https://archive.org/details/livingbythewordsofbhagavandairyextractsdavidgodman_202004_351_I/page/n1/mode/1up?view=theater
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Kaivalya Navneetam pdf link:
http://ramana-maharshi.weebly.com/uploads/2/4/7/2/24723372/kaivalya_navaneeta_-_cream_of_liberation.pdf
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Living by the words of Bhagvan
144 pgs pdf
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Question: If this is so, why did so many sadhanas [spiritual practices] come to be created?
Bhagavan:
The sadhanas came to be formed only to get rid of the thought that the Self is something to be newly attained.
The root of the illusion is the thought which ignores the Self and which thinks instead, T am this body’.
After this thought rises it expands in a moment into several thousand thoughts and conceals the Self.
The reality of the Self will only shine if all these thoughts are removed.
Afterwards, what remains is only Brahmananda [the bliss of Brahman].
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..The idea that we are separate from God and the idea that we have to undergo some arduous sadhana to reach Him are as false as the ideas that this man had in his dream.
While he was lying comfortably in bed his imagination led him to believe that he was suffering in a forest and that he had to make a great effort to get back to bed again.
One attains God and one remains in the state of Self when the thought of wanting to attain stops.
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Question: Bhagavan, I have read much of the Vedas and the sastras but no Atma jnana [Self-knowledge] has come to me. Why is this?
Bhagavan: Atma jnana will come to you only if it is there in the sastras [scriptures].
If you see the sastras , sastra jnana [knowledge of the scriptures] will come.
(However),
If you see the Self, Self-knowledge will shine.
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Question: How to see the Self?
Bhagavan: Everyone says ‘I am’. How do we know that this is true? Do we know this by looking in the mirror or do we know it only after looking in the sastrasl Tell me.
If the Self is something to be seen, there should be two selves , the self which looks and the Self which is seen.
Would you agree that you have two T’s?
Question: No.
Bhagavan:
The reality that exists is only one.
Then how can there be another self which is to be seen?
All are seeing the Self everywhere but they don’t understand.
What a pity!
What to do?
If the thought T am this body’ is given up, what is seen is only the Self.
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One night a devotee asked Sri Bhagavan, ‘You have stated that Atma vidya [knowledge of the Self] is very easy. How is this Atma vidya very easy?’
Bhagavan replied, ‘As an example of direct perception every one will quote the simile of the nellikai placed in the palm of the hand. The Self is even more directly perceivable than the fruit on the palm.
To perceive the fruit there must be the fruit, the palm to place it on and the eyes to see it. The mind should also be in the proper condition [to process the information.
Without any of these four things, even those with very little knowledge can say out of direct experience, “I am”.
Because the Self exists just as the feeling “I am”, Atma vidya is very easy indeed.
The easiest path is to see the one who is going to attain the Atma.'
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1 The reference is to the refrain (pallavi) and the sub-refrain (anupallavi) of Atma Vidya Kirtanam.
Self-knowledge is an easy thing, the easiest thing there is.
The Self is something that’s entirely real even for the most ordinary man.
It could be said that a clear gooseberry [nellikai] is an illusion by comparison.
: A nellikai resembles a gooseberry except that it grows on a tree not a bush. If something is self-evident Tamils will often say, ‘It’s as clear as a nellikai on the palm of the hand’.
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Question: Why cannot the Self be perceived directly?
Bhagavan:
Only the Self is said to be directly perceived [pratyaksha]* Nothing else is said to be pratyaksha.
Although we are having this pratyaksha , the thought T am this body’ is veiling it.
If we give up this thought, the Atma , which is always within the direct experience of everyone, will shine forth.
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Question: Sri Bhagavan has stated this so simply. But the thought T am the body’ does not leave us.
Bhagavan: It is not leaving you because it is very strong.
Question: Why and how did that thought come into being?
Bhagavan: It came into being only through a lack of enquiry on your part. A verse in Kaivalya Navanltam [2.95] gives the same explanation:
Because its nature is not determinable, maya is said to be inexpressible.
They are in its grip who think: This is mine—I am the body—the world is real.
