Intense Devotion

In the pursuit of Jnana (Knowledge), the seeker eventually disappears, for the seeker is after all the sought. There is just this One-ness remaining.  Do not try to describe this One-ness, for as soon as you do, you are out of it. Just like one cannot describe the experience of deep sleep while in deep sleep, the same way one cannot try to describe the feeling of One-ness. There are no words to describe IT. Yet, there is no denying IT, for the feeling is always and ever present for every single being. "Then, why can't I feel it?' is perhaps the most common question from a seeker. The answer is simple yet overlooked. You are simply ignoring IT. The mind turned outwards is the world, the universe and the objects. The mind turned inwards merges into the Source (call It by whichever name you want). Then, who remains to ask this question?

The seeker will have an intuitive feeling of re-discovery of the Source. How? There arises in him/her, an intense devotion for the Guru. An intense love for the Guru. An intense sense of gratitude towards the Guru. Tears of love, joy, gratitude, peace, and devotion will flow spontaneously towards the Guru. For, after all the Guru has embraced you completely. So completely that you have disappeared and become one with the Guru. The only way to repay the debt to the Guru, is to always and constantly think of the Guru. 

For those seekers who think that the paths of Jnana (Knowledge) and Bhakti (Devotion) are two different paths, may eventually come to realize that Devotion is the end result.  Hence there is a saying that Devotion is the mother of Knowledge (Jnanamata). 

Why Seeking Can Be A Trap

We all start off as seekers. Some realize their true nature, thanks to the teachings of their Guru, and stop seeking. Some seekers having heard the words of their Guru seem to have the understanding of the teachings. Yet, they continue to remain seekers despite the understanding. Yes, it is imperative for one to be a seeker (mumukshu) at the start of the journey. That is what sparks the one-pointed desire to know the Truth. Yet, is it not the goal of every seeker to eventually end the process of seeking?

Each and every one of us is different, as different as the fingerprints. Hence, the process of realizing the Truth is different for each and every one of us. There can be several reasons as to why the process of seeking continues for many a seeker.

One of many reasons, is the desire of the seeker to experience an event similar to that of their Guru, prior to realizing the Self. Despite the Guru repeatedly pointing out that they should disregard all experiences as appearances in consciousness, and of no relevance, they still continue to hope and yearn for an experience or event. In some cases, such a problem is perpetuated by some teachers, who may keep the seeker in a perpetual cycle of feeling inadequate and incomplete. The teacher may imply that he/she has somehow attained enlightenment or realization through a process and after experiencing an "aha moment". Hearing this and knowing that they have not had a similar experience, the seeker feels inferior to the teacher or somehow inadequate or incomplete. Hence the feeling among the seekers that they too have to go through a similar process and experience an event sometime in the future. They also have the false idea that such an experience is permanent and results in eternal and everlasting bliss. The seeker cannot be entirely blamed for having such an impression. After all, many a teacher creates an impression of being always in bliss and unperturbed by the events  of the world.

Yet others may simply like the idea of continuing to be seekers in perpetuity. Although this seems ludicrous, many seekers either knowingly or unknowingly, like the sense of community and shared goals with other seekers. They internally acknowledge that realizing the Truth may result in the end of their being part of a community of seekers. They are afraid of being abandoned and shunned by the very community that they so lovingly embraced. After all envy is expected if one seeker declares that he/she has realized while others are still in the throes of struggle and suffering.

In some others, the little self (or ego) fools the seeker into thinking that he/she may never attain realization as it is reserved only for the fortunate few who have completed certain rigorous rituals or difficult processes of purification of the body and mind over the course of many decades. And yet others may be under the false impression that enlightenment or self- realization if at all possible, is something to be achieved or attained sometime in the future.

Some seekers are just too obsessed or happy with the image of themselves (as whatever) and do not want to actually give up their concept of being an individual. This is particularly true in societies where individuality is given top priority.

It is evident that there are two main culprits among many, for perpetuating the seeking. The first culprit is the false "I-thought" or the ego, which fearful of losing its validity, will play all kinds of games and scenarios in the mind of the seeker, to prevent the seeker from SEEING the Truth. The ego knows that realizing the Truth would spell the end of the ego. Such is the hold of the ego that even after apparent understanding of the reality, it continues to produce doubts and feelings of uncertainty, thereby ensuring its survival.

