Dhyana Vahini - Post 27

Chapter X

Be ever joyful and sweet

“For this spiritual discipline, you must cultivate the quality of always being joyful, with a smile on your face; this will give you good distinction. People will also like you more. So, the Lord will also have joy upon seeing you. Therefore, observe meditation with innocence, purity, and humility.

Then, without fail, you can attain whatever you strive for. Do not lose your temper in any situation; do not lose courage in any contingency. Respect everyone, whatever their status. Then the quality of universal love (prema) will develop in you. As a result, meditation will progress without disturbance.

For the cure of illness without resort to drugs, meditation is the only remedy. Even the capacity to discriminate and analyse will increase, and by means of that, illness, however serious, can be overcome.”

Introspection

Bro Sanjay Mahalingam’s sharing in one of the sessions is worth a recap here, in the context of what Swami has written above.

Sanjay recalls atleast few occasions when he as well as other few students have asked, “ Swami, tell us, please, what do you want from us, in what way we can be a worthy instrument in your mission, How you want us to be”

In all such situations, Swami’s one answer was, “BE HAPPY”.

That is what our dear lord wants from us and that is the purpose, that is the search of every human being, from his birth till the moment he realizes SELF, in one, few, many, numerous births, and it is “Search for happiness”

And, when you are able to be joyful all the times, Swami gives a huge assurance when he says “So, the Lord will also have joy upon seeing you”!!

Swami writes, 

“In every word uttered, there are two kinds of senses: the obvious and the innate, the native and the qualitative. The Upanishads take up the second kind and elaborate, clarify, and make the Brahman known. One important thing to be remembered is that it is possible and desirable to utilize the full power of words through softness and sweetness. 

If one is anxious to see God in every object, the sweetness of the word will be of immense help. Sir, Master, Lord: in these words, lie the secret of much affection and regard. Through these and such words, how happy you can make others, and how light your minds will become by the practice of softness of expression! When meditation is carried on in that happy atmosphere, how quickly concentration can be attained!

Instead, if in conversation you use words that blame others and despise them, in turn you become the target of blame, and your mind gets agitated by the effect of both; then the object of meditation is not realized because the atmosphere turns impure. Therefore, if you really wish to be happy through meditation, as a preliminary to the process, you must be engaged either in joyful conversation or in happy thoughts or memories. Sweet and soft conversation helps meditation a great deal.

You must cultivate such a character, for character outlasts the body. Virtues are your strength and glory. Character is power. So train the mind and use it to attain the visualization of the Lord (sakshatkara); hold fast to that goal.

Introspection

Swami Krishnananda writes,

“You require nothing in order to bring you peace of mind. You require only yourself. You are the master of yourself, and you have to know how to tune yourself to the requirement of existence as a whole. The tuning of your personality, your existence, to the existence that is total is peace of mind; that is peace of consciousness; that is harmony of existence; that is blessedness; that is happiness; that is bliss, you may say.

Here is the characteristic of a saint or a sage. Nothing is outside the saint and, therefore, he needs nothing from outside. One should not want anything from outside, because the outside thing does not exist apart from you and you do not exist outside that thing which you consider as outside. 

The saints and the sages ask not anything. They do not require anything because they have got everything by being united with that which you regard as outside you. The thing which you want is inside you in the sense that it is connected with your body, your personality, your consciousness. The moment you think, the universe acts, provided that your mind is united with the cosmic mind. 

Satisfaction is not in you or in somebody else. It is in consciousness itself. Satisfaction is uninterrupted performance of consciousness. A larger satisfaction flashes forth when the unit of consciousness that you are operates as a set adjustment with the consciousness of other such units or centers. Who feels happiness? Who feels peace? Consciousness feels peace. It gets disturbed when there is no peace. Who disturbs it? It is disturbed by the wrong notion that it is outside the thing to which it really belongs.

This little 'me' is organically related to the cosmic being – which means to say, I am a cosmic being. And the others I seem to see outside are not outside me, just as I am not outside the cosmic being." Go on asserting this with faith, with the power of will. "If I cannot stand outside the universe, I am the universe itself." Who will disturb your mind, then? Tell me frankly: who is there to disturb your mind? Nobody can disturb your mind. There is no such thing as 'your' mind. 

This is meditation. If anybody asks you what meditation is, tell them this is meditation. You are the maker of yourself. Your peace of mind is within you only. You are the culprit – if at all there is one – and, therefore, complain not. Complain against your inadequacies, your imperfections and the lack of power of will that you are sunk in, by which you are unable to understand how you are connected to the world, to people, to the atmosphere, to ecological conditions, to the world as a whole. 

Find fault with yourself only. Do not find fault with anybody else, because the world is a whole, and wholeness cannot have imperfections.

 

Love.

 

Dhyana Vahini - Post 26

 Chapter X

 

Innocence, Purity, and Humility

 

"The realised souls (jivan-mukthas) are like lighthouses that point out the way to ships caught in blinding darkness in mid-ocean. The spiritual lighthouses show the way to those who struggle helplessly in the thick night of ignorance.

All are born out of the womb of the one Lord. Just as many varieties of fish and crabs and aquatic creatures move about inside a big tank, multitudes of human beings move about in the sea called the Lord. This is indeed a very awesome scene. 

