|
The one Self alone exists eternally. It is ever
existent and never nonexistent. It neither begins
nor ends, neither expands nor reduces, has no
phase or condition, and ever is just as it is.
It alone is present always. This is the significance
of the Silence of the Maharshi. This is the Silence
of Absolute Reality.
The Knowledge of the Self is based upon the
seeker of Self-Realization having a firm conviction
in the identity, or non- duality, of That and
Thou, as expressed in the wisdom of the Upanishads
and the teachings of Adi Sankara in such phrases
as, “Thou art That,” which reveals
the identity of the Self and the Absolute. Therefore,
it is imperative for the seeker of the Realization
of the Absolute, Brahman, to realize the Self
as it truly is. The Realization of the Self is
Sahaja, "the natural, effortless, innate," state.
This is our only true state. Any other state
is an illusion and the product of delusion. The
ultimate nature of illusion is nonexistence.
There is a teaching, which when received, meditated
upon, and experienced, results in the destruction
of all delusion and all illusion and in the Realization
of the Self. It is what unfailingly puts to an
end all of the imagined bondage. It is intended
for those who know the value of detachment and
the importance of Self-Realization and who are
endowed with an inward- turned mind. It is the
quintessence of Advaita Vedanta. It is the Maharshi's
teaching. This teaching is reiterated here. To
receive this teaching and to come to know it
is the highest blessing. It is the dawn of Knowledge.
To meditate on this teaching, applying one's
own effort to awaken from the illusion of duality
and thus gain clarity in Knowledge, is to be
in a sublime state of grace. To merge with its
meaning is samadhi, which is the direct experience
of absorption in Knowledge. To be so absorbed
in it that it is one's very identity and all
possibility of duality is effaced, the state
in which Knowledge and Being are one and the
same, is Self-Realization.
In Truth, Reality is comprehended by Reality
itself. This is Self-Knowledge. In the Agama
texts, this is referred to as all- comprehensive
Knowledge. It is so, not because it is an examination
of the endless details of illusory, objective
things or of the wide variety of practices and
states of mind, but because of its fixed gaze
upon the Infinite, which is pure Consciousness
and Being, and which is the sole-existent Reality.
It is Knowledge of the Absolute Self, which is
Reality, one without a second, and apart from
which there is nothing else.
In nonduality, meditation may be regarded as
by the Self, for there is no other knower, and
upon the Self, as there is no object of the meditation.
In meditation upon Self-Knowledge, one cannot
stand apart from the Self to contemplate it.
Oneness, identity with Being, is the essence
of the meditation. This is timeless Knowledge
that is thought-transcendent. Thoughts are not
real, and they cannot reveal what is real. Not
retaining any idea or concept, by inquiring into
oneself, there is entrance into Self-Knowledge.
Therefore, the yogi intent upon the Supreme State,
meditates with a singular, undistracted focus
on Truth, abandons meandering delusions for the
sake of what is sacred, for the sake of Self-Realization,
and is absorbed in That which is blissful, unforgettable,
illimitable, indivisible, and beyond the body,
mind, and ego. That is formless Being.
Knowledge and Discrimination
The state of Self-Realization consists of Knowledge.
Reality always is and, by its own nature, is
the perfect fullness always. The Self is ever
present, for nonexistence of oneself is not known
by anyone ever. The Reality of the Self is unalterable
at any time, for what changes is not real but
an illusion or mis- perception of what is real,
and what truly exists is immutable, there being
nothing else to alter it. If it is not completely
experienced all the time, such is not due to
a change or any modification in the real Absolute
Self. It is not due to any external factors,
for such would be only an effect of a precedent,
delusive cause. It is due only to ignorance,
which actually has no existence of its own and
which does not actually belong to the immutable,
ever-luminous Self. Nor can it belong to another,
for the conception of another is a product of
ignorance, the notion of an "I" being
the very epitome of ignorance. Though unreal,
it seems to veil the Truth, this unreal cause
yielding an unreal effect of bondage. Therefore,
it is imperative that ignorance be destroyed
so that no obscuration of the Self is experienced.
Ignorance can be destroyed by Knowledge alone
and not by any other means.
Ignorance is the lack of discernment regarding
what is real and not, what is the Self and not.
Discernment in Knowledge, or discrimination,
is the perception of what is real and actually
the Self. Discrimination is essential for the
destruction of ignorance and the inner revelation
of Knowledge. The Knowledge, itself, is transcendent
of concepts and thoughts. Discrimination means
using Knowledge to realize Knowledge. The essence
of the means is the end itself. The end itself
appears as the means. By clear discernment, one
knows oneself truly. Thus, one knows the Reality
as it is. Discerning Knowledge shows the direct,
clear path. It shows what Realization is. It
is what composes the path. In its true nature,
the Knowledge is directly experienced without
any intermediary. That is the Knowledge of Consciousness,
by Consciousness, itself. Any spiritual advance,
in essence, is always one of Knowledge. Knowledge
is the essential spiritual experience.
Knowledge is not physical or mental in character.
It is not a sensation, word, or idea. Its basis
is Existence itself. Its attain- ment endures,
as Existence endures, for it is not dependent
upon anything of a transitory character. This
is the formless path to the Formless.
Happiness and Immortality
Knowledge reveals the real abiding place of
happiness. Those who have cognized the presence
of suffering in life and are desirous of removing
it permanently search for an answer in Knowledge
and do not expect happiness to be found in any
worldly manner, such as in sensory things or
in the moods and emotions of a wavering mind.
Aspirants who desire to be free of desire, who
are not content with mere accidental respites
from the suffering caused by ignorance, who are
in search of spiritual bliss and peace, who are
desirous of understanding how it is that happiness
shines forth at times and yearn to have it abide
knowingly and permanently, and who understand
that the way to accomplish this permanent abidance
in happiness is by Knowledge and not by any other
means should determine with certainty the source
of happiness.
