vol1-pg 40-42
Although, in essence, consciousness is the same in all the different states of existence, it can never be consummate unless it can reflect the knowledge of Infinity without the least shadow of ignorance, and also cover the whole extent of creation illumining the different spheres of existence.
Every time you go to sleep you are unconsciously united with the Infinite Reality. This unification involves the extension of unconsciousness over consciousness. It thus bridges over the chasm between the unconscious and the conscious. Deep sleep But being unconscious of this union, you do not consciously derive any benefit from it. This is the reason why, when you wake up again from deep sleep, you become aware of the self-same hum-drum individual, and you begin to act and experience exactly as you acted and experienced before going to sleep. If your union with the Supreme Reality had been a conscious union, you would have awakened into a completely new and infinitely rich life.
A Perfect Master is consciously united with the Infinite Reality. In his case the chasm between consciousness and unconsciousness is bridged, not by the extension of the unconscious Conscious union with Reality over the conscious, as in the man who enjoys deep sleep, but by the extension of consciousness over unconsciousness. The waxing and waning of consciousness is applicable only to the limited individual. In the case of the Perfect Master, the conquest of the unconscious by the conscious is final and permanent and, therefore, his state of self-knowledge is continuous and unbroken and remains the same at all times without any diminution. From this you can see that the Perfect Master never
sleeps in the ordinary sense of the word. When he rests his body he experiences no gap in his consciousness.
In the state of perfection, full consciousness becomes consummate by the disappearance of all obstacles to illumination. The conquest of the unconscious by the conscious is complete, and the The state of perfection person continuously dwells in the full blaze of illumination or as one with illumination. He becomes illumination itself. As long as a person remains under the sway of duality and looks upon manifold experience as being true and final, he has not traversed the domain of ignorance. In the state of final understanding a person realizes that the Infinite, which is One without a second, is the only reality. The Infinite pervades and includes all existence leaving nothing as its rival. A person who has such realisation has attained the highest state of consciousness. In this state the full consciousness which is the fruit of evolution is retained, but the limitations of sanskaras and desires are completely transcended. The limited individuality, which is the creation of ignorance, is transformed into the divine individuality which is unlimited. The illimitable consciousness of the Universal Soul becomes individualised in this focus without giving rise to any form of illusion. The person is free from all self-centred desires and he becomes the medium of the spontaneous flow of the supreme and universal will which expresses divinity. Individuality becomes limitless by the disappearance of ignorance. As it is unimpaired by the separateness of maya and unentangled in its duality, it enjoys the state of liberation in which there is objectless awareness, pure being and unclouded joy. Such a person has no longer any illusions which perplex and bewilder man. In one sense he is dead. The personal ego, which is the source of the sense
of separateness, has been forever annihilated. But in another sense, he is alive forevermore with unconquerable love and eternal bliss. He has infinite power and wisdom, and the whole universe is to him a field for his spiritual work of perfecting mankind.
... ................... ................. ...
1-67
If the mind is to be freed from the bondage of ever-accumulating sanskaras, it is necessary that there should be an end to the creation of new sanskaras. Renunciation Fresh multiplication of sanskaras can be stopped through renunciation. Renunciation may be external or internal. External or physical renunciation consists in giving up everything to which the mind is attached, viz., home, parents, wife, children, friends, wealth, comforts and gross enjoyments. Internal or mental renunciation consists in giving up all cravings, particularly the craving for sensual objects. Though external renunciation in itself is not necessarily accompanied by internal renunciation, it often paves a way for internal renunciation. Spiritual freedom consists in internal renunciation and not in external renunciation; but external renunciation is a great aid in achieving internal renunciation. The person who renounces his possessions disconnects himself from everything that he had or has. This means that the things which he renounces are no longer a source of fresh sanskaras. He thus takes an important step towards emancipating himself from his sanskaras by putting an end to the process of forming new sanskaras. This is not all that is achieved through external renunciation. With the renouncing of everything, he also renounces his past bindings. The old sanskaras connected with his possessions get detached from his mind and, since they are withheld from expressing themselves, they get worn out.
1-69
The two important forms of external renunciation which have special spiritual value Solitude and fasting are
(1) solitude and (2) fasting.
Withdrawal of oneself from the storm and stress of the multifarious worldly activities and occasional retirement into solitude are valuable for wearing out the sanskaras connected with the gregarious instinct. But this is not to be looked upon as a goal in itself.
When external and internal fasting are whole-hearted and faithful, they bring about the unwinding of the sanskaras connected with the craving for food.
