BRAHMAN
-The English use of the word real as applied to material world, whereas the sages of truth used it as applied to unseen Brahman. Hence much errors have arisen in
translations from the Sanskrit.
BRAHMAN-
The word Brahman or Sat has no proper equivalent in English. The nearest is
ultimate reality or ultimate truth The west however apply reality to individual objects or
to the multiplicity of them all: whereas sages of truth applied it to the non-duality.
Brahman is called "That" because it is something not known yet by the
seeker.
Foreign seekers find it an exotic and new cultural
experience to visit Indian ashrams. The ashrams supposedly offer the chance of
seeing and being helped or healed a living God man, a self-proclaimed avatar or
God Incarnate.
Most of the
seekers usually arrive with their minds filled with what most often turn out to
be false ideas about 'spirituality'. Many are very enthusiastic at seeing some
of the diverse religious beliefs which infest India - seers, fakirs,
soothsayers, astrologers, yogis, sadhus, temple priests and swamis. The great
majority of them are either naive believer who is practicing a traditional
tradecraft under whatever 'spiritual' pretense or else direct but clever
frauds.
Many teachers are limited by their
own life’s experiences and what they have and what they have not worked out
within their own given egos.
Many People just expect mental spoon
feeding to know the truth of their true existence. And they never bothered to
take trouble and verify on their own. It is very difficult to acquire
Self-Knowledge if they do not do their own homework.
It is impossible to acquire non dual truth
without indulging in deeper inquiry analysis and reasoning.
The true self has existing unobserved, unrecognized except by those who are able to discover the fact that, the self is not physical but the self is soul, which is in the form of consciousness. The consciousness is the substance and witness of the three states.
Consciousness is not limited to the form, but it pervades all the three states as its formless substance and witness. As a person perceiving the world within the waking/dream, is not aware of the fact that ‘I’ is not the self, but the formless substance and witness of the ‘I’ is the true self. Thus it is necessary to realize the fact that ‘I’ is not the self in order to overcome the illusory duality.
The true self is the
soul. The nature of the soul, which is
the true self, is formless is non- dual. The soul or self is in the form of
consciousness. The self itself is the
guru, which can be known only from the wisdom, and which is beyond the reach of
speech and mind.
Self-Knowledge or Brahma Gnana or Atma Gnana is difficult to obtain, without
discrimination between the truth and untruth; therefore, it is necessary to
know the truth in order to know what is untruth. Realization and continuing in
a state of identity with consciousness comes next in order. Liberation from
experiencing illusion as reality is attained through non-dual wisdom.
Ignorance is necessary in pursuit of truth and man and the
universe is the product of ignorance. The longing for Liberation, and intense
urge to know the truth and courage to accept the truth and reject the untruth,
when the truth is revealed through inquiry, analysis and reasoning in necessary
in pursuit of truth.
The man who, having, mastery of the scriptures to boot, is
foolish enough not to exert himself for self-liberation, dies as ignorant
himself by clinging to the illusion, which he believes as reality. If one believes the illusion as
reality it means he has accepted the birth, life, death and the world as
reality, which are mere happenings within the illusion. Whatever, happenings
within the illusion is bound to be illusion, the formless substance and witness
of the illusion [mind] is real and eternal.
What is the use of mastering the Scriptures? What is the
use of quoting the Scriptures? What is the use of worship, rituals and
sacrifice to the gods? By mastering
scriptures knowledge and quoting scriptures and performing rituals and worship
the gods, there is no Liberation without the realization of one’s identity with
the soul, which is in the form of consciousness.
There is no hope of immortality by means of riches or accumulation
of wealth or distribution of it to others. The good deeds are cannot be the
cause of Liberation from experiencing the illusion as reality.
The seeker of truth should strive, his best for liberation
from illusion, by realizing the fact that, the ego is not self, and accepting
the soul as true self and constantly fixing his attention on the consciousness
[soul], which is ultimate truth.
Having attained the non-dual tranquility, one should
recover one’s-self, immersed in the sea of illusory birth, life, death and
world by means of right discrimination.
A Gnani having commenced the practice of the realization of
the consciousness becomes aware of the fact that, all the bonds of birth, life death
and the world are illusory, because all of it is created out of consciousness.
Thus there is no second thing exist other then consciousness.
Action leads to believe the duality as reality, not to
perception of the Reality. The realization of Truth is brought about by
discrimination and not in the least by means of acts. Therefore, there is a
need to realize the fact that the self is not physical but it is consciousness
in order to discriminate the truth which is hidden in the illusion.
By adequate reasoning the conviction of the reality about
the consciousness is gained, which puts an end to the great fear and misery
caused by the illusion worked up in the deluded mind.
The conviction of the Truth is seen to proceed from deeper
reasoning and gaining the wisdom. The
conviction of truth does not arise, neither by bathing in the sacred rivers,
nor by donating wealth to the god men, nor by control of the vital force by
regulating breath.
Success depends essentially on a qualified aspirant; time,
place, circumstances and other such means are but auxiliaries in this regard.
The seeker after truth should take to reasoning, after duly
realizing the fact that, the self is not physical but self is consciousness.
An intelligent and learned man skilled in arguing in favour
of the Scriptures and intellectuality and in refuting counter-arguments against them – one who has
got the above characteristics is not fit recipient of the knowledge of the
self, which is in the form of consciousness.
