can be realized by withdrawing the mind and senses from the external world.

Verse 5

यात्सौख्याम्बुधिलेश्लेशत इमे श्कद्यो निव्रुता
याच्चित्ते नितरां प्रशान्त्कालने लब्ध्वा मुनिनिर्व्रुतः ।
यस्मिन्नित्यासुखाम्बुधाऊ गलित्धिब्रह्मैव न ब्रह्मविद
यः कश्सित्सा सुरेंद्रव्न्दित्प्दो नूनं मनीषा मम ॥ ५

The yogi's mind experiences that Ocean of Bliss during moments of total stillness. That Ocean of Bliss is verily Brahman and a tiny droplet from which is sufficient to make Indra and others feel contented and happy. Such a person whose mind has become dissolved in this Ocean of Bliss is not a mere Knower of Brahman but Brahman itself.  Such a rare one whose feet are fit to be worshipped even by the King of Gods, he alone is my Guru. This is my conviction.

The knower of Brahman is one who knows that one is not the body-mind complex but Brahman itself. Hence, knowing Brahman means one who remains as Brahman.  In fact, everyone is Brahman, but they do not know it. It is not the attainment of a new state as such. Liberation or Moksha is nothing but removal of false identification with the body-mind complex. By removal of this false identification, one realizes one's own True Nature which is the infinite Ocean of Bliss, i.e. Brahman itself. In this classic example in advaita literature, a coiled up rope is mistaken for a snake when a man encounters a rope in the dim light of  dusk, and gets panicked. However, when the same rope is examined in bright light, it becomes evident that it is only a rope and not a snake.  It is not that the snake was there and it disappeared after examining the rope in light. There never was a snake to begin with and the whole idea was a creation of the mind. In the same way, one mistakenly thinks of oneself as a Jiva (individual) who is in bondage. But when one does self inquiry, it becomes evident that one always was and will be Brahman and it was just the wrong notion of being an individual that has disappeared in the light of knowledge. There never was an individual who is in bondage to begin with. It was just ignorance that created the concept of bondage and being an individual. Thus there is no such thing as bondage or liberation just like there never was any snake in the rope.

Enlightenment in Five Verses - Part Two

Please read part one of this blog before reading this part and subsequent parts.

Sri Shankara answers to the questions posed by the Chandala:

Verse 1

1.जग्रत्स्वप्न्सुषुप्तिषु स्फुत्तारा या संविदुज्ज्रुम्भ्ते
या ब्रह्मिदिपिपीलिकान्त्त्नुशु प्रोता जगत्साक्षिणी ।
सैवाहं न च दुश्यवास्त्विती दृढप्रज्ञापि यस्यास्ति चेत
चन्दलोअस्तु स तु द्विजोअस्तु गुरुरित्येषा मनीषा मम ॥ १ 

If a person has attained the firm knowledge that he is not the object of perception, but instead is the one Consciousness which illumines the three states of waking, dream and deep sleep, the one Consciousness which is the sole witness of the whole universe and is the one Consciousness which dwells in all bodies from that of the Creator Brahma to that of an ant, the he alone is my Guru, irrespective of whether he is an outcaste or a brahmin. This is my conviction.

Let us try to analyze this verse. Consciousness is present in all the three states of waking, dream and deep sleep. In the waking state, the physical body, the senses and the mind function and experience the external objects. In the dream state, the body and the senses do not function, but the mind creates objects and events and experiences them. In deep sleep, the body, the senses and the mind do not function but there is no doubt that consciousness is still present since one easily verifies upon waking up  that he or she was asleep.  Simply put, in the waking state, the presence of consciousness is obvious because of the experience of the external objects and in the dream state, the mind creates the objects and experiences them. In the deep sleep state, it may appear as if there is no experiencing, but the fact that you remember you slept happily, is the verification of the presence of experiencing.  One can remember only what one has experienced previously. It is therefore obvious that consciousness was present during deep sleep and both happiness and ignorance were experienced.  This one consciousness is the sole witness of all experiences as well as absence of experiences. This consciousness is the inner Self that dwells in all creatures and is the same, irrespective of the shape or form of the body of the creature. Thus, this one consciousness is the only subject. The external objects are perceived by the senses. The senses are perceived by the mind. The mind is perceived by consciousness or the Self. Thus, the Self or consciousness alone is the subject and everything else is an object of experience. The person who has realized that he is the Self (consciousness alone) and not the physical body, the mind, or the senses is an enlightened person and is my Guru. 