Ascertaining the unitary motivation in life,
one becomes free of the idea of multiple motives
taking one in multiple directions. Accomplishing
this, one concentrates the searching of one's
mind in the direction that is truly within. This
prompts a yearning for Self-Knowledge and provides
the motivation for the inquiry into the Self.
The determination about happiness is an inquiry
into bliss that leads one into an inquiry into
Being- Consciousness, because Being-Consciousness-Bliss
is the nature of the one Reality, the one Self.
The results of meditation upon, and absorption
of, the discerning knowledge regarding the nature
of happiness are the steadfast motivation to
inquire so as to realize the Self, perception
of the one motivation behind all kinds of searching
through all kinds of experience, detachment from
worldly things and cessation of worldly desire,
and steady access to the inner source of happiness.
The Self is, in truth, perfectly full of Bliss.
The imperturbable peace, the ineffable and complete
happiness, quite beyond any sensation or mode
of mind, pervaded by a silent Knowledge of eternal,
uncreated Perfection is known as "Bliss," Ananda.
To realize this Bliss as it is, one should comprehend
the nature of happiness, examining it in three
ways: desire, experience, and the source. By
knowledge of desire one attains recognition of
the basic current underlying all desires, all
hopes, and all seeking in all kinds of experience,
be such physical, subtle, or mental. With this
recognition, one uses that powerful current,
in an undiffused manner, to abide as the Self.
This recognition causes one to become one-pointed
in the quest of the Self. By knowledge of experience,
one attains liberation of the experience of happiness
from the delusion of limitation of it by form
and the ability to experience Bliss directly
without delay. One must merge with That which
is Bliss itself, free of duality, for, if the
experience of happiness is to be full, it must
endure, and, if it is to endure, one must become
One with it. By knowledge of the source of
happiness, one becomes, and remains, completely
detached. Detachment is, itself, freedom and
blissful. By such knowledge, one is liberated
from the external, the inconsequential, and the
unreal, and one comprehends the reason to inquire
to know the Self.
The desire for happiness comes from deep within.
It is an intuition that Bliss is one's natural
state. This Bliss includes peace with no disturbance,
freedom with no bondage, and perfection with
nothing incomplete. The source of the desire
is not from external phenomena of any kind. It
is not from objects, circumstances, other beings,
and such. There is, therefore, nothing alluring.
The desire, itself, is not a bodily sensation.
It is not particular thoughts, though particular
thoughts constituting images in the mind may
appear by which the desire manifests. The desire
itself is simply the urge from within to be in
the natural state of limitless Bliss. The intensity
of the desire is continually surging forth. It
cannot be subdued, and the attempt to do so would
merely be an unsuccessful one to fulfill it.
It can be fulfilled by Self-Realization, which
is abidance as Bliss itself. Bliss is of the
very nature of the Self, and the Self is truly
without any desire. When the Self is not known
and, by delusion, the first suffering becomes
possible, and when, with the appearance of an
"I," the natural state seems lost,
that very Bliss of the Self manifests as the
intuition of one's natural, true state, and this
appears as the desire for happiness.
The experience of happiness should be comprehended
in wisdom so that one does not superimpose what
is not actually the experience of happiness upon
it. The joy felt anywhere, ever, is the shining
of the Self. Yet, in ignorance, such is accompanied
by superimposition of inert, unreal forms upon
the experience. When the experience is accompanied
by the delusion of super- imposition of forms,
it appears as if momentary, limited, and dependent.
When the experience is without such delusion,
the Self, itself, shines as vast, unlimited Bliss,
which is self-existent.
Happiness is always a subjective experience,
in which the ego diminishes along with its attendant
notions. Thus, because it destroys the ego and
those notions by the revelation of their unreality,
leaving the ultimate subject unconcealed, inquiry
to know the Self yields the most profound happiness.
To set the experience of happiness free of limitation,
the experiencer must be free of limitation, that
is, free of misidentification with form. Then,
one abides in infinite, unending, intense Bliss,
which is so intense that even the memory of suffering
and sorrow is erased. All the superimposed forms
are of a sensory or mental character. The experience
of happiness is not a sensation, such as see-
ing, hearing, etc. It is not a thought or a collection
of thoughts. It is of a formless nature, shining
at the same depth from which the desire springs,
at the very source of happiness itself.
The source of the desire and the source of the
experience of happiness are one and the same.
That source is within. Unrealized, the source
manifests as the desire. Realized, it shines
as Bliss itself. Realization means Knowledge.
Knowledge is direct experience of the Self. Such
is abidance at, and as, the very source of happiness.
The Self is the source of happiness. Nothing
else is the source.
The Self is Bliss. The experience of it is determined
by Knowledge. No other factors are involved.
Seeing this is the dawn of Knowledge. To conceive
otherwise is delusion. Objects, circumstances
and events, sensations, and time are not factors
determining the desire, the source, and the experience
of happiness. The Self, which is alone the source,
is always present. Self-Knowledge is the sole
factor determining bliss.
Therefore, the search for happiness is actually
a search for the Self. The Self is the source
of happiness, the "place" in which
happiness occurs, and the nature of the experience
of happiness. The Self is always present. Self-Knowledge
is its revelation and not its creation. The Knowledge
of the Self is the blissful Knowledge of Reality.
Bliss is Being, which is ever-existent, as Existence
itself can never cease to exist. Bliss is, therefore,
always present, and all that is required is to
know its existence within oneself. All that is
required for permanent, profound happiness is
to know the nature of Being.
Go to Part
2.
Return to list of topics in Discourses by Teachers and Writers .
See the list sorted by Topic.
See the list sorted by Author. |
