External objects like space,
etc. and psychological factors
like 'I' etc. exist only in name.
In reality, neither the
objective universe, nor
the perceiving self, nor
perception as such, nor
void, nor inertness exists;
only one is - cosmic
consciousness (cit).
In this it is the mind that
conjures up the diversity,
diverse actions and
experiences, the notion of
bondage and the desire
for liberation.
etc. and psychological factors
like 'I' etc. exist only in name.
In reality, neither the
objective universe, nor
the perceiving self, nor
perception as such, nor
void, nor inertness exists;
only one is - cosmic
consciousness (cit).
In this it is the mind that
conjures up the diversity,
diverse actions and
experiences, the notion of
bondage and the desire
for liberation.
ૐ
1) This Earth is the honey (effect) of all beings and all beings are the honey (effect) of this earth. Likewise, the bright, immortal being who is in this earth and the bright, immortal, corporeal being who is in the body are both honey. These four are but this Self. The Knowledge of this Self is the means to Immortality; this underlying unity is Brahman; this Knowledge of Brahman is the means of becoming all.
2) This water is the honey (effect) of all beings and all beings are the honey (effect) of this water. Likewise, the bright, immortal being who is in this water and the bright, immortal being existing as the seed in the body are both honey. These four are but this Self. The Knowledge of this Self is the means to Immortality; this underlying unity is Brahman; this Knowledge of Brahman is the means of becoming all.
3) This fire is the honey (effect) of all beings and all beings are the honey (effect) of this fire. Likewise, the bright, immortal being who is in this fire and the bright, immortal being identified with the organ of speech in the body are both honey. These four are but this Self. The Knowledge of this Self is the means to Immortality; this underlying unity is Brahman; this Knowledge of Brahman is the means of becoming all.
4) This air is the honey (effect) of all beings and all beings are the honey (effect) of this air. Likewise, the bright, immortal being who is in this air and the bright, immortal being identified with the vital breath in the body are both honey. These four are but this Self. The Knowledge of this Self is the means to Immortality; this underlying unity is Brahman; this Knowledge of Brahman is the means of becoming all.
5) This sun is the honey (effect) of all beings and all beings are the honey (effect) of this sun. Likewise, the bright, immortal being who is in this sun and the bright, immortal being identified with the eye in the body are both honey. These four are but this Self. The Knowledge of this Self is the means to Immortality; this underlying unity is Brahman; this Knowledge of Brahman is the means of becoming all.
6) These quarters are the honey (effect) of all beings and all beings are the honey (effect) of these quarters. Likewise, the bright, immortal being who is in these quarters and the bright, immortal being identified with the ear in the body and with the time of hearing are both honey. These four are but this Self. The Knowledge of this Self is the means to Immortality; this underlying unity is Brahman; this Knowledge of Brahman is the means of becoming all.
7) This moon is the honey (effect) of all beings and all beings are the honey (effect) of this moon. Likewise, the bright, immortal being who is in this moon and the bright, immortal being identified with the mind in the body are both honey. These four are but this Self. The Knowledge of this Self is the means to Immortality; this underlying unity is Brahman; this Knowledge of Brahman is the means of becoming all.
8) This lightning is the honey (effect) of all beings and all beings are the honey (effect) of this lightning. Likewise, the bright, immortal being who is in this lightning and the bright, immortal being identified with the light in the body are both honey. These four are but this Self. The Knowledge of this Self is the means to Immortality; this underlying Unity is Brahman; this Knowledge of Brahman is the means of becoming all.
9) This thunder—cloud is the honey (effect) of all beings and all beings are the honey (effect) of this thunder—cloud. Likewise, the bright, immortal being who is in this thunder—cloud and the bright, immortal being identified with sound and with the voice in the body are both honey. These four are but this Self. The Knowledge of this Self is the means to Immortality; this underlying unity is Brahman; this Knowledge of Brahman is the means of becoming all.
10) This akasa is the honey (effect) of all beings and all beings are the honey (effect) of this akasa. Likewise, the bright, immortal being who is in this akasa and the bright, immortal being identified with the akasa in the heart in the body are both honey. These four are but this Self. The Knowledge of this Self is the means to Immortality; this underlying unity is Brahman; this Knowledge of Brahman is the means of becoming all.
11) This dharma (righteousness) is the honey (effect) of all beings and all beings are the honey (effect) of this dharma. Likewise, the bright, immortal being who is in this dharma and the bright, immortal being identified with the dharma in the body are both honey. These four are but this self. This knowledge of this self is the means to Immortality; this underlying unity is Brahman; this knowledge of Brahman is the means of becoming all.
12) This truth is the honey (effect) of all beings and all beings are the honey (effect) of this truth. Likewise, the bright, immortal being who is in this truth and the bright, immortal being identified with truth in the body are both honey. These four are but this Self. The Knowledge of this Self is the means to Immortality; this underlying unity is Brahman; this Knowledge of Brahman is the means of becoming all.
13) This mankind is the honey (effect) of all beings and all beings are the honey (effect) of this mankind. Likewise, the bright, immortal being who is in mankind and the bright, immortal being identified with mankind in the body are both honey. These four are but this Self. The Knowledge of this Self is the means to Immortality; this underlying unity is Brahman; this Knowledge of Brahman is the means of becoming all.
14) This cosmic body (atman) is the honey (effect) of all beings and all beings are the honey (effect) of this cosmic body. Likewise, the bright, immortal being who is in the cosmic body and the bright, immortal being identified with the individual self are both honey. These four are but this Self. The Knowledge of this Self is the means to Immortality; this underlying unity is Brahman; this Knowledge of Brahman is the means of becoming all.
15) And verily this Self is the Ruler of all beings, the King of all beings. Just as all the spokes are fixed in the nave and the felloe of a chariot wheel, so are all beings, all gods, all worlds, all organs and all these individual creatures fixed in this Self.
16) This, verily, is the honey (madhu—doctrine) which Dadhyach, versed in the Atharva—Veda, taught the Asvins. The Mantra (the rishi) perceived this and said: "O Asvins in human form, I will disclose that terrible deed of yours, called damsa, which you performed out of greed, as the thunder—cloud discloses the approaching rain. I will disclose the honey (madhu—doctrine), which Dadhyach, versed in the Atharva—Veda, taught you through the head of a horse."
17) This, verily, is the honey (madhu—doctrine) which Dadhyach, versed in the Atharva—Veda, taught the Asvins. The Mantra (the rishi) perceived this and said: "O Asvins, you fixed a horse's head on Dadhyach, versed in the Atharva—Veda, who, O terrible ones, wishing to be true to his promise, taught you the ritualistic meditation on the honey (madhu—doctrine) connected with the sun and also the secret (spiritual) meditation on it."
18) This, verily, is the honey (madhu—doctrine) which Dadhyach, versed in the Atharva—Veda, taught the Asvins. The Mantra (rishi) perceived this and said: "He (the Lord) made bodies with two feet; He made bodies with four feet. Having first become a bird (the subtle body), He, the Supreme Person, entered the bodies. On account of His dwelling in all bodies (pur), He is called the Person (Purusha). There is nothing that is not covered by Him, nothing that is not pervaded by Him."
19) This, verily, is the honey (madhu—doctrine) which Dadhyach, versed in the Atharva—Veda, taught the Asvins. The Mantra (the rishi) perceived this and said: "He (the Lord) transformed Himself in accordance with each form and each form of His was for the sake of making Him known. The Lord (Indra), through His mayas, appears manifold; for to Him are yoked ten horses, nay, hundreds. "This Atman is the organs; It is ten and thousands—many and infinite. This Brahman is without antecedent or consequent, without interior or exterior. This self, the all—perceiving, is Brahman. This is the teaching of the Upanishads."
~ Brihadaranyaka Upanishad
1) This Earth is the honey (effect) of all beings and all beings are the honey (effect) of this earth. Likewise, the bright, immortal being who is in this earth and the bright, immortal, corporeal being who is in the body are both honey. These four are but this Self. The Knowledge of this Self is the means to Immortality; this underlying unity is Brahman; this Knowledge of Brahman is the means of becoming all.
2) This water is the honey (effect) of all beings and all beings are the honey (effect) of this water. Likewise, the bright, immortal being who is in this water and the bright, immortal being existing as the seed in the body are both honey. These four are but this Self. The Knowledge of this Self is the means to Immortality; this underlying unity is Brahman; this Knowledge of Brahman is the means of becoming all.
3) This fire is the honey (effect) of all beings and all beings are the honey (effect) of this fire. Likewise, the bright, immortal being who is in this fire and the bright, immortal being identified with the organ of speech in the body are both honey. These four are but this Self. The Knowledge of this Self is the means to Immortality; this underlying unity is Brahman; this Knowledge of Brahman is the means of becoming all.
4) This air is the honey (effect) of all beings and all beings are the honey (effect) of this air. Likewise, the bright, immortal being who is in this air and the bright, immortal being identified with the vital breath in the body are both honey. These four are but this Self. The Knowledge of this Self is the means to Immortality; this underlying unity is Brahman; this Knowledge of Brahman is the means of becoming all.
5) This sun is the honey (effect) of all beings and all beings are the honey (effect) of this sun. Likewise, the bright, immortal being who is in this sun and the bright, immortal being identified with the eye in the body are both honey. These four are but this Self. The Knowledge of this Self is the means to Immortality; this underlying unity is Brahman; this Knowledge of Brahman is the means of becoming all.
6) These quarters are the honey (effect) of all beings and all beings are the honey (effect) of these quarters. Likewise, the bright, immortal being who is in these quarters and the bright, immortal being identified with the ear in the body and with the time of hearing are both honey. These four are but this Self. The Knowledge of this Self is the means to Immortality; this underlying unity is Brahman; this Knowledge of Brahman is the means of becoming all.
