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Where is the Divine World?
When studying the Upanishads in my early days, I always visualised the divine abode in the sun god and was performing the practices enjoined in certain texts. Even later, after settling at the abode of Sri Maharshi, I continued this practice (upasana). It proved very hard to succeed in this process and I had to undergo very trying experiences,
so I referred the whole matter to Bhagavan.
"So you want to go to the divine world ?" asked he.
"That is what I am trying to obtain; that is what the scriptures prescribe," I answered. "But where are you now ?" the Master asked. I replied, "I am in your presence."
"Poor thing! You are here and now in the divine world, and you want to obtain it elsewhere! Know that to be the divine world where one is firmly established in the Divine. Such a one is full (purna); he encompasses and transcends all that is manifest. He is the substratum of the screen on which the whole manifestation runs like the picture film. Whether moving pictures run or not, the screen is always there and is never affected by the action of the pictures. You are here and now in the divine world. You are like a thirsty man wanting to drink, while he is all the time standing neck deep in the Ganga.
Give up all efforts and surrender. Let the 'I' that wants the divine world die, and the Divine in you will be realised here and now. For it is already in you as the Self, not different from the Divine (Brahman), nameless and formless. It is already in you, and how are you to obtain that which ever remains obtained? The Self (atman) in you is surely not different from US."
Thus spoke Bhagavan.
"So then, Bhagavan says that he is the Self, (kutastha) in this, the field of this soul (jiva), that this is already established in Bhagavan as such, so this soul need do nothing but give up the sense of being a separate soul?" I asked, prostrating before Bhagavan.
"Yes, yes," he replied, "that is what one must do to drop the ego-sense. If that is done the Self will be experienced as 'I-I' here and now and at all times. There will be no going into the divine world or coming out of it. You will be as you really are. This is the practice (sadhana) and this is the perfection (siddhi) too."
This teaching of Sri Bhagavan, himself being the divine world, is recorded for the benefit of all who are ever in Him. Our hearts were kindled to deep affection while he taught us by word and example, while he silently showered the nectar dew of grace upon us all. Today they turn to Him within, by day and night, no less of old; and they rejoice to find that grace wells up from the fountain of the one Self who alone is all wisdom, love and power.
- At The Feet Of Bhagavan
by T. K. Sundaresa Iyer
Source: THE MAHARSHI
Sep / Oct 1993. Vol.3 No.5
When studying the Upanishads in my early days, I always visualised the divine abode in the sun god and was performing the practices enjoined in certain texts. Even later, after settling at the abode of Sri Maharshi, I continued this practice (upasana). It proved very hard to succeed in this process and I had to undergo very trying experiences,
so I referred the whole matter to Bhagavan.
"So you want to go to the divine world ?" asked he.
"That is what I am trying to obtain; that is what the scriptures prescribe," I answered. "But where are you now ?" the Master asked. I replied, "I am in your presence."
"Poor thing! You are here and now in the divine world, and you want to obtain it elsewhere! Know that to be the divine world where one is firmly established in the Divine. Such a one is full (purna); he encompasses and transcends all that is manifest. He is the substratum of the screen on which the whole manifestation runs like the picture film. Whether moving pictures run or not, the screen is always there and is never affected by the action of the pictures. You are here and now in the divine world. You are like a thirsty man wanting to drink, while he is all the time standing neck deep in the Ganga.
Give up all efforts and surrender. Let the 'I' that wants the divine world die, and the Divine in you will be realised here and now. For it is already in you as the Self, not different from the Divine (Brahman), nameless and formless. It is already in you, and how are you to obtain that which ever remains obtained? The Self (atman) in you is surely not different from US."
Thus spoke Bhagavan.
"So then, Bhagavan says that he is the Self, (kutastha) in this, the field of this soul (jiva), that this is already established in Bhagavan as such, so this soul need do nothing but give up the sense of being a separate soul?" I asked, prostrating before Bhagavan.
"Yes, yes," he replied, "that is what one must do to drop the ego-sense. If that is done the Self will be experienced as 'I-I' here and now and at all times. There will be no going into the divine world or coming out of it. You will be as you really are. This is the practice (sadhana) and this is the perfection (siddhi) too."
This teaching of Sri Bhagavan, himself being the divine world, is recorded for the benefit of all who are ever in Him. Our hearts were kindled to deep affection while he taught us by word and example, while he silently showered the nectar dew of grace upon us all. Today they turn to Him within, by day and night, no less of old; and they rejoice to find that grace wells up from the fountain of the one Self who alone is all wisdom, love and power.