1-70
The unwinding of many other sanskaras can be brought about through penance. This consists in augmenting and expressing the feeling of remorse which a man feels after realising that Penance he has done some wrongful act. Repentance consists in mentally reviving the wrongs with severe self-condemnation. It is facilitated by availing oneself of the different circumstances and situations which stir up penance, or by remaining vulnerable during periods of emotional outbursts, or by deliberate efforts to recall the past incidents with a bleeding heart and acute disapproval. Such penance unwinds the sanskaras which are responsible for the action. Self-condemnation accompanied by deep feeling can negate the sanskaras of anger, greed and lust. Suppose a person has done irreparable wrong to someone through uncontrolled greed, anger or lust. Some time or other he is bound to have the reaction of self-killing remorse and experience the pricks of conscience. If at this time he vividly realises the evil for which he was responsible, the intensity of emotional awareness by which it is accompanied consumes the tendencies for which he stands self-condemned.
If the mind is to be freed from the bondage of ever-accumulating sanskaras, it is necessary that there should be an end to the creation of new sanskaras. Renunciation Fresh multiplication of sanskaras can be stopped through renunciation. Renunciation may be external or internal. External or physical renunciation consists in giving up everything to which the mind is attached, viz., home, parents, wife, children, friends, wealth, comforts and gross enjoyments. Internal or mental renunciation consists in giving up all cravings, particularly the craving for sensual objects. Though external renunciation in itself is not necessarily accompanied by internal renunciation, it often paves a way for internal renunciation. Spiritual freedom consists in internal renunciation and not in external renunciation; but external renunciation is a great aid in achieving internal renunciation. The person who renounces his possessions disconnects himself from everything that he had or has. This means that the things which he renounces are no longer a source of fresh sanskaras. He thus takes an important step towards emancipating himself from his sanskaras by putting an end to the process of forming new sanskaras. This is not all that is achieved through external renunciation. With the renouncing of everything, he also renounces his past bindings. The old sanskaras connected with his possessions get detached from his mind and, since they are withheld from expressing themselves, they get worn out.
1-69
The two important forms of external renunciation which have special spiritual value Solitude and fasting are
(1) solitude and (2) fasting.
Withdrawal of oneself from the storm and stress of the multifarious worldly activities and occasional retirement into solitude are valuable for wearing out the sanskaras connected with the gregarious instinct. But this is not to be looked upon as a goal in itself.
When external and internal fasting are whole-hearted and faithful, they bring about the unwinding of the sanskaras connected with the craving for food.
1-70
The unwinding of many other sanskaras can be brought about through penance. This consists in augmenting and expressing the feeling of remorse which a man feels after realising that Penance he has done some wrongful act. Repentance consists in mentally reviving the wrongs with severe self-condemnation. It is facilitated by availing oneself of the different circumstances and situations which stir up penance, or by remaining vulnerable during periods of emotional outbursts, or by deliberate efforts to recall the past incidents with a bleeding heart and acute disapproval. Such penance unwinds the sanskaras which are responsible for the action. Self-condemnation accompanied by deep feeling can negate the sanskaras of anger, greed and lust. Suppose a person has done irreparable wrong to someone through uncontrolled greed, anger or lust. Some time or other he is bound to have the reaction of self-killing remorse and experience the pricks of conscience. If at this time he vividly realises the evil for which he was responsible, the intensity of emotional awareness by which it is accompanied consumes the tendencies for which he stands self-condemned.
Self-condemnation sometimes expresses itself through different forms of self-mortification. Some aspirants even inflict wounds on their body when they are in a mood of penitence, but such drastic expression of remorse must be discouraged as a general usage.
1-73
Rejection of desires is a preparation for desirelessness or the state of non-wanting which alone can bring about true freedom. Wanting is necessarily binding, whether it is fulfilled or Desirelessness not. When it is fulfilled, it leads to further wanting and thus perpetuates the bondage of the spirit. When it is unfulfilled it leads to disappointment and suffering which, through their sanskaras, fetter the freedom of the spirit in their own way. There is no end to wanting because the external and internal stimuli of the mind are constantly alluring it into a state of wanting or disliking (which is another form of wanting) something. The external stimuli are the sensations of sight, hearing, smell, taste and touch. The internal stimuli are those that arise in the mind-stuff of man from the memories of the present life and the totality of sanskaras gathered by consciousness during the evolutionary period and during human lives. When the mind is trained to remain unmoved and balanced in the presence of all external and internal stimuli, it arrives at the state of non-wanting, and by not wanting anything (except the Absolute Reality which is beyond the opposites of stimuli) it is possible to unwind the sanskaras of wanting.
Wanting is a state of disturbed equilibrium of mind Poise of non-wanting implies facing stimuli by “Neti, Neti” and non-wanting is a state of stable poise. The poise of non-wanting can only be maintained by an unceasing disentanglement from all stimuli, whether pleasant or painful, agreeable or disagreeable.
1-78
Such control is born of strength of character and health of mind, and it invariably brings with it freedom from fear and immense peace and calmness. The mind, which appears feeble when it is wanton and uncontrolled in its functioning, becomes a source of great strength when it is controlled. Control is indispensable for the conservation of psychic energy and the economical use of thought-force for creative purposes.
1-79
When the psychic energy locked up in the sanskaras is thus diverted, they get dispersed and exhausted.
