Jnana Vahini - Post 5

Swami continues, describing the state of Jivanmukhta

"The Jivanmukhta is established firmly in the knowledge of the Atma. He has achieved it by dwelling on the Mithya of the world and contemplating its failings and faults. By this means, he has developed an insight into the nature of pleasure and pain and equanimity in both. 

(Author’s note - Spiritual journey is always and has to be always starting with a conviction that only Brahman is Sathyam / Eternally true and this world / creation is an illusion / Mithya. 

This is required because, it is in this world and its objects that one has got attached for several births. Unless one is convinced that whatever he was drawn to all these years / births is a mere illusion, he / she will be never able to detach from this world and its objects. 

And, one is not just left high and dry there. One has the real truth to hold on to, upon rejecting world as an illusion. One is awakened to the truth that Brahman is Sathyam (Sathyam Jnanam Anantam Brahma- Same SAI sang for all of us).

He knows that wealth, worldly joy and pleasure are all worthless and even poisonous. 

He takes praise, blame and even blows with a calm assurance, unaffected by both honor and dishonor. 

(Author’s note - Wealth, worldly pleasure, praise, blame, blows- are all for the Ego, the individual identity of a jiva. Once jiva transcends that ego and becomes a mukhta, along with that transcendence, all these aspects identified by the jiva as ego, are also gone).

Of course, the Jivanmukhta reached that stage only after long years of systematic discipline and unflagging zeal when distress and doubt assailed him. Defeat only made him more rigorous in self-examination and more earnest about following the prescribed discipline. 

The Jivanmukhta has no trace of the 'will to live'; he is ever ready to drop into the lap of Death.

(Author’s note - This is the real test to know where we are in our spiritual sadhana. Are we ready to welcome our death any time?? 

Once, recently, the author called few devotees and asked them- “Suppose, you wake up and know that all your kith and kin, dear and near ones, are all dead previous night. No one is left in your family. What will be your state then?

The same question must be put up by all of us 'to ourselves" and we should try to find answer to this earth-shattering question truthfully.)

Aparoksha brahma jnana or Direct Perception of Brahma is the name given to the stage in which the aspirant is free from all doubt regarding improbability or impossibility, and is certain that the two entities, Jiva and Brahman, are One, and have been One, and will ever be One. 

When this stage is attained, the aspirant will no longer suffer any confusion, he will not mistake one thing for another, or superimpose one thing on another. 

He will not mistake the rope for the snake. He will know that all along there was only one thing, the rope.

He will not suffer from Abhasa-avaranam also; that is to say, he will not declare that the effulgence of Brahmam is not in him. 

In the heart and centre of every Jivi, Paramatma exists, minuter than the minutest molecule, larger than the largest conceivable object, smaller than the smallest, greater than the greatest. 

Therefore, the Jnani who has had a vision of the Atma in him will never suffer sorrow. The Atma is there, in all living things, in the ant as well as in the elephant. The whole world is enveloped and sustained by this subtle Atma.

The Sadhaka has to direct his attention away from the external world and become in-sighted, he has to turn his vision towards the Atma. 

He must analyze the process of his mind and discover for himself wherefrom all the modifications and agitations of the mind originate. By this means, every trace of 'intention' and 'will' has to disappear. 

Afterwards, the only idea that will get fixed in the mind will be the idea of Brahmam. The only feeling which will occupy the mind will be the feeling of Bliss, arising out of its establishment in the Satchidananda stage.

Such a Jnani will be unaffected by joy or grief, for he will be fully immersed in the ocean of Atmananda, above and beyond the reach of worldly things. 

The constant contemplation of the Atma and its glory is what is connoted by the terms, Brahma abhyasa and Jnana abhyasa, the practice of Brahma or the cultivation of Jnana."

Love.

Jnana Vahini - Post 4

Now, for the last obstacle as written by SAI.

"RASA-AASWAADANA: When Kshaya and Vikshepa are overcome, one attains the Savikalpananda, the Bliss of the Highest Subject-Object Contact. This stage is what is called Rasa-aaswaadanam or the Enjoyment of Bliss. Even this is not the Highest or the Supreme Bliss, which one does not attain or acquire, but simply IS, becomes aware of, so to say. 

The Rasa, or the sweetness of the Subject-Object Samadhi is a temptation one has to avoid, for it is only the second best. It is enough joy to act as a handicap. 

The joy is as great as that of a person who has just deposited a huge load he has been long carrying, or as that of a greedy person who has just killed a serpent guarding a vast treasure he wanted to grab. The killing of the serpent is Savikalpa Samadhi; the acquisition of the treasure, that is the Nirvikalpa Samadhi, the highest stage.

When the sun rises, darkness as well as the troubles arising from it disappear. Similarly, for those who have realised the Atma, there is no longer any bondage, nor the sorrow arising from the bondage. 

Delusion comes only to those who forget their bearings: egoism is the greatest factor in making people forget their very basic Truth. Once egoism enters man, he slips from the ideal and precipitates himself from the top of the stairs in quick falls from step to step, down to the very bottom floor. Egoism breeds schisms, hatreds and attachments. 

Through attachment and affection, and even envy and hatred, one plunges into activity and gets immersed in the world. This leads to embodiment in the physical frame and further egoism. In order to become free from the twin pulls of pleasure and pain, one must rid oneself of body-consciousness and keep clear of self-centered actions. 

This again involves the absence of attachment and hatred; desire is the enemy number one of Liberation, or Moksha. Desire binds one to the wheel of birth and death; it brings about endless worries and tribulations."