- At The Feet Of Bhagavan
by T. K. Sundaresa Iyer
Source: THE MAHARSHI
Sep / Oct 1993. Vol.3 No.5
Sometimes I meet beings who say they have realised the Self. They believe or claim that they know and understand the Truth. They say they sense it, feel it and are convinced it is what they are and so on. However, it is often sensed here that the mind takes delivery for this understanding and purchases further life as the egoic ‘achiever’ of ultimate Truth. Consequently, the realisation does not get baptised in the Heart and a real chance of freedom gradually fades away.
Therefore, such beings can retain their sense of personhood, unknowingly. Some even edit my words to fit in with their personal inclinations, projections and spiritual fantasies, but I want to burn all of this to the ground in order that they attain true freedom.
What we speak about here is authentic transcendence, you see? One has to overcome the hypnosis of personal conditioning. They have to be free from the psychological influence of the mind. I don’t mean that you should ‘stop’ your mind but rather, focus on the witness of mind. Therefore, it has to be an authentic transcendence, not a Hollywood awakening.
Sometimes I say I don’t want or feel for your company. You indulge too much mental and psychological noise. There are too many relationships going on inside your mind. Your representations of yourself mentally, emotionally, psychically are not authentic expressions of the Self. Such a localised identity is not enough at this level of understanding, insight or, we could say, Self-knowledge.
So what has to happen?
You have to be That.
How are you going to be That?
The ‘you’ who you take yourself to be cannot be That. Being That is not a verb, an action you will take. It is an awakening, a recognition so profound that it changes your mind’s orientation immediately and irreversibly. As real understanding takes over, it will be a life changing experience.
It is as though I am telling you to do something ‘you’, as ego, cannot do.
Your mind cannot do it, but it is required of you to, acknowledge and be That which you are.
You have to be open to expose what is not in service to your true nature. It is the highest aspect of my work, guidance or teaching and it is more like an energetic correspondence, not only a verbal one.
Let the untrue be exposed and thoroughly burned. Sometimes the way into that completeness, that recognition, is that whatever is untrue is rejected as it is recognised as false, either by you or by me.
And you may be thinking, ‘Oh my god, I really thought I was getting somewhere! This is so discouraging’… and so your world feels like it is turned upside down. Do not be disheartened, instead keep an attitude of gratitude.
It is your good fortune that your ‘world’ is being crushed. I myself don’t have a world. Let yours be upside down so that what is true in you can reveal itself and begin unfolding in its authentic expression as true life and being.
Grace is helping you in every way. Trust it. Say, “Yes, I am here, remove this sense of separation, this arrogance of separateness and merge me in you, oh God, oh Universe Being, Self, Truth, Life. Don’t give me any technique.
Absorb me. Replace me with You.”
And finally: Trust your master.
Therefore, such beings can retain their sense of personhood, unknowingly. Some even edit my words to fit in with their personal inclinations, projections and spiritual fantasies, but I want to burn all of this to the ground in order that they attain true freedom.
What we speak about here is authentic transcendence, you see? One has to overcome the hypnosis of personal conditioning. They have to be free from the psychological influence of the mind. I don’t mean that you should ‘stop’ your mind but rather, focus on the witness of mind. Therefore, it has to be an authentic transcendence, not a Hollywood awakening.
Sometimes I say I don’t want or feel for your company. You indulge too much mental and psychological noise. There are too many relationships going on inside your mind. Your representations of yourself mentally, emotionally, psychically are not authentic ex
So what has to happen?
You have to be That.
How are you going to be That?
The ‘you’ who you take yourself to be cannot be That. Being That is not a verb, an action you will take. It is an awakening, a recognition so profound that it changes your mind’s orientation immediately and irreversibly. As real understanding takes over, it will be a life changing experience.
It is as though I am telling you to do something ‘you’, as ego, cannot do.
Your mind cannot do it, but it is required of you to, acknowledge and be That which you are.
You have to be open to expose what is not in service to your true nature. It is the highest aspect of my work, guidance or teaching and it is more like an energetic correspondence, not only a verbal one.
Let the untrue be exposed and thoroughly burned. Sometimes the way into that completeness, that recognition, is that whatever is untrue is rejected as it is recognised as false, either by you or by me.
