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DISCERNMENT
‘I am’ is ever fresh. You do need to remember in order to ‘be’ As a matter of fact, before you can experience anything, there must be the sense of being. At present your being is mixed up with experiencing. All you need to do is to unravel being from the tangle of experiences. Once you have known pure being, without being this or that, you will discern it among experiences, and you will no longer be misled by names and forms.
‘I am’ is ever fresh. You do need to remember in order to ‘be’ As a matter of fact, before you can experience anything, there must be the sense of being. At present your being is mixed up with experiencing. All you need to do is to unravel being from the tangle of experiences. Once you have known pure being, without being this or that, you will discern it among experiences, and you will no longer be misled by names and forms.
ON MEDITATION...ITS PURPOSE......
Questioner: All teachers advise to meditate. What is the purpose of meditation?
Maharaj: We know the outer world of sensations and actions, but of our inner world of thoughts and feelings we know very little. The primary purpose of meditation is to become conscious of, and familiar with, our inner life. The ultimate purpose is to reach the source of life and consciousness.
Incidentally practice of meditation affects deeply our character. We are slaves to what we do not know; of what we know we are masters. Whatever vice or weakness in ourselves we discover and understand its causes and its workings, we overcome it by the very knowing; the unconscious dissolves when brought into the conscious. The dissolution of the unconscious releases energy; the mind feels adequate and become quiet.
Q: What is the use of a quiet mind?
M: When the mind is quiet, we come to know ourselves as the pure witness. We withdraw from the experience and its experiencer and stand apart in pure awareness, which is between and beyond the two. The personality, based on self-identification, on imagining oneself to be something: 'I am this, I am that', continues, but only as a part of the objective world. Its identification with the witness snaps....
Questioner: All teachers advise to meditate. What is the purpose of meditation?
Maharaj: We know the outer world of sensations and actions, but of our inner world of thoughts and feelings we know very little. The primary purpose of meditation is to become conscious of, and familiar with, our inner life. The ultimate purpose is to reach the source of life and consciousness.
Incidentally practice of meditation affects deeply our character. We are slaves to what we do not know; of what we know we are masters. Whatever vice or weakness in ourselves we discover and understand its causes and its workings, we overcome it by the very knowing; the unconscious dissolves when brought into the conscious. The dissolution of the unconscious releases energy; the mind feels adequate and become quiet.
Q: What is the use of a quiet mind?
M: When the mind is quiet, we come to know ourselves as the pure witness. We withdraw from the experience and its experiencer and stand apart in pure awareness, which is between and beyond the two. The personality, based on self-identification, on imagining oneself to be something: 'I am this, I am that', continues, but only as a part of the objective world. Its identification with the witness snaps....
Just turn away from all that occupies the mind; do whatever work you have to complete, but avoid new obligations; keep empty, keep available, resist not what comes uninvited. In the end you reach a state of non-grasping of joyful non-attachment, of inner ease and freedom indescribable, yet wonderfully real.
Abiding in your own being is holy company.
Give your real being a chance to shape your life.
Selfishness is the cause of suffering. There is no other cause. It is only with separateness and self-seeking that real suffering appears in this world.
Even the experiencer is secondary. Primary is the infinite expanse of consciousness, the eternal possibility, the immeasurable potential of all that was, is, and will be. When you look at anything, it is the ultimate you see, but you imagine that you see a cloud or a tree.
Learn to look without imagination, to listen without distortion: that is all. Stop attributing names and shapes to the essentially nameless and formless, realise that every mode of perception is subjective, that what is seen or heard, touched or smelt, felt or thought, expected or imagined, is in the mind and not in reality, and you will experience peace and freedom from fear.
Even the sense of ‘I am’ is composed of the pure light and the sense of being. The ‘I’ is there even without the ‘am’. So is the pure light there whether you say ‘I’ or not. Become aware of that pure light and you will never lose it. The beingness in being, the awareness in consciousness, the interest in every experience — that is not describable, yet perfectly accessible, for there is nothing else.