1-80
Psychic energy can be sublimated into spiritual channels through (1) meditation, (2) selfless service of humanity and (3) devotion.
Meditation is deep and constant concentration upon an ideal object. In such concentration upon an ideal object, the soul is conscious only of the object of meditation, Meditation: its nature and purpose completely forgetting its mind as well as the body, so that no new sanskaras are formed and old ones are dispersed and exhausted through the psychic activity of dwelling on the object of concentration. Finally, when the sanskaras completely disappear, the soul as individualised is dissolved in the intensity of concentration and is merged in the ideal object.
1-82
Solitude is one of the essential conditions for attaining success in meditation. In the world of thought there is a constant intermingling of thought-forms and thought-colours. Importance of solitude for meditationSome mighty ideas tend to strengthen the mind by facilitating integration, whereas some frivolous thoughts are dissipating. The mind is either attracted or repelled by these diverse thoughts in the mental environment. It is advisable to avoid the influence of these variegated thoughts in order to get established in one’s own ideal of thought. For this purpose solitude has immense possibilities. Solitude means economy of psychic energy and increased power of concentration. Having nothing extraneous to attract or repel the mind, you are drawn inwards and learn the art of opening yourself to the higher currents which have the potency of giving you strength, bliss and peaceful expansiveness.
While meditation on the personal and impersonal aspects of God requires withdrawal of consciousness into the sanctuary of one’s own heart, Selfless service concentration on the universal aspect of God is best achieved through the selfless service of humanity. When the soul is completely absorbed in the service of humanity, it is completely oblivious of its own body or mind or their functions, as in meditation,
1-85
The sacrifice of love is so complete and ungrudging that it has all to give and nothing to expect. The more it gives the more it wants to give and the less it is aware of having given.
1-86
When love is deep and intense it is called Bhakti or devotion. In its initial stages devotion is expressed through symbol-worship, supplication before the deities and reverence and allegiance Different stages of devotion to the revealed scriptures, or the pursuit of the Highest through abstract thinking. In its more advanced stages devotion expresses itself as interest in human welfare and the service of humanity, love and reverence for saints and allegiance and obedience to the spiritual Master. These stages have their relative values and relative results. Love for a living Master is a unique stage of devotion, for it eventually gets transformed into Para-bhakti or divine love.
Para-bhakti is not merely intensified Bhakti. It begins where Bhakti ends. At the stage of Para-bhakti, devotion is not only single-minded but is accompanied by extreme restlessness of the Para-bhakti heart and a ceaseless longing to unite with the Beloved. This is followed by lack of interest in one’s own body and its care, isolation from one’s own surroundings, and utter disregard for appearance or criticism, while the divine impulses of attraction to the Beloved become more frequent than ever. This highest phase of love is most fruitful because it has as its object a person who is love incarnate and who can, as the Supreme Beloved, respond to the lover most completely. The purity, sweetness and efficacy of the love which the lover receives from the Master contributes to the insuperable spiritual value of this highest phase of love.
1-94
From this point of view the sinner and the saint are both what they are according to the laws operative in the universe. They have both the same beginning and the same end. The sinner need not have the stigma of eternal degradation and the saint need not have pride in his moral attainments. No one, however saintly he may be, has attained the heights of moral virtues except after a life of moral failings, and no one is so bad as to be unable to improve and become good. Everyone, no matter how depraved, can gradually become better and better until he becomes the best example for all mankind. There is always hope for everyone; none is utterly lost and none need despair. It remains true, however, that the way to divinity lies through the renunciation of evil in favour of the good.
1-144 sex
The gateway to the spiritual Path of internal and spontaneous renunciation of craving remains closed for those who have not the good fortune to be awakened by a Master. But true Renunciation of craving made possible through awakening awakening is the entering into the path of wisdom which, in course of time, surely leads to the freedom and abiding happiness of life eternal. Internal and spontaneous renunciation of craving is as different from mechanical repression as it is from indulgence. Mind turns to the mechanical repression of craving because of disappointment, but it turns to internal and spontaneous renunciation of craving because of disillusionment or awakening.
The need for indulgence or mechanical repression arises only when the nature of craving is not clearly grasped. When the aspirant becomes fully awake to the inevitable bondage and suffering entailed by craving, Indulgence and repression relative to cravinghe begins voluntarily to disburden himself of craving through intelligent understanding. The question of indulgence or repression arises only when there is craving. The need for both vanishes with the complete disappearance of craving. When the mind is free from craving, the mind can no longer be moved by the false promises of indulgence or mechanical repression.
However, it should be borne in mind that the life of freedom is nearer to the life of restraint than to the life of indulgence (though in quality it is essentially different from both). Restraint nearer to freedom than indulgence Hence for the aspirant a life of strict celibacy is preferable to married life, if restraint comes to him easily without undue sense of self-repression. Such restraint is difficult for most persons and sometimes impossible, and for them married life is decidedly more helpful than a life of celibacy. For ordinary persons, married life is undoubtedly advisable unless they have a special aptitude for celibacy.