’ O son, no one can ascertain how this mysterious illusion came into being. As to why it arose it is because of the person’s lack of discerning enquiry.
If we see the Self the objects which are seen will not appear as separate from us. Having seen all the letters on a paper, we fail to see that paper which is the base.
Likewise, suffering only arises because we see what is superimposed on the base without seeing the base itself.
What is superimposed should not be seen without also seeing the substratum.
How were we in sleep? When we were asleep the various thoughts such as ‘this body’, ‘this world’ were not there. It should be difficult to identify with these states [waking and dreaming] that appear and disappear, [but everyone does it].
Everyone has the experience ‘I always am’. In order to say ‘I slept well,’ ‘I awoke,’ ‘I dreamt,’ ‘when unconscious I knew nothing,’ it is necessary that one exists, and knows that one exists, in all these three states. If one seeks the Self, saying, ‘I don’t see myself,’ where can one find it? To know that everything we see is the Self, it is enough that the I-am-the-body thought ceases to exist.
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3 In Indian philosophy the term pratyaksha is often used to indicate a direct experience of the senses. Thus, hearing a noise or tasting a particular flavour is pratyaksha. However, as Bhagavan has made clear in the previous answer, such experiences are indirect because they can only be experienced through the media of the senses and the mind. When the term pratyaksha was mentioned in conversation Bhagavan would usually remark that the subjective awareness of ‘I am’ is alone pratyaksha because all other experiences are mediated through the functions of the mind and the body.
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From Kaivalya Navneetam:
1.87 The Master beamed on him as he spoke, drew him 1 near and said very lovingly: ‘To stay fixed in the Self, l without the three kinds of obstacles ignorance, doubt and knowledge derived from false premises obstructing your experience, is the highest return you can render me.’
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Question: Is the appearance of the differentiated universe true or untrue?
Bhagavan: It depends on how we regard the terms true and untrue. If we look at Brahman , there is no universe.
Question: Then why does the universe appear?
Bhagavan: Appear to whom? The universe does not say ‘I am’. Is there any evidence to say that the universe appears? To whom does this universe appear?
Question: To me.
Bhagavan: Who are you? Find out who you are. Then afterwards tell me if there is a universe.
Question: The state of samadhi has not yet come to me.
Bhagavan: That state does not come or go. It is our own ever- existing natural state.
Question: Swami, can I take up the bhavana [mental attitude] ‘I am Brahman'l
Bhagavan: If you assume ‘I am Brahman’ you will receive many blows. Why? Because everything is already Brahman. Why should it be assumed? Is it necessary to assume ‘I am a man’? If the thought ‘I am the body’ is there, then it is necessary to assume, ‘No, I am not that’
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Question: Because I have a wife and children I have many problems. I cannot escape from them.
Bhagavan: The outer samsara [mundane activities] cannot do anything to you. Only the inner samsara must be given up.
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While he was looking at a small child in the hall he suddenly remarked, ‘One can attain the bliss of Brahman only when the mind becomes pure and humble, like this child’s’.
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Question: Bhagavan, I want to attain mukti. For that you alone are my Guru. I do not seek anyone else. Kindly bestow your grace on me.
Bhagavan: The attainment of mukti is not some new achievement. We are all in the form of mukti. Because we forget this and instead wrongly think, ‘I am this body,’ many thousands of thoughts arise in wave after wave and conceal what we really are. Mukti will only shine when this thought [T am the body’] is destroyed.
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Question: What is within me is only my own Self.
Bhagavan: Guru, Atma , Iswara—these are only different names for the same thing. The essence of each is the same.
Question: After I surrender, will it be possible for me to carry on with my work?
Bhagavan: Of course! But the thought T am doing it’ will not arise.
Question: If the T-thought is not there, how will my duties get done?
Bhagavan: Whatever you get paid for, you do with indifference. Discharge your family duties with the same indifference that you discharge your office work. The things that come and go in your office don’t cause you to worry. Do all your jobs and duties with this same detachment.
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Question: What is within me is only my own Self.
Bhagavan: Guru, Atma , Iswara—these are only different names for the same thing. The essence of each is the same.
Question: After I surrender, will it be possible for me to carry on with my work?
