Knowledge on Spiritual Path

How much will knowledge help on Spiritual path?
Very much.

How it will help?
Till you forego it.

I could not understand. Can you elaborate it?
By knowledge you mean, the knowledge you gain from the world, from discussions with knowledgeable people, experts, so on; knowledge that you gain by reading scriptures of all sorts of all creeds etc., am I right?

Yes.
It is so much helpful that as a rope is helpful to climb a tree or a wall.

What does that mean?
It is helpful to that extent, that after which you have to leave it or forego it.

How is that so?
All the so called knowledge, whether from scriptures or be it from wise people will help you in giving an indication to the path. They all are pointers and nothing more than that. You have to walk the path alone with your chosen pointer. And, it is unique for each individual. All paths finally merge into Silence. Hence, the final path is the path of Silence and one walks Alone on that path, no Guru no Disciple...Alone...You have to forego every identity, every thought, every concept, all the knowledge that you have gained. Because knowledge itself will become a limitation on that path. Hence you will forego that also. Once you forego everything, beaten so much by everything and fail in everything; then from that failure comes the success. After foregoing everything, you will become aware of the Nothingness which is ever present and that Nothingness will give you everything, because that Nothingness is Everything.

Karma

What is Karma?
Karma is nothing but conditional thinking.

Can you elaborate it?
Let us say you are grown up in a particular religious environment, then your concept of God will be pertaining to the beliefs and the environment in which you have been brought up. A Hindu will think about God as Shiva, Vishnu, Ganapati, Mother Goddess or many other forms in which that person is brought up. In the same way a Christian may think God in terms of Jesus the Christ or Mother Mary; a person brought up in Islam thinks in an other way; like wise each person thinks in a peculiar fashion in which that person is brought up, and that person gets conditioned in this mode of thinking over a period of time and it becomes difficult for that person to come out of this thinking pattern. Hence that person's mind gets conditioned to that kind of thinking. This conditional thinking is not just in the religious matters, but also in all other materialistic matters.

Do you mean to say that, this kind of thinking is not proper?
Not exactly. The thinking pattern in which you think - as long as you are not conditioned by it, then it is ok. If not, then that same thinking pattern becomes your limitation.

I am unable to understand. Can you explain further?
Sure. Let us say there is a wave of the ocean. If the wave thinks that it is completely different from the ocean and gets into a conditional thinking that it is only a wave and not at all a part of the ocean. What will be its status? Miserable. Isn't it? A Wave is having the same characteristics that of the ocean. Only that it is a small part of that vast ocean. So the concept of God of a Hindu, a Christian, or any other is only a part when it is considered and restricted to only one particular aspect of God. However, when you consider that God is Omnipresent and Omniscient, then your conditional thinking about the concept of God will change drastically and you will end up seeing God in everything and everywhere. Now to come to this stage what is that you have done? You have overcome your conditional thinking about God in which you have been brought up.

And, when you come to a stage that you are not even the doer of anything and everything is just happening all by itself, then you will come to a stage called surrender. Then you will understand that there is no karma. Everything, and every happening is just happening and it is there just like that. Even your body is also just a happening in the cosmic drama.

Do you mean to say I can overcome my karma or change my karma by just changing my thinking pattern or my thoughts?
Yes, as simple as that. And, more than that is: when you do not think, then there is no karma.

Actually, it is not the thinking pattern or thoughts that build your karma, it is the attachment towards your thoughts or the identification that you create with your thoughts build your karma.

What is Substratum, Silence & Stillness?

Substratum is the screen without anything (NOTHING). 

Silence is when there is no noise of mind. 

Stillness is the state where there is No thought and no mind state.

For practical purposes, keep watching the screen behind the movie instead of the movie.

What is the meaning of the sloka samudra vasane devi?

Shlokam श्लोकं శ్లోకం:

समुद्रवसने देवि पर्वतस्तनमण्डले ।

विष्णुपत्नि नमस्तुभ्यं पादस्पर्शं क्षमस्वमे ॥

samudravasane devi parvatastanamaṇḍale ।

viṣṇupatni namastubhyaṃ pādasparśaṃ kṣamasvame ॥

సముద్రవసనే దేవి పర్వతస్తనమణ్డలే ।

విష్ణుపత్ని నమస్తుభ్యం పాదస్పర్శం క్షమస్వమే ॥

O! Mother Earth, who has the ocean as clothes and mountains as your bosm, who is the wife of Lord Vishnu, I bow to you. Please forgive me for touching you with my feet. 

