Sunday 23 November 2008

Bondage and Liberation

Just came back from an amazing advanced course at the ashram!! Guruji gave a simple but amazing definition of bondage. Bondage is that when you have it (or do it) you dont get any great pleasure, but when you do not have it (or dont do it) you are miserable. All addictions are bondages.

Liberation is when your state of mind is not affected whether you have something or not. You enjoy when it is available and dont hanker when it is not there. Dispassion leads to liberation. Thats what is said in the Upanishads - tena tyaktena bhunjeetha-- one who can readily give up really enjoys!!

Just make a list of all your bondages in life!!!

Saturday 15 November 2008

Chapter 6 - The Story of Karkati

to follow soon!!

Bewakoof!!!

was watching Jodhaa Akbar and Akbar always tells people who come to his surrender Be Khouf rahiye ( be fearless). I am wondering whether the word Bewakoof is an adulterated version of this. If it is true all enlightened people are Be Khoufs or Bewakoofs!!!

Tuesday 11 November 2008

Achievement and contentment

When you desire something in the material world (by this I mean something you do for yourself, to boost your ego or to gain emotional fulfilment) and really go for it, you either get it or don’t. If you don’t, that regret stays with you for long especially if u were really desperate for it. If you do get it, you either get it easily or get it after a lot of effort and struggle. If you get it easily, you sometimes feel grateful for having the privilege to have it or more often you take it for granted and lose respect for it. If you get it after a lot of struggle, you are more relieved than happy. Also when you get it (even better if it by itself comes to you) after you have been chasing it like mad, you feel is this all? I think that this feeling of “Is this all” is very precious. It is something that is worth contemplating. It sums up the emptiness of the worldly achievements. This is something that arises from somewhere very deep, showing the shallowness of something that has been achieved or received after great struggle. Where is the contentment of having achieved something or reached somewhere after so much effort?!!

On the other hand, if you desire something strongly in the inner world and put in your discipline and self effort, you will get it, no doubt. For a moment, it appears unreal and as it sinks in, you feel enormous gratitude, a feeling of being chosen or blessed, contented and equanimous. This feeling only grows with time, unlike the achievements in the outer world which very soon loose charm. And you also realise that there are many things which leave you with this feeling. When a seed you planted in your garden, has just sprouted, when you see its first flower, the first smile of your child, a look from the Master, a hot forceful shower after a tired day, the feeling of weightlessness after a Long Kriya are just a few examples. How amazing that most of these things don’t need much effort at all, in fact these are things that do not desire for either. These happen when you have accepted what it is and have relaxed into the moment. How simple is the way to be contented!!!

Saturday 1 November 2008

Chapter 5 - The story of Lila

There was a king called Padma, who had all great qualities. His wife was Lila, a very loving and devoted wife. She wanted to constantly be in the company of her husband, even after his death. So he prayed to Saraswati and asked for two boons. First that her husband’s jiva should not leave here even after his death and second Saraswati should appear to her whenever she wishes. Her boons were granted. Her husband in due course was severely injured in a battle and died. As per saraswati’s instructions she preserved her husband’s body in flowers. But she wanted to see what his jiva was doing. So she prayed to the Devi.

Devi asked her to meditate and in her meditation when Lila dropped her thoughts could see her husband in other world ruling as a mighty king called Viduratha, addressing his ministers in the court. Lila could recognise some of them and she was sure that they were not dead yet. So she came out of meditation and immediately summoned the council of ministers. When all of them turned up she was confused as to how come these people could be in two places at the same time. She prayed to Devi again to clear her doubts.

Devi asked - what do you think as real?

Lila replied – I consider me talking to you in my kingdom real and the vision in which I saw my husband unreal. Devi smiled and said. Both are unreal. To clarify, I will tell u the story of a sage called Vasista (a different one!) and his wife Arundhati. Vasista lived in a small hut on the top of a hill. Once he saw the king on an elephant followed by a procession of people. He thought how grand it would be to be a king? He later became old and died. Arundhati had also taken boon that she be with her husband all the time. Because of his strong desire, vasista was reborn as a king and arundhati again as his wife.