Some are undeveloped, some underdeveloped; they swim around, greedy, and selfish. Amid this crowd of ignorant beings are a few highly developed souls, the wise (jnanis) and yogis. Since they are mixed up with the ignorant crowd, it becomes difficult to distinguish the wise from the others. A microscope is necessary to identify the red corpuscles in the blood; similarly, a special microscope is needed to find the wise. That microscope is no other than meditation.

This creation, and the wonder with which it is filled, is really a source of amazement. But, in the present conditions, there are very few who watch for light and are guided by light. 

Introspection

Swami Vivekananda’s words most relevant to the subject dealt by Swami in today’s post is given below.

“Recognizing" a Jivanmukta can be difficult if not purely subjective. Although "inner" change is uniform in the enlightened state (absence of ignorance re: one's true nature) it's "outer" manifestation can take various forms. 

Not everyone could recognize even Ramakrishna's divinity in his lifetime and even afterward--and He was not just a jivanmukta, He was an avatara! So, there is no reason to suppose everyone can recognize a jivanmukta when they see one.”

The sage from Ananda kutir writes,

“It is very difficult to judge a Jivanmukta. A Shakespeare only can understand a Shakespeare. A Jesus only can understand a Jesus. A man of experience who has mixed with Sadhus and Sannyasins and lived with them for several years may arrive at certain definite conclusions and infer something. But he may or may not be accurate. Only a Jivanmukta with his eye of intuition (Divya Drishti) can directly see and understand a Jivanmukta.

Householders make wrong judgments in deciding the nature of Jivanmukta. They take into consideration only the external conditions of a Jivanmukta. Even educated people commit mistakes in this regard.

The ways of a Jnani are mysterious. Many do not recognise a Jivanmukta. Real aspirants know him at once without any difficulty. They follow him. They live in close contact with him.

He who has mastery over the mind and Indriyas, he who always dwells on the inner Atman is the real Jivanmukta, Nityamukta, a great master, the real hero indeed.

A Jivanmukta is the Sun of Suns, the Light of lights. Sun shines only during day. But the Jivanmukta shines day and night. 

He who is homeless, who is free from all cravings, yearnings, longings, passions, desires, love of society, lustful feeling, and who calls nothing his own is really a Jivanmukta, who has attained freedom or emancipation from births and deaths. Hail, hail to such a great Mahatma!

Self-poised state in pleasure and pain, censure and praise etc., and universal love are the two important characteristics of a Jivanmukta.

If a person has no dislikes or hatred for any creature in this world in thought, word, and deed, he is a Jivanmukta.

A Jivanmukta or a full-blown Jnani is full of pure love, compassion, mercy, exquisite gentleness and hidden power and strength. Love and lustre (Brahma Tejas) shine through his brilliant eyes.

He who sees all things in one and one in all things is really a Jivanmukta. He enjoys peace of mind. He lives in God.

Pain in the body and quarrels always exist in the world. A Jivanmukta has to face these when he does Vyavahara. He does not mind them. He rises above them. He laughs and smiles as they are unreal. He knows that there is neither pain nor quarrel in the Atman.

A Jivanmukta is perfectly desireless, I-less, mine-less, fearless, and angerless. He beholds the Self only everywhere. He has equal vision. He has balanced mind. He has no attachment, longings and cravings. His state is beyond description and yet he will move in the world like an ordinary man. He is ever calm and peaceful. He rests in the Turiya state. He identifies himself with the Pure, All-pervading Brahman. He is free from dualities, differences and distinctions.”

Swami continues,

“So, instead of following this person and that, and taking devious roads and getting lost, it is best to place full faith in the Lord Himself and rely on Him as the only mother, father, guru, and guide. Then you will never lose the right path. He will never direct you to the wrong path. To have that firm faith and that experience, one must take to meditation; that is the one and only means. It is enough if the name and form of the Lord is meditated upon with love (prema) and faith, and you can choose the name and the form that you like most.”

Introspection

After explaining the difficulties one may face in recognizing a Jivanmukhta so that one may fall at His feet and beg Him to teach Brahmavidya, Swami gives a easier way out.

Swami’s above paragraph has to be properly understood. He does not say, don’t take up the path of Jnana, and do not search for jivanmukhta / a Srotriya Brahma nishta guru.

Swami says, in case one is not able to come across such a realized master (Due to his own prarabdha and sanskaras), one may not be disheartened. One may reach and be at the lotus feet of his lord and take up the path of devotion.

To conclude, it depends on the sanskaras of each Jiva, whether the path of Jnana or Bhakti or only the path of karma suits him. One cannot wage war against his sanskaras and one must take up either of the path(s), depending upon one’s aptitude, one’s inner voice / inner urge.

 

Love.

 

Sri Ramana Maharshi

 

 

First you must decide what sat-sangha is. It means association with sat or reality. One who knows or has realized sat is also regarded as sat.

 

Such association with sat or with one who knows sat is absolutely necessary for all. Sankara has said that in all the three worlds there is no boat like sat-sangha to carry one safely across the ocean of births and deaths.

 

Sat-sangha means sangha [association] with sat. Sat is only the Self. Since the Self is not now understood to be sat, the company of the sage who has thus understood is sought. That is satsanga. Introversion results. Then sat is revealed.

Sri Ramana Maharshi