The man who discriminates between the Real and the unreal,
whose mind is turned away from the unreal, who possesses calmness, and who is
longing for freedom , is alone considered qualified to inquire after ultimate
truth.
The focus of attention to ultimate truth succeeds, and in
the absence of which, it fails. Seeker must have enumerated discrimination
between the Real and the unreal; and aversion to the illusion, and intense
yearning for freedom from illusion.
Seeker must have a firm conviction to the effect that
[soul] consciousness is real and the mind [universe] unreal is designated as
discrimination between the Real and the unreal.
The mind rests itself in consciousness after becoming aware
of the fact that it is mere mirage created out of consciousness.
Acceptance by firm judgment as true of what the inquiry,
analysis and reasoning revels, and by that means the Reality is perceived.
Not the mere indulgence in curiosity but the constant
concentration of the intellect on the consciousness is self-settledness.
Yearning for Freedom is the desire to free one’s -self, by realizing the true nature of the true self, from all bondage of duality caused
by Ignorance by realizing the fact that the self is not physical but self is
formless consciousness.
Even though mediocre, this yearning for Freedom, through
the grace of the self, may being developed by means of renouncing ignorance and
developing humility and patience .
In his case, verily, whose are ready to overcome the
ignorance through inquiry, analysis and reasoning and
yearning for freedom are intense, calmness and humility will bear fruit.
The inquiry into the truth of one’s own self is devotion.
The inquirer about the truth of the soul who is possesses means of attainment
should continue reasoning, until he emancipation from bondage from illusion.
A knower of ultimate reality or Brahman, who has withdrawn himself
into ultimate reality; for him there is no bondage, there is no cause and
effect for him, because he is aware of the fact that, the self is not physical
but it is formless consciousness.
By worshiping that Guru with devotion, and approaching
him, when he is pleased with prostration, humility and service, is not the
means to self-realization. This guru-dom
is mere religious fable.
The seeker of truth has to realize the fact that, the
birth, life and death are reality within the illusion. The consciousness has neither birth nor
death because it is formless and eternal. Whatever is born lives and dies is
not the consciousness because it was present prior to birth, and it was present
after birth, and it is ever present after the death. But it is only the formless substance and
witness of the birth, life and death. The birth, life and death has nothing to
do with it, because it is always apart and unaffected because it is not a
physical entity or identity which has birth, life and death.
A Gnani is always calm and magnanimous, who inspire others
as does the spring, and who, having himself crossed this illusory ocean of birth,
life, death and world, guides others also to cross the same, without any motive
whatsoever.
It is the very nature of the Gnani to move of their own
accord towards removing seekers’ obstacles in their pursuit of truth and
guiding them towards non-dual destination.
How to cross this ocean of illusory existence?
Which means should one adopt?
How to put an end to the misery of this relative
existence?
The one who has intense urge to know the truth and has courage
to accept the truth and reject the untruth, thirsting for freedom, who is ready
to drop all the accumulated knowledge of Scriptures and other sources, who has
humility to accept the truth, endowed with calmness and receptive to receive
knowledge of self, and never argues with others to prove that his accumulated
knowledge is truth without verifying the facts, such person is qualified for
pursuit of truth.
It is illogical to ask,
1. How the free became bound?
2. How did the
illusion come?
By analyzing the subject and object analysis helps us to
understand and assimilate “What is truth?” and “What is untruth?” and to accept the truth and reject the truth
mentally.
People have hereditary superstition that, religion is holy,
sacred and ancient. In the nature o the soul/self, which is in the form of
consciousness there is no such division as internal and external.
There is a means of crossing this sea of the illusory
existence; by realizing the fact that, the beyond is within and beyond is
without.
There is a sovereign means which puts an end to the fear of
illusory existence; through that thou
wilt cross the sea of duality and attain the non-dual existence.
Reasoning on the base of the soul, which is the true self,
leads to Self- Knowledge, which is followed by the total annihilation of the
misery born of illusory existence.
Seeker, who is aware of the fact that self is not physical
but the self is formless consciousness, gets freedom from the bondage of duality/illusion,
which is the conjuring of Ignorance.
It is verily through the touch of ignorance that the soul,
which is in the form of consciousness, finds itself under the bondage of
illusion, and it believes the births, life, death and world as reality. The
fire of Self- knowledge, kindled by the discrimination between dual [mind] and
non- dual [soul] experiences, burns up the effects of ignorance together with
their root.
What is bondage?
Considering the self as physical is bondage.
How has it
come upon the Self?
Due to ignorance, considering the self as physical the body
and world becomes reality.
How does it
continue to exist?
It continues to exist until one becomes aware of the fact
that the self is not physical but the self is formless soul, which is in the
form of consciousness.
How is one freed from it?
By getting rid of the ignorance through deeper inquiry,
analysis and reasoning
What is this false -Self?
Ego is false self
Which is the true Self?
The soul is the true self, and it is in the form of
consciousness.
How can one discriminate between them?
The ego is based on the form and true self is based on the
soul/spirit. Tone has to discriminate between the experiences based on the form
and formless. Whatever is based on the
form is impermanent and whatever is based on the formless is permanent.