7) This moon is the honey (effect) of all beings and all beings are the honey (effect) of this moon. Likewise, the bright, immortal being who is in this moon and the bright, immortal being identified with the mind in the body are both honey. These four are but this Self. The Knowledge of this Self is the means to Immortality; this underlying unity is Brahman; this Knowledge of Brahman is the means of becoming all.
8) This lightning is the honey (effect) of all beings and all beings are the honey (effect) of this lightning. Likewise, the bright, immortal being who is in this lightning and the bright, immortal being identified with the light in the body are both honey. These four are but this Self. The Knowledge of this Self is the means to Immortality; this underlying Unity is Brahman; this Knowledge of Brahman is the means of becoming all.
9) This thunder—cloud is the honey (effect) of all beings and all beings are the honey (effect) of this thunder—cloud. Likewise, the bright, immortal being who is in this thunder—cloud and the bright, immortal being identified with sound and with the voice in the body are both honey. These four are but this Self. The Knowledge of this Self is the means to Immortality; this underlying unity is Brahman; this Knowledge of Brahman is the means of becoming all.
10) This akasa is the honey (effect) of all beings and all beings are the honey (effect) of this akasa. Likewise, the bright, immortal being who is in this akasa and the bright, immortal being identified with the akasa in the heart in the body are both honey. These four are but this Self. The Knowledge of this Self is the means to Immortality; this underlying unity is Brahman; this Knowledge of Brahman is the means of becoming all.
11) This dharma (righteousness) is the honey (effect) of all beings and all beings are the honey (effect) of this dharma. Likewise, the bright, immortal being who is in this dharma and the bright, immortal being identified with the dharma in the body are both honey. These four are but this self. This knowledge of this self is the means to Immortality; this underlying unity is Brahman; this knowledge of Brahman is the means of becoming all.
12) This truth is the honey (effect) of all beings and all beings are the honey (effect) of this truth. Likewise, the bright, immortal being who is in this truth and the bright, immortal being identified with truth in the body are both honey. These four are but this Self. The Knowledge of this Self is the means to Immortality; this underlying unity is Brahman; this Knowledge of Brahman is the means of becoming all.
13) This mankind is the honey (effect) of all beings and all beings are the honey (effect) of this mankind. Likewise, the bright, immortal being who is in mankind and the bright, immortal being identified with mankind in the body are both honey. These four are but this Self. The Knowledge of this Self is the means to Immortality; this underlying unity is Brahman; this Knowledge of Brahman is the means of becoming all.
14) This cosmic body (atman) is the honey (effect) of all beings and all beings are the honey (effect) of this cosmic body. Likewise, the bright, immortal being who is in the cosmic body and the bright, immortal being identified with the individual self are both honey. These four are but this Self. The Knowledge of this Self is the means to Immortality; this underlying unity is Brahman; this Knowledge of Brahman is the means of becoming all.
15) And verily this Self is the Ruler of all beings, the King of all beings. Just as all the spokes are fixed in the nave and the felloe of a chariot wheel, so are all beings, all gods, all worlds, all organs and all these individual creatures fixed in this Self.
16) This, verily, is the honey (madhu—doctrine) which Dadhyach, versed in the Atharva—Veda, taught the Asvins. The Mantra (the rishi) perceived this and said: "O Asvins in human form, I will disclose that terrible deed of yours, called damsa, which you performed out of greed, as the thunder—cloud discloses the approaching rain. I will disclose the honey (madhu—doctrine), which Dadhyach, versed in the Atharva—Veda, taught you through the head of a horse."
17) This, verily, is the honey (madhu—doctrine) which Dadhyach, versed in the Atharva—Veda, taught the Asvins. The Mantra (the rishi) perceived this and said: "O Asvins, you fixed a horse's head on Dadhyach, versed in the Atharva—Veda, who, O terrible ones, wishing to be true to his promise, taught you the ritualistic meditation on the honey (madhu—doctrine) connected with the sun and also the secret (spiritual) meditation on it."
18) This, verily, is the honey (madhu—doctrine) which Dadhyach, versed in the Atharva—Veda, taught the Asvins. The Mantra (rishi) perceived this and said: "He (the Lord) made bodies with two feet; He made bodies with four feet. Having first become a bird (the subtle body), He, the Supreme Person, entered the bodies. On account of His dwelling in all bodies (pur), He is called the Person (Purusha). There is nothing that is not covered by Him, nothing that is not pervaded by Him."
19) This, verily, is the honey (madhu—doctrine) which Dadhyach, versed in the Atharva—Veda, taught the Asvins. The Mantra (the rishi) perceived this and said: "He (the Lord) transformed Himself in accordance with each form and each form of His was for the sake of making Him known. The Lord (Indra), through His mayas, appears manifold; for to Him are yoked ten horses, nay, hundreds. "This Atman is the organs; It is ten and thousands—many and infinite. This Brahman is without antecedent or consequent, without interior or exterior. This self, the all—perceiving, is Brahman. This is the teaching of the Upanishads."
~ Brihadaranyaka Upanishad
Everything and everyone have to be abandoned at some point. All possessions and all relationships will leave you. No matter how much love you have for a person, that relationship, will go one day because it is not who you are. Who you are never goes, never leaves. A king in India built the Taj Mahal to enshrine his love for his dead wife. She was the love of his life, but the relationship ended and left him.
So what is your nature? It is 'I am'. Not 'I am this' or 'I am that'. Not the 'I' that owns a house or has a relationship with a wife. Just 'I am', with nothing attached to it, or identified with it.
Let your will burn in this fire so that it takes you nowhere else. Let your self be burned in this fire of eternity, love and peace. Don't be afraid of this fire, it is love itself. This desire for freedom is the fire of love!
So what is your nature? It is 'I am'. Not 'I am this' or 'I am that'. Not the 'I' that owns a house or has a relationship with a wife. Just 'I am', with nothing attached to it, or identified with it.
Let your will burn in this fire so that it takes you nowhere else. Let your self be burned in this fire of eternity, love and peace. Don't be afraid of this fire, it is love itself. This desire for freedom is the fire of love!
Maitreyi said: “What should I then do with
possessions that cannot give me life eternal?
Give me instead your knowledge, O my Lord.”
On hearing this Yajnavalkya exclaimed:
“Dear you are to me, beloved, and dear are the words you say.
Come, sit down and I will teach; but hear my words with deep attention.”
Then spoke Yajnavalkya:
In truth, it is not for the love of a husband that a husband is dear;
but for the love of the Soul in the husband that a husband is dear.
In truth, it is not for the love of a wife that a wife is dear;
but for the love of the Soul in the wife that a wife is dear.
In truth, it is not for the love of children that children are dear;
but for the love of the Soul in children that children are dear.
In truth, it is not for the love of riches that riches are dear;
but for the love of the Soul in riches that riches are dear.
In truth, it is not for the love of religion that religion is dear;
but for the love of the Soul in religion that religion is dear.
In truth, it is not for the love of power that power is dear;
but for the love of the Soul in power that power is dear.
In truth, it is not for the love of the heavens that the heavens are dear;
but for the love of the Soul in the heavens that the heavens are dear.
In truth, it is not for the love of the gods that the gods are dear;
but for the love of the Soul in the gods that the gods are dear.
In truth, it is not for the love of creatures that creatures are dear;
but for the love of the Soul in creatures that creatures are dear.
In truth, it is not for the love of the all that the all is dear;
but for the love of the Soul in the all that the all is dear.
It is the Soul, the Spirit, the Self, that must be seen and be heard
and have our thoughts and meditation, O Maitreyi.
When the Soul is seen and heard, is though upon and is known,
then all that is becomes known… [all this is understood].
Religion, power, heavens, beings, gods, and all will abandon us
if we think that they are apart from the Soul.
Because religion, power, heavens, beings, gods, and all rest on the Soul.
~ Brihad-Aranyaka Upanishad
possessions that cannot give me life eternal?
Give me instead your knowledge, O my Lord.”
On hearing this Yajnavalkya exclaimed:
“Dear you are to me, beloved, and dear are the words you say.
Come, sit down and I will teach; but hear my words with deep attention.”
Then spoke Yajnavalkya:
In truth, it is not for the love of a husband that a husband is dear;
but for the love of the Soul in the husband that a husband is dear.
In truth, it is not for the love of a wife that a wife is dear;
but for the love of the Soul in the wife that a wife is dear.
In truth, it is not for the love of children that children are dear;
but for the love of the Soul in children that children are dear.
In truth, it is not for the love of riches that riches are dear;
but for the love of the Soul in riches that riches are dear.
In truth, it is not for the love of religion that religion is dear;
but for the love of the Soul in religion that religion is dear.
In truth, it is not for the love of power that power is dear;
but for the love of the Soul in power that power is dear.
In truth, it is not for the love of the heavens that the heavens are dear;
but for the love of the Soul in the heavens that the heavens are dear.
In truth, it is not for the love of the gods that the gods are dear;
but for the love of the Soul in the gods that the gods are dear.
In truth, it is not for the love of creatures that creatures are dear;
but for the love of the Soul in creatures that creatures are dear.
In truth, it is not for the love of the all that the all is dear;
but for the love of the Soul in the all that the all is dear.
It is the Soul, the Spirit, the Self, that must be seen and be heard
and have our thoughts and meditation, O Maitreyi.
When the Soul is seen and heard, is though upon and is known,
then all that is becomes known… [all this is understood].
Religion, power, heavens, beings, gods, and all will abandon us
if we think that they are apart from the Soul.
Because religion, power, heavens, beings, gods, and all rest on the Soul.
~ Brihad-Aranyaka Upanishad
In all your experience, you cannot count awareness
as something within your experience.