O Lila, this vasista was born as ur husband and u r arundhati. What u call ur kingdom is inside the hut of sage vasista and vasista’s hut in another kingdom which in turn is in another. In this way there are many layers of world relating to each other. But all this is again an illusion as none of the worlds actually exist. They were born out of thoughts and were sustained by memory and latent tendencies in the mind. You are what u think because of ur memory. You think you are a woman, u are fair, u are tall and u r devoted and that’s what you will be. When this happens repeatedly, egotism is manifested. Just like when your dream ends you become aware of ur physical body, in the same way, when the memory subsides, ego is annihilated and u become aware of your ethereal body (chidakasha). Just like when dream ends, deep sleep ensues, in the same way, when thoughts end, liberation happens. This can happen only through abhyasa.

What is abhyasa?

Always focussed on, talking about, conversing about and dedicated to that infinite space is abhyasa. When one’s intellect is filled with bliss and peace, when one’s vision is broad, when craving for sensual pleasures subsides, that is Abhyasa. When one is firmly established in the truth that all that is changing is unreal and thoughts such as “this is the world, this is me” do not arise- that is abhyasa.

Lila and Devi then once again went into Samadhi and reached the palace of Viduratha, where the king still in his palace was discussing the counterattack against the king of Sindhu, who was threatening his kingdom. Then the king went to rest. Lila and Devi entered the king’s rest room through the key hole

Rama asked – o guru, how did these two people enter through a key hole?

O Rama, all this is nothing but consciousness. Whatever the consciousness, thinks, it manifests. If you think you cannot pass through the small hole, you cannot. If you think, you can, you can. One who dwells in the physical body (bhootakasha) finds obstacles along the way, but one who dwells in the ethereal body or pure space (cidakasha) has no obstacles. It can enter anywhere, anytime. Everyone’s consciousness has this power, because all consciousness is the same. However, due to differences in perception, each one’s world is different. When one’s false perceptions fall, his world collapses. This is called death. Immediately after death, the consciousness becomes inert for a brief period. After this brief inertia, it slowly awakens and tries to identify itself. It is then the ego manifests. The ego then perceives the five elements which condense into the physical form. It then perceives space and time that is needed for existence. And thus rebirth occurs. During dreaming and awake states, the perception of ego is strong and hence the physical form assumes reality. And all this occurs at the time and place of death itself.

The two ladies entered the king’s rest room and revealed to him his own identity and their identities. Surprised, king viduratha asked

You tell me that I died yesterday as king Padma, but I have already lived seventy years as king viduratha?

O king, at the very moment of your death (as Vasista) and at the same time, all this has manifested. What you think is your kingdom is within the palace of king Padma which itself is in the hut of sage vasista. U think that u r viduratha and that’s what u see, u think this is ur kingdom, these r ur ministers, u r engaged in a war and that’s what you see. This is like a dream within a dream. As you can dream about ur entire life time in a few seconds in your dream, in the same way, within a day it appears as if you have lived for 70 years. This universe is nothing but a long dream. The ego strengthens the belief that you have a separate existence and then in ignorance you seek other beings and that’s what u see. U think you are seventy years old and that’s what it appears to you. You think that u r having a conversation with me in your palace and that’s what it appears to you. You think that I will grant you a boon and you are going to be liberated and that’s what will manifest. All this is but a dream. Just like there are infinite possibilities within one’s dream, so also this consciousness can manifest in infinite ways. Just like everybody’s dream is not the same, the universe is different for different individuals and what appears to be common is an illusion. Therefore what you dream about and what you see in the awake state, both are unreal. In the dream state, the world does not exist and in the awake state, the dream does not exist!!!

O Devi let me stay with my family and ministers even after death

O king, may your wish be granted. You, your family and your ministers will all die in this battle and then will go back and take the body and kingdom of King Padma.

So, king viduratha was killed in the battle, and he went to the kingdom of death. There he was absolved of any sins and as per his desire before his death; he was allowed to return to the kingdom of Padma along with his wife and his ministers who had also died. As the original Lila’s body was already cremated, the second Lila (King viduratha’s wife who looked exactly like the original Lila) took over as the original Lila and stayed as King padma’s wife. King Padma woke up as if from sleep, and the whole kingdom rejoiced thinking that by divine miracle, the king has come back from death.

The original Lila who was now enlightened asked Saraswati

Kindly enlighten me how the physical elements got their nature. How did cold come to ice, heat to fire and so on?