(Author's note - This obstacle is encountered after we have made considerable spiritual progress through meditation and yet not reached the goal. We have grown fond of the taste of some intermediate joyful spiritual experience and got stuck there. We do not want to progress further and strive for God-vision. Needless to say, we should overcome this obstacle. Otherwise, we will deprive ourselves of the highest spiritual experience.  Best way is to pray to God, just ignore this feeling of the little joyful spiritual experience and then plunge into spiritual Sadhana) 

"Through inquiry on these lines, knowledge is rendered clearer and brighter, and liberation is achieved. Moksha is only another word for independence, not depending on any outside thing or person.

If nicely controlled and trained, the mind can lead one on to Moksha. It must be saturated in the thought of God; that will help the inquiry into the nature of Reality. The consciousness of the Ego itself will fade away when the mind is free from pulls and when it is rendered pure. Not to be affected in any way by the world; that is the path to self-realization; it cannot be got in Swarga or in Mount Kailasa.

The flame of desire cannot be put out without the conquest of the mind. The mind cannot be overcome without the scotching of the flames of desire. The mind is the seed, desire is the tree. Atmajnana alone can uproot that tree. So, these three are inter-dependent: mind, desire and Atmajnana."

(Author’s note - Swami Rama explains about Mind, thus:-

“You say the mind is roaming, let it roam. Why are you bothered? It will never go anywhere. It will come back to you. Let it go, don’t follow the mind. I once asked my Master, “How to practice?” He replied, “Mind tells you to go there, but you don’t go. 

Firm determination is called sankalpa shakti in Sanskrit. “Today I will not move, I will not fidget, because that will bring strain and stress to my body.” Keeping your body relaxed, with your head, neck, and trunk in a straight line, breathe in a serene way and learn to watch your thinking process. 

Do not identify yourself with the objects of the world, because this way you are forgetting yourself. When any thought comes, you decide, “I am not going to identify with the thought patterns going on in my mind. I will only witness my thoughts. No matter what happens during these moments I will be not disturbed, no matter what happens. Let my preoccupations come forward later. I do not want to be disturbed.” 

This way you will not identify yourself with the thought patterns, forgetting your true nature. You are in the habit of disturbing yourself. 

Gradually expand your sankalpa shakti. If I want to do something, I have a desire to do it, but I cannot do it, and am unable to find the means to do it, there will be no willpower at all. 

In ancient times, the rishis, the great seers, always used to remember, “I am this, and I am this, and I am this. I can do it, I will do it, and I have to do it, no matter what happens.” 

That is called willpower. If you want to do something, just do it. That will create your dynamic will and that dynamic will enable you to create wonders in the world.")

Love.

Jnana Vahini - Post 3

Dear All,

Swami writes,

"VIKSHEPA (Waywardness): the mind seeks to run after external objects and so constant effort is needed to turn it inwards, away from the attractions of sensory impressions. 

This has to be done through the rigorous exercise of the Intellect, of Inquiry. Discriminate and get the conviction driven into you that these are evanescent, temporary, transformable, liable to decay and, therefore, unreal, Mithya not Sathya. 

Convince yourselves that what are sought after as pleasurable and avoided as painful are only the fleeting products of sensory contacts; train yourselves in this way to avoid the distractions of the external world and dive deep into Dhyanam.

A sparrow pursued by a hawk flies in despair for shelter into a house; but it is anxious to again fly into the outer world, isn't it? So also, the mind is anxious to go again into the outer world, from the Atma where it takes refuge. 

Vikshepa is this mental attitude, the urge to run back into the world from one's shelter. The removal of Vikshepa alone will help the concentration of the mind in Dhyanam."

(Author's note - We may occasionally find it very hard to meditate because the mind keeps wandering. This restless wandering of mind is called Vikshepa in Sanskrit. It is the second major obstacle to meditation. This obstacle appears when the mind is in a state of preponderance of Rajas. 

Usually two techniques are used to overcome this obstacle. The first is to force the mind by sheer will power to concentrate on the object of meditation. A person who lacks adequate will power will find it hard to do. It may also pose a health hazard for someone suffering from hypertension by temporarily raising the blood pressure.

In the second technique we have to say to the wandering mind, “Go wherever you want, but know that I’ll be watching you.” As we keep on watching the mind, it stops wandering and gradually becomes calm. This entire process usually takes ten or fifteen minutes, though for some it may take longer. Once the mind has been made calm it can be focused on its object of meditation.")

"KSHAYA: The mind is drawn with immense force by all the unconscious impulses and instincts of passion and attachment towards the external world and its multitudinous attractions. It therefore experiences untold misery and might even get lost in its depths. This is the stage called Kshaya or decline.

The state of inertia into which one is driven by despair cannot be called Samadhi; or one might even indulge in day-dreaming in order to escape from present misery; or one might start building castles in the air. All this is due to attachment, to the temptations of the outer world. There is another type of attachment too, the attachment to the inner world ... the planning within oneself of various schemes to better oneself in the future as compared to the past. Both these form part of what is called Kshaya. The basis for both is the attraction of the outer world. Attachment brings about desire; desire leads to planning."

(Author's note - To counteract this obstacle any of the following can be done: (i) Sing devotional songs or listen to devotional music. (ii) Read inspirational religious literature. (iii) Imagine that we are giving personal service to God, a divine incarnation. (iv)Listen to the discourses of Incarnation/Realized master and try to contemplate on the discourse essence.

Any of these techniques is capable of removing the feeling of dryness from the mind. However, it is advised that we not leave our seat while practicing these techniques. As soon as the mental dryness is gone we must start meditating.)

Love.