Everything else becomes something,
a number, a thing, a form inside the awareness,
but awareness cannot be counted as ‘my experience’.
It is there before the ‘you’ you currently take yourself to be.
If you take you to be one, number one,
meaning your phenomenal existence,
then you are one, and number two comes easily.
Two, three, four, five, six, one million can be counted upon
because you touched and identify with one.
And this ‘one’ has caused all the trouble in the world.
So you be zero.
When the population count of this world is taken,
you will not be counted. You be zero. Don’t tell anyone this,
because no one will understand, even in the spiritual world.
But there are those who have been prepared
in the heart to understand what I’m speaking now.
If they swallow my words they will be saved.
as something within your experience.
Everything else becomes something,
a number, a thing, a form inside the awareness,
but awareness cannot be counted as ‘my experience’.
It is there before the ‘you’ you currently take yourself to be.
If you take you to be one, number one,
meaning your phenomenal existence,
then you are one, and number two comes easily.
Two, three, four, five, six, one million can be counted upon
because you touched and identify with one.
And this ‘one’ has caused all the trouble in the world.
So you be zero.
When the population count of this world is taken,
you will not be counted. You be zero. Don’t tell anyone this,
because no one will understand, even in the spiritual world.
But there are those who have been prepared
in the heart to understand what I’m speaking now.
If they swallow my words they will be saved.
There is a mystery within all beings bursting to reveal itself, in the ones who become quiet enough to discover it.
You have to become this kind of crazy once in a while,
that you start to behave out of character,
not as a mad person, this is a divine madness,
this is different from the regular madness.
that you start to behave out of character,
not as a mad person, this is a divine madness,
this is different from the regular madness.
Sometimes naked, sometimes crazy,
Now as a scholar, now as a fool:
Thus they appear on Earth ---
The Free Ones.
Now as a scholar, now as a fool:
Thus they appear on Earth ---
The Free Ones.
The Lord of the Universe dwells inside the heart of every being as unmixed presence.
This must be discovered not as mere teaching but as direct and intuitive experience.
This must be discovered not as mere teaching but as direct and intuitive experience.
Don't expect anything from anybody,
this is also a great freedom.
Don't expect things to be different or people to be in service to you or your own life or projections.
Feel gradually that natural feeling of detachment.
Dont watch constantly with the eyes of relationship and past and so on.
Stay faithful to your own discovery,
leave the rest and life will take care of it.
this is also a great freedom.
Don't expect things to be different or people to be in service to you or your own life or projections.
Feel gradually that natural feeling of detachment.
Dont watch constantly with the eyes of relationship and past and so on.
Stay faithful to your own discovery,
leave the rest and life will take care of it.
The results of vichara meditation are will power, developed concentration, control of passions, indifference to the worldly objects, virtue and equality to all.
Hypnotic methods are not advisable to induce yogic samadhi because light-gazing stupefies the mind and produces catalepsy of will temporarily, and it secures no permanent benefit. -Talk 27]
A deity may be used to meditate upon as a mental image until the meditator merges into the Self. Then the image will fall away of its own accord and the deity will vanish as part of the world illusion.
Only the Supreme Self is to be the object of meditation. Truly speaking, meditation is remaining fixed in Self. But when thoughts cross the mind and the effort is made to eliminate them, the effort is termed meditation. Remain as you are. That is the aim. The technique of meditation is negative only inasmuch as thoughts are kept away.
-Talk 294]
- Conscious Immortality
Hypnotic methods are not advisable to induce yogic samadhi because light-gazing stupefies the mind and produces catalepsy of will temporarily, and it secures no permanent benefit. -Talk 27]
A deity may be used to meditate upon as a mental image until the meditator merges into the Self. Then the image will fall away of its own accord and the deity will vanish as part of the world illusion.
Only the Supreme Self is to be the object of meditation. Truly speaking, meditation is remaining fixed in Self. But when thoughts cross the mind and the effort is made to eliminate them, the effort is termed meditation. Remain as you are. That is the aim. The technique of meditation is negative only inasmuch as thoughts are kept away.
-Talk 294]
- Conscious Immortality
If you go on working with the light available,
you will meet your Master,
as he himself will be seeking you.
you will meet your Master,
as he himself will be seeking you.
Without the intrusiveness of the personal mind,
life is observed to be unfolding in a natural
and harmonious way. Do not waste time
merely wishing for things to get better.
The whole world is doing this
and so no one is really happy.
We miss the true life.
In fact, happiness arises
when you stop chasing for something other
than your own pure nature.
And this happiness remains with you.
The universal tendency in human beings
is to seek lasting happiness
in the field of names and forms—a transient field.
This is really a form of avoidance
and a distraction from what is timelessly present
and ever perfect within us—our divine nature and Self.
Ignorance of the Truth is the main cause of misery.
Avoid expectations and especially be aware of
the tendency to wait for 'next' as a promise to happiness
—the next good feeling, the next adventure
or invitation from the mind—in short,
the next experience that, in fact, does quite the contrary:
it pulls your attention away from pure presence,
the seat of joy.
No one has ever experienced 'the future'.
Reflect. It is all imagination.
How to transform these tendencies?
Simply, begin by paying attention to the natural
thought-free state, the pure sense of existence,
the feeling ‘I Am’ that is naturally present in you.
Shift the attention away from the mind-traffic
and let it rest in impersonal awareness.
Keep doing this each time the attention goes out towards
sense objects or obsessive self-interest.
Self-attention is the beginning of real Self-discovery.
It returns the attention time and again
to its source—the one Self.
Get used to staying in your natural
and neutral state of being.
It is a state of emptiness. Do not be afraid of this.
In fact, get increasingly used to being empty.
This emptiness and joy are synonymous. They are one.
This is really what is meant by the saying,
‘to enjoy one’s Self. It is a state of unfading contentment,
wisdom, love and happiness.
life is observed to be unfolding in a natural
and harmonious way. Do not waste time
merely wishing for things to get better.
The whole world is doing this
and so no one is really happy.
We miss the true life.
In fact, happiness arises
when you stop chasing for something other
than your own pure nature.
And this happiness remains with you.
The universal tendency in human beings
is to seek lasting happiness
in the field of names and forms—a transient field.
This is really a form of avoidance
and a distraction from what is timelessly present
and ever perfect within us—our divine nature and Self.
Ignorance of the Truth is the main cause of misery.
Avoid expectations and especially be aware of
the tendency to wait for 'next' as a promise to happiness
—the next good feeling, the next adventure
or invitation from the mind—in short,
the next experience that, in fact, does quite the contrary:
it pulls your attention away from pure presence,
the seat of joy.
No one has ever experienced 'the future'.
Reflect. It is all imagination.
How to transform these tendencies?
Simply, begin by paying attention to the natural
thought-free state, the pure sense of existence,
the feeling ‘I Am’ that is naturally present in you.
Shift the attention away from the mind-traffic
and let it rest in impersonal awareness.
Keep doing this each time the attention goes out towards
sense objects or obsessive self-interest.
Self-attention is the beginning of real Self-discovery.
It returns the attention time and again
to its source—the one Self.
Get used to staying in your natural
and neutral state of being.
It is a state of emptiness. Do not be afraid of this.
In fact, get increasingly used to being empty.
This emptiness and joy are synonymous. They are one.
This is really what is meant by the saying,
‘to enjoy one’s Self. It is a state of unfading contentment,
wisdom, love and happiness.
RAMA: O Lord, the mind is so unsteady. How can one reach the state of perfect equanimity?
VASISTHA: O Rama, a dialogue which is relevant to this problem took place between that very king Suraghu and the sage Parigha. Listen to it.
There was a king in Persia named Parigha who was a close friend of the king Suraghu. Once there was a great famine in the kingdom of Parigha. Sore distressed at heart at the very sight of his people’s suffering, and seeing that all his attempts at bringing relief to them proved fruitless, Parigha, unbeknown to his people, went away to the forest to perform austerities. He lived on dried leaves, and earned the name Parnada. After a thousand years of penance and contemplation he attained self-knowledge. Thereafter he roamed the three worlds freely.
One day he met the king Suraghu, whom he had known before. The two enlightened kings duly worshipped each other. After that, Parigha asked Suraghu: "Even as you attained self-knowledge through the instructions of the sage Mandavya, I reached it through the grace of the Lord earned by penance. Pray tell me: is your mind at perfect rest now? Are your subjects living in peace and prosperity? Are you firmly established in dispassion?"
SURAGHU: Who can truly understand the course of the divine will? You and I had been separated by a great distance so far; but now we have been brought together. What is impossible for the divine? We have been truly blessed by your holy visit. By your very presence in our midst we have all been rid of all sins and defects and I feel all prosperity stands in front of us in your form. Company of good and holy men is indeed equal to the supreme state of liberation.
PARIGHA: O king, all actions that are performed by one who is firmly established in equanimity are productive of joy, not those done by others. Are you established in that state of supreme peace in which. no thoughts or notions arise in your mind, and which is known as samadhi?
SURAGHU: Holy sir, please tell me why only that state of mind which is free from thoughts and notions is called samadhi? If one is a knower of truth, whether he be engaged in constant action or in contemplation, does his mind ever lose the state of samadhi? No. The enlightened ones are forever in samadhi, even though they engage themselves in the affairs of the world. On the other hand, one whose mind is not at peace does not enjoy samadhi by merely sitting in the lotus posture.
Knowledge of truth, Lord, is the fire that burns up all hopes and desires as if they are dried blades of grass. That is what is known by the word samadhi—not simply remaining silent! That is known as the state of samadhi in which there is eternal satisfaction, clear perception of what is, egolessness, not being subject to the pairs of opposites, freedom from anxiety and from the wish to acquire or to reject. From the very moment of the dawn of self-knowledge, the state of samadhi becomes permanent in the sage. He neither loses it nor is it interrupted, even for a moment. Even as time does not forget to move on, the man of self-knowledge does not forget the self. Even as a material object is forever material, the sage of self-knowledge is forever a sage of self-knowledge.