Learn to look without imagination, to listen without distortion: that is all. Stop attributing names and shapes to the essentially nameless and formless, realise that every mode of perception is subjective, that what is seen or heard, touched or smelt, felt or thought, expected or imagined, is in the mind and not in reality, and you will experience peace and freedom from fear.
Even the sense of ‘I am’ is composed of the pure light and the sense of being. The ‘I’ is there even without the ‘am’. So is the pure light there whether you say ‘I’ or not. Become aware of that pure light and you will never lose it. The beingness in being, the awareness in consciousness, the interest in every experience — that is not describable, yet perfectly accessible, for there is nothing else.
After all, you are what you are every moment of your life, but you are never conscious of it, except, maybe, at the point of awakening from sleep. All you need is to be aware of being, not as a verbal statement, but as an ever-present fact. The awareness that you are will open your eyes to what you are. It is all very simple. First of all, establish a constant contact with your self, be with yourself all the time. Into self-awareness all blessings flow. Begin as a center of observation, deliberate cognizance, and grow into a center of love in action. ‘I am’ is a tiny seed which will grow into a mighty tree—quite naturally, without a trace of effort.
All happiness comes from awareness. The more we are conscious the deeper the joy. Acceptance of pain, non-resistance, courage and endurance - these open deep and perennial sources of real happiness, true bliss.
From where have you emerged and where are you proceeding to?
When all distinctions and reactions are no more, what remains is reality, simple and solid.
If you want to remember this visit, if you have love for me,
remember this ‘I am’ principle and without the command or
direction of this principle, do nothing.
remember this ‘I am’ principle and without the command or
direction of this principle, do nothing.
ANALYZING THOUGHT
A visitor said: Maharaj has often said that anyone wanting to be 'awakened' must eschew thought. And yet all thought cannot surely mean conceptualizing, which, one supposes, is what is to be avoided. For instance, Maharaj's answers to questions are generally so appropriate and yet so spontaneous that it might seem that there is no thought behind them, yet some thought must surely be the basis of those answers.
Maharaj said: There is indeed a great difference between thoughts and thoughts. Thoughts which form day-dreaming, or thoughts of regret about the events in the past, or thoughts of fear and worry and anticipation regarding the future are surely very much different from the thoughts which spring up spontaneously from the depth of one's psyche, what one might call thoughts that do not need any argument and interpretation by the mind.
The former are to be ignored and avoided; the latter are incapable of being ignored or avoided, because they are essentially spontaneous and immediate and basically non-conceptual.
Maharaj then continued: The very first thought 'I am' is surely a thought, but one that does not need any argument or confirmation from the mind. Indeed, as the basis of all further thought, it is the pre-conceptual thought — very source of the mind. Living according to indirect or mediate thought, in a divided, dualistic mind is what most people do because they have identified themselves with a pseudo-entity that considers itself as the subject of all action. But direct or absolute thought is the process by which the Absolute non-manifest manifests itself. Such thought is spontaneous and instantaneous and therefore, without the element of duration which is an aspect of the split mind. Whenever there is duration the thought must necessarily be an after-thought, interpreted phenomenally and dualistically.
No spontaneous, non-dual, intuitive thought can arise unless the storm of conceptual thinking has subsided and the mind rests in a 'fasting' state; and such thought obviously cannot know bondage. Instantaneous, pure thought results in pure action without any tinge of bondage, because no entity is involved.
A visitor said: Maharaj has often said that anyone wanting to be 'awakened' must eschew thought. And yet all thought cannot surely mean conceptualizing, which, one supposes, is what is to be avoided. For instance, Maharaj's answers to questions are generally so appropriate and yet so spontaneous that it might seem that there is no thought behind them, yet some thought must surely be the basis of those answers.
Maharaj said: There is indeed a great difference between thoughts and thoughts. Thoughts which form day-dreaming, or thoughts of regret about the events in the past, or thoughts of fear and worry and anticipation regarding the future are surely very much different from the thoughts which spring up spontaneously from the depth of one's psyche, what one might call thoughts that do not need any argument and interpretation by the mind.
The former are to be ignored and avoided; the latter are incapable of being ignored or avoided, because they are essentially spontaneous and immediate and basically non-conceptual.