This is the meaning which we all know. We will look at it in the impersonified way.

samudra = ocean; vasane = staying; devi = goddess (actual meaning here is the feminine part of the cosmos, i.e., the manifested form of the unmanifested); parvata = mountain; stana = bosom; mandale = space; vishnu = all pervading; patni = wife; (vishnupatni = wife of vishnu - this is how we understand as a person - the meaning turns out as the other half of the vishnu, in the impersonal the meaning would be - the manifested form of the unmanifested); namaha = bow; tubhyam = to you; paada = step; sparsham = touch (paada sparsham means the touch of thought, i.e., going from NOTHING state to Thought state. Because the moment the thought starts, then the duality comes in, the unmanifested becomes manifested); kshamasvame = forgive me (this is one meaning where we understand as a form. The other meaning of this is: kshamasva = king's face; which means the face of the king, that is the manifested form of the unmanifested, considering the king as the unmanifested and the king's face as the manifested.)

Now the whole meaning of the sloka comes out as:
I bow to the manifested One so that every step that I take remind me of the unmanifested One behind this expression of the manifestation and let me be aware of the substratum of this manifestation in every work that I carry out in this manifested world.

What is Brahman?

Brahman = The one which is emanated (not created)

To understand this word, one has to look into the deeper meaning of this.

It is just like an idea that you are thinking not present really but still present. Let us say you are thinking about a beautiful landscape in your mind with green pastures, a creek, river, birds flying around, animals moving here and there, people playing around etc. Now this whole scene is there only as an idea in your mind. It is not there existing outside in gross form. And, if you tell someone - see the beauty of my landscape which is there only as an idea in your mind. People will laugh at you and tell you that you are crazy. They will also say that it is an illusion and it does not exist in reality.

Let us say you have build this idea of beautiful landscape into gross form. Then people will say - oh! here it exists. But you know that it is still only an idea. Because what is existing outside has emanated from within you and in reality does not exist. It is like a spider emanating from it the thread to weave the web. The gross landscape is only a manifested form of the idea that has been emanated from you (your mind). For you - truly speaking both do not exist, it is only an illusion. You as such only exist. The idea and the manifested landscape will undergo change and do not exist.

In the same way this Brahman or the external manifested world is only an idea of the unmanifested One. It is just an illusion. Only the Unmanifested One exists. The rest is all illusion.

Hence, only Brahman exists. The thought, the idea, the manifested world: all are only illusions.


sarvam khalvidam brahma.

Life

Q) What is life?


Just being aware of Being is Life, the rest all is just a dream.

Secret behind birth of Lord Ganesha

Q) What is the secret behind the story of birth of Lord Ganesha?

Hahahhahhahhhahhahh......It is simple. The "I" exists eternally; whether with human head, no head or elephant head. Only the "I" exists, rest is all illusion. This is the subtle meaning hidden behind the story.

Silence & Stillness

Q) How to enter into silence and attain stillness?

Silence & Stillness are both same. They cannot be attained. They are ever existent and eternal. Once our external noise stops (in mind), then we get into the awareness of silence & stillness. It is only a re-cognition of that state. To get into that awareness one need to do nothing, not even thinking. One has to just recognize the ever presence of silence & stillness.

Just recognize that silence & stillness which is ever present as a substratum. No effort is required. Just recognition without any effort.

vedAnta

Q) What is Vedanta?

The word Vedanta is formed by the conjugation of two words veda + anta = vedAnta. Anta means end while veda is derived from the root word vid meaning knowledge. Hence, Vedanta means end of knowledge. So, how can we understand the end of knowledge? The end of knowledge means where the intellect stops and no phenomenon which can be understood by the mind can take us to Vedanta. So, the end of knowledge is that stage where all knowledge ends, there is nothing which can be expressed. So Vedanta is the state which is inexpressible. Hence Vedanta means the avyakta and this can exist when one is aware of that avyakta, the ever existing One. Hence, Vedanta is not a noun, it is a verb where it is existence in that One state. It is Being. Being in that NO-THING state is Vedanta. It is a state which cannot be achieved. It is a state which need to aware of as it is ever existing.

