Click here to go to the next issue
Highlights Home Page | Receive the Nondual Highlights each day
Nondual Highlights Issue #2123 Sunday, April 24, 2005
What
if I have no aims except to find out?
I was not aware of my awareness, and suddenly I became conscious
that I am. Where and how did this consciousness arise on me? That
was my inquiry, going back to that state when the presence of
phenomena was not there. That is, original knowledge of the
original Self. So, I went back, tracing this original Self, and I
reached a stage where I wanted to know what my state was before
this consciousness arose. That is the destination which I have
reached. Brahman, Isvara, God, all these are names given to the
consciousness when it is conscious of itself. If you have
properly understood this knowledge, what will be your position at
the moment of death? It will be watching what is happening. This
consciousness is no longer conscious of itself. That state cannot
be described. It is called the Supreme Absolute, but that is only
a name for communication purposes.
This line of enquiry started when I noticed that from the moment
one wakes up until one falls asleep, one is very busy doing
something or other. What is it that compels us to do these
things? Because of what does this go on? The I came to the
conclusion that it is my beingness, the fact that I am conscious
of existing, which is working throughout the day. That was how my
enquiry started.
In the body the indwelling principle is the consciousness.
Abiding in the consciousness, it became all manifestation. Now
transcendence of the consciousness has also occurred. With the
appearance of consciousness, the Absolute knows it is, "I
Am". This is the experience. There are other experiences
now, in this time factor, but experiences are gradually dropping
off, including this primary experience: IAm". It is only the
consciousness that is going to disappear, the Absolute is always
there.
What a fall! The perfect state, caught up in these experiences,
and trying to derive certain benefits out of the experiences.
Is it spontaneous?
Yes. Whatever experiences were happening in this field of
knowingness, the Ultimate principle got caught up in that. It
accepted some experience as itself. Accepting experiences as the
truth, it gets more and more involved.
- excerpt from Consciousness and the
Absolute: Talks of Nisargadatta Maharaj,
posted to JustThis
For the Self is everything.
When the seeker knows this,
He falls silent.
He no longer thinks,
"I am this, I am not that."
Such thoughts melt away.
-Ashtavakra Gita 18:9, from The Heart of
Awareness: A Translation of the Ashtavakra Gita,"
by Thomas Byrom, 1990, posted to MillionPaths
Ordinary men hate solitude.
But the Master makes use of it, embracing his aloneness,
realizing he is one with the whole universe.
Lao Tzu, posted to truevision
SILENCE AMIDST NOISE
It is one of our pet ideas that if we could somehow run away from
the world to the solitary Himalayan heights, to some mountain
caves or hermitages, we will be able to solve the problem of the
quiet mind. The panacea is "solitude" and it is
believed that it can be found only away from our work schedules,
from our daily chores, away from the people we are used to. How
can we do anything about the mind unless we are able to somehow
escape from intrusions by others who keep spoiling the meditation
time by visiting and chatting? Thus thinking, we seek nature's
quiet spots. The desire to be alone, to keep off company, is for
the purpose of tackling the mind free from outside disturbance.
There some others like Paul Brunton who look upon changes from
one's ordinary life as, "a strategic retreat from the
world". Having launched upon a feverish pursuit of work,
used to looking with dismay at an empty page in the engagement
diary or even a gap of few minutes, these retreats to scenic
spots are regarded as a balancing factor. Time would then be
available to learn about the subtlety and vagaries of the mind,
its whims and fancies, since the normal run does not provide any
leisure for such meditation or reflection. This is their attitude
and hope that "far from the madding crowd" an
understanding of the mind would come. Naïve it may be but a
common belief. One can well understand the love of
"lonely" spots in the conviction that then it is
possible to be "alone". True, nature's fascination can
be under-rated. It has its own magic, its own charm which goes to
the very pore of one's bones. By all means if one's circumstances
permit it, if karma is kind in this regard, one can resort to
such places, where the mind is easily harmonious and restful. But
then, it does not need argument to show that such changes in
environment or circumstances may not be possible for all or at
times of one's choice. Often, carefully laid plans break. Some
one or the other, some totally unexpected event or the other
would put a spanner in the works. Instead of the joy of the much
looked forward to. Disappointment would stare one in the face.
Do we need to regret this? Can we afford to place the all
important need for a silent mind in the hands of some outer
circumstance such as a suitable environment away from work. In
overrating the importance of solitude perhaps we have not
understood what solitude really means. Looking at it
fundamentally, the underlying assumption behind the linking of
the mind's quietness with a place with soothing surroundings only
may be an error. "Solitude" says Ramana, "is in
the mind of man". It means making the mind still. This can
be done in a crowd also. "Solitude cannot efface one's
thoughts. Practice does it. The same practice can be made here
too". Solitude per se cannot bring about a cessation of
thoughts. What is required is positive effort to bring it about.
This position is consistent with Ramana's teachings that
circumstances are pre-ordained and not of our making while at the
same time the freedom to get back to the natural silence of the
pure mind is unfettered. The opportunity of discovering the
silent mind is open to all. It does not really matter if outer
circumstances, like pursuit of one's sadhana (method of spiritual
discipline) in a conducive environment, is available or not. If
the sun of a favourable fortune shines, by all means let one make
hay. If, however, the situation is dark let it not deter. One can
see the stark reality of what Ramana says. The obligation to
practice the quest, to search within for the source of the mind
cannot be excused away, even if the circumstances are not to
one's liking. For, practice alone can rid the mind of its
trappings, of its addiction to thought.
Hunting the "I" with the twin invincible weapons
provided by Ramana, one has to dive within. Entering as a pearl
diver would with breath and mind control, persisting beyond the
lulls of the mind, one arrives at the source of the mind only to
be lost in the vastness of the mind's space. When the mind is not
crowded with thoughts it becomes free and spacious. It is like
removing furniture from the room which is cluttered with it.
Then, the very act of removing furniture makes it spacious. Space
was not created. It was there before. The furniture had cramped
it. When the mind is freed from noise within, a deep and vibrant
peace would prevail.
- excerpt from The Silent Mind,
By A. R. Natarajan, posted to RamanaMaharshi
NEVER FORGET HOW SWIFTLY this life will be over, like a flash of
summer lightning or the wave of a hand. Now that you have the
opportunity to practice dharma, do not waste a single moment on
anything else.
- Dilgo Khyentse Rinpoche, from Tricycle, Fall 1997