Maharaj then continued: The very first thought 'I am' is surely a thought, but one that does not need any argument or confirmation from the mind. Indeed, as the basis of all further thought, it is the pre-conceptual thought — very source of the mind. Living according to indirect or mediate thought, in a divided, dualistic mind is what most people do because they have identified themselves with a pseudo-entity that considers itself as the subject of all action. But direct or absolute thought is the process by which the Absolute non-manifest manifests itself. Such thought is spontaneous and instantaneous and therefore, without the element of duration which is an aspect of the split mind. Whenever there is duration the thought must necessarily be an after-thought, interpreted phenomenally and dualistically.
No spontaneous, non-dual, intuitive thought can arise unless the storm of conceptual thinking has subsided and the mind rests in a 'fasting' state; and such thought obviously cannot know bondage. Instantaneous, pure thought results in pure action without any tinge of bondage, because no entity is involved.
You cannot fight pain and pleasure on the level of consciousness....
To go beyond them you must go beyond consciousness, which is possible only when you look at consciousness as something that happens to you and not in you, as something external, alien, superimposed.
Then, suddenly you are free of consciousness, really alone, with nothing to intrude. And that is your true state.
To go beyond them you must go beyond consciousness, which is possible only when you look at consciousness as something that happens to you and not in you, as something external, alien, superimposed.
Then, suddenly you are free of consciousness, really alone, with nothing to intrude. And that is your true state.
Keep quiet, undisturbed, and the wisdom and the power will come on their own. You need not hanker. Wait in silence of the heart and mind. It is very easy to be quiet, but willingness is rare. You people want to become supermen overnight. Stay without ambition, without the least desire, exposed, vulnerable, unprotected, uncertain and alone, completely open to and welcoming life as it happens, without the selfish conviction that all must yield you pleasure or profit, material or so-called spiritual.
The world is but the surface of the mind and the mind is infinite. What we call thoughts are just ripples in the mind. When the mind is quiet it reflects reality. When it is motionless through and through, it dissolves and only reality remains. This reality is so concrete, so actual, so much more tangible than mind and matter, that compared to it even diamond is soft like butter. This overwhelming actuality makes the world dreamlike, misty, irrelevant.
"I AM" IS THE LAST OUTPOST OF ILLUSION..GET RID OF IT...
I want to take you to that ‘I am’ concept which is the last outpost
of illusion and get rid of it. Understand the quality of these
concepts.
There are various types of charity, but the greatest charity is the
renunciation of the knowledge ‘I am’. When you give that up you
escape birth and death. Waking state represents activity; deep sleep represents peace, quiet. When these two are present it means ‘I am’ is there, but you the Absolute are neither the waking state, deep sleep nor the ‘I amness’.
What else is there except the touch of ‘I am’? Why do you worry
about discovering Maya and Brahma and all that? Understand what
this principle ‘I am’ is and you are finished. That ‘I am’ is in
bondage because of concepts
I want to take you to that ‘I am’ concept which is the last outpost
of illusion and get rid of it. Understand the quality of these
concepts.
There are various types of charity, but the greatest charity is the
renunciation of the knowledge ‘I am’. When you give that up you
escape birth and death. Waking state represents activity; deep sleep represents peace, quiet. When these two are present it means ‘I am’ is there, but you the Absolute are neither the waking state, deep sleep nor the ‘I amness’.
What else is there except the touch of ‘I am’? Why do you worry
about discovering Maya and Brahma and all that? Understand what
this principle ‘I am’ is and you are finished. That ‘I am’ is in
bondage because of concepts
What is supremely important is to be free from contradictions: the goal and the way must not be on different levels; life and light must not quarrel; behaviour must not betray belief. Call it honesty, integrity, wholeness; you must not go back, undo, uproot, abandon the conquered ground. Tenacity of purpose and honesty in pursuit will bring you to your goal.
Whatever is called God or Self is because there is the beingness,
the feeling that ‘I am’. That is the fundamental principle, the basis
of all your knowledge, but you are identifying yourself with the
body.
