Q: I feel that the bhakti path is an effortless way. When I enquire "Who am I" I feel that I must make a great effort to make the mind subside. The Bhakti path seems to be more sweet, more joyfull and more effortless.
A: It is always good to worship the guru, but abiding in the guru's teachings is far better. You follow the bhakti path if you want to but you should remember that its almost impossible for a devotee to judge whether he is making progress or not. you should not jump to the conclusion that you are not making any progress with your self inquiry simply because you find it hard to do. And you should not think tht you will make more progress as a bhakta simply because you find it easy to generate joyful states of mind.
The same consciousness which is within you and within bhagavan's form is within all forms. we must learn to contact this consciousness by being aware of this all the time.
Q: I know that Bhagavan is in all forms but some times I find it easier to feel his grace by concentrating on an image of him. Self inquiry is such hard work. One rarely finds blissful or peaceful doing it. sometimes i feel like treating myself to a little bliss by looking at bhagavan's picture for a while.
A: There is nothign wrong with looking at Bhagavan's picture. Thats a good practise. But you should not get sidetracked from our main objective which is establishing yourself as consciousness. dont get attached to states of bliss or give them priority over the quest for Self. If you become attached to peaceful or blissful states you may lose your interest in the main quest. It is good to feel blissful and peaceful but dont indulge yourself in these states at the expense of self inquiry. If you realize the inner Self, if you realize that there is not an atom which is apart from Self, you will experience the real peace and bliss of the Self. You will be the peace or the bliss rather than being the experiencer of it. if you experience temporary states of peace or bliss in the mind, the experiencer of that peace or bliss will not want to subside into the Self and disappear.
Dont get attached to mental peace. Go beyond it to the real peace which comes from being the Self
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
What ever kind of thought arises, have the same reaction: 'Not me, not my business'. IT can be a good thought or a bad thought. Treat them the same way. To whom are these thoughts arising ? To You. That means you are not the thought. You are the Self. Remain as the Self, and don't latch onto anything that is not the Self.
Whatever thoughts come, ignore them. You have to ignore anything that is connected to the body-mind idea, anything that is based on the notion that you are the mind or the body. if you can do this, the raising of thought will not disturb or distract you. in a split second , it will run away.
All thoughts are distractiosn, including the thought ' i am meditating'. if you are the Self, darkness will not overcome you. what ever thoughts arise in that state wont affect you.
Sadhana, effort and practise, and any ideas you may have about them, are concepts that can only arise when you believe that you are not the Self, and when you believe that you have to do something to reach the Self.
Even the sequence "to whom has this thought come? To me" is based on ignorance of the truth. Why? Because it is verbalising a state of ignorance; it is perpetuating an erroneous assumption that there is a person who is having troublesome thoughts. You are the Self not some make-believe person who is having thoughts
Remember , nothing that happens to mind is 'you', and none of it is your business. You dont have to worry about thoughts that rise up inside you.Its enough that you remember that the thoughts are not you.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
On giving up the identity with the body and the mind is tapas, samadhi, dhyana and nishta.
Spiritual seekers have a very strange habit: they are always looking for a way to reach, attain, discover,experience, or realize the Self. They try many things because they cannot comprehend that they are already the Self. This is like running around looking for one's eyes with one's own eyes.
Why should you imagine that it is some new experience to be discovered or found ? You are the Self right now, and you are aware of it right now. Do you need a new experience to prove that you exist? The feeling "I am existing" is the Self. You pretend that you are not experiencing it, or cover it up with all kinds of false ideas, and then you run around looking for it as if it were something external to be reached or found. There is a story about someone like thus.
Once a king imagined that he was a poverty-striken peasant. He thought , "if I go and meet the king he may be able to help me by giving some money"
He searched for the king in many places but he could not find him anywhere. Ultimately he became very depressed because his search was not yeilding any results. One day he met a man on the road who asked him why he was so depressed.
He answered, " I am searching for the king. I think that he can solve all my problems and make me happy but I cant find him anywhere".
The man, who already recognized him, said with some astonishment, "But you yourself as the king!"
The king came to his senses and remembered who he was. His problems all ended the moment he remembered his real identity.
You may think that the king was fairly stupid but he had at least enough sense to recognize the truth when it was told to him.
The guru may tell his disciples a thousand times "You are the self, you are not what you imagine youself ot be", they all keep asking the guru for methods and routes to reach the place they are already are.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Q: Bhagavan said that repeating 'I am Self' or 'I am not the body' is an aid to enquiry but it does not constitute enquiry itself.
AS: The meditation "I am not the body or the mind, I am the immanent Self" is a great aid as long as one is not able to do self inquiry properly or constantly.
Bhagavan said, 'Keeping the mind in the heart is self-enquiry'. If you cannot do thys by asking "who am I?" or by taking the "I"-thought back to its source, then meditation on the awareness "I am the all pervasive Self" is a great aid.
Bhagavan often siad that we should read and study the Ribhu Gita regularly.
In Ribhu Gita its said: "That Bhavana "I am not the body, I am not the mind, I am Brahman, I am everything" is to be repeated again and again until it becomes natural state.
Bhagavan sat with us every day while we chanted extracts from Ribhu Gita which affirm the reality of the Self. Its true that he said that these repetitions are only an aid to self-enquiry, but they are very powerful aids.
By practising this way the mind becomes more and more attuned to the reality. When the mind has become purified by this practise its easier to take it back to the source and keep it there. when one is able to abide in the Self directly, one does not need aids like this. But if this is not possible these practises can definitely aid.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
How to give up this false idea that mind is real ?