Hence, I am always awakened, pure, at peace within myself and in a state of samadhi. How can it be otherwise? How can there be anything other than the self? When at all times and in all ways the self alone is all in all, how can there be a state other than samadhi? And what can be termed samadhi?
PARIGHA: Surely, O king, you have attained total enlightenment. You shine, radiant with bliss, with peace, with sweetness and with purity. In you there is no ego-sense, desire or aversion.
SURAGHU: O sage, there is indeed nothing which is worth desiring or renouncing. For as long as these things are seen as objects, they are nothing but concepts, percepts and notions. When nothing is worth acquiring, it follows that nothing is worth renouncing. Good and evil, great and small, worthy or unworthy, are all based on the notion of desirability. When desirability has no meaning, the others do not arise at all. There is truly no essence in all that is seen in this world — the mountains, the oceans, the forests, the men and women and all the objects—hence there is no desire for them. When there is no desire, there is supreme peace at heart.
VASISTHA: After thus considering the illusory nature of the world-appearance and after mutually worshipping each other, Suraghu and Parigha continued to engage themselves in their respective duties. O Rama, be firmly established in this wisdom and discard the impure notion of ego-sense from your heart. Thereafter, even if you engage yourself in activity you are unattached to it and therefore not tainted by it, even as the eyes of fish are not affected by sea-water. They alone are friends, scriptures and conversations that generate in one’s heart true dispassion and also self-knowledge.
VASISTHA: O Rama, a dialogue which is relevant to this problem took place between that very king Suraghu and the sage Parigha. Listen to it.
There was a king in Persia named Parigha who was a close friend of the king Suraghu. Once there was a great famine in the kingdom of Parigha. Sore distressed at heart at the very sight of his people’s suffering, and seeing that all his attempts at bringing relief to them proved fruitless, Parigha, unbeknown to his people, went away to the forest to perform austerities. He lived on dried leaves, and earned the name Parnada. After a thousand years of penance and contemplation he attained self-knowledge. Thereafter he roamed the three worlds freely.
One day he met the king Suraghu, whom he had known before. The two enlightened kings duly worshipped each other. After that, Parigha asked Suraghu: "Even as you attained self-knowledge through the instructions of the sage Mandavya, I reached it through the grace of the Lord earned by penance. Pray tell me: is your mind at perfect rest now? Are your subjects living in peace and prosperity? Are you firmly established in dispassion?"
SURAGHU: Who can truly understand the course of the divine will? You and I had been separated by a great distance so far; but now we have been brought together. What is impossible for the divine? We have been truly blessed by your holy visit. By your very presence in our midst we have all been rid of all sins and defects and I feel all prosperity stands in front of us in your form. Company of good and holy men is indeed equal to the supreme state of liberation.
PARIGHA: O king, all actions that are performed by one who is firmly established in equanimity are productive of joy, not those done by others. Are you established in that state of supreme peace in which. no thoughts or notions arise in your mind, and which is known as samadhi?
SURAGHU: Holy sir, please tell me why only that state of mind which is free from thoughts and notions is called samadhi? If one is a knower of truth, whether he be engaged in constant action or in contemplation, does his mind ever lose the state of samadhi? No. The enlightened ones are forever in samadhi, even though they engage themselves in the affairs of the world. On the other hand, one whose mind is not at peace does not enjoy samadhi by merely sitting in the lotus posture.
Knowledge of truth, Lord, is the fire that burns up all hopes and desires as if they are dried blades of grass. That is what is known by the word samadhi—not simply remaining silent! That is known as the state of samadhi in which there is eternal satisfaction, clear perception of what is, egolessness, not being subject to the pairs of opposites, freedom from anxiety and from the wish to acquire or to reject. From the very moment of the dawn of self-knowledge, the state of samadhi becomes permanent in the sage. He neither loses it nor is it interrupted, even for a moment. Even as time does not forget to move on, the man of self-knowledge does not forget the self. Even as a material object is forever material, the sage of self-knowledge is forever a sage of self-knowledge.
Hence, I am always awakened, pure, at peace within myself and in a state of samadhi. How can it be otherwise? How can there be anything other than the self? When at all times and in all ways the self alone is all in all, how can there be a state other than samadhi? And what can be termed samadhi?
PARIGHA: Surely, O king, you have attained total enlightenment. You shine, radiant with bliss, with peace, with sweetness and with purity. In you there is no ego-sense, desire or aversion.
SURAGHU: O sage, there is indeed nothing which is worth desiring or renouncing. For as long as these things are seen as objects, they are nothing but concepts, percepts and notions. When nothing is worth acquiring, it follows that nothing is worth renouncing. Good and evil, great and small, worthy or unworthy, are all based on the notion of desirability. When desirability has no meaning, the others do not arise at all. There is truly no essence in all that is seen in this world — the mountains, the oceans, the forests, the men and women and all the objects—hence there is no desire for them. When there is no desire, there is supreme peace at heart.
VASISTHA: After thus considering the illusory nature of the world-appearance and after mutually worshipping each other, Suraghu and Parigha continued to engage themselves in their respective duties. O Rama, be firmly established in this wisdom and discard the impure notion of ego-sense from your heart. Thereafter, even if you engage yourself in activity you are unattached to it and therefore not tainted by it, even as the eyes of fish are not affected by sea-water. They alone are friends, scriptures and conversations that generate in one’s heart true dispassion and also self-knowledge.
Faith is giving the Divine the chance to act.
Remaining as awareness,
delusions fall away and mind returns to
its natural abode, the Heart.
Do not fight any tendency.
Simply stay as the detached witness
who is ever present and without name or form.
It has no story.
Follow this advice. It works.
delusions fall away and mind returns to
its natural abode, the Heart.
Do not fight any tendency.
Simply stay as the detached witness
who is ever present and without name or form.
It has no story.
Follow this advice. It works.
The direct rays of the sun on the naked body supply the electricity, energy and vitality to the human storage battery, renewing it in vigor, strength and virility.
Source: Mucusless Diet Healing System
Source: Mucusless Diet Healing System
There is no one on this earth who does anything. The whole universe is a puppet show. We're dancing the dance of Shiva. We think we're something important. But we're really nothing as we appear. Your job is to observe, to watch, to see what's going on and not to react to anything that is happening but to stay separate from the happenings. To separate yourself from what is happening. What's happening is happening to the 'I', to the ego, not to you. Nothing can ever happen to you. For your true nature is Brahman, absolute reality, pure awareness.
The ultimate Truth is beyond words. Doctrines are words. They're not the Way. The Way is wordless. Words are illusions. They're no different from things that appear in your dreams at night, be they palaces or carriages, forested parks or lakeside dandelions. Don't conceive any delight for such things. They're all cradles of rebirth. Keep this in mind when you approach death.
Don't cling to appearances, and you'll break through all barriers. A moment's hesitation and you'll be under the spell of devils. Your real body is pure and impervious. But because of delusions you're unaware of it. And because of this you suffer karma in vain. Wherever you find delight, you find bondage. But once you awaken to your original body and mind, you're no longer bound by attachments.
[an excerpt from The Zen Teaching of Bodhidharma, translated by Red Pine]
Don't cling to appearances, and you'll break through all barriers. A moment's hesitation and you'll be under the spell of devils. Your real body is pure and impervious. But because of delusions you're unaware of it. And because of this you suffer karma in vain. Wherever you find delight, you find bondage. But once you awaken to your original body and mind, you're no longer bound by attachments.
[an excerpt from The Zen Teaching of Bodhidharma, translated by Red Pine]
Q. Where does the soul reside in the body?
Swamiji: The soul does not reside in your body. It only reflects on your body. The place you chose for your soul to reflect decides the level of awareness in which you are going to be living.
If you choose Muladhara as the place for the soul to reflect, you will be centered only on body and the lust and reproduction. You will not find anything else as bigger experience. Human beings choose usually Muladhara and Swadishtana as regular place of reflection.
Very few peace lovers make Manipuraka as the reflection spot. When you choose Anahatha as a reflection spot you become a devotee. When you feel and decide Vishuddhi as a reflection spot of the cosmic soul into your individual body you become Shaktha and high achiever.
With the shakthi when you choose your Ajna as a reflective place, the place of reflection for your soul, you live with extraordinary powers as a Siddha Purusha, the embodiment of Shiva.
When you reflect your cosmic soul into your individual body on Sahasrara you live as incarnation, embodiment of the cosmic soul, Mahadeva Himself. Mahadeva resides and expresses unique pure spiritual dimension in your body. So the body is not possessing the soul, Soul only reflects on the body. When it decides not to reflect anymore the body is considered as dead.
When Sahasrara becomes the place of reflection suddenly a new centre develops in your system which is responsible for the Sahasrara to relate, cooperate, coordinate with the lower level of existence also, that new centre is Anandha Gandha. So when you experience the reflection on Anandha Gandha, you directly receive the incarnation’s energy, radiate the incarnation’s energy, you become part of the incarnation.
Swamiji: The soul does not reside in your body. It only reflects on your body. The place you chose for your soul to reflect decides the level of awareness in which you are going to be living.
If you choose Muladhara as the place for the soul to reflect, you will be centered only on body and the lust and reproduction. You will not find anything else as bigger experience. Human beings choose usually Muladhara and Swadishtana as regular place of reflection.
Very few peace lovers make Manipuraka as the reflection spot. When you choose Anahatha as a reflection spot you become a devotee. When you feel and decide Vishuddhi as a reflection spot of the cosmic soul into your individual body you become Shaktha and high achiever.