With greatest interest you get absorbed in your Self. By giving
attention only to your ‘I’ consciousness you can reach it. Without
giving attention to the body but to the sense ‘I am’.
the feeling that ‘I am’. That is the fundamental principle, the basis
of all your knowledge, but you are identifying yourself with the
body.
With greatest interest you get absorbed in your Self. By giving
attention only to your ‘I’ consciousness you can reach it. Without
giving attention to the body but to the sense ‘I am’.
There are levels in consciousness, but not in awareness. It is of one block, homogeneous. It's reflection in the mind is love and understanding. There are levels of clarity in love and intensity in love, but not in their source. The source is simple and single, but the gifts are infinite. Only do not take the gifts for the source. Realize yourself as the source and not the river; that is all.
The ‘I amness’ is pulsating ‘I am, I am’. The feeling of ‘I amness’
is there because of the essence of the food body and vital breath,
when these are gone the pulsation of ‘I amness’ will not be there.
Beingness goes into no-beingness.
Because of the knowledge ‘I am’ we conduct all activities. In the
morning when you wake up you get the first guaranty, that
conviction of ‘I am’. Then because you are not in a position to
sustain or tolerate that ‘I amness’ you bestir yourself. You get up and move around here and there and the activity starts.
That attention of ‘I amness’ is always there in the waking state, but
we are not alert to watch it. There is no other attention to be
followed. Be attentive to that attention ‘I am’.
is there because of the essence of the food body and vital breath,
when these are gone the pulsation of ‘I amness’ will not be there.
Beingness goes into no-beingness.
Because of the knowledge ‘I am’ we conduct all activities. In the
morning when you wake up you get the first guaranty, that
conviction of ‘I am’. Then because you are not in a position to
sustain or tolerate that ‘I amness’ you bestir yourself. You get up and move around here and there and the activity starts.
That attention of ‘I amness’ is always there in the waking state, but
we are not alert to watch it. There is no other attention to be
followed. Be attentive to that attention ‘I am’.
IT IS THE MIND THAT IMAGINES THAT IT DOES NOT KNOW AND
THEN COMES TO KNOW.......
All talk of ‘gnana’ (knowledge) is a sign of ignorance. It is the mind that imagines that it does not know and then comes to know. Reality knows nothing of these contortions. Even the idea of God as the Creator is false. Do I owe my being to another being? Because ‘I am’ all ‘is’.
My teacher told me to hold on to the sense ‘I am’ tenaciously and
not to swerve from it even for a moment. I did my best to follow
his advice and in a comparatively short time I realized within
myself the truth of his teaching. All I did was to remember his
teaching, his face, his words constantly. This brought an end to the
mind, in the stillness of the mind I saw myself as I am – unbound.
THEN COMES TO KNOW.......
All talk of ‘gnana’ (knowledge) is a sign of ignorance. It is the mind that imagines that it does not know and then comes to know. Reality knows nothing of these contortions. Even the idea of God as the Creator is false. Do I owe my being to another being? Because ‘I am’ all ‘is’.
My teacher told me to hold on to the sense ‘I am’ tenaciously and
not to swerve from it even for a moment. I did my best to follow
his advice and in a comparatively short time I realized within
myself the truth of his teaching. All I did was to remember his
teaching, his face, his words constantly. This brought an end to the
mind, in the stillness of the mind I saw myself as I am – unbound.
God attends to this business of managing the universe; but he is glad to have some help. When the helper is selfless and intelligent, all the powers of the universe are for him to command.
Creation - reflection - rejection: Brahma - Vishnu - Shiva : this is the eternal process. All things are governed by it. After the stage of creation, comes the stage of examination and reflection, and finally the stage of abandonment and forgetting.
You people are rich with your ideas of possession, of quantity and quality. I am completely without ideas.
Beyond the mind there is no such thing as experience. Experience is a dual state. You cannot talk of reality as an experience. Once this is understood, you will no longer look for being and becoming as separate and opposite. In reality they are one and inseparable, like roots and branches of the same tree. Both can only exist in the light of consciousness, which again arises in the wake of the sense ' I am'. This is the primary fact. If you miss this, you miss all.
Beings
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