The labels of race, religion, caste, occupation, and creed are only illusory creations of the mind and in no way affect the Self or consciousness which is the same in all living beings. Similarly, differences in form or shapes is an illusion created by the mind, since the bodies of living creatures are made up of the same five elements (earth, fire, water, space and air) and therefore have no inherent difference. Just like space is space and there is no difference in the space contained within a pot made of gold versus the space contained in a pot made of clay, an enlightened person sees beyond the name and form and recognizes the one consciousness in all.

Enlightenment in Five Verses- Part One

This post deals with one of the most profound yet simple Advaita teaching. It comes from Shri Adi Shankaracharya, the great Advaita Saint. The teaching is contained in just a few verses, which if read carefully, keeping the mind and heart open, may result in instant enlightenment.  These are some of the most profound verses in all of Advaita Vedanta literature.  The text is called Maneeshaapanchakam. The essence of Advaita Vedanta is brought out succinctly in these brief verses.

Before we proceed, let us see the reason for these verses. One day, Sri Shankaracharya ( aka Shankara) was on his way to the temple of Lord Viswanatha along with his disciples, after finishing his ritual bath. It so happened that a Chandaala (a low caste person or untouchable caste working as a street sweeper) was walking along the same street and was obstructing the path along which Sri Sankara was walking. Sri Sankara asked the Chandaala to move away from his path (In ancient times, it was considered inauspicious for a higher caste person to encounter a Chandaala especially on the way to or after performing religious rituals). The Chandaala then asked Sri Sankara some questions which are the basis of the first two verses in this text. These questions are the prelude to the Five verses quoted by Sri Sankara. The Five verses are collectively called "Maneeshaapanchakam".  Maneeshaa means "conviction" and  "panchakam" means a collection of five verses or shlokas. All the five verses end with the word "maneesha mamah" meaning "This is my conviction".

While, one could spend a lot of time arguing over how an Enlightened soul like Sri Shankara could practice untouchability, it would unnecessarily deviate one's attention from the deep message contained in these verses.  The story may also point to the strong association of beingness with the body and mind, showing how even an Enlightened one like Sri Shankara could temporarily fall off the razors edge.

Chandala to Shankara:

1. अन्नामयादान्नमयम्थ्वा चैतन्यमेव चैतान्यात । 
द्विजवर दूरीकर्तु वाञछ्सी किं ब्रूहि गच्छ गच्छेति ॥

1.  O'great among the twice-born! What is it that you want to move away by saying "Go, go"? Do you want the body made up of food to move away from another body made up of food? Or, do you want the consciousness to move away from consciousness?

2.  किं गंगाम्बुनी बिम्बितेओम्ब्र्मनौ चंदाल्वातिपयः
पूरे चंत्रमस्ती कच्च्न्घतिम्रित्कुम्भ्योवोर्म्ब्रे।
प्रत्याग्वस्तुनी निस्तारान्ग्सह्जान्न्दाव्बोधाम्बुधौ
विप्रोअयम्श्व्प्चोअय्मित्य्पिमहन्कोअयम्विभेद्भ्रमः ॥

2. Is there any difference in the reflection of the Sun in the waters of the Ganges river and its reflection in the water in a ditch in the quarters of an outcaste? Is there any difference in the space as such, be it the space contained in a gold pot or a clay pot?  What is this illusion of difference in the form of "this is a Brahmin(higher caste) and this is an Outcaste", in the inner Self which is none other than the thought-less Ocean of Bliss and self existing consciousness?

Note: The inner Self or consciousness is the same in all creatures.

Open the Window to the Heart

Is it not true that many a seeker is floundering around in the darkness of ignorance? For those of you who have understood that the world arises in you due to ignorance, it is evident that only by SEEING the Light within will the darkness be dispelled. Although, it may seem like an impossible task to SEE within, it is actually very simple and very obvious to anyone who has a sincere and earnest desire to do so. It is just a matter of turning your attention from the sensory objects to within. The Light within is what illumines the sensory objects. It is the Light within that makes the sensory objects of the world appear to you.

By turning one's attention inwards, the very obvious and self shining consciousness becomes evident. For, is it not true that without being conscious there would be no world of objects for anyone? By turning one's attention away from the world of objects and focusing on the lightless Light within, one merges in the Light. There is no "me" left to describe the Light within. Just the bliss of merging in the Light within. The duality is lost in the Oneness that envelops all around. In the Oneness, there is pure bliss beyond description but yet fully obvious and simple to SEE.

The Heart is where the Light is. The Heart is the Self. The fact that you know that you are is because of the Heart. It is not the physical or anatomical heart but a reference to the Self within - the heart of it all. All that is needed is to open the window to the Heart. It is already ever shining within. Just LOOK and SEE. Simple as can be.