The other culprit is the concept of time. Time is a concept in the mind and has no reality. The concept of time gives the seeker the false impression that what he/she is seeking is not available right here and right now. The concept of time creates the impression that what is being sought can only be attained in the future through a prescribed process of doing. This sets up the seeker into refusing to believe his Guru, even when the Guru clearly explains that "what you are seeking,you already ARE".

While it is easy for some teachers to say "Just stop seeking, right here and right now", it may not ring a bell for the seeker. Even if they agree with the teacher and nod their heads, they may return home to realize that their suffering and seeking has actually not stopped. In fact, the ego has made a comeback with a vengeance. The more the seeker claims that the seeking has ended, the more the ego swells and ensures that the seeking has actually not ended. Many a times, even the seeker is unaware of the falseness of his or her claims.

There is no denying the fact that only when one starts seeking does one find. Hence, being a seeker is essential for all and as such is not avoidable. After all, seeking can in itself be frustrating if there is no goal or end in sight. But how to end the seeking?

It is important to realize that the end of seeking is different for each and every seeker. There is no "one size fits all" in realizing the Truth. Clarity comes from within to see the false as false. Realize once and for all, that there is nothing to attain or achieve. Have resolute and unwavering FAITH and DEVOTION in the Guru and constantly keep the Guru in your mind. While these may seem like yet another prescription for doing or a process, remember that the destination is the journey. As the Zen Buddhist saying goes, "before enlightenment, chop wood, carry water; after enlightenment, chop wood, carry water".

Even the seeker claiming  enlightenment or clarity is none other than a false appearance claiming to have figured out that the false is false. The ever present Awareness always IS and remains unchanged and you ARE that ordinary Awareness. Only the apparent appearances in this Awareness play this game of seeking and finding. Go figure!

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?

Consciousness is All There Is

All there is, is consciousness. It means that whatever is perceived is because of consciousness and is a content of consciousness. The contents of consciousness cannot be anything other than consciousness. There can be no world without the body. There can be no body without the mind. The mind is nothing but a bundle of thoughts. The mind creates the idea of individuality. Because of this creation of individuality or the first Person, the "I-thought", there is an idea of separation of the individual from the rest of creation. Because, there is a first Person, there is the idea of a second person, and third person and so on and so forth. There cannot be a mind without consciousness. Consciousness is the source of the mind.  Finally, there cannot be consciousness without the Absolute. The Absolute is the Ultimate Truth or Reality.

When the great Sages of the past talked about individual or personal consciousness versus universal consciousness, they were trying to make it easier for the seeker to understand the essence of the teaching of Advaita or non-duality from the perspective of the relative since the seeker thinks everything is relative to him or her. Actually, there is no such thing as individual or personal consciousness. Consciousness is consciousness. So, what creates the idea of individuality? The consciousness (which is the same everywhere) identifies with the body and this identity is established through the ego or the I-thought. By creation of the ego, the unlimited consciousness now believes itself to be a limited entity, the body and creates the idea of being a person, a first person -"I".  Thereby, begins all the miseries for this so called individual. Now, this individual, the first person, which is nothing but a thought (the "I-thought"), pretends to be the doer of actions and the reaper of the fruits of the actions and in doing so wants to avoid unhappiness and believes that eternal or unending happiness can be achieved by pursuing a course of right action. And thinking that the body is the form representing him or her, this individual goes through the repeated cycles of misery and suffering.  This non-entity called "I", now wants to seek out the Real Self. Really? Now, how can there be two selves? It is amazing indeed that being the Reality, you want to seek out the Reality!  Strange is this world indeed! The Guru comes along and advises careful inquiry into the nature and source of this very individual by the individual, and then it becomes clear that there is actually no individual at all in the first place. The ego is like a ghost which vanishes upon searching for it.  The mind has created the idea of being an individual entity where none exists. Then this individual believing itself to be suffering wants to pursue sadhana (or spiritual practice) to get out of this suffering and misery by seeking out the Reality.  Is it not clear that the whole idea of a seeker and seeking is just playing out in the mind. No mind, no seeker, no seeking- just being.