With the shakthi when you choose your Ajna as a reflective place, the place of reflection for your soul, you live with extraordinary powers as a Siddha Purusha, the embodiment of Shiva.
When you reflect your cosmic soul into your individual body on Sahasrara you live as incarnation, embodiment of the cosmic soul, Mahadeva Himself. Mahadeva resides and expresses unique pure spiritual dimension in your body. So the body is not possessing the soul, Soul only reflects on the body. When it decides not to reflect anymore the body is considered as dead.
When Sahasrara becomes the place of reflection suddenly a new centre develops in your system which is responsible for the Sahasrara to relate, cooperate, coordinate with the lower level of existence also, that new centre is Anandha Gandha. So when you experience the reflection on Anandha Gandha, you directly receive the incarnation’s energy, radiate the incarnation’s energy, you become part of the incarnation.
LIVING ENLIGHTENMENT
The useful guilt
There is a certain guilt that is useful for you, a guilt which if pursued intelligently can cause you to move forward in life.
It is like this: when you see that you have the potential to do something, when you feel that you have so much potential which you are not using at all, then if you are intelligent, guilt will happen in you. This guilt can spur you to start doing things that will actualize your entire potential.
Sometimes we see the state of things around us and we know in one corner of our mind that we can very well help turn the situation around. But either due to laziness or due to the fear of confrontation, or due to the fear of taking responsibility, we just keep quiet and watch.
This type of situation can cause deep guilt in us. This guilt is significant.
If we take steps to correct the situation by doing what we really feel we should do, then the guilt will disappear and we will also move forward.
This type of guilt has the ability to drive you to do what needs to be done. Because of its very nature, you cannot harbor this guilt for long. You have to get over it. And the way to get over it is by doing what needs to be done. Once it is done, the guilt also disappears.
How long you wish to harbor this guilt without
taking steps, for that long you suffer from it.
This is the simple logic of this guilt.
Another manifestation of this guilt happens
when you can feel your ego surfacing in
certain situations and you are unable to help
it. When you can smell your ego but you are
unable to control it, this guilt arises in you.
This guilt is also good since it is a sign of the
deep awareness of your own ego.
It facilitates you to sincerely work towards eliminating that ego.
The useful guilt
There is a certain guilt that is useful for you, a guilt which if pursued intelligently can cause you to move forward in life.
It is like this: when you see that you have the potential to do something, when you feel that you have so much potential which you are not using at all, then if you are intelligent, guilt will happen in you. This guilt can spur you to start doing things that will actualize your entire potential.
Sometimes we see the state of things around us and we know in one corner of our mind that we can very well help turn the situation around. But either due to laziness or due to the fear of confrontation, or due to the fear of taking responsibility, we just keep quiet and watch.
This type of situation can cause deep guilt in us. This guilt is significant.
If we take steps to correct the situation by doing what we really feel we should do, then the guilt will disappear and we will also move forward.
This type of guilt has the ability to drive you to do what needs to be done. Because of its very nature, you cannot harbor this guilt for long. You have to get over it. And the way to get over it is by doing what needs to be done. Once it is done, the guilt also disappears.
How long you wish to harbor this guilt without
taking steps, for that long you suffer from it.
This is the simple logic of this guilt.
Another manifestation of this guilt happens
when you can feel your ego surfacing in
certain situations and you are unable to help
it. When you can smell your ego but you are
unable to control it, this guilt arises in you.
This guilt is also good since it is a sign of the
deep awareness of your own ego.
It facilitates you to sincerely work towards eliminating that ego.
RAMA: Holy sir, there are some who rest in self-knowledge, who are enlightened and yet engage themselves in activities, and there are others who isolate themselves and practice contemplation (samadhi). Of these, who is the better?
VASISTHA: O Rama, that is samadhi (contemplation or meditation) in which one realizes the objects of the senses as not-self and thus enjoys inner calmness and tranquility at all times. Having realized that the objects are related only to the mind, and therefore constantly resting in inner peace, some are engaged in activity, while others live in isolation. Both of them enjoy the bliss of contemplation. If the mind is free from all notions and distraction, he is enlightened and he is in unbroken samadhi. Whether he is engaged in activity or he lives in isolation in a forest, in enlightenment there is no distinction. The mind which is free from conditioning is not tainted even while it is engaged in activity. The non-action of the mind is known as quiescence (samadhana). It is total freedom, it is blessedness.
The difference between contemplation and its absence is indicated by whether or not there is movement of thought in the mind. Hence make the mind unconditioned. The unconditioned mind is firm, and that in itself is meditation, freedom and peace eternal. The conditioned mind is the source of sorrow. The unconditioned mind is a non-actor and attains to the supreme state of enlightenment. Hence one should work to remove all mental conditioning. That is known as contemplation or samadhi in which all the desires and hopes concerning the world have ceased, which is free from sorrow, fear and desire, and by which the self rests in itself.
Mentally renounce all false identification of the self with objects here and then live where you like, either at home or in a mountain cave. To the householder whose mind has attained utter quiescence, his house itself is the forest. If the mind is at peace and if there is no ego-sense, even cities are as void. On the other hand, forests are like cities to him whose heart is full of desires and other evils. The distractions of the mind subside in deep sleep; enlightenment attains enlightenment. Do as you please.
O Rama, infinite consciousness becomes aware of the pungency of the chilli; this gives rise to ego-sense, with all its differentiation in time and space. Infinite consciousness becomes aware of the savor in salt, and that gives rise to the ego-sense with all the differentiation which seems to exist in time and space. Infinite consciousness becomes aware of the sweetness in sugarcane, and thereby arises the awareness of its particular characteristic. Similarly, infinite consciousness, being the indwelling omnipresence, becomes aware of the nature of rock, a mountain, a tree, water and space, and thus self-consciousness of individuality arises.
Thus the natural combination of atomic particles and molecules (which is indwelt by consciousness) apparently acts as a dividing wall, giving rise to the divisions of 'I’, ’you’, etc., and these then appear to be outside of consciousness as its object. In fact, all these are but reflections in the consciousness which, becoming aware of them within itself, bestows upon them their apparent individuality. Consciousness tastes itself, the awareness being not different from consciousness, and that appears to give rise to the ego-sense, nothing else. The crystal of this infinite consciousness reflects its own light of consciousness which is present in all these combinations of atomic particles, and they then gain an apparent self-consciousness and think ’I am’ etc.
In reality, because the inner awareness in all these combinations is not different from infinite consciousness, there is no subject—object relationship between them: hence one does not experience the other, gain the other, or change or modify the other. O Rama, all that I have said above is but a play of words to help your comprehension: there is no such thing as ’I’ or ’the world’ (the combination of atomic particles, etc.). There is neither mind, nor an object of knowledge, nor the world-illusion. Just as water acquires the appearance of a whirlpool with a personality of its own, consciousness seems to give the appearance of ’I’ etc., within itself. But consciousness is consciousness only, whether it thinks of itself as lord Siva or as a little jiva! All this diversity of ’I’, ’you’, etc., and of the material substances, arises for the satisfaction of the ignorant. Whatever the ignorant person imagines in infinite consciousness, that alone he sees. In the light of awareness, life is seen as consciousness; when it is regarded as life, life appears to be no more than life! There is in reality no essential distinction between life and consciousness. In the same way, there is no real and essential distinction between the individual (jiva) and the cosmic being (Siva). Know all this to be undivided and indivisible infinite consciousness.
VASISTHA: O Rama, that is samadhi (contemplation or meditation) in which one realizes the objects of the senses as not-self and thus enjoys inner calmness and tranquility at all times. Having realized that the objects are related only to the mind, and therefore constantly resting in inner peace, some are engaged in activity, while others live in isolation. Both of them enjoy the bliss of contemplation. If the mind is free from all notions and distraction, he is enlightened and he is in unbroken samadhi. Whether he is engaged in activity or he lives in isolation in a forest, in enlightenment there is no distinction. The mind which is free from conditioning is not tainted even while it is engaged in activity. The non-action of the mind is known as quiescence (samadhana). It is total freedom, it is blessedness.
The difference between contemplation and its absence is indicated by whether or not there is movement of thought in the mind. Hence make the mind unconditioned. The unconditioned mind is firm, and that in itself is meditation, freedom and peace eternal. The conditioned mind is the source of sorrow. The unconditioned mind is a non-actor and attains to the supreme state of enlightenment. Hence one should work to remove all mental conditioning. That is known as contemplation or samadhi in which all the desires and hopes concerning the world have ceased, which is free from sorrow, fear and desire, and by which the self rests in itself.
Mentally renounce all false identification of the self with objects here and then live where you like, either at home or in a mountain cave. To the householder whose mind has attained utter quiescence, his house itself is the forest. If the mind is at peace and if there is no ego-sense, even cities are as void. On the other hand, forests are like cities to him whose heart is full of desires and other evils. The distractions of the mind subside in deep sleep; enlightenment attains enlightenment. Do as you please.
O Rama, infinite consciousness becomes aware of the pungency of the chilli; this gives rise to ego-sense, with all its differentiation in time and space. Infinite consciousness becomes aware of the savor in salt, and that gives rise to the ego-sense with all the differentiation which seems to exist in time and space. Infinite consciousness becomes aware of the sweetness in sugarcane, and thereby arises the awareness of its particular characteristic. Similarly, infinite consciousness, being the indwelling omnipresence, becomes aware of the nature of rock, a mountain, a tree, water and space, and thus self-consciousness of individuality arises.