And you may be thinking, ‘Oh my god, I really thought I was getting somewhere! This is so discouraging’… and so your world feels like it is turned upside down. Do not be disheartened, instead keep an attitude of gratitude.
It is your good fortune that your ‘world’ is being crushed. I myself don’t have a world. Let yours be upside down so that what is true in you can reveal itself and begin unfolding in its authentic ex
Grace is helping you in every way. Trust it. Say, “Yes, I am here, remove this sense of separation, this arrogance of separateness and merge me in you, oh God, oh Universe Being, Self, Truth, Life. Don’t give me any technique.
Absorb me. Replace me with You.”
And finally: Trust your master.
FEAR
It is said that before entering the sea
a river trembles with fear.
She looks back at the path she has traveled,
from the peaks of the mountains,
the long winding road crossing forests and villages.
And in front of her,
she sees an ocean so vast,
that to enter
there seems nothing more than to disappear forever.
But there is no other way.
The river can not go back.
Nobody can go back.
To go back is impossible in existence.
The river needs to take the risk
of entering the ocean
because only then will fear disappear,
because that’s where the river will know
it’s not about disappearing into the ocean,
but of becoming the ocean.
It is said that before entering the sea
a river trembles with fear.
She looks back at the path she has traveled,
from the peaks of the mountains,
the long winding road crossing forests and villages.
And in front of her,
she sees an ocean so vast,
that to enter
there seems nothing more than to disappear forever.
But there is no other way.
The river can not go back.
Nobody can go back.
To go back is impossible in existence.
The river needs to take the risk
of entering the ocean
because only then will fear disappear,
because that’s where the river will know
it’s not about disappearing into the ocean,
but of becoming the ocean.
As long as you are a beginner certain formalised meditations, or prayers may be good for you.
But for a seeker for reality there is only one meditation - the rigorous refusal to harbour thoughts. To be free from thoughts is itself meditation.
You begin by letting thoughts flow and watching them. The very observation slows down the mind till it stops altogether.
Once the mind is quiet, keep it quiet. Don't get bored with peace, be in it, go deeper into it.
But for a seeker for reality there is only one meditation - the rigorous refusal to harbour thoughts. To be free from thoughts is itself meditation.
You begin by letting thoughts flow and watching them. The very observation slows down the mind till it stops altogether.
Once the mind is quiet, keep it quiet. Don't get bored with peace, be in it, go deeper into it.
NISARGADATTA MAHARAJ:
Visitor: In the process of meditation when one reaches the silence and asks ' Who am I?' there comes a profound silence where the notion ' I' does not arise. Is this the state, and if so, can one have flashes of it prior to Self-realisation?
Maharaj:" These experiences are in the realm of your birth-state."
V: The state that I am referring to is the state where birth is forgotten, as are the name and form.
M:" What you have described of samadhi, or meditation, is correct, but it is still the product of the body-mind imagination. Whatever experiences you have in meditation, of that silence also, is confined to the realm of Consciousness. Consciousness is born and it will go. You are prior to it."
V: It is also said that the Self is Self-effulgent, that it is light, and that the Consciousness appears by a reflection of that light. If one were to pursue the light, could one find the state to which Maharaj is referring?
M:" Whatever is manifest before you has come out of that Consciousness."
V: I was talking about a Self-indulgent light that equates itself with the Self. If one is a seeker of Truth, by finding that light would one find the Truth?
M:" There is the true Awareness, from which comes Consciousness, which is your feeling ' I Am'; be one with your Consciousness and that is all you can do, the Ultimate state must come to you. You can only watch whatever happens- there is nothing you can do to get it."
V: Many of the religious texts of Advaita Vedanta express the notion that as one becomes Self-aware there is a light that permeates, and that the light which the world, or Maya, has is a reflection of that primordial light. Is that not literal?
M:" Maya is the expression of that One which cannot be described. Consciousness is manifesting itself through all this, and you are before Consciousness. Consciousness is the soul of this manifest world, and you, the Absolute, are the soul of Consciousness.
Whatever you have read is only the concepts of the writers. Does it tally with your personal knowledge?"
V: No, these are the guidelines toward achieving the sense of ' I Am'. They also say that all Gurus are one.
M:" Guru is the same all-pervading Consciousness ' I Am'. The Sat-Guru has gone beyond all these concepts, including the primary concept ' I Am'."