In self-inquiry, one is looking for the source of the ego. In doing so, the ego vanishes and is replaced by the unlimited, expanse of consciousness which takes over and there is immediate realization of the Real Self as the cause of this universe. There is no sense of an "I' when the mind is turned inwards to its Source.  The mind, in turning inwards to the Source, actually disappears in favor of the Real Self or the consciousness. If all is consciousness, who are you?

In Search of God

What is the seeker actually seeking? Is he or she not searching for God? The search begins by looking for God and the search ends in one's own Self.  One goes out in search, only to return back to one's own Self. God Realization and Self Realization are one and the same.

The search is not outside but within. Saint Kabir has made this so clear in this simple but profound couplet. No need for any further discussion. As simple and as clear a pointer as can be.

Jab Mein Tha Tab Hari Nahin, Jab Hari Hai Mein Nahin
Sab Andhiyara Mit Gaya, Jab Deepak Dekhya Mahin

Translation

When "I" was, then Hari (God) was not, Now Hari (God) "is" and "I" am not
All the darkness (ignorance) got erased, When I saw the Light within.

The Sounds of Silence- Part 1

Your True Nature is Silence, Stillness, Unmoving, and Solid. Is it not amazing that so much has been written, discussed, talked about in so many languages about a simple subject of silence. How can words and sounds describe silence? It is almost as absurd as someone shouting to describe or emphasize silence!  The words and sounds try to carve an image of silence. But is it really possible? Silence by itself indicates the absence of sound. And yet all sounds must emerge from silence. For if there is no sound, there is silence and the interval between sounds is silence. Therefore, the best way to describe silence is to remain silent. The author's Guru, Bhagavan Ramana Maharshi was best known for this particular method of teaching about the Truth and even those who were in His presence were silenced spontaneously. There is no better way to convey the Truth than mouna (silence).

That brings us to the question of why the ancient Rishis and Sages describe the Absolute as also Silence or Stillness. They figured that if they try to describe the Absolute with any word or sound then it would not be true. Any one who has "experienced" the Truth knows fully well that there is no way to describe It.  Therefore, the only way to point a seeker of Truth in the right direction would be emphasize the absence of any sound or movement and one way to communicate the same in words is to describe it as Silence or Stillness. In fact, the production of sound is in itself a creation of duality. In the non-dual Truth, there is but nothing, just this indescribable Stillness or Silence. Yet, all creation is arising out of this Stillness or Silence. It is indeed Silence which is full of sound. It is indeed Stillness which is full of movement. Sound and movement are in consciousness but the Truth is beyond or prior to consciousness.

So, how is one to understand what the Sages were trying to convey? For this we will go to part 2 of this topic.

The Simplest Inquiry into the Self- Part 1

As noted previously in this blog, it is not uncommon for the seeker to go around in circles searching for the Truth. It is also not uncommon to find that the Scriptures and several teachers also either use complex words and concepts in trying to explain the simplicity of the eternal Truth or sometimes use esoteric concepts in alluding to the Truth that is being pointed to. Although, using simple metaphors and words does not necessarily mean that the message will get through. It is important for the seeker, to approach this message from the heart and not from the mind. This approach has already been discussed here previously. This author will now attempt to simplify the message as much as possible.

We go around assuming that we are the body and the mind. Rarely does anyone question if they truly are the body or the mind. Without knowing the truth of who you are, it is pointless to explore any other "Truth". In fact, knowing who you really, really are, is all there is to knowing the Truth, for Truth is all there is. Therefore, let us start with what you believe to be- a body and a mind entity. What exactly is the body? Forget about any philosophical concepts. Let us see what is objectively known to all of us. Let us look at what science has so far shown us. Science has shown us that the body is made up of essentially mostly water (more than 90%) and the mineral elements including carbon, iron, calcium, etc., oxygen or air, and space. These various elements interact uniquely in each body and produce unique characteristics of the body including characteristic shape, size and features. These elements also interact with each other and produce heat. The interaction of the various elements in relation to each other produces heat, which is essential for the survival of the body. The water in the body is H2O. At a molecular level, this water is no different from the water in the surrounding environment including the rain, the streams, the rivers, the lakes and the ocean. The oxygen (or air) in the body is no different in nature than the oxygen outside the body. The space inside the body is no different in nature than the space outside the body. Therefore, one cannot separate the elements in the body from the elements in the surrounding environment or the world around the body. One cannot claim the elements to be personal and unrelated to the elements in the atmosphere and the world. An analogy would be appropriate here.