Bhagavan: Of course! But the thought T am doing it’ will not arise.
Question: If the T-thought is not there, how will my duties get done?
Bhagavan: Whatever you get paid for, you do with indifference. Discharge your family duties with the same indifference that you discharge your office work. The things that come and go in your office don’t cause you to worry. Do all your jobs and duties with this same detachment.
Question: Difficulties keep coming to me. When will they stop?
Bhagavan: If you give up the I-am-the-body idea all your difficulties will fly away.
Question: I am thinking of leaving my village to go into a forest to perform tap as. I have decided to go with the permission of Sri Bhagavan.
Bhagavan: One may leave the village but one cannot leave oneself. If the village exists apart from oneself, it may be left.
To live alone at the place of Self is like living in the forest.
If you leave the Self, even if you go and live in a forest, it will be the same as living in a city.
The one who thinks that he is a sannyasin is not a sannyasin. The householder who does not think that he is a householder is a sannyasin.
The one who does not think that he is the one who is doing all his actions is superior to the one who thinks that he has renounced everything.
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Bhagavan sometimes said, ‘Mauna is ceaseless speech. To remain still is to work ceaselessly.’
This was one of several perplexing statements that Bhagavan occasionally made about mauna , a term which he frequently used as a synonym for the Self. I had understood some of Bhagavan’s statements about mauna such as, ‘Mauna is the sadhana for acquiring all kinds of [spiritual] wealth,’ but I was puzzled by his statements to the effect that silence is the equivalent of ceaseless speech and ceaseless work. Once, as Bhagavan was returning from one of his walks, I told him about my doubts.
‘Bhagavan says that to be still means to be ever active, and that to be silent means to be ever speaking. I don’t understand how this can be so.’
‘Is that so?’ answered Bhagavan. ‘Can you see that “I am”?’
‘Yes, I can see,’ I said.
‘How do you see?’ asked Bhagavan.
I confessed that I did not know how it was seen.
Bhagavan gave me an explanation: ‘Just like that, “to be still” means “to be ever working”. Working does not mean working with a hoe in one’s hand.
Working means to shine always as “That” [the Self].
Only silence is ever speaking.
Moreover, both are the same.
This is just what the great sages have expressed as, “I am remembering without forgetting,”
“I am worshipping without becoming separate,”
“I am thinking without thinking,”
“I am telling without telling,”
“I am listening without listening,” and so on.
If you don’t speak, God will come and speak.
The greatest scripture is the silent exposition. Only if you read this scripture will all doubts cease.
Otherwise, even if you read millions of books countless times, doubts will never cease.’
Bhagavan once gave a similar answer to a devotee who began by complaining, ‘I do not know where this “I” is.’
Bhagavan answered him by saying, ‘Be where the “I” is’.
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Bhagavan accepted the fruits, but as he was receiving them he laughingly said, ‘You should have eaten them yourself and while you were eating them you should have had the thought, “I am also Bhagavan”.’
Bhagavan’s reluctance to eat soon disappeared. He dug out many of the fruits with his fingers and sucked the juice. Finally, after exclaiming ‘ Appadil [an expression of contentment] I cannot carry the stomach,’ he walked away.
One evening, while I was accompanying Bhagavan on one of his walks, I asked him, ‘When I meditate my breath seems to get suspended in my stomach. Is this good?’
Bhagavan replied, ‘That is very good’.
Cheered by this positive comment I asked him a further question: ‘If I go on meditating after that, what will happen?’
‘Samadhi will be attained,’ replied Bhagavan.
‘Does samadhi mean that one is unaware of everything?’ I asked.
‘No,’ said Bhagavan. ‘Meditation will go on without our effort. That is samadhi .’
‘Then what is sahaja samadhi?' I asked.
Bhagavan answered by saying, ‘In that state meditation will always be going on. In that state the thought, “I am meditating,” or “I am not meditating” will not occur.’
I then asked Bhagavan about periods in my meditation when I was only aware of an all-pervasive blankness.
‘Sometimes nothing is seen,’ I said. ‘Is this good?’