1-145
For the celibate as well as for the married person the path of inner life is the same. When the aspirant is drawn by the Truth he longs for nothing else, and as the Truth increasingly comes within his ken, he gradually disburdens himself of craving. Path of perfection open in celibacy and in marriage Whether in celibacy or in marriage, he is no longer swayed by the deceptive promises of indulgence or mechanical repression, and he practises internal and spontaneous renunciation of craving until he is freed from the deceptive opposites. The path of perfection is open to the aspirant whether in celibacy or in marriage, and whether he begins from celibacy or from marriage will depend upon his sanskaras and karmic ties.
1-147
Truth cannot be grasped by skipping over the surface of life and multiplying superficial contacts. It requires the preparedness of mind which can centre its capacities upon selected experiences and free itself from its limiting features. This process of discrimination between the higher and the lower, and the transcendence of the lower in favour of the higher, Infinity attainable through intelligent handling of marriage is made possible through whole-hearted concentration and a real and earnest interest in life.
1-161
Pure love arises in the heart of the aspirant in response to the descent of grace from the Master. When pure love is first received as a gift of the Master it becomes lodged in the consciousness of the aspirant like a seed in favourable soil, and in the course of time the seed develops into a plant and then into a full-grown tree.
1-162
The kind of love which is awakened by the grace of the Master is a rare privilege. The mother who is willing to sacrifice all and to die for her child, and the Pure love is very rare martyr who is prepared to give up his very life for his country are indeed supremely noble, but they have not necessarily tasted this pure love which is born through the grace of the Master. Even the great yogis with long beards who, sitting in caves and mountains, are completely absorbed in deep samadhi, do not necessarily have this precious love.
Pure love awakened through the grace of the Master is more valuable than any other stimulus which may be utilised by the aspirant. Such love not only Pure love the best discipline combines in itself the merits of all the disciplines but excels them all in its efficacy to lead the aspirant to his goal. When this love is born the aspirant has only one desire, and that is to be united with the Divine Beloved. Such withdrawal of consciousness from all other desires leads to infinite purity; therefore nothing purifies the aspirant more completely than this love. The aspirant is always willing to offer everything for the Divine Beloved, and no sacrifice is too difficult for him. All his thoughts are turned away from the self and come to be exclusively centred on the Divine Beloved. Through the intensity of this evergrowing love he eventually breaks through the shackles of the self and becomes united with the Beloved. This is the consummation of love. When love has thus found its fruition it has become divine.
Divine love is qualitatively different from human love.
1-163
..but in divine love there is unrestrained freedom and unbounded spontaneity. Human love in its personal and impersonal aspects is limited, but divine love with its fusion of the personal and the impersonal aspects is infinite in being and expression.
Even the highest type of human love is subject to the limitation of individual nature which persists till the seventh plane. Divine love arises after the disappearance of the individual mind and is free from the trammels of individual nature. In human love the duality of the lover and the beloved persists, In divine love the lover is united with Beloved but in divine love the lover and Beloved become one. At this stage the aspirant has stepped out of the domain of duality and become one with God, for divine love is God. When the lover and the Beloved are one, that is the end and the beginning.
1-169
In non-duality there is freedom from limitation, and the knowledge and appreciation of things as they are. Realising spiritual infinity through non-duality In non-duality alone is there the realisation of true spiritual infinity that secures abiding and unfading bliss. The limitation of jealousy is like all other limitations such as anger, hate and cravings: they are all one’s own creation. All finitehood and limitation is subjective and self-created. With the surrenderance of self-will and ego-centred imagination there arises a true perception of the infinite worth of that which IS.
2-15
Divine desperateness is the beginning of spiritual awakening because it gives rise to aspiration for God-realization.
In the moment of divine desperateness, when everything seems to give way, man decides to take any risk to ascertain what of significance to his life lies behind the veil.
God or nothing
All the usual solaces have failed him, but at the same time his inner voice refuses to reconcile itself completely with the position that life is devoid of all meaning.
God or nothing.
If he does not posit some hidden reality which he has not hitherto known, then there is nothing at all worth living for. For him there are only two alternatives: either there is a hidden spiritual reality which prophets have described as God, or everything is meaningless. The second alternative is utterly unacceptable to the whole of man’s personality, so he must try the first alternative. Thus man turns to God when he is at bay in worldly affairs.
2-17
The spiritual journey does not consist in arriving at a new destination where a person gains what he did not have, or becomes what he was not. It consists in the dissipation of his ignorance concerning himself and life and the gradual growth of that understanding which begins with spiritual awakening. The finding of God is a coming to one’s own Self.
2-23
However, Samadhi is fundamentally different from sleep, in that a person is totally unconscious in sleep whereas in Samadhi he is conscious of bliss or light or power, although he is unconscious of his body and surroundings.