At the time of cosmic dissolution, there was only peace. And then there was a small vibration from which the feeling of I am arose. Then the feeling that I am an atom of light arose; and hence forth all these characters you ask of became embedded in different elements in nature. This was the original order created from Brahman and this order (characteristic of cold in ice, heat in fire, movement in wind) has persisted; just like gold is embedded in an ornament and continues to stay so.

Tell me about birth and death

O Lila, there are three types of human beings – the ignorant (caught in the world), the seeker (one who can drop the body at least momentarily as in meditation) and the enlightened. The seeker and the wise can depart from this body without any anguish and with freewill. The ignorant one suffers immeasurable anxiety, pain and anguish when death approaches. His breathing becomes laboured, his senses start faltering. He becomes delirious and sees unreal things. He tries to express his suffering, but is unable to do so. Ultimately his suffering overwhelms his senses, he is unable to think and becomes passive and turns blue.

That part of consciousness which assumes an identity due to ego sense and mind stuff and is sustained by memory and latent tendencies is called a jiva, when the life breath is active in it. When this life breath moves out of it, the same consciousness is called a preta (departed soul). At the time of death, the jiva and preta stay at the same time and space as the dead body.

Immediately after death, this consciousness (preta) becomes passive or inert or shocked and stunned for a variable period of time. After this period of passivity, the preta starts imagining another body, another world and another life span. The life breath then enters it again (the consciousness becomes more active from its passive state) and the preta now becomes a jiva. Depending on the memory and latent tendencies at the time of death, the jiva seeks the space to its memory and latent tendencies, thus creating the ego sense, which then gives rise to the mind and thereafter the five elements. Thus rebirth happens

This time of passivity of the consciousness (preta state) depends on the virtuosity of the dead being. Accordingly the pretas can fall into 5 categories. Worst sinner—moderate sinner—mild sinner - moderate righteous and highly righteous.

  • Worst sinner – the consciousness stays inert for a long time and then slowly regains its identity and then undergoes enormous suffering in hell before being reborn as rocks and trees
  • Moderate sinner – the consciousness stays inert for some time and then undergoes some suffering before being reborn as worms and animals
  • Mild sinner – stays in the preta state for a brief while and then is reborn as a human being
  • Moderately righteous – stays as preta briefly, then experiences bliss for a variable period and is reborn as a human being in rich and affluent family
  • Highly righteous – stays as a preta only momentarily, before experiencing great bliss and peace and then is reborn as a human being of high virtue in the house of a Brahmana (or a spiritual seeker)

But remember o Lila, all this is imaginary; the consciousness never rises or diminishes. It is infinite. It only changes in a very subtle manner, giving rise to an illusion of form (cf. Newton’s theory on matter - matter can neither be created nor destroyed. It only changes form). The assumed form depending on its memory and latent tendencies assumes a high quality birth or a low quality birth, assumes experiences of heaven or hell. Whatever this consciousness thinks, it takes that form. The physical body is only an imagination of the ignorant. (cf. Newton’s theory of relativity. Nothing is absolute in this world. Everything is relative and perceived. What you perceive is what you see and experience. Your perceptions make your beliefs and convictions, which may be based on certain assumptions. If your assumptions are wrong, then you are living in an illusion, but assuming that your illusion is real)

What happens to the jiva if the funeral rites are not performed properly?

It once again depends on the jiva. If the jiva feels that the rites have been performed appropriately, then however the actual performance, the jiva feels contented and relieved.

Rama asked - O sage, how does the notion of jiva attain apparent reality?

When there is an agitation in the infinite consciousness, this agitation gives an illusion of apparent separateness, just like a wave appears separate from the ocean. This limitation of consciousness is the jiva. Creation is nothing but agitation in the consciousness, and the world (separate identity) appears to exist in this agitation. It appears to exist because of imperfect vision and imperfect understanding. Just like a psychotic person sees things that are not ( hallucinations), so also the mind conjectures things that are not and through thoughts and subsequent actions gives an idea of the world. It is only when you become free of the mind, that you can realise the existence of the non existence. For some people, it happens in one lifetime, for others it may take more than a thousand life times.