Bhagavan did not seem to approve of these states. ‘In the beginning,’ he said, ‘it is good if meditators meditate with self- awareness.’
The state of sahaja samadhi continued to intrigue me. A few weeks later I asked him another question about it. ‘Can one practise sahaja samadhi right from the beginning?’
Bhagavan replied by saying that one could.
‘But how to practise it?’ I asked. ‘And how does one practise nirvikalpa samadhi ? How many different kinds of samadhi are there?’
‘There is only one kind of samadhi ,’ said Bhagavan, ‘not many kinds.
To remain temporarily subsided in the reality, without any thought, is nirvikalpa samadhi.
Permanently abiding in the Self without forgetting it is sahaja samadhi.
Both will give the same happiness.
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‘The world vision which appears in the waking state and the world vision which appears in the dream state are both the same. There is not even a trace of a difference.
The dream state happens merely to prove the unreality of the world which we see in the waking state. This is one of‘Some people dispute this by saying, “But the same world which we saw yesterday is existing today. Dream worlds are never the same from one night to the next. Therefore how can we believe that the world of the waking state is unreal? History tells us that this world has existed for thousands of years.”
‘We take the evidence that this changing world has been existing for a long time and decide that this constitutes a proof that the world is real. This is an unjustified conclusion.
‘The world is changing every minute. How? Our body is not the same as it was when we were young. A lamp which we light at night may seem to be the same in the morning but all the oil in the flame has changed. Is this not so? Water flows in a river. If we see the river on two successive days we say it is the same river, but it is not the same; the water has completely changed.
The world is always changing. It is not permanent. But we exist unchanged in all the three states of waking, dreaming and sleeping. Nobody can truthfully say, “I did not exist during these three states”. Therefore we must conclude that this “I” is the permanent substance because everything else is in a state of perpetual flux. If you never forget this, this is liberation.
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Since this view of the world is so contrary to what we regard as common sense, Bhagavan was frequently questioned about it. Even his long-term devotees sometimes tried to get him to modify his views a little. I remember, for instance, one evening in the hall when Major Chadwick tried to persuade Bhagavan that the world did have some reality and permanence.
‘If the world exists only when my mind exists,’ he began, ‘when my mind subsides in meditation or sleep, does the outside world disappear also? I think not. If one considers the experiences of others who were aware of the world while I slept, one must conclude that the world existed then. Is it not more correct to say that the world got created and is ever existing in some huge collective mind? If this is true how can one say that there is no world and that it is only a dream?’
Bhagavan refused to modify his position. The world does not say that it was created in the collective mind or that it was created in the individual mind. It only appears in your small mind. If your mind gets destroyed, there will be no world.’
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......‘Similarly, if we go beyond this waking dream and see only our real Self we will discover that there is no world and that there are no ‘other people’.
On the other hand, if we move away from the Self and see the world, we find that we are in bondage.’
Bhagavan summarised these views a little later by saying,
‘Every jiva [individual self] is seeing a separate world but
a jnani does not see anything other than himself.
This is the state of truth.’
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Bhagavan often said that since there was no suffering in the Self, all suffering must inevitably be a product of the mind.
When I once asked him, ‘Is there no way to escape from worldly suffering?’ he gave me a typical reply: The only remedy is to remain in the state of Self without losing awareness of it.’
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When a visitor asked Bhagavan about siddhis [supernatural powers] he replied,
‘To remain unchanged in the state of Self is the eternal siddhi , the greatest of all siddhis.
All other siddhis are only the prarabdha of the jnani who has realised the truth. These other siddhis are trivial.’
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‘Practising of siddhis will only fatten the ego still more. The greatest siddhi is not to see anything other than the Self. All the siddhis will come and wait upon the perfected jnani .’
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Bhagavan answered, ‘To be in meditation and to be in activity are both the same. It is like calling the same object by its name in two different languages; like the crow only having one eye but seeing in two different directions; like the elephant using the same trunk for the two activities of breathing and drinking water; like the cobra using its eyes for the two functions of seeing and hearing.’
Then he quoted the following verse [2.173] from Kaivalya Navanltam:
If you always remain aware that T am perfect consciousness, what does it matter how much you think, or what you do?