Visitor: In the process of meditation when one reaches the silence and asks ' Who am I?' there comes a profound silence where the notion ' I' does not arise. Is this the state, and if so, can one have flashes of it prior to Self-realisation?
Maharaj:" These experiences are in the realm of your birth-state."
V: The state that I am referring to is the state where birth is forgotten, as are the name and form.
M:" What you have described of samadhi, or meditation, is correct, but it is still the product of the body-mind imagination. Whatever experiences you have in meditation, of that silence also, is confined to the realm of Consciousness. Consciousness is born and it will go. You are prior to it."
V: It is also said that the Self is Self-effulgent, that it is light, and that the Consciousness appears by a reflection of that light. If one were to pursue the light, could one find the state to which Maharaj is referring?
M:" Whatever is manifest before you has come out of that Consciousness."
V: I was talking about a Self-indulgent light that equates itself with the Self. If one is a seeker of Truth, by finding that light would one find the Truth?
M:" There is the true Awareness, from which comes Consciousness, which is your feeling ' I Am'; be one with your Consciousness and that is all you can do, the Ultimate state must come to you. You can only watch whatever happens- there is nothing you can do to get it."
V: Many of the religious texts of Advaita Vedanta express the notion that as one becomes Self-aware there is a light that permeates, and that the light which the world, or Maya, has is a reflection of that primordial light. Is that not literal?
M:" Maya is the ex
Whatever you have read is only the concepts of the writers. Does it tally with your personal knowledge?"
V: No, these are the guidelines toward achieving the sense of ' I Am'. They also say that all Gurus are one.
M:" Guru is the same all-pervading Consciousness ' I Am'. The Sat-Guru has gone beyond all these concepts, including the primary concept ' I Am'."
It's not what the mind says.
It's how seriously it is taken.
It's how seriously it is taken.
The happiness that we gain from the outer world is fleeting: it never stays with us for long. It is there one moment and gone the next. But spiritual bliss is not like this. Once the final breakthrough happens, where you transcend the limitations of body, mind and intellect, the bliss is forever and it is infinite. Once you reach that ultimate state, there is no return.
All are seeing God Always.
But they do not know it.
Talk 31
But they do not know it.
Talk 31
Your life should not be okay.
Your life should be sparkling.
Happy, contented, complete.
A Buddha’s Life is not okay.
Krishna’s life is not okay.
Ramana is not okay.
They are K.O.
You understand?
They knocked out the nonsense out of themselves.
An ‘Ok’ life should not be accepted by any intelligent being.
You have to discover, or unclothe your own Buddha Self,
your own Christ Consciousness, your own Shiva Being.
If you wish to know how, come to Satsang.
Your life should be sparkling.
Happy, contented, complete.
A Buddha’s Life is not okay.
Krishna’s life is not okay.
Ramana is not okay.
They are K.O.
You understand?
They knocked out the nonsense out of themselves.
An ‘Ok’ life should not be accepted by any intelligent being.
You have to discover, or unclothe your own Buddha Self,
your own Christ Consciousness, your own Shiva Being.
If you wish to know how, come to Satsang.
The Self does not move.
The world moves in it.
There is no reaching the Self.
If the Self were to be reached,
it would mean that the Self is not now and here, but that it should be got anew.
What is got afresh, will also be lost.
So it will be impermanent.
What is not permanent is not worth striving for.
So I say, the Self is not reached.
You are the Self.
You are already That.
"Ignorance supervenes and draws a veil over the pure Bliss.
Attempts are directed only to remove this ignorance. This ignorance consists in wrong knowledge.
The wrong knowledge consists in the false identification of the Self with the body, the mind, etc.
This false identity must go and there remains the Self."
~ Talk 251.
Talks with Sri Ramana Maharshi
The world moves in it.
There is no reaching the Self.
If the Self were to be reached,
it would mean that the Self is not now and here, but that it should be got anew.
What is got afresh, will also be lost.
So it will be impermanent.
What is not permanent is not worth striving for.
So I say, the Self is not reached.
You are the Self.
You are already That.
"Ignorance supervenes and draws a veil over the pure Bliss.
Attempts are directed only to remove this ignorance. This ignorance consists in wrong knowledge.
The wrong knowledge consists in the false identification of the Self with the body, the mind, etc.
This false identity must go and there remains the Self."
~ Talk 251.