The infinite consciousness appears different in different states. In the waking state, consciousness appears as the world, in dream state it appears as ego, in deep sleep it appears as the mind and in the fourth state (Turiya) it appears as the non contradictory truth. Beyond the fourth state, there is only pure consciousness. One who is established in this goes beyond sorrow

Kindly enlighten me about the mystery of time

Time is unreal. It is relative and based on individual perception. For a happy man, a year passes like a moment while for one who is suffering, even a moment appears like a Yuga. Also in a dream, the duration of a moment and a life span are the same. The entire life of Manu (mortal king) is 1 ½ day for Brahma (creator). Brahma’s life span is a day of Vishnu (living in the moment) and Vishnu’s life span is one day for Shiva (beyond time). For a king who is involved in daily worldly activities, who has to interact with many people and achieve many goals, life span appears long. But for somebody who is creative, time moves much faster. For someone who is living in the present moment (awareness), time moves even faster as he is tuned only to this moment and for someone who is beyond time (meditation), time is an illusion. Only through self effort and self knowledge can one realise this.

So why is self effort not to everyone’s liking?

This is once again because of wrong understanding that things that give joy and peace are in the objects of creation. It is untrue, everything appears as one thinks. A wise man realises this and by changing his perception of the source of peace involves more and more in self knowledge, and then starts liking it, therefore continues doing more of the same. Self knowledge is the panacea to all ignorance. Absence of self knowledge makes one strongly believe in the unreality of the world and the sense organs, thereby seeking pleasure from the senses. When knowledge arises, craving drops. So O Rama, when craving arises in the mind realise that a strong tendency is pulling you towards the world and do not fulfil it. A man is pulled in two directions – towards realisation of the Brahman and towards ignorant acceptance of the world. That which he strives to realise only wins!!!

If everything is an illusion why do sages and wise men exist?

The inherent power of the infinite consciousness is dynamic and is the source of all existence. This power is called the Mahachiti (supreme intelligence). It is also called the Mahasatta (supreme existence), Mahashakti (supreme power), Mahakaala (supreme time), Mahadrishti (supreme vision), Mahakriya (supreme action), Mahodbhava (supreme happening), Mahaspandana (supreme vibration).The sages for the purpose of understanding make a verbal distinction between the consciousness and its power and say that the creation has come out of that power. When the consciousness becomes aware of its inherent power, this awareness is called niyati (fate) which determines nature. That you should ask me these questions is due to niyati and that I answer your questions is also by niyati. Someone is a worm and someone is a sage is also by niyati. Even gods are unable to change niyati. Niyati has two forms –human and super human. Human can be modified by self effort and superhuman cannot. If one remains idle leaving everything to niyati, the power moves out of him due to inaction as niyati is dynamic. Such a man can by entering higher realms of consciousness, stop breath and achieve liberation, but this is indeed is the greatest self effort!!!

If everything is indeed an illusion and nonexistent, then why should I strive for liberation? Liberation from what?

O Rama, this is a very significant question. But just like fruits fall from the tree only when ripe, you will get the answer at the right time

Chapter 4 - Creation

Rama – o Rishi, tell me how this creation started and how is it going to end?
Vasista
– listen O Rama, all that exists is infinite space. You can call it Atman, Brahman, God or whatever. When a vibration arises in this space, it manifests as thought. The thought assumes form and this assumed identity appears as creation. But remember, this creation is only the object of the perceiver, that is the mind. Just like the world in your dreams exists only in you and is unreal, in the same way, this entire creation is unreal and exists only within the perceiver. Just like a wave arises and falls back into the ocean, the beginning of the wave can be called as the beginning of creation and the wave merging with the ocean can be called the end of creation. This time from the beginning to the end is called Yuga. In between yugas, there is absolute stillness and only infinite space.

Kindly explain
There was a sage called
Akasaja (literally means born out of space). He meditated for many many years and finally when death approached him; it could not take control of him. So death went to Yama and asked him- why is it that I cannot take custody of this sage. Yama replied – o death, you don’t take custody of people, their karma brings them to your custody. Go and find where this man’s fatal karma is. Death went to find his karma and returned empty handed. Yama replied – o death, this man is pure consciousness and exists as space. He was born out of space and continues to exist as space. As he is pure space, there is no thought and without thought there is no action and without action there is no karma. Because he wasn’t born before, he does not have latent karma either. So you cannot take him into your custody.