After a period of comparative stillness the mind begins to function on the new plane and experiences a state of consciousness which is utterly different from the state which it has left behind.
2-27
Arriving at Self-Knowledge
WHEN the time is ripe the advancement of a person towards self-knowledge comes about as naturally as the physical body of the child grows into full-fledged form. The growth of the Progress towards Self-knowledge gradual and imperceptible physical body is worked out by the operation of natural laws, and the progress of the aspirant towards self-knowledge is worked out by the operation of spiritual laws pertaining to the transformation and emancipation of consciousness. The physical body of the child grows very gradually and almost imperceptibly, and the same is true of the spiritual progress of the person who has once entered the Path. The child does not know how its physical body grows; in the same way the aspirant also is often oblivious of the law by which he makes headway towards the destination of his spiritual progress. The aspirant is generally conscious of the manner in which he has been responding to the diverse situations in life, and rarely conscious of the manner in which he makes progress towards self-knowledge. Without consciously knowing it, the aspirant is gradually arriving at self-knowledge by traversing the Inner Path through his joys and sorrows, his happiness and suffering, his successes and failures, his efforts and rest, and through his moments of clear perception and harmonised will as well as through the moments of confusion and conflict.
2-29
At this stage the soul is conscious of the gross world, but is completely ignorant of its own true nature. Identification with physical body It identifies itself with the gross body on which the flashlight of consciousness falls and this naturally becomes the base for all the activities which are within its range. The soul does not directly know itself through itself but by means of the physical body; and since all the knowledge which it can gather through the physical body points to the physical body itself as the centre of activities, it knows itself as being the physical body which in fact is only its instrument. The soul therefore imagines itself to be man or woman, young or old, and takes upon itself the changes and limitations of the body.
2-30
However, the change of the stage of action from the gross to the subtle sphere of existence is of considerable significance, insofar as in the subtle sphere the conventional standards of the gross world are replaced by new standards which are nearer the Truth, and a new mode of life is rendered possible by the dawning of new powers and a release of spiritual energy. Life in the subtle world is only a passing phase in the spiritual journey and is far from being the goal; but out of millions of gross-conscious souls a rare one is capable of becoming subtle-conscious.
Impressions connected with the subtle world get worn out in turn through some forms of penance or yoga. This facilitates and brings about a further withdrawal of consciousness inwardly whereby the flashlight of consciousness comes to be thrown on the mental body and begins to function through it. Identification with mental body The severance of conscious connection with the subtle and gross bodies means that the gross and subtle spheres of existence become completely excluded from the scope of consciousness. The soul is now conscious of the mental world which affords deeper possibilities for spiritual understanding and clearer perception of the ultimate Truth. In this new setting of the mental sphere, the soul enjoys continuous inspiration, deep insight and unfailing intuition, and it is in direct contact with spiritual Reality. Although it is in direct contact with God, it does not see itself as God, since it cannot know itself directly through itself but only through the medium of the individual mind. It knows itself by means of the individual mind and considers itself to be the individual mind since it sees the individual mind as being the base and the centre of all
its activities.
2-35
God-Realisation
TO arrive at true self-knowledge is to arrive at God-realisation. God-realisation is a unique state of consciousness. It is different from all the other states of consciousness because all the other states of consciousness are experienced through the medium of the individual mind; whereas the state of God-consciousness is in no way dependent upon the individual mind or any other medium. To realise the Self is to realise God A medium is necessary for knowing something other than one’s own self. For knowing one’s own self no medium is necessary. In fact, the association of consciousness with the mind is definitely a hindrance rather than a help for the attainment of realisation. The individual mind is the seat of the ego or the consciousness of being isolated. It creates the limited individuality, which at once feeds on and is fed by the illusion of duality, time and change. So, in order to know the Self as it is, consciousness has to be completely freed from the limitation of the individual mind. In other words, the individual mind has to disappear but consciousness has to be retained.
Throughout the past life-history of the soul, its consciousness has grown with the individual mind and all the workings of consciousness have proceeded against the background of the individual mind. Consciousness
has therefore come to be firmly embedded in the individual mind and cannot be extricated from this setting into which it has been woven. Consciousness intertwined with the mind The result is that if the mind is suborned, consciousness also disappears. The intertwining of the individual mind and consciousness is amply illustrated by the tendency to become unconscious when there is any effort to stop mental activity through meditation.
The everyday phenomenon of going to sleep is not essentially different from the lull experienced during meditation, but it is slightly different in its origin. Explanation of sleep Since the individual mind is continuously confronted by the world of duality it is involved in ceaseless conflict; and when it is wearied by its unrelieved struggle, it wants to lose its identity as a separate entity and go back to the Infinite. It then recedes from the world of its own creation and experiences a lull, and this lull is also invariably accompanied by the cessation of consciousness.