Thus the natural combination of atomic particles and molecules (which is indwelt by consciousness) apparently acts as a dividing wall, giving rise to the divisions of 'I’, ’you’, etc., and these then appear to be outside of consciousness as its object. In fact, all these are but reflections in the consciousness which, becoming aware of them within itself, bestows upon them their apparent individuality. Consciousness tastes itself, the awareness being not different from consciousness, and that appears to give rise to the ego-sense, nothing else. The crystal of this infinite consciousness reflects its own light of consciousness which is present in all these combinations of atomic particles, and they then gain an apparent self-consciousness and think ’I am’ etc.
In reality, because the inner awareness in all these combinations is not different from infinite consciousness, there is no subject—object relationship between them: hence one does not experience the other, gain the other, or change or modify the other. O Rama, all that I have said above is but a play of words to help your comprehension: there is no such thing as ’I’ or ’the world’ (the combination of atomic particles, etc.). There is neither mind, nor an object of knowledge, nor the world-illusion. Just as water acquires the appearance of a whirlpool with a personality of its own, consciousness seems to give the appearance of ’I’ etc., within itself. But consciousness is consciousness only, whether it thinks of itself as lord Siva or as a little jiva! All this diversity of ’I’, ’you’, etc., and of the material substances, arises for the satisfaction of the ignorant. Whatever the ignorant person imagines in infinite consciousness, that alone he sees. In the light of awareness, life is seen as consciousness; when it is regarded as life, life appears to be no more than life! There is in reality no essential distinction between life and consciousness. In the same way, there is no real and essential distinction between the individual (jiva) and the cosmic being (Siva). Know all this to be undivided and indivisible infinite consciousness.
There was once a holy man who died and went up to heaven. He came to the pearly gates and banged on the gate. And God came out and said, "What do you want?" And the holy man said, "I am your servant. I have come." And God came said, "Sorry, there's no room for you here. Goodbye," and left. The holy man was perplexed. He sat down in front of the gate and started to ponder. "Why didn't God let me in?" And he sat for two years thinking, "Why couldn't I get into heaven?" And finally it came to him. So he banged on the gate again and God came and said, "Who are you? What do you want?" The holy man said, "I am your servant. I have converted thousands of people on your behalf. I have preached the bible to millions. I have done good deeds. Let me in." And God said, "Sorry, I don't care what you've done, there's no room in here for you," and went away.
This time the holy man was really disturbed. He couldn't understand this. "Why won't God let me in?" he said. So he sat down in front of the gate again. Centuries passed. Remember he was dead anyway so it didn't matter. He was pondering why God didn't let him in. Then it came to him. So again he got up and he banged on the door, on the pearly gates. God came out and said, "Who are you? What do you want?" And he said, "Lord, I am your humble servant, but I must confess my sins. I have had sexual affairs with my female devotees. I have eaten meat and told people I was a vegetarian. But I confess everything to you. Can I come in now?" So God looked at him and said, "I don't care what you do, there's no room for you here." And went away.
Again the holy man said, "What is this? I've done everything I can. I'm going to sit at this gate if I have to sit here for all eternity, until I find out what the problem is." So he sat for years and century after century, pondering. "I confessed my sins to God. I confessed my good deeds to God. I want to get into heaven. Wait a minute, who is this I? Who is the I that committed sins? Who is the I that committed good deeds? Who is the I that wants to get into heaven? Who am I?" And all of a sudden he started laughing. It came to him. He rolled over in laughter and he got up and banged on the gate. And God came and said, "Who are you?" And he said, "I am yourself." And God opened the gate and said, "Come in. There never was a room here for me and you."
Source: https://lifeherenow.com/robert-adams-on-divinity/
This time the holy man was really disturbed. He couldn't understand this. "Why won't God let me in?" he said. So he sat down in front of the gate again. Centuries passed. Remember he was dead anyway so it didn't matter. He was pondering why God didn't let him in. Then it came to him. So again he got up and he banged on the door, on the pearly gates. God came out and said, "Who are you? What do you want?" And he said, "Lord, I am your humble servant, but I must confess my sins. I have had sexual affairs with my female devotees. I have eaten meat and told people I was a vegetarian. But I confess everything to you. Can I come in now?" So God looked at him and said, "I don't care what you do, there's no room for you here." And went away.
Again the holy man said, "What is this? I've done everything I can. I'm going to sit at this gate if I have to sit here for all eternity, until I find out what the problem is." So he sat for years and century after century, pondering. "I confessed my sins to God. I confessed my good deeds to God. I want to get into heaven. Wait a minute, who is this I? Who is the I that committed sins? Who is the I that committed good deeds? Who is the I that wants to get into heaven? Who am I?" And all of a sudden he started laughing. It came to him. He rolled over in laughter and he got up and banged on the gate. And God came and said, "Who are you?" And he said, "I am yourself." And God opened the gate and said, "Come in. There never was a room here for me and you."
Source: https://lifeherenow.com/robert-adams-on-divinity/
Jai Shri Krishna! ૐ
1. Yoga is clear, discerning, totally voluntary, dynamic participation in one’s life.
Krishna first identifies yoga (chap. 2 verse 31) as clear discernment that will free one from feeling forced into action. Speaking directly to Arjuna’s stagnation, Krishna emphasizes the importance of action that does not calculate what fruits one might obtain from those actions. Krishna also makes it clear that yoga is not just philosophy, (as in Sankhya’s teachings) but philosophy in action: yoga is a lifestyle requiring active participation.
2. Yoga is everlasting, primal, revealing, the archetypal light fueled by love.
The fourth chapter of the Bhagavad Gita opens with the dramatic announcement that the yoga Krishna gives Arjuna is the same yoga he gave the sun god, Vivasan. Here yoga is connected to light, to primal origins, to sonic transmission and to the eternal. It is characterized to be as valuable and reliable to all beings on our planet as the sun is. Only loosing sight of the sun, as in the passing of time, can obscure our vision of yoga.
When light is lost to us, and we feel uninspired on our journey, what becomes our compass? How does yoga find us in our lives? In chapter four, verse three, Krishna tells Arjuna that it is through love that we are found.
Krishna tells us it was Arjuna’s love for him that inspired him to speak of yoga again, the “ultimate secret”, the same yoga that was once known by the ancients. This is the first instance in which the word bhakta, a lovingly devoted one, appears, from the noun bhakti. Thus the connection between yoga, light and our loving relationships with others is emphasized.
3. Yoga is sacrifice that elevates us, motivates us, actively engages us and does so in a manner that is harmonious to all other living beings.
The verses in which Krishna directly utters the word yoga, or yukta, in chapter four speak about sacrifice: the voluntary renouncing of something of lower value, for something of higher value. How interesting that this follows Krishna’s exposition of love’s value to a yoga practice. He then speaks of offering the actions of one’s senses and one’s very life breath into “the fire of yoga”.
Chapter four then ends with a spirited and exclamatory urging that Arjuna “rise in yoga!” by cutting the doubts in his heart with the sword of knowledge, which is wielded by his very self.
Chapter five begins with Arjuna asking Krishna which is better: the renunciation of actions or the practice of yoga? To this, Krishna replies that the performance of actions in yoga, or the yoga of action is far better than giving up all action.
In verse six of the same chapter Krishna characterizes absorption in yoga as the swiftest way to reach Brahman, or ultimate reality. Then Krishna defines yoga as that which causes one’s self to become connected to the Self in all beings, “and thus one is not tainted even while acting” (5.7) So never does one who is absorbed in yoga act alone. “That one, whose self is absorbed in the yoga of Brahman through yoga, attains imperishable happiness” (5.21).
4. Yoga is selfless, cleansing, freeing, balancing, inspiring, and joyfully performed: a vision in which one experiences peaceful interconnectedness with all life around them.
In chapter six on the way of meditation, Krishna devotes 29 verses (more than any other chapter in the Bhagavad Gita) to defining what yoga is, what yoga is not, and what the effects of practicing yoga are.
Krishna begins by telling Arjuna how yoga cannot be practiced without renouncing selfish motive (6.1). Then he emphasizes action in yoga as a prerequisite to being calm and still. Yoga is defined as not being attached to one’s actions, one’s senses and having no selfish motives, but only for the “purification of the self” (6.12)
Being absorbed in yoga is holding divinity in the highest (6.14) Absorbing oneself in yoga “culminates in the highest state of Nirvana”, which Krishna tells Arjuna rests in him.
Then Krishna goes on with one detail after another about yoga: Yoga is not possible for those who have extremes in sleeping and eating. Being absorbed in yoga destroys suffering. One absorbed in yoga is free from longings for selfish desires. Yoga steadies the thoughts, the mind, and rids one of suffering. Yoga should be practiced with determination and without entertaining discouraging thoughts. One absorbed in yoga enjoys boundless happiness, sees the Self present in all beings, and all beings present within the Self.
In verse thirty-three of chapter six Krishna defines Yoga as the “state of sameness”. One’s self needs to “strive fully” to achieve yoga without difficulty.
5. Yoga is nourished in the company of other yoga practitioners, by offerings of love, and the understandings they give rise to.
This is the second time Arjuna, representing the student, or disciple, uses the word yoga. His inquiry sounds familiar to anyone struggling in their yoga practice, as he asks Krishna what happens to that person “whose mind has deviated from yoga, and does not achieve the perfection of yoga, does not strive yet still possesses faith?”
In verse 6.41, Krishna reassures Arjuna that such a soul is reborn to the “pure and prosperous”, and that even one desiring to know yoga “transcends the sound of ultimate reality”.
Aside from the obvious reincarnation interpretation, the double entendre of these words could point toward the value of surrounding oneself with others who are practicing yoga as a means to motivate and inspire one’s own practice. Being “reborn” into such company can feel like a new start, giving one’s yoga practice new inspiration.