All this is unreal, like dream visions after waking. T am all bliss!
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Bhagavan explained that contrasting emotions were all a product of the mind.
‘One’s happiness and suffering are dependent on one’s mental state. Happiness is our natural state.
Suffering occurs when one leaves the Self and thinks that the body and the mind are T.
What to do about this?
The thought ‘I am this body’ has been strengthened over many births.
What remains after it has been destroyed is happiness.
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Then Bhagavan quoted verse thirty-one of Ulladu Narpadu which describes the real state of liberation:
To one who has destroyed himself [his ego] and is awake to his nature as bliss, what remains to be accomplished?
He does not see anything, as being other than himself.
Who can comprehend his state?
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Frydman: What is manonasa ?
Bhagavan: Remaining permanently as one is
without the rising of any doubt or thought
such as, ‘Nothing is known,’ or ‘Something is known’, alone is manonasa .
Sam: Remaining As Is = Mano-nasha.
Question: The scriptures say that attention should be placed at the centre between the eyebrows. Is this correct?
Bhagavan:
The feeling ‘I am’ is directly evident to everyone. What happiness is there in seeing any particular God if one ignores this feeling?
There is no foolishness like that of thinking that God exists only in certain spots such as the place between the eyebrows.
Fixing the attention on these spots is just a violent form of sadhana whose aim is to concentrate the mind in order to prevent it from running everywhere.
Enquiring ‘Who am I?’ is a much easier method of controlling the mind.
All the methods of religion are only good at certain levels of development. The maya created by the mind must be destroyed by the mind itself.
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of all asanas practice niddhidhyasana.
Unwavering meditation
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Why do you think, ‘Why didn’t I meditate?’ or ‘Why didn’t I work?’ If the thoughts ‘I did’ and ‘I didn’t’ are given up,
then all actions will end up as meditation.
In that state meditation cannot be given up.
This is the state of sahaja samadhi.
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Bhagavan: Knowledge of the Self is not in the Vedanta Sastras. Knowledge of the Self can only be obtained by studying oneself.
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Question: How is one to study oneself?
Bhagavan: You can study it only if there are two selves [one which studies and the other which is studied].
To remain as the Self is to study the Self.
If you study the Vedas and the sastras you may get due respect in the world.
Society will then decorate your neck with garlands, read you complimentary letters, give you good food, a great name and much money.
But all these things will be great obstacles for jnana and sadhana.
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Question: It is said that one can attain the Self by means of Patanjali’s yoga. Is this true?
Bhagavan: Yoga means the union of two existing things. Would you agree that there are two Ts?
Question: No.
Bhagavan:
Where is one to attain knowledge of the Self?
Since we ourselves are already the Self, suffering arises only when we think, ‘I am the body’ or, There is a Self which I have to attain’. The Self is not something that is a long way away.
We need not search for it by travelling on planes or trains.
To do this will be like a man who is immersed in water crying out, T am thirsty! I am thirsty!’
If we want to attain the Self while already being the Self, how is it possible?
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Bhagavan: You are the Self. If there is anything separate from you, you can think about doing good or bad things to it. But if you yourself are the only thing that exists, how can there be any likes or dislikes? Desirelessness is absolute bliss.
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Bhagavan: Enquiring with the mind, ‘Whose is the mind that ought to be destroyed?’ is the abhyasa to get rid of the mind.
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Question: Who am I? I do not know.
Bhagavan:
Without even knowing who we are we want to attain something else.
That which we want to attain is that which we already are.
The experience of any state or heavenly world that comes to us will eventually go away again.
That which comes and goes is not the Self.
That which is always within the experience of everyone, that alone is our real Self. That is moksha.
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Bhagavan: Guru and God can only indicate the path by saying, ‘You are That’. Nothing else can be done. Walking along the path is the work of the disciple.
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Question: I want to know myself. You must tell me the way.
Bhagavan: Do you agree that you have two Ts?
Question: That is what I do not know anything about. What should I do to make the mind calm down?
Bhagavan: It is sufficient to go on observing the place from where the mind arises.