(24 August 2011)

Upanishad

What is upanishad mean?

Upa=near
nishad= to sit
Upanishad = to sit near (to sit nearer)
Near to what? or near to whom?
It is sitting nearer to our own true self. Upanishads are those which take us to our true self. Upanishads are also termed as Vedanta. When Vedas are called as knowledge from the root word vid=knowledge, then Vedanta means end of knowledge. Which means there is nothing after the knowledge. Where knowledge ends there the mind also ends. This is a clear indication that the vedas explain or give information about the manifested (vyaka swarupa) universe while vedanta or upanishads explain or give information about the unmanifested (avyaka swarupa) universe. Since avyakta cannot be expressed in words, it is always expressed in negation as 'not this', 'not this' or 'neti', 'neti'.

The prime requisite to understand upanishads is to understand the word upa, which means near and i.e., nearer to the true self or Self and this is possible only when one stops the external noise and enters into the inner silence or stillness. The near means 'inner' and it is within. In that Silence and with the help of negation one gets aware of the 'Avyakta'.

While vedas explain about 'vyakta', vedanta or upanishads explain about the 'avyakta' and they do it only by negation and with some pointers.

The prime requisite to read or learn upanishads would be to understand stillness and silence. One should be able to enter into that stillness and silence, then only upanishads can be understood.


21 August, 2011 Dakshin Express; 23:40 hrs

Waste, Leisure, Boldness & Truth

What is waste in this world? What is leisure? What is boldness on spiritual path? What is Truth?

Any Thing is waste. 

NO-THING is not waste. 

Leisure is dwelling in anything but Truth. 

Boldness is to forego every concept as above. 

TRUTH is losing every-thing and being in the awareness of NO-THING. 

Boldness is Be-ing in that NO-THING. Boldness is going beyond every concept or getting rid of every concept, because each concept gives an identity. Hence one has to forego every identity. And, there is no path. Stating that there is a materialistic path and spiritual path is all one big illusion. There is only one path and that is awakening and it is not something one has to travel, it is just awareness and it happens only when one stops seeking for something. Just being aware of That is Truth.

Losing everything is gaining eternity. 

Changing the world

Why is the world imperfect, can’t I change the world?

What we see as imperfection in the world is in reality very perfect for the world. World’s perfection is in its imperfection. Hence, there is no need to change the world. Only we have to change. We have to change our thought process and go beyond the thinking process. Once we enter into that stillness or silence or become aware of that stillness and silence, then we understand that the world’s imperfection is indeed perfect. Because everything, every happening, every phenomenon is only an illusion. It is just only a thought and nothing else. The moment the thought is not there, nothing is there. The whole world just appears as an illusion of the thought projection.

Another beauty of this illusory world is its impermanence. Everything changes over a period of time. Everything gets transformed into something. ("Impermanence is the inevitability of the whole cosmos"). Hence when we try to understand this world with our mind we cannot understand it. Moreover we try to label everything and every happening in this world. We try to judge with our intellect. Once we get awakened or get into the awareness of the absolute then we stop labeling and judging. Then we just surrender to every happening and be with every happening. There will not be any anxiety behind any happening and there is no eager that something need to happen also. Because, when we enter into that changeless state of stillness and silence or become aware of that state, then we don’t want to change anything or happening.

One Morning

Another Morning
The awareness of awakening is happening.
Let us be just aware and
Live in the Being more than meing.

Blessed Moment - Poem

Blessed is the day for waking us into new moment.
Blessed is the moment for waking us into new awareness.
Blessed is the moment for making the awareness ever new.
Blessed is the moment for the awareness of stillness.
Blessed is the moment for the awareness of silence.

Blessed is the moment for the recognition of this inherent & intrinsic ever new joy.
Blessed is the moment of awareness which cannot be expressed.
For the moment cannot be expressed in any other way except for the silent and still joy.
For in joy we are born, in joy we live and into that sacred joy we melt.
Nothing is born, nothing is died
Everything is continuing its living,
For it is the consciousness which is living and
't is only the recognition of that eternal awareness which is missing in few moments.