There is space all around. One then builds four walls in a square formation, then puts a roof over the walls and calls it his/her space or home. Although the walls are creating an impression of separation of space inside the walls from the space outside the walls, it is obvious that one cannot really separate the space. Also, there was just this space initially, in which the walls were built in the first place!! In the same way, the space inside the body cannot be separated from the space outside the body. Space is space and has no attributes.

Now, you are probably reading this post with a firm conviction that you are a body, sitting on a chair and reading this on your computer screen. You are perhaps wondering and thinking about what is written above. Would you say that the body is doing the thinking, reading, seeing and pondering? If so, can the water really think, read, see or ponder? O.K., it is not the water. Then, perhaps it is the calcium, sodium, potassium, iron or is it the magnesium that is doing the seeing of the printed matter, the thinking, and the reading?! Perhaps, it is the oxygen that is doing all the functioning. You say, none of these. Then, can you please tell as to what is doing all the functioning right now and right here? Look and see. Can you find any- THING, that is doing all this functioning or making all this functioning happen? Oh, yes, you say, it is the brain. Is the brain not made up of the same elements as the rest of the body? And, by the way, the brain is located within the body. So, eventually you have to admit that no-thing can be found that is responsible for the functioning of the elements which constitute the body. Yet, undeniably, this functioning is happening, right here and right now.

So, it is this no-thing that is responsible for all this functioning that is obviously going on right here and right now. For us to discuss about this no-thing, we need to label 'it' with a name, just like we like to label every-thing. It is natural to label all things and we have to label even this no-thing! How about we call it the Spirit? No? How about Atman? Too abstact, you say. How about Om? No? How about Brahman? How about Awareness or better still Space like Awareness? With each label the mind builds up an image, a concept about what is being talked about. Again, all these names are giving rise to mental images and concepts about a no-thing. It is supposed to be a no-thing and the mind builds images about things as soon as we label it. Ah-ha, you say, let us call this no-thing, The Functionator!! You get the belabored point! For now, we will call it the no-thing.

Where is this no-thing? Is it anywhere in the body in particular? Is it anywhere outside the body in particular? Is it located only in California or in Wisconsin or perhaps in the mystical land of India? Is it not true, that functioning is going on everywhere and every place at the same time. Omnipresent, as they call it-present everywhere at the same time. Is it not true, that this no-thing is responsible for all the knowledge functioning through various brains all over the universe, at any time or Omniscient, as they call it. If this no-thing can do all this, it is all powerful, since there is no other entity that can accomplish what this no-thing does! Omnipotent- or all powerful, as they call it. Was this no-thing present yesterday but not today or will it be present tomorrow? It always IS. Is it not all pervading? Present both inside and outside the body and yet you cannot locate it. It is subtler than the subtlest. The more subtle the entity, the more pervasive it is. Can you say that the no-thing functioning the body reading this post is different from the no-thing functioning the body writing this post? So, it is not a part but the whole itself, which is responsible for the functioning of "your body there" and "my body here" simultaneously. You say, this no-thing is very complicated and just beyond any concept that the mind can create. The mind has to eventually give up in trying to grasp this no-thing with a concept.

If you are this no-thing, then who is this "individual"- the "me", who claims to be reading this post? So, no-thing is writing and no-thing is reading this post. In fact, all this functioning is happening because of this no-thing. In fact, the entire universe is functioning because of this no-thing. That includes the functioning of the tiny atoms and the subatomic particles including the electrons which are spinning around. It is everywhere and yet nowhere. It is every-thing and yet no-thing.

So, what is wrong with assuming the identity of this no-thing, right here and right now? Who are "you" in all of this?