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Once, while I was walking on the hill with Bhagavan, I asked him for a boon: ‘Bhagavan, I do not want anything else in the world except for the boon of not getting the I-am-the-body idea.’
Nodding his head gently, Bhagavan graciously replied, ‘All great people have toiled only for that. You are also That.’
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Annamalai Swami answers questions:
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you understand that it has no real existence it will disappear, leaving behind it the experience of the real and only Self. Understand that it has no real existence and it will stop troubling you.
Consciousness is universal. There is no limitation or ‘little self in it. It is only when we identify with and limit ourselves to the body and the mind that this false self is born. If, through enquiry, you go to the source of this ‘little self, you find that it dissolves into nothingness.
Q: But I am very accustomed to feel I am this “ little self’”. I cannot break this habit merely by thinking 7 am not this “little self’”.
AS: This ‘little self’ will only give way to the real Self if you meditate constantly.
You cannot wish it away with a few stray thoughts.
Try to remember the analogy of the rope which looks like a snake in the twilight. If you see the rope as a snake, the real nature of the rope is hidden from you.
If you only see the rope, the snake is not there.
Not only that, you know that there never was a snake there.
When you have that clear and correct perception that the snake never at any time existed, the question of how to kill the snake disappears.
Apply this analogy to the ‘little self that you are worrying about. If you can understand that this ‘little self never at any time had any existence outside your imagination, you will not be concerned about ways and means of getting rid of it.
you understand that it has no real existence it will disappear, leaving behind it the experience of the real and only Self. Understand that it has no real existence and it will stop troubling you.
Consciousness is universal. There is no limitation or ‘little self in it. It is only when we identify with and limit ourselves to the body and the mind that this false self is born. If, through enquiry, you go to the source of this ‘little self, you find that it dissolves into nothingness.
Q: It is all very clear but I feel that I need some help. I am not sure that I can generate this understanding by myself.
AS: The desire for assistance is part of your problem. Don’t make the mistake of imagining that there is some goal to be reached or attained. If you think like this you will start looking for methods to practise and people to help you.
This just perpetuates the problem you are trying to end.
Instead, cultivate the strong awareness, ‘I am the Self. I am That. I am Brahman. I am everything.’
You don’t need any methods to get rid of the wrong ideas you have about yourself.
All you have to do is stop believing in them.
The best way to do this is to replace them with ideas which more accurately reflect the real state of affairs.
If you think and meditate I am the Self,’ it will do you a lot more good than thinking, I am the “little self”. How can I get rid of this “little self”?’
The Self is always attained. It is always realised. It is not something that you have to seek, reach or discover.
Your vasanas [mental habits and tendencies] and all the wrong ideas you have about yourself are blocking and hiding the experience of the real Self.
If you don’t identify with the wrong ideas, your Self-nature will not be hidden from you.
You said that you needed help.
If your desire to gain a proper understanding of your real nature is intense enough, help will automatically come.
If you want to generate an awareness of your real nature you will be immeasurably helped by having contact with a jnani.
The power and grace which a jnani radiates quieten the mind and automatically eliminate the wrong ideas you have about yourself. You can make progress by having satsang of a realised Guru and by constant spiritual practice. The Guru cannot do everything for you.
If you want to give up the limiting habits of many lifetimes, you must practise constantly.
Most people take the appearance of the snake in the rope to be reality. Acting on their mis-perceptions they think up many different ways of killing the snake. They can never succeed in getting rid of the snake until they give up the idea that there is a snake there at all.
People who want to kill or control the mind have the same problem: they imagine that there is a mind which needs to be controlled and take drastic steps to beat it into submission.
If, instead, they generated the understanding that there is no such thing as mind, all their problems would come to an end.
You must generate the conviction, T am the all-pervasive consciousness in which all bodies and minds in the world are appearing and disappearing.
I am that consciousness which remains unchanged and unaffected by these appearances and disappearances.’
Stabilise yourself in that conviction.
That is all you need to do.