Blessed is the moment for the awareness of stillness.
Blessed is the moment for the awareness of silence.

Expression of Truth

Why Truth cannot be expressed in words?

Truth is existing from the beginning. Words came into existence after the Truth. Hence, no words can describe or explain Truth.

Ego also has come after Truth, so ego also or with ego also one can never understand Truth.

Every manifested part of the cosmos what we see is in fact an illusion of the projected mind.

The best expression of Truth is Silence.

"I am not That"

When I am not That who am I trying to be?

The Truth is "I am That"

But, when I am not That, who am I trying to be?

I am trying to be an idea or thought that is raised in my mind. I am trying to identify myself every time or every moment with that thought only and trying to manifest based upon that thought. So, when I negate the thought also  with a thought "I am not this" then also I am still in the state of unawareness of "I am That". But, when I go beyond thought or mind (because mind is only a bundle of thoughts) then the awareness of "I am That" is happening automatically, rather the consciousness of "I am That" is already there. The only attempt that I have to make is to be aware of That.

What is Self-realization?

Losing the self and getting awakened in the Self is Self-realization.

The whole sadhana or practice is to lose one's self. Losing is gaining. When one makes every effort to lose and practices losing, then one gains in the Eternal One. Losing one's self is not an easy task, one should be brave enough. That is the reason they say Spiritual path is not for cowards.

When one can enter into the stillness or silence effortlessly then that is Self-realization.

Meditation

Meditation is the process where the individual "i" melts into the universal "I" and reveals the awareness that there is only One which is present and nothing else.

There is only One

September 25, 2010 0350am, Rourkela GOCL Guest house.

It just happened and appeared distinctly the phenomenon rather the noumenon of observer, object being observed and the process of observing. While the mind was in its own process of thinking, suddenly it happened that “i” as something different from my mind (with its process of thinking), and this physical body. It looked like all these three are distinctly different. Thus it is clearly evident that indeed these are different and the so called “i” is identifying with these, which is termed as illusion.

While it is happening the intuition says that even this is an illusion, and, this process of happening is a part of neti doctrine and this is the stage as mentioned in the Mundaka Upanishad as “ekameva adviteeyam brahma”

After the enlightenment it just appears that everything what is happening is happening for a reason. Behind every happening there is a well planned and well determined process of happening. It is like behind every happening there is a thought process that has already happened and the effect of the thought process is happening in the now. Hence, it is becoming more and more evident that the whole happenings in the cosmos are only the effect of thoughts that came out from someone.

If everything is pre-determined and well determined, then what is free will? Is there something like that?

All these doubts are there only in the duality. In oneness there is no doubt, because there is no other one. There is only one "sarvam khalvidam brahma." The observer, the object being observed and the process of observing is all one. The questioner, question and the answer is one.

Travel the path that no other one has travelled

September 7, 2010 9:00am in the office while waiting for the laptop to boot.

Travel the path that no other one has travelled, then you will reach your True Destiny.

Why?

Because each individual is unique in its own way. Whatever it may be, it is unique. Every spirit which has manifested from the unmanifested, whether it is tangible or intangible, living or non-living is unique. Hence its karmic pattern is different from any other one. That is the reason each spirit identifying itself with some other identity has to travel its/his/her own path that no other (deluded one) has travelled. However, they can get inspired and get directions from the one(s) that have travelled on their own paths and found their True Destiny.

Noble Friend

Who is a noble friend?

A noble friend is the one who will ask you to leave everything, to the extent of leaving your identity also. Hence, before deciding to have a noble friend, develop enough courage and then approach.

Success & Failure

The failure story always results in awakening. And every story has to fail eventually. Hence, awakening is unavoidable.

There is nothing like success and failure. They exist only in duality. But one good thing about failures is they always result in some sort of awakening. Hence, a failure in a story is in one way success, as it is resulting in some sort of awakening. If the success and failure are not resulting in awakening, then both are failures. Because, awakening is the prime goal of life. Death of physical body is only a transformation from one form to another. Death is one way of ending all successes into failures and all failures into nothing. Death is the end of all physical stories of that life. Every story ends eventually at death, whether it is a successful story or a failure. Hence, every story will be a failure. The story of awakening is the only success.