Radiations from the Realized

Ramana Maharshi:

A realized one sends out waves of spiritual influence in his aura, which draw many people towards him.  Yet he may sit in a cave and maintain complete silence.

Meditation depends upon the strength of mind. It must be unceasing even when one is engaged in work.  Particular time for it is meant for novices.

Realization is our true nature.  It is nothing new to be gained.  What is new cannot be eternal.  Therefore there is no need to be doubting whether we would gain or lose the self.

Bliss is not something to be got. 

On the other hand, you are always Bliss.

This desire (for Bliss) is born of the sense of incompleteness.

To whom is this sense of incompleteness?

Enquire.  In deep sleep you were blissful.

Now you are not so.

What has interposed between that Bliss and this non-bliss?

It is the ego.

Seek its source and find you are Bliss.

Your own Self-Realization is the greatest service you can render the world

Question :  How can the terrible fear of death be overcome?

Ramana Maharshi :  When does that fear seize you?  Does it come when you do not see your body, say, in dreamless sleep?  It haunts you only when you are fully `awake’ and perceive the world, including your body.  If you do not see these and remain your pure Self, as in dreamless sleep, no fear can touch you.  If you trace this fear to the object, the loss of which gives rise to it, you will find that that object is not the body, but the mind which functions in it.  Many a man would be only too glad to be rid of his diseased body and all the problems and inconvenience it creates for him if continued awareness were vouchsafed to him.  It is the awareness, the consciousness, and not the body, he fears to lose.  Men love existence because it is eternal awareness, which is their own Self.  Why not then hold on to the pure awareness right now, while in the body, and be free from all fear?

Sri Nisargadatta Maharaj:

Time is in the mind, space is in the mind.  The law of cause and effect is also a way of thinking. In reality all is here and now and all is one.  Multiplicity and diversity are in the mind only.

A quiet mind is all you need.  All else will happen rightly, once your mind is quiet.  As the sun on rising makes the world active, so does self-awareness affect changes in the mind.  In the light of calm and steady self-awareness inner energies wake up and work miracles without effort on your part.

Do understand that you are destined for enlightenment.  Co-operate with your destiny, dont go against it, dont thwart it.  Allow it to fulfil itself.  All you have to do is to give attention to the obstacles created by the foolish mind.

When you are no longer attached to anything, you have done your share.  The rest will be done for you. 

Treating everything as a dream liberates.

Give up all ideas about yourself and simply be.

You are like the man in the cinema house, laughing and crying with the picture, though knowing fully well that he is all the time in his seat and the picture is but the play of light.  It is enough to shift attention from the screen to oneself to break the spell…without waiting for the death of the body – it is enough to shift attention to the Self and keep it there.  All happens as if there is a mysterious power that creates and moves everything.  Realise that you are not the mover, only the observer, and you will be at peace.

This attitude of silent observation is the very foundation of yoga.  You see the picture, but you are not the picture.

                 

Yogi Vasistha:

When pots, etc. are broken the space within

them becomes unlimited.  So also when bodies cease to

exist the Self remains eternal and unattached.

Nothing whatever is born or dies anywhere at any

time.  It is Brahman alone appearing illusorily in the form of

the world.

The Self is more extensive than space; it is pure,

subtle, undecaying and auspicious.  As such how could it

be born and how can it die?

All this is the tranquil, One without beginning,

middle or end, which cannot be said to be existent or

non-existent.  Know this and be happy

From Loss to Freedom

Loss is that which beings fear most in life: loss of job, loss of material possessions, loss of spouse – even loss of one’s own life. All the objects of this world, without exception, are ephermeral. Their existence is conditioned by time and space. They are like passing clouds in the open sky of Consciousness. They are nothing. The loss of that which is unreal is no loss at all.

People speak of “finding God,” but this is in fact a misnomer. In reality, the spiritual path is not about attaining or gaining anything, it is about loss – loss of ego, loss of attachment, loss of craving. Put another way, it is a deconditioning process. We are seeking, through yoga, to still the fluctuations of the mind; to give up false notions (I am the body, I am in the world, this is mine, etc.) so that we may exist in our pure (static) state of being-consciousness-bliss.

Some are of the belief that in order to follow the spiritual path one must physically give up all possessions. But of what good is this if the mental attachment yet remains? What then has truly been renounced? All we need give up is attachment. Material objects do not cause any problem of their own accord.

It is common for sadhaks to be concerned with their progress, wondering how far along they are. “How much have I progressed?” “How much farther do I have to go?” These questions arise from time to time. Also, some become discouraged, thinking “I have been practicing so long – why am I not realized?” It is inevitable that such thoughts and concerns will come up, but when they do, we should pay them no mind. Our only duty is to continue our practice diligently without worrying for results. If we worry about such things, we are attached to the results which runs contrary to our aim. You have no idea how far you have come – only the Lord knows. So why worry for it?

The truth is for every step we take toward God, He takes several toward us.  No amount of spiritual effort is ever wasted. Many masters have assured us of this.  Practice with all your heart – but offer your sadhana to the Lord.  You will cross the ocean of samsara.

“God does everything. Life is only a medium. If one lives surrendering everything to Him one will not have any worries.” – Lahiri Mahasaya

Escape

Someone with a critical attitude towards yoga once told me that people who engage in such practices are simply trying to use them as an escape.  They have no idea how right they were.  Look…if one found that the boat they were traveling in had a hole in it, would he not make an attempt to save himself…to escape?  Who would simply do nothing and let himself drown?

The boat is the human body, and the hole is like a gaping wound through which the waters of time are seeping in more and more with each moment.  In order to gain freedom, it is important to first realize that one is in trouble.  Of course, it is true that the soul can never be destroyed, but why expose oneself again and again to the sufferings of samsara?

“Meditate unceasingly, that you quickly behold yourself as the Infinite Essence, free from every form of misery. Cease being a prisoner of the body; using the secret key of Kriya, learn to escape into Spirit.”  ~ Lahiri Mahasaya