The quiescence of mental activity in sleep entails the complete submerging of consciousness; but this cessation of mental life and conscious functioning is only temporary, because the impressions which are stored in the mind goad it to renewed activity. Resuming wakefulness After awhile the psychic stimuli of impressions result in stirring the mind and reviving the conscious functioning which is performed through its medium. So the period of sleep is followed by a period of wakefulness and the period of wakefulness is followed by a period of sleep, according to the law of alternating activity and rest.
As long as the latent impressions in the mind are not completely undone, however, there is no final annihilation of the individual mind or emancipation.
2-37
The limited mind is the soil in which the ego is securely rooted, and this ego perpetuates ignorance through the many illusions in which it is caught. Obstacle of the ego The ego prevents manifestation of infinite knowledge which is already latent in the soul; it is the most formidable obstacle to the attainment of God. A Persian poem says truly, “It is extremely difficult to pierce through the veil of ignorance; for there is a rock on the fire.” Just as a flame cannot rise very high if a rock is placed upon it, a desire to know one’s own true nature cannot lead to the Truth as long as the burden of the ego is placed on consciousness. Success in finding oneself is rendered impossible by the continuation of the ego which persists throughout the journey of the soul.
In old age, an aching tooth can give untold trouble because it is not easily uprooted, although moving within its socket. In the same way the ego which might become feeble through love or penance, is yet difficult to eradicate. It persists till the very end. Though it becomes looser as the soul advances on the Path, it remains till the last stage which is the seventh plane.
Ego is the centre of all human activity. The attempts of the ego to secure its own extinction might be compared to the attempt of a man to stand on his own shoulders. Difficulty of overcoming the ego Just as the eye cannot see itself, so the ego is unable to end its own existence. All that it does to bring about self-annihilation only goes to add to its own existence. It flourishes on the very efforts directed against itself. Thus it is unable to vanish altogether through its own desperate activity, although it succeeds in transforming its own nature. The disappearance of the ego is conditioned by the melting away of the limited mind which is its seat.
2-38
The problem of God-realisation is the problem of emancipating consciousness from the limitations of the mind.
God-realisation is a personal state of consciousness belonging to the soul which has transcended the domain of the mind.
2-44
The Master is the very source of purity, and to set one’s heart on the Master is the beginning of self-purification.
All his weaknesses are consumed in this fire of divine love of which he thus becomes the recipient. If the disciple is to be free from all weaknesses and attain incorruptible and infinite purity, he has to dedicate his life to the Master without any reservations or provisions. He must offer his weaknesses as well as his vices, his merits as well as his sins. There should be no “if’s” and “but’s” about his offering. His self-surrender must be so complete as to allow no room in his mind for even a shadow of any secret self desire.
The only differences in faith are differences of degree. Faith may be strong and vital, or weak and lukewarm. A weak and lukewarm faith does not carry a man further than adherence to rituals and ceremonies, but a strong and vital faith is bound to take the aspirant beyond the external forms of religion and help him to eschew the husk and get at the kernel of true spiritual life. Faith reaches its natural climax and goal when it comes to rest in one’s own Master.
The faith of the disciple must always be securely grounded in his experience of the divinity of the Master. He must not be like a straw carried anywhere by the slightest breeze. Story of Kalyan He should be like a rock which remains unmoved in the severest of storms. The story of Kalyan brings out the meaning of a really sound faith in the Master. Kalyan was a disciple of Swami Ramdas who was a Perfect Master at the time of Shivaji.
3/62
The Master loves all disciples alike, but some might be particularly dear to him, just as a man loves all parts of his body, but the eyes may be more dear to him than his fingers.
Swami Ramdas had many disciples, but his favourite was Kalyan. Other disciples did not quite understand why Kalyan should be dearer to the Master than the others. Once Swami Ramdas tested the devotion of his disciples. He asked all his disciples to come to him and pretended to be so sick as to be on the point of death. He had placed a mango on the joint of his knee and bound it up by means of a bandage so that it looked like a huge swelling. Swami Ramdas pointed to this swelling and told the disciples that it was a malignant tumour and that there was no chance of his living unless someone sucked the poison from the joint of his knee. At the same time he made it clear to all that whoever sucked out the poison would die instantaneously. Then he asked whether any disciple was prepared to suck out the poison from the swelling at the cost of life. All the disciples hesitated except Kalyan who arose immediately and began to suck from the swelling To his surprise Kalyan found sweet mango juice and not poison and Swami Ramdas praised his unswerving faith and self-denying love. To be willing to die for the happiness of the Beloved is true love. Such implicit faith, unfaltering love and undivided loyalty as that of Kalyan can come to the disciple only through the grace of the Master.