Talks with Sri Ramana Maharshi
To turn one's back on people, claiming there is only evil everywhere - that is the way of the lazy. If, instead of talking about the evil of others, we were to do all we could to awaken the goodness within ourselves, then we could give light to others.
As the confining prison walls of the ego are broken down, you will become more and more persistent and wholehearted in your pursuit of 'Reality.'
Then all the manifold pictures you perceive will merge into one single picture and all your divergent moods and sentiments will be engulfed in the one great Ocean of Bliss.
Then all the manifold pictures you perceive will merge into one single picture and all your divergent moods and sentiments will be engulfed in the one great Ocean of Bliss.
In my world love is the law.
I do not ask for love, I give it.
I do not ask for love, I give it.
Don't grieve. Anything you lose comes around in another form.
Those who have not found their true wealth, which is the radiant joy of Being and the deep, unshakable peace that comes with it, are beggars, even if they have great material wealth. They are looking outside for scraps of pleasure or fulfillment, for validation, security, or love, while they have a treasure within that not only includes all those things but is infinitely greater than anything the world can offer.
Meditation must be so intense that it does not give room even to the thought 'I am meditating’.
Some say there are three aspects of reality — Truth-Wisdom-Bliss. He who seeks Truth becomes a Yogi, he who seeks wisdom becomes a gnani; he who seeks happiness becomes the man of action.
The opportunity here in satsang and with me is to discover who you are. This is the highest good. Begin with yourself through introspection.
Can there be a world without you to know it? If you are 'not', can knowledge of the world or anything else appear?
Therefore, you must be earlier, for you are the observer of them.
Even existence is not, if 'you' are not. Who, therefore, are you?
Solve this first.
Can there be a world without you to know it? If you are 'not', can knowledge of the world or anything else appear?
Therefore, you must be earlier, for you are the observer of them.
Even existence is not, if 'you' are not. Who, therefore, are you?
Solve this first.
So, you say, 'I have suffered.' I am not
going to fight with you about it. But also
there are people who experience a deep
sense of gratitude or even joy behind
their apparent suffering. I won't call this
suffering really, because there is no
resistance here. They have understood
and accepted that grace sometimes
manifests as an intense inner burning
that purges the being of conceptual
and emotional toxins, and to that
extent they remain in peace.
going to fight with you about it. But also
there are people who experience a deep
sense of gratitude or even joy behind
their apparent suffering. I won't call this
suffering really, because there is no
resistance here. They have understood
and accepted that grace sometimes
manifests as an intense inner burning
that purges the being of conceptual
and emotional toxins, and to that
extent they remain in peace.
The Gift of Mental Power comes from the Divine,
and if we concentrate our minds on that Truth,
We become in Tune with this Great Power.
and if we concentrate our minds on that Truth,
We become in Tune with this Great Power.
God can never be close.
God can never be close
because it would mean
that there is some place
where God is not.
God is infinite.
We cannot exist outside of the infinite.
Therefore, God is our Reality.
God can never be close
because it would mean
that there is some place
where God is not.
God is infinite.
We cannot exist outside of the infinite.
Therefore, God is our Reality.
The idea of enlightenment is of utmost importance. Just to know that there is such possibility, changes one’s entire outlook. It acts like a burning match in a heap of saw dust. All the great teachers did nothing else. A spark of truth can burn up a mountain of lies.
There is a mystery within all beings bursting to reveal itself, in the one who become quiet enough to discover it. In this discovery a benevolent force shines spontaneously from your presence towards all beings, and this Light cannot help but illuminate the world.
Don’t take life so seriously. This world is a terrible place, there is no safety here. But what are we to do? We must stop taking life so seriously. Delusion can be overcome by holding steadfastly to one philosophy: everything here is nothing more than God’s motion picture. Don’t make a fuss about anything. Whenever you worry, remember, you are deepening the cosmic delusion within you. It is your own dreams that frighten you. In every form of sense experience you must remind yourself, ‘IT IS A DREAM!’ So don’t be attached to the passing dreams of life. Live for God and God alone.
Be mindful of intention. Intention is the seed that creates our future.
Lightly child, lightly. Learn to do everything lightly.
Yes, feel lightly even though you’re feeling deeply.
Just lightly let things happen and lightly cope with them.
Yes, feel lightly even though you’re feeling deeply.
Just lightly let things happen and lightly cope with them.
Beings
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