What is the mind?
In this ocean of consciousness, when a vibration arises, it manifests as thought.
Mind is nothing but thought. Just like the ripples in the ocean, thoughts give rise to many worlds and layers of creation. When the thought becomes intense, it assumes an identity which stays as long as the thought stays. This assumed identity is what you perceive as the world. Just like an ornament potentially exists in gold, the object exists in the subject. But when this notion of the object is firmly rejected, what remains is pure space. O Rama, this world is unreal. Anything that has a beginning and ends is unreal. It appears real just like the sexual pleasures you enjoy in your dream. When the infinite vibrates, the world appears to emerge, when it becomes still, the worlds appear to submerge, just like when you rotate a burning fire brand (Sursurbathi) fast, a circle appears and when you stop rotating the circle disappears.

The wise realise this. External objects and psychological factors such as I are illusory. In reality, neither the objective universe, nor the perceiving self, nor perception, nor void exists, only one is, that is the cosmic consciousness. It is the mind which conjures up this diversity, diverse actions and experiences, the notion of bondage and the desire for liberation

Who is God?
That intelligence in which the apparent universe ceases to be is God. He (It) is the void in which the universe appears to exist. He can be realised only if one is firmly established in the unreality of the universe, just like he realises that the blue sky is unreal. The wrong notion that the world is real is because of persistent wrong thinking. However, it can be removed by the company of the wise and the study of scriptures. When the wrong notion is dispelled and the truth is realised, that realisation saturates one to such an extent, that one thinks of it, speaks of it, rejoices it and teaches it to others. Such people are called the enlightened.

Who is enlightened?
Everything in this creation has two bodies – physical and spiritual. The physical body is illusory and the unwise constantly dwells on it. The spiritual body is the real and the enlightened dwell in it.

(Guruji has beautifully explained this somewhere. Mind is called Manaha. When you reverse this it becomes Namaha. When the mind is turned outwards (Manaha), it manifests as the objects of the world. When it is turned inwards (Namaha), it dwells in the Lord)

Just like the sculpture is hidden in the rock, bracelet hidden in the gold, so also the enlightened sees this objective world hidden in the mind. Instead of focussing on diversity of creation, he sees only gold in the ornaments, only water in the waves, only movement in air, only cold in ice, only heat in a mirage and only emptiness in space. Similarly, he sees only infinite space and not the worlds. He while living an apparently normal life, experiences the whole world as emptiness. He is awake but enjoys the calmness of deep sleep. He is unaffected by pleasure or pain. His wisdom is not clouded by latent tendencies. He appears to have likes, dislikes and fear, but is free from all these. He is free of ego and his intelligence is unattached, whether in action or inaction. None is afraid of him and he is afraid of none.

If this whole world is unreal and only exists in the perceiver, how is it that it appears so real? If the unreality of the universe is realised, then the perceiver ceases to be just like the objects of perception!!! Please explain

The wrong notion that the world is real is because of persistent wrong thinking. The infinite space has three dimensions –pure space (chidaakasha), mind space (chittaakasha) and physical space (bhutaakasha).

When a vibration arises in the pure space, mind space occurs, persistent latent tendencies in the mind space give rise to physical space or matter. When the tendency to see arises, eyes are formed. In the same way the five senses are formed. When the pure space through the mind space comprehends the five senses, the sense experiences are born. With experiences memory is born and with memory, ego is established. Thus from a pure space, a physical space is formed, which thinks that it is the jiva or the separate self. It then looks at other jivas, which have been similarly formed and reflects them within itself. This results in multiple identities of physical space and the so called world emerges.

But remember this world is never there in the first place. Just like you can dream about so many things which are not there, in the same way the mind conjures many things giving the illusion of the physical world. Death is ending of this dream when your physical world collapses. If you have carried some of the tendencies such as fear, desire, and greed at the time of death, you again manifest all those tendencies and thus u r reborn (or an illusion of birth). This cycle continues till you wake up from ur dream and realise that it was all anyway a dream and unreal. The wise realises and laughs at the dream knowing that it is unreal, while the ignorant attaches himself to the dream and continues to manifest the tendencies of the dream

To further clarify my point, I will narrate to you the story of Lila (to be read as Leela)