The sense of undivided and absolute loyalty to the Master is made possible by the right understanding of what the Master is and what he really stands for. Cases of conflict If the disciple has an imperfect grasp of the true status and function of the Master, he is likely to set up a false antithesis between his own higher Self and the Master. As a consequence of this antithesis he might create in his mind an artificial and imaginary conflict between the claims of the Master and other claims which seem legitimate. A disciple should realise from the very beginning the Master only requires that the disciple should realise his own higher Self. In fact, the Master symbolises this higher Self of the disciple and is none other than this higher Self which is the same one reality in all. So, allegiance to the Master is only another form of allegiance to one’s higher Self. This does not mean, however, that merely formal allegiance to the higher Self is in any way an adequate substitute for allegiance to the Master. The disciple cannot have a clear perception of his own higher Self until he is God-realised and often that which comes to him as his duty is really a prompting of some sanskaras interpolating themselves between the higher Self and his field of consciousness. The Master on the contrary is one with the higher Self and can make no mistake about right valuation.
2-51
Kabir has compared the three stages of the Path to the three phases of fire. Just as first there is only smoke and no fire, then there is fire enveloped in smoke, and lastly there is only fire without smoke, the beginnings of the Path are enveloped in thick ignorance, midway there is confused perception of the goal, and finally there is realisation of Truth without the slightest alloy of illusion. Since the Path lies through illusions of many kinds, the aspirant is never safe without the guidance of the Master who knows all the stages of the Path and can take him through them.
Before the opening of the inner eye the mind conceives of the goal as the Infinite, and this conception is based upon some symbolic image of Infinity such as the sky or the ocean, which suggests the idea of vastness. Abode of delusion Although such a concept of the Infinite is clean-cut and well defined, it has to be superseded by direct perception of the Infinite. The aspirant sees the Self directly when his inner eye of the spirit is opened. When this happens, the mind is dazed by what it sees and is no longer as clear as it was before the opening of this inner eye. Being dazed by the perception of the Self, the mind loses its capacity to think clearly and mistakes the seeing of the Self with its being actually realised. Hence comes the illusion of being at the end of the Path when one is still traversing it. In Sufi terms this particular part of the Path is known as Mukam-e-afasan or the Abode of Delusion. It is in such difficult phases of the Path that the Master can, through his skillful intervention, give a push to the aspirant so that he keeps on going instead of getting caught up on the way.
In fact, there is danger of the aspirant being detained on each one of the inner planes, because each in its own way is very alluring and serves as a trap for the aspirant. Contribution of the Master The Master either takes the aspirant past these planes or through them without unnecessary delay. The aspirant has to walk his own way, but the contribution of the Master consists in confirming and consolidating the previously acquired intuitions and perceptions of the aspirant, and in precipitating his consciousness into the next stage which, though unavoidable, is by its nature impossible for him to anticipate.
2-62
The ego attempts to solve its inner conflicts through false valuation and wrong choice. It is characteristic of the ego that it takes all that is unimportant as important and all that is important as unimportant. Ego attempts to solve conflicts through false valuation Thus power, fame, worldly attainments and accomplishments are really unimportant, but the ego takes delight in these possessions and clings to them as “mine.” On the other hand, true spirituality is all-important for the soul, but the ego looks upon it as unimportant.
The mind rarely functions harmoniously because it is mostly guided and governed by forces in the subconscious, and few persons take the trouble to attain mastery over these hidden forces which direct the course of mental life. The elimination of conflict is possible only through conscious control over the psychic forces in the sub-conscious; and this control can be permanently attained only through the repeated exercise of true valuation in all the cases of conflict which are presented to the mind.
2-111
MEDITATION may be described as the path which the individual cuts for himself while trying to get beyond the limitations of the mind.
2-114
Persons with no capacity for intense concentration have to begin with meditation, whereas for those who have the capacity for concentration, meditation is unnecessary. It is sufficient if they concentrate on the mere form of a God-man or Man-God or on some simple formula like, “I am neither the gross body nor the subtle body 1 nor the mental body2; I am Atman (Soul).”
Silence and seclusion helpful for meditation Utter isolation of the individual from social surroundings is almost always conducive to unhampered prosecution of meditation. The ancient yogis took to mountains and caves in search of complete seclusion. Great quiet and undisturbed silence are essential for attaining success. However, it is not necessary for persons to go to mountains and caves in search of these conditions. Even in towns a little care and trouble can secure for the aspirant the quiet, silence and seclusion necessary to facilitate and promote progress in the different forms of meditation.
2-118
By recognising the irrelevance and worthlessness of disturbing thoughts, and the relative value and importance of the object of meditation, it becomes possible to let the disturbing thoughts die through sheer neglect, thus making the mind permanently steady in the object of meditation.
2-178
Egoism must disappear Complete self-surrender is most difficult to achieve, and yet the most essential condition of spiritual advancement is the decreasing of egoism to its minimum.
2-179
For spiritual advancement the aspirant has to avoid these two extremes and yet carry on a life of creative action. Treading the path like walking on edge of a sword Treading the spiritual path is not like riding a saddled horse, but like walking on the sharp edge of a sword. Once a rider is on horseback he is practically at rest, sitting with more or less ease and requiring very little effort or attention to proceed. Treading the spiritual path, however, requires utmost attention and carefulness since the path affords no halting places or room for expansion of the ego-life. He who enters the path can neither remain where he is nor can he afford to lose his balance. He is like one who attempts to walk on the sharp edge of a sword.