Bhagavan once told a story about a man who wanted to bury his own shadow in a deep pit. He dug the pit and stood in such a position that his shadow was on the bottom of it. The man then tried to bury it by covering it with earth. Each time he threw some soil in the hole the shadow appeared on top of it. Of course, he never succeeded in burying the shadow. Many people behave like this when they meditate. They take the mind to be real, try to fight l and kill it, and always fail. These fights against the mind are ail mental activities which strengthen the mind instead of weakening it.
If you want to get rid of the mind, all you have to do is understand that it is ‘not me’. Cultivate the awareness ‘I am the immanent consciousness’. When that understanding becomes firm, the non-existent mind will not trouble you.
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Q: I don’t think that repeating I am not the mind, I am consciousness’ will ever convince me that I am not the mind. It will just be another thought going on within the mind. If I could experience, even for a moment, what it is like to be without the mind, the conviction would automatically come. I think that one second of experiencing consciousness as it really is would be more convincing than several years of mental repetitions.
AS: Every time you go to sleep you have the experience of being without a mind.
You cannot deny that you exist while you are asleep and you cannot deny that your mind is not functioning while you are in dreamless sleep.
This daily experience should convince you that it is possible to continue your existence without a mind.
Of course, you do not have the full experience of consciousness while you are asleep, but if you think about what happens during this state you should come to understand that your existence, the continuity of your being, is in no way dependent on your mind or your identification with it. When the mind reappears every morning you instantly jump to the conclusion This is the real me’.
If you reflect on this proposition for some time you will see how absurd it is. If what you really are only exists when the mind is present, you have to accept that you didn’t exist while you were asleep. No one will accept such an absurd conclusion. If you analyse your alternating states you will discover that it is your direct experience that you exist whether you are awake or asleep. You will also discover that the mind only becomes active while you are waking or dreaming. From these simple daily experiences it should be easy to understand that the mind is something that comes and goes. Your existence is not wiped out each time the mind ceases to function, i am not telling you some philosophical theory ; I am telling you something that you can validate by direct experience in any twenty-four hour period of your life.
Take these facts, which you can discover by directly experiencing them, and investigate them a little more. When the mind appears every morning aon t jump to the usual conclusion. This is me; these thoughts are mine'. Instead, watch these thoughts come and go without identifying with them in any way.
If you can resist the impulse to claim each and every thought as your own, you will come to a startling conclusion:
you will discover that you are the consciousness in which the thoughts appear and disappear.
You will discover that this thing called mind only exists when thoughts are allowed to run free.
Like the snake which appears in the rope, you will discover that the mind is only an illusion which appears through ignorance or misperception.
You want some experience which will convince you that what I am saying is true.
You can have that experience if you give up your life-long habit of inventing an T which claims all thoughts as ‘mine’. Be conscious of yourself as consciousness alone, watch all the thoughts come and go. Come to the conclusion, by direct experience, that you are really consciousness itself, not its ephemeral contents.
Clouds come and go in the sky but the appearance and disappearance of the clouds doesn’t affect the sky. Your real nature is like the sky, like space. Just remain like the sky and let thought-clouds come and go.
If you cultivate this attitude of indifference towards the mind, gradually you will cease to identify yourself with it.
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.......Don’t be deluded by your thoughts and vasanas.
They are always trying to trick you into believing that you are a real person, that the world is real, and that all your problems are real.
Don’t fight them; just ignore them.
Don’t accept delivery of all the wrong ideas that keep coming to you.
Establish yourself in the conviction that you are the Self and that nothing can stick to you or affect you.
Once you have that conviction you will find that you automatically ignore the habits of the mind.
When the rejection of mental activities becomes continuous and automatic, you will begin to have the experience of the Self.
If you see two strangers quarrelling in the distance you do not give much attention to them because you know that the dispute is none of your business. Treat the contents of your mind in the same way. Instead of filling your mind with thoughts and then organising fights between them, pay no attention to the mind at all.
Rest quietly in the feeling of ‘I am’, which is consciousness, and cultivate the attitude that all thoughts, all perceptions are ‘not me’.
When you have learned to regard your mind as a distant stranger, you will not pay any attention to all the obstacles it keeps inventing for you.
Mental problems feed on the attention that you give them. The more you worry about them, the stronger they become. If you ignore them, they lose their power and finally vanish.
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