---------- What Is A Jnani? ----------

We're going to talk about something I don't usually talk about which is what is a Jnani?
The reason I'm talking about it this evening is because many people ask me this question and I usually do not answer.
If they call me on the phone and they ask me, "Robert are you a Jnani?" I usually keep silent when such a question is asked.
But I've been keeping silent for a long time and people keep asking the question.
So I'll try to explain what this is all about.

What I usually do now when people ask me the question, "Are you a Jnani?" I say, "First tell me, what do you mean by you and what do you mean by a Jnani?" and they usually say, "You Robert, I mean is Robert enlightened?" And I have to laugh at that because Robert cannot be enlightened.
There is no such thing as Robert being enlightened.
Robert is an idiot (students laugh).
Robert has absolutely nothing to do with enlightenment.
So if I say, "I am a Jnani".
I'm referring to Robert and that is erroneous.
Therefore be careful when people tell you that.
When they tell you, "I'm enlightened.
I'm a Jnani".
Be very careful of people like that.
Because I refers to the I-thought.
The I-thought is an illusion, it's part of maya it's all a mirage.
The 'I' can never be enlightened.
'I' can never be enlightened it's impossible.
'I' can never be self-realized.
But the Self which is your self, my self the one Self, which exists all by itself.
Self contained absolute reality is enlightenment itself.

Now the question you may say...you may ask, "Is "I-am" enlightened?" "I-am" is enlightened when you speak of "I-am".
Not a you enlightened.
Not a you self-realized.
"I-am", enlightened, those words are all synonymous.
"I-am" enlightened is the same thing, but that is not a person place or thing.

In other words we're all the same.
We're all one.
There is really no difference between me and you.
I guess that the only difference is when you look at me you see a person.
You see a simple human being.
When I look at you I see the Self.
I see pure awareness.
Why do I see this?
I don't know?
For when you look at me you see yourself what you think you are.

Consequently when you think you're a human being and have human attributes you're going to see the same in me.
And you will ask me a silly question, "Am I enlightened?" If you want to know anything about enlightenment you have to become enlightened yourself.
If you want to know anything about self-realization you have to become self-realized yourself.
That is the only time you'll ever know this.
Other wise words are a waste of time.

Think of all the words we speak continuously they're really all a waste of time, they get us nowhere.
Think of all the words you've spoken since you were born, a lot of words.
You had a lot to say.
Where did it get you?
And here you are sitting here looking for enlightenment, looking for something.
Trying to become something and you believe words will do it.
Words are really totally meaningless even when we speak words of spirituality.
Such as absolute reality, Brahman, nirvana, ultimate reality those are just words.
What do these words really do for you, nothing.

What you want to do is contemplate the truth.
You have to ponder the truth in order to awaken.
You have to ponder the truth for instance, that Brahman is and because Brahman is, "I-am".
When you can ponder this, think about this what this really means to you.
What you're really saying when you say this you will see that something is happening inside of your heart.
Your heart is opening up and when your heart opens up you will find out that you are the Self, consciousness which has always been.
There never was a time when consciousness was not.

Consciousness accommodates you, accommodates the universe, accommodates the galaxies, accommodates God.
In other words everything that you physically see rests in consciousness.
But consciousness does not rest in anything.
It so beyond words and thoughts that trying to explain it is like trying to explain fire.

So we get to the stage where we stop looking for answers, we stop looking for anything and we just remain the way we are.
If you can only remain the way you are you will be the Self, for the Self knows no past, no future.
The Self doesn't know anything because it's everything.
It's self contained absolute reality.
So there is nothing for it to know since it is all the things already.

You can only know something when you are not that at all.

To know something means you don't know so you have to know.
But what we call consciousness is all-pervading.
It is everything.
So it's nothing.
You can only be nothing when you're everything.
When you think something is missing you have to search for something.

As an example most of us here are looking or self-realization looking for Buddhahood, we're looking to become one with the force.
The looking will keep you back.
For you are looking for something that already is.
It always has been.
Yet when you're looking for it you're saying it is not here.
So you have to search, you have to look.
It is the mind that causes all this nonsense.
It is the mind that makes you search for yourself when you're already the Self.
It is the mind that tells you all these stories that something is wrong someplace, that you're not happy, or that you're too happy.
When you hear that the mind does all this it is therefore your duty to transcend the mind, to stop the mind from doing these things, to stop the mind from leading you around from pillar to post, causing you happiness sometimes and causing you misery sometimes.
It is the mind that has created this whole universe.
Everything that you behold with your eyes, with your senses, you hear, you taste, you touch, you feel, it is really the mind.
Nothing else but the mind and yet there is no mind.
So what's going on around here.
We thought the mind caused our problems then we hear there is no mind, well both are correct.
As long as you believe you're a human being you've got a mind to contend with.
As long as you believe you are a person, place or thing you'll have a mind to contend with.
When you begin to sit still and you look upon the mind, the thoughts, you witness the thoughts, you watch the thoughts the mind slows down.
As you continue witnessing the thoughts, watching the thoughts the mind becomes weaker and weaker and weaker and you become happier and happier and happier.
Bliss comes when the mind is at rest.
Unalloyed happiness comes when the mind is inactive.