2-183
Progress from one surrender to greater surrender is a progression from a minor conquest to a major one. Last surrenderance is that of separateness The more complete forms of surrenderance represent the higher states of consciousness since they secure greater harmony between the aspirant and the Master. Thus the infinite life of the Master can flow through the aspirant in more abundant measure. Spiritual advancement is a succession of one surrender after another until the goal of the final surrenderance of the separate ego-life is completely achieved. The last surrender is the only complete surrenderance. It is the reverse side of the final union in which the aspirant becomes one with the Master. Therefore, in a sense, the most complete surrenderance to the Master is equivalent to the attainment of the Truth, which is the ultimate goal of all spiritual advancement.
2-192
There is no Sadhana greater than love, there is no law higher than love, and there is no goal which is beyond love, for love in its divine state becomes infinite. God and love are identical, and one who has divine love already has God.
In no Sadhana is the merging in God so easy and complete as in love. When love is the presiding genius the path to Truth is effortless and joyous. As a rule Sadhana involves effort and sometimes even desperate effort, as in the case of an aspirant who may strive for detachment in the face of temptations. In love, though, there is no sense of effort because it is spontaneous. Spontaneity is of the essence of true spirituality. The highest state of consciousness, in which the mind is completely merged in the Truth, is known as Sahajawastha, the state of unlimited spontaneity in which there is uninterrupted Self-knowledge. One of the paradoxes connected with spiritual Sadhana is that all effort of the aspirant is intended for arriving at a state of effortlessness.
...................... ....................
............................ .....................
Just as in this world the presence of coarser desires leads to the preponderance of suffering over pleasure, so in the life after death the revived experiences connected with these coarser desires leads to a preponderance of suffering over pleasure, thus bringing into existence the hell-state. Sufferings of hell and the pleasures of heaven Similarly, in the life after death the revived experiences connected with the finer desires lead to a preponderance of pleasure over suffering, thus bringing into existence the heaven-state.
But hell and heaven are both states of bondage subject to the limitations of the opposites of pleasure and pain. Both are states whose duration is determined by the nature, amount and intensity of the accumulated impressions. Time in subtle world Time in the subtle world is not the same as time in the gross world due to the increased subjectivity of the states of consciousness; but though time in the subtle world is thus incommensurable with time in the gross world, it is strictly determined by the impressions accumulated in the gross world. However, the important fact is that the hell-state and the heaven-state are far from being lasting, and after they have served their purpose in the life of the individualised soul they both come to an end.
The coarser sensual desires like lust, and their emotional products like hate and anger, all contribute to the life of delusion and suffering prevalent in the hell-state. Vivification of impressions The finer desires like idealistic aspirations, aesthetic and scientific interests, good-will towards neighbours and others, and their emotional products like personal love or fellow-feeling, contribute to the life of enlightenment and pleasure prevalent in the heaven-state. These states for most persons
consist in reliving the experiences of the earthly life by vivification of the impressions left by them. Their duration and nature are dependent upon the duration and nature of the experiences undergone by the person in his physical body.
3-181
3-181
Twelve Ways of Realising Me
1. LONGING
If you experience that same longing and thirst for union with me as one who has been lying for days in the hot sun of the Sahara experiences the longing for water, then you will realise me.
2. PEACE OF MIND
If you have the peace of a frozen lake, then too you will realise me.
3. HUMILITY
If you have the humility of the earth which can be moulded into any shape, then you will know me.
4. DESPERATION
If you experience the desperation that causes a man to commit suicide and you feel that you cannot live without seeing me, then you will see me.
5. FAITH
If you have the complete faith that Kalyan had for his Master, in believing it was night although it was day (because his Master said so), then you will know me.
6. FIDELITY
If you have the fidelity that the breath has in giving you company, even without your constantly feeling it, till the end of your life (that both in happiness and in suffering gives you company and never turns against
you), then you will know me.
7. CONTROL THROUGH LOVE
When your love for me drives away your lust for the things of the senses, then you will realise me.
8. SELFLESS SERVICE
If you have the quality of selfless service unaffected by results, similar to that of the sun which serves the world by shining on all creation—on the grass in the field, on the birds in the air, on the beasts in the forest—on all mankind with its sinner and its saint, its rich and its poor, unconscious of their attitude towards it, then you will win me.
9. RENUNCIATION
If you renounce for me everything physical, mental and spiritual, then you have me.
10. OBEDIENCE
If your obedience is as spontaneous, complete and natural as the light is to the eye or the smell to the nose, then you come to me.
11. SURRENDERANCE
If your surrenderance to me is as whole-hearted as that of one who, suffering from insomnia, surrenders to sudden sleep without fear of being lost, then you have me.
12. LOVE
If you have that love for me which St. Francis had for Jesus, then not only will you realise me but you will please me.
No comments:
Post a Comment