Annamalai Swami Answers: the same way that you give up any wrong idea. you simply stop believing in it. if this does not happen spontaneously when u hear the truth from a teacher, keep telling yourself "i am not the mind, i am not the mind. There is no mind; there is no mind. consciousness alone exists". if you have firm conviction that this is the truth, one day this firm conviction will mature to the point where it becoems your direct experience.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
If you try to meditate without understanding that your real nature is Self, and Self alone, your meditation practise will only lead you to more mental bondage.
Bhagavan once said, 'To keep the mind in the Self, all you have to do is remain still'
To realize the Self you dont actually have to do anything except be still. Just give up the identifying with the mind and hold onto the Self. That is enough. Be still and cultivate the awareness 'I am the Self; the Self is all'. What difficulties can arise from doing a simple practise like this ?
Sadhana without first understanding that the individual self is non-existent is self-indulgence. Its a form of spiritual entertainment in which the illusory "I" plays games with itself.
Saint Tayumanuvar once said,'Why all these maha yogas ? All these yogas are maya!'
When I say, 'Meditate on the Self' , I am asking you the be the Self, not think about it. Be aware of what remains when thoughts stop. Be aware of the consciousness that is the origin of all your thoughts. Be that consciousness. Feel that that is what you reall are. If you do this you are meditating on the Self. But if you cannot stabilise in that consciousness because your vasanas are too strong and too active , its beneficial to hold onto the thought 'I am Self, I am everything' If you meditate in this way you will not be cooperating with the vasanas that are blocking the Self-awareness. If you do not cooperate with the vasanas, sooner or later they are bound to leave you.
If this method does not appeal to you , then just watch the mind with full attention. Whenever the mind wanders, become aware of it. See how thoughts connect with each other and watch how this ghost called mind catches hold of your thoughts and says 'This is my thought'. Watch the ways of mind without identifying with them in any way. If you give your mind your full detached attention, you begin to understand the futility of all mental activities. Watch the mind wandering here and there , seeking out useless or unnecessary things or ideas which will ultimately create more misery for itself. Watching the mind gives us the knowledge of the inner processes. It gives us an incentive to stay detached from all our thoughts. Ultimately if we try hard enough, it gives us the ability to remain as consciousness , unaffected by transient thoughts.
The best mantra is "i am the self, everything is my Self. Everything is one" If you keep this in your mind all the time, Self will eventually reveal itself to you.
Dont be statisfied with rituals and other kindergarten techniques. If you are serious, head directly for the self. Hold onto it as tenaciously as you can and dont let anything or anyone loosen your grip.
You must generate the conviction, "I am the all-pervasive consciousness in which all bodes 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. Thats all you need to do.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Q.: What is the easiest way to be free of the 'little self'?
Annamalai Swami: Stop identifying with it. If you can convince yourself, 'This little self is not really me,' it will disappear.
Q.: But how to do that?
AS.: The little self is something that only appears to be real. If 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 sense of self is born. If, through enquiry, you go to the source of the '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 'I 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 twilight. If you see the rope as 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. (Then) the question of how to kill the snake disappears... 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.
Q.: It is all very clear but I feel I need some help. I am not sure that i can generate this conviction by myself.
AS.: The desire for assistance is part of your problem. Don't make the mistake of imagining that there is a goal to be reached or attained. If you think like this you will start looking for methods to practice 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.'.. The best way to (stop believing the wrong ideas about yourself) is to replace them with ideas which more accurately reflect the real state of affairs. ...
The Self is always attained, it is always realized; it is not something that you have to seek, reach or discover. Your vasanas 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 these wrong ideas, your Self-nature will not be hidden from you.
`````
If you can be continuously aware of each thought as it arises, and if you can be so indifferent to it so that it doesn't sprout or flourishes, you are well on your way to escape from the entanglement of the mind.
~ Annamalai Swami ~
Q.: You sometimes say that we should avoid company. That is not always possible. If one is working one has to mix with all kinds of people. One can't always avoid them.
Annamalai Swami: In such situations one should take the attitude of someone who is acting in a drama. Outwardly one should do whatever actions are necessary, but inwardly, one should be always aware of the center, the consciousness which makes itself known as the feeling 'I am'.
I say 'avoid bad company' but ultimately bad company is just a part of the mind. There is no bad company in the Self. While you are trying to disentangle yourself from the mind it will be helpful for you to avoid bad company. Whenever that is not possible, make an extra effort to withdraw into the Self. If you can establish yourself there, the currents from other peoples minds cannot affect you. If you do have to mix with unspiritual people, don't make any judgements about them. Don't think 'This a bad person', or 'I don't like this person.' The less you identify with the mind when you are near such people, the better. ...
Be like a big tree. When the wind comes the branches and leaves are shaken but the trunk remains stationary. If you live in the mind you are always being tossed around like the branches and the twigs in a strong wind. The less you identify with the mind, the less movement there is. When you are aware of yourself as consciousness alone, with no trace of the mind being present, there is no movement at all, only unbroken peace and absolute stillness.
Q.: Swami, you often say that we should avoid bad acts.
What exactly do you mean by a 'bad act'?
AS: In a general sense, anything which causes harm to other beings is a bad act. But one could also say that any act that keeps your attention away from the Self is a bad act. Identifying with the body and mind is the primal bad act because it is the source of all other bad acts.
No comments:
Post a Comment