Krishna continues emphasizing the value of loving relationships with others in yoga, as he declares in verse 6. 47 that “one whose inner self has come to me, who is full of faith, who offers love to me- that one is considered by me to be the most deeply absorbed in yoga” What is this deep absorption called in Sanskrit, the language of the Bhagavad Gita?
In chapter seven on the way of realized knowledge, Krishna only speaks six verses in which the words yoga or yukta appears. However, they are very revealing verses as Krishna first utters the word bhakti, thus speaking about love.
6. Yoga is a heightened sensitivity and awareness of all life around us and within us, and an outpour of love in reciprocation with life’s wonder and beauty.
Krishna then begins to describe the effects of those who completely depend on Krishna in their practice of yoga, and become attached to him. Krishna tells Arjuna they will know him completely. Then he asks Arjuna to hear how that is so.
So yoga draws one to Krishna? What does this translate into for the life of the modern yoga practitioner? Who is Krishna in relation to your yoga practice?
Krishna goes on to define what it means to know him “completely” in chapter seven and speaks about all the places he is to be found:
We experience Krishna in the taste of water, the radiance of the moon and sun, the sacred utterance in all the Vedas, the sound in space, the prowess in men. The pure fragrance in earth, the brilliance in fire, the life in all beings, austerities, the seed in all beings, discernment, splendor, power devoid of desire and passion, desire that does not conflict with dharma and the qualities in the cosmic ingredients all around us, and inside out own bodies.
Then Krishna tells Arjuna that four types of people turn toward him: those who are distressed, those desiring knowledge, those seeking personal gain and those possessing knowledge.
“Among these, the person of knowledge, who is constantly absorbed in yoga that is solely an offering of love, is exceptional. For I am so dearly loved by the person of knowledge, and that person is dearly loved by me” (7.17)
This verse has the word bhakti in it -appearing for the first time here, as a noun- also appearing a total 14 times in the BG. Bhakti is how we engage out heart in our yoga practice.
7. Yoga is fearless, is illuminating, and is a journey that does not end with death.
Krishna ends this chapter by informing Arjuna that one who is absorbed with faith in yoga, abides only in Krishna. In verse 25 Krishna says: “I am not revealed to everyone, being concealed by the divine power of yoga, Yoga-Maya. This bewildered world does not recognize me as the unborn and ever-present” But those who do will know Krishna even at the time of death.
In chapter eight Krishna speaks nine verses about death, and how to achieve him beyond death through absorption in yoga. Concluding in verse 27 “be absorbed in yoga by means of yoga” and thus not be bewildered by the “two paths” of darkness and light through which souls exit their bodies.
In chapter nine and ten we find eight verses that employ the words yoga and yukta. Eight are spoken by Krishna as he characterizes yoga’s immortal nature, and one is spoken by Arjuna (10.18) asking Krishna to continue further describing the nature of yoga, as he is never satiated when hearing of the immortal.
8. Yoga is a vision that excludes nothing from its practice.
In these verses Krishna, in the role of the yoga teacher, describes those always absorbed in yoga as pleasing and honoring him with offerings of love, and striving with intense devotion. (9.14) Krishna then promises prosperity and security for ones so fully absorbed in yoga. And that such souls will surely come to him: “Surely you shall come to me, thus having absorbed yourself in yoga with me as the supreme goal” (9.34)
And again in verse ten of chapter ten: ““For them, who are constantly absorbed in yoga, who offer loving service with natural affection, I offer that yoga of discernment by which they come close to me”
What is this discernment Krishna speaks of? How does a person intent on practicing yoga see everything in the world as fuel for their yoga practice?
In chapter ten Krishna elaborates and injects his presence as the original yoga teacher into fire, the radiant sun, the moon, the ocean, quietly repeated prayer, the Himalayas, the thunderbolt, death, time, wind, the shark, the beginning, the end, the middle, the spring season, courage, the silence of secrets, knowledge, beauty and abounding power. “But what is the necessity of knowing such things, O Arjuna? I support this whole universe continuously, with one part of myself.” (10.42)
9. Yoga is our intimate connection with the whole universe, with eternal realms even beyond the manifested universe, and with our own being’s endless capacity to love.
In the famous chapter eleven of the Bhagavad Gita Krishna gives Arjuna a vision of his “Universal Form”. Perhaps what is most amazing to any yoga practitioner about this spectacular vision is that Krishna attributes his universal form as having manifested from the yoga of his own being! So even Krishna himself practices yoga!
Chapter twelve begins with Arjuna inquiring about which form of yoga is “the greatest”, that of “those who worship Krishna by offering love, or those who worship Krishna as the “imperishable unmanifest”?
Krishna answers that it is those whose mind are directed toward him and are always absorbed in yoga.
Then Krishna characterizes yoga again as devoting all actions to him. And in chapter twelve verse ten, Krishna defines yoga as “the unwavering offering of love”. Then in 14.26 Krishna says:
“And one, who unfailingly, with the yoga of offering love, serves me, that one, transcending these ‘qualities’ prepares oneself with being united with supreme reality.”
10. Yoga is a pure, determined force that moves us toward the mysterious and secret, and connects us with the wonderfulness of existence, of being, and of all life itself.
Krishna begins chapter sixteen with a verse that talks about “steadfastness in the yoga of knowledge”. Then the subject of energies that pull one toward and away from absorption in yoga begins, with only eight verses in the last three chapters of the Bhagavad Gita that use the words yoga or yukta, mainly characterizing those absorbed in yoga as reflecting the qualities of sattva, or clarity, purity.
The penultimate verse in which the word yoga appears are spoken by the visionary Sanjaya who ends by calling Krishna Yogeshvara, the Lord of Yoga, in verse 18.75:
“By the grace of Vyasa I have heard this supreme secret of yoga from Krishna, the supreme Lord of Yoga, appearing directly before my eyes, speaking it himself”.
The Bhagavad Gita ends with an emphatic, final verse that delights in the triumph of those who align themselves with a genuine, loving yoga practitioner and teacher, as Arjuna did with Krishna.
“Where there is Krishna, the Supreme Lord of Yoga (Yogeshvara), where there is Partha (Arjuna), holder of the Bow, there is fortune, triumph, well-being, and lasting righteousness- that is my conclusion”.
So yoga appears in more ways than we imagine. Perhaps the individual practices of today’s yoga practitioners will be significantly nourished the more they embrace the rich and complex definitions Krishna gave yoga in the Bhagavad Gita.
As one of the world’s most important yoga texts, the Gita stands to illumine the areas in our lives we get stuck in -just as Arjuna was in his- and offer us an alternative way of being through practicing yoga: an experience that can potentially include everything!
https://www.speakingtree.in/blog/krishna-s-10-definitions-of-yoga-in-the-bhagavad-gita
1. Yoga is clear, discerning, totally voluntary, dynamic participation in one’s life.
Krishna first identifies yoga (chap. 2 verse 31) as clear discernment that will free one from feeling forced into action. Speaking directly to Arjuna’s stagnation, Krishna emphasizes the importance of action that does not calculate what fruits one might obtain from those actions. Krishna also makes it clear that yoga is not just philosophy, (as in Sankhya’s teachings) but philosophy in action: yoga is a lifestyle requiring active participation.
2. Yoga is everlasting, primal, revealing, the archetypal light fueled by love.
The fourth chapter of the Bhagavad Gita opens with the dramatic announcement that the yoga Krishna gives Arjuna is the same yoga he gave the sun god, Vivasan. Here yoga is connected to light, to primal origins, to sonic transmission and to the eternal. It is characterized to be as valuable and reliable to all beings on our planet as the sun is. Only loosing sight of the sun, as in the passing of time, can obscure our vision of yoga.
When light is lost to us, and we feel uninspired on our journey, what becomes our compass? How does yoga find us in our lives? In chapter four, verse three, Krishna tells Arjuna that it is through love that we are found.
Krishna tells us it was Arjuna’s love for him that inspired him to speak of yoga again, the “ultimate secret”, the same yoga that was once known by the ancients. This is the first instance in which the word bhakta, a lovingly devoted one, appears, from the noun bhakti. Thus the connection between yoga, light and our loving relationships with others is emphasized.
3. Yoga is sacrifice that elevates us, motivates us, actively engages us and does so in a manner that is harmonious to all other living beings.
The verses in which Krishna directly utters the word yoga, or yukta, in chapter four speak about sacrifice: the voluntary renouncing of something of lower value, for something of higher value. How interesting that this follows Krishna’s exposition of love’s value to a yoga practice. He then speaks of offering the actions of one’s senses and one’s very life breath into “the fire of yoga”.
Chapter four then ends with a spirited and exclamatory urging that Arjuna “rise in yoga!” by cutting the doubts in his heart with the sword of knowledge, which is wielded by his very self.
Chapter five begins with Arjuna asking Krishna which is better: the renunciation of actions or the practice of yoga? To this, Krishna replies that the performance of actions in yoga, or the yoga of action is far better than giving up all action.
In verse six of the same chapter Krishna characterizes absorption in yoga as the swiftest way to reach Brahman, or ultimate reality. Then Krishna defines yoga as that which causes one’s self to become connected to the Self in all beings, “and thus one is not tainted even while acting” (5.7) So never does one who is absorbed in yoga act alone. “That one, whose self is absorbed in the yoga of Brahman through yoga, attains imperishable happiness” (5.21).
4. Yoga is selfless, cleansing, freeing, balancing, inspiring, and joyfully performed: a vision in which one experiences peaceful interconnectedness with all life around them.
In chapter six on the way of meditation, Krishna devotes 29 verses (more than any other chapter in the Bhagavad Gita) to defining what yoga is, what yoga is not, and what the effects of practicing yoga are.
