Sathya Sai Vahini - Post 24

Chapter X

The Yogis

 

Three stages of philosophic discovery

There are three steps in the progression of philosophic enquiry (or Vedantic thought) in India: dualism, qualified non-dualism, and non-dualism (dwaitha, visishta-adwaitha, and adwaitha). It is not possible to advance beyond these three steps by human endeavor. Non-dualistic thought is beyond the reach of the common person; it is not so easily comprehensible. 

 

To conceive it with the intellect is itself hard. To experience it, a powerful faculty of penetration is needed. Therefore, it is best to start with the dualist step and experience it as the reality behind things; then, the second stage of qualified non-dualism is rendered easier to reach.

The individual must progress as fast or as steadily as the community. We pass through boyhood, childhood, adolescence, youth, middle age, and old age; it is an imperceptible but inevitable progress. We experience each only when we are passing through it. 

So, too, with these three stages of philosophic discovery. Each view is latent in the rest, and each proceeds out of the experience of the previous stage. It is not possible to be aware of all three at the same time. Based on our spiritual discipline (sadhana) and the experiences gained therefrom, each view- point comes into the consciousness and forms the spring of action and thought.

Those who assert that the universe is real but declare at the same time that the existence of God is but a dream are only proving themselves foolish. For when the effect, namely the cosmos is real, it must have a cause — how can there be an effect with no cause? 

God can be denied only when the universe is denied. God can disappear only when the cosmos disappears. What now appears as the cosmos is really God; this is the vision that true spiritual aspirants will get when they succeed in their endeavor. 

As a matter of fact, the universe we experience is the dream. When we awake from the dream, the truth of its being God will shine in the consciousness. From the be- ginning of time, the God whom we posit outside ourselves has been the reality inside us also. This truth will also become steady in the faith of people.

 

Meeting dogmatism and fanaticism

 

Of course, no existing philosophy can be satisfying to all types and levels of mental equipment. Each has a distinct value. The stages of intellectual development or the powers of reasoning are different from each other. 

So, the three schools of philosophical interpretation mentioned above (dualism, qualified dualism, non-dualism) attain acceptance among different temperaments and different groups of people. No one school has the right to claim superiority and impute inferiority. Only those who are unwise will resort to such tactics.

When people approach us with fanatic views, we must meet them with a smile, eager and yearning, filled with devotion to God. One can get intoxicated, of course, but only because of quaffing the wine of love (prema). 

When people frantic for work approach us, we must share our skill and strength and join with them in work. By this means, it is possible to bring harmony among followers of various faiths and philosophic thoughts. It will bring together schools of thought and belief. 

If only this principle of harmony and harmonious cooperation would become a permanent asset of each person, how excellent it would be! How happy the world would have been if everyone had this knowledge that their viewpoint can at best be only partial and that it requires the harmonious commingling of many other facets to posit truth! 

Essence

Readers can relate today’s part of SSV easily with the previous post. Therefore, there is no need to elaborate on today’s post.

Once after reading today’s post, readers can refer back to the previous 2 posts and can then feel the bliss within. 

 

Love.

 

Sathya Sai Vahini - Post 23

Contemplation / Essence of the previous post form chapter IX

 

Swami Starts with a question

“How could God become these walls, these tables? Here is another doubt that comes uppermost to some: God is supremely pure, so how could He become these impure things”

And Swami answers when He explains the Advaita school of philosophy,

“God is not outside the cosmos, that He became the cosmos, and that He is all that is. There is nothing except God, no other, no second. This truth has to be accepted by all. This is the highest truth.”

Swami further reveals this beautifully when He writes,

“The cosmos is the effect, God is the cause — these statements stress only the fact that the cosmos is but God in another form. To the argument that the body is limited and subtle and that it leads one to the cause (God), or it was from God that it evolved and took shape, the non-dualists would reply that it was God Himself who manifested in the form of the cosmos.”

Now, coming to the objects of the world, not only walls / tables etc. as pointed by Swami but all objects, including living and non-living objects, the question of “How they can be God?” essentially arises because the one who is asking this question is not existing as God/SELF.

One has to realize SELF and exist as SELF, abide in SELF and then, another one who sits at His feet, would realize that in his master’s state, the thought of whether the tables/ walls/birds/ animals/ human beings are all divine or whether they are all not divine, cannot arise at all.

For any such thought, he knows that the master must come down from His state of abidance in SELF  and the disciple knows it is not possible for his master to come down to ever have these questions in his mind.

The master sees the table as table, bird as bird, human as human exactly in the same way as the disciple is seeing.

But the disciple or let us say, a visitor, an on looker, yet to evolve spiritually to higher level, sees  all objects and his senses carry the sight of these objects to his mind and the mind draws an experience and he comments about the objects seen, out of such an experience.

But when the master sees the objects, with that sight, the process gets over and there is nothing carried to his mind to draw any experience at all.

The mind itself is rendered pure to the extent that there is no difference between his mind and the state in which He exists as (SELF).

So, it can only be inferred that since the master does not have varied experience / perception of various objects / human whom He faces / sees / interacts with, all of them are same for the master and all of them are nut consciousness.

Here, the following expression of Swami comes true - “There is nothing except God, no other, no second.”

 

Sri Ramana explains the above truth in His answers to couple of questions, thus: -

Question: In the Vedanta of Sri Sankaracharya the principle of the creation of the world has been accepted for the sake of beginners, but for the advanced the principle of non-creation is put forward. What is your view on this matter?

Maharshi: "There is no dissolution or creation, no one in bondage, nor anyone pursuing spiritual practices. There is no one desiring liberation, nor anyone liberated. This is the absolute truth." This sloka (verse) appears in the second chapter of Gaudapada's Karika. One who is established in the Self sees this by his knowledge of reality.”

Question: Is not the Self the cause of this world we see around us?

Maharshi: “Self itself appears as the world of diverse names and forms. However, Self does not act as the efficient cause (nimitta karana), creating, sustaining, and destroying it. Do not ask `Why does the confusion of Self, not knowing the truth that it itself appears as the world arise?' If instead you enquire `To whom does this confusion occur?', it will be discovered that no such confusion ever existed for Self.”

Ramana further says – “Where are you now? Are you in the world or is the world within you? You must admit that the world is not perceived in your sleep although you cannot deny your existence then. 

The world appears when you wake up. So where is it? Clearly the world is your thought. Thoughts are your projections. The "I" is first created and then the world. 

The world is created by the "I" which in its turn rises from the Self. The riddle of the creation of the world is thus solved if you solve the creation of the "I". So, I say, find your Self.

Again, does the world come and ask you `Why do "I" exist? How was "I" created?' It is you who ask the question. The questioner must establish the relationship between the world and himself. He must admit that the world is his own imagination. Who imagines it? Let him again find the "I" and then the Self.”

 

Love.

 

 

 

Sri Sathya Sai Baba

Sivoham, Sivoham was the exclamation that rose from the souls that knew the truth in a flash of illumination, after long years of cleansing the mind through the process of Tapas.

I am Siva, Siva am I!!

Though denoted by many names, and recognized by many forms, the divine principle is one, without a second.

God is the seed, which has expressed itself as all this creation!!

(Divine Discourse, 20 Feb 1974)