Krishna begins by telling Arjuna how yoga cannot be practiced without renouncing selfish motive (6.1). Then he emphasizes action in yoga as a prerequisite to being calm and still. Yoga is defined as not being attached to one’s actions, one’s senses and having no selfish motives, but only for the “purification of the self” (6.12)
Being absorbed in yoga is holding divinity in the highest (6.14) Absorbing oneself in yoga “culminates in the highest state of Nirvana”, which Krishna tells Arjuna rests in him.
Then Krishna goes on with one detail after another about yoga: Yoga is not possible for those who have extremes in sleeping and eating. Being absorbed in yoga destroys suffering. One absorbed in yoga is free from longings for selfish desires. Yoga steadies the thoughts, the mind, and rids one of suffering. Yoga should be practiced with determination and without entertaining discouraging thoughts. One absorbed in yoga enjoys boundless happiness, sees the Self present in all beings, and all beings present within the Self.
In verse thirty-three of chapter six Krishna defines Yoga as the “state of sameness”. One’s self needs to “strive fully” to achieve yoga without difficulty.
5. Yoga is nourished in the company of other yoga practitioners, by offerings of love, and the understandings they give rise to.
This is the second time Arjuna, representing the student, or disciple, uses the word yoga. His inquiry sounds familiar to anyone struggling in their yoga practice, as he asks Krishna what happens to that person “whose mind has deviated from yoga, and does not achieve the perfection of yoga, does not strive yet still possesses faith?”
In verse 6.41, Krishna reassures Arjuna that such a soul is reborn to the “pure and prosperous”, and that even one desiring to know yoga “transcends the sound of ultimate reality”.
Aside from the obvious reincarnation interpretation, the double entendre of these words could point toward the value of surrounding oneself with others who are practicing yoga as a means to motivate and inspire one’s own practice. Being “reborn” into such company can feel like a new start, giving one’s yoga practice new inspiration.
Krishna continues emphasizing the value of loving relationships with others in yoga, as he declares in verse 6. 47 that “one whose inner self has come to me, who is full of faith, who offers love to me- that one is considered by me to be the most deeply absorbed in yoga” What is this deep absorption called in Sanskrit, the language of the Bhagavad Gita?
In chapter seven on the way of realized knowledge, Krishna only speaks six verses in which the words yoga or yukta appears. However, they are very revealing verses as Krishna first utters the word bhakti, thus speaking about love.
6. Yoga is a heightened sensitivity and awareness of all life around us and within us, and an outpour of love in reciprocation with life’s wonder and beauty.
Krishna then begins to describe the effects of those who completely depend on Krishna in their practice of yoga, and become attached to him. Krishna tells Arjuna they will know him completely. Then he asks Arjuna to hear how that is so.
So yoga draws one to Krishna? What does this translate into for the life of the modern yoga practitioner? Who is Krishna in relation to your yoga practice?
Krishna goes on to define what it means to know him “completely” in chapter seven and speaks about all the places he is to be found:
We experience Krishna in the taste of water, the radiance of the moon and sun, the sacred utterance in all the Vedas, the sound in space, the prowess in men. The pure fragrance in earth, the brilliance in fire, the life in all beings, austerities, the seed in all beings, discernment, splendor, power devoid of desire and passion, desire that does not conflict with dharma and the qualities in the cosmic ingredients all around us, and inside out own bodies.
Then Krishna tells Arjuna that four types of people turn toward him: those who are distressed, those desiring knowledge, those seeking personal gain and those possessing knowledge.
“Among these, the person of knowledge, who is constantly absorbed in yoga that is solely an offering of love, is exceptional. For I am so dearly loved by the person of knowledge, and that person is dearly loved by me” (7.17)
This verse has the word bhakti in it -appearing for the first time here, as a noun- also appearing a total 14 times in the BG. Bhakti is how we engage out heart in our yoga practice.
7. Yoga is fearless, is illuminating, and is a journey that does not end with death.
Krishna ends this chapter by informing Arjuna that one who is absorbed with faith in yoga, abides only in Krishna. In verse 25 Krishna says: “I am not revealed to everyone, being concealed by the divine power of yoga, Yoga-Maya. This bewildered world does not recognize me as the unborn and ever-present” But those who do will know Krishna even at the time of death.
In chapter eight Krishna speaks nine verses about death, and how to achieve him beyond death through absorption in yoga. Concluding in verse 27 “be absorbed in yoga by means of yoga” and thus not be bewildered by the “two paths” of darkness and light through which souls exit their bodies.
In chapter nine and ten we find eight verses that employ the words yoga and yukta. Eight are spoken by Krishna as he characterizes yoga’s immortal nature, and one is spoken by Arjuna (10.18) asking Krishna to continue further describing the nature of yoga, as he is never satiated when hearing of the immortal.
8. Yoga is a vision that excludes nothing from its practice.
In these verses Krishna, in the role of the yoga teacher, describes those always absorbed in yoga as pleasing and honoring him with offerings of love, and striving with intense devotion. (9.14) Krishna then promises prosperity and security for ones so fully absorbed in yoga. And that such souls will surely come to him: “Surely you shall come to me, thus having absorbed yourself in yoga with me as the supreme goal” (9.34)
And again in verse ten of chapter ten: ““For them, who are constantly absorbed in yoga, who offer loving service with natural affection, I offer that yoga of discernment by which they come close to me”
What is this discernment Krishna speaks of? How does a person intent on practicing yoga see everything in the world as fuel for their yoga practice?
In chapter ten Krishna elaborates and injects his presence as the original yoga teacher into fire, the radiant sun, the moon, the ocean, quietly repeated prayer, the Himalayas, the thunderbolt, death, time, wind, the shark, the beginning, the end, the middle, the spring season, courage, the silence of secrets, knowledge, beauty and abounding power. “But what is the necessity of knowing such things, O Arjuna? I support this whole universe continuously, with one part of myself.” (10.42)
9. Yoga is our intimate connection with the whole universe, with eternal realms even beyond the manifested universe, and with our own being’s endless capacity to love.
In the famous chapter eleven of the Bhagavad Gita Krishna gives Arjuna a vision of his “Universal Form”. Perhaps what is most amazing to any yoga practitioner about this spectacular vision is that Krishna attributes his universal form as having manifested from the yoga of his own being! So even Krishna himself practices yoga!
Chapter twelve begins with Arjuna inquiring about which form of yoga is “the greatest”, that of “those who worship Krishna by offering love, or those who worship Krishna as the “imperishable unmanifest”?
Krishna answers that it is those whose mind are directed toward him and are always absorbed in yoga.
Then Krishna characterizes yoga again as devoting all actions to him. And in chapter twelve verse ten, Krishna defines yoga as “the unwavering offering of love”. Then in 14.26 Krishna says:
“And one, who unfailingly, with the yoga of offering love, serves me, that one, transcending these ‘qualities’ prepares oneself with being united with supreme reality.”
10. Yoga is a pure, determined force that moves us toward the mysterious and secret, and connects us with the wonderfulness of existence, of being, and of all life itself.
Krishna begins chapter sixteen with a verse that talks about “steadfastness in the yoga of knowledge”. Then the subject of energies that pull one toward and away from absorption in yoga begins, with only eight verses in the last three chapters of the Bhagavad Gita that use the words yoga or yukta, mainly characterizing those absorbed in yoga as reflecting the qualities of sattva, or clarity, purity.
The penultimate verse in which the word yoga appears are spoken by the visionary Sanjaya who ends by calling Krishna Yogeshvara, the Lord of Yoga, in verse 18.75:
“By the grace of Vyasa I have heard this supreme secret of yoga from Krishna, the supreme Lord of Yoga, appearing directly before my eyes, speaking it himself”.
The Bhagavad Gita ends with an emphatic, final verse that delights in the triumph of those who align themselves with a genuine, loving yoga practitioner and teacher, as Arjuna did with Krishna.
“Where there is Krishna, the Supreme Lord of Yoga (Yogeshvara), where there is Partha (Arjuna), holder of the Bow, there is fortune, triumph, well-being, and lasting righteousness- that is my conclusion”.
So yoga appears in more ways than we imagine. Perhaps the individual practices of today’s yoga practitioners will be significantly nourished the more they embrace the rich and complex definitions Krishna gave yoga in the Bhagavad Gita.
As one of the world’s most important yoga texts, the Gita stands to illumine the areas in our lives we get stuck in -just as Arjuna was in his- and offer us an alternative way of being through practicing yoga: an experience that can potentially include everything!
https://www.speakingtree.in/blog/krishna-s-10-definitions-of-yoga-in-the-bhagavad-gita
Papaji: The last net [of bondage] is scriptures; God is the last hurdle. When you renounce everything, then you are free. Free of God, free of scriptures, free of samsara.
What you have studied must be forgotten. Then you can leap forward. You cannot leap forward if you cling to the understanding of the scriptures. Then you discover that you are not to try to understand. This is leaping forward beyond scriptures. No difference in holding scriptural concepts than in holding worldly knowledge.
~ from the book "Wake Up and Roar"
What you have studied must be forgotten. Then you can leap forward. You cannot leap forward if you cling to the understanding of the scriptures. Then you discover that you are not to try to understand. This is leaping forward beyond scriptures. No difference in holding scriptural concepts than in holding worldly knowledge.
~ from the book "Wake Up and Roar"
Don't be so weak...don't give in to fickle tendancies...hold your ground...there is no need to try and measure yourself or your progress...simply carry on being here, being present, being open...not everything rests upon your intellect, or your intellectual capacity...for some of you perhaps it may be a struggle to investigate...your not on your own...when I say your not on your own, I mean that whatever brought you here...inspired you...encouraged your being and your body to be here, will continue doing its work...it's important to trust!!...in my heart I have not left one single one out...I've ruled no one out...no one is exempt from this opportunity...
Beings
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