The seekers of truth should follow the path of Brahman not the path of the orthodox priest- craft. Only by dropping all the accumulated priest crafted baggage, one has to move forward to reach the non-dual destination in lesser time and effort.
Sage Sri Sankara, in Bhaja Govindam says: - (Jnana
Viheena Sarva Mathena Bajathi na Muktim janma Shatena) - one without knowledge does not obtain liberation even in
a hundred births, no matter which religious faith he follows.
Thus it proves that religion is not the means to
self-knowledge or Brahma Gnana or Atma Gnana.
Sage Sri, Sankara:- VC- 61. For one who has been bitten by the serpent of Ignorance, the
only remedy is the knowledge of Brahman. Of what avail are the Vedas and
(other) Scriptures, Mantras (sacred formulae) and medicines to such a one?
62. A disease does not leave off
if one simply utter the name of the medicine, without taking it; (similarly)
without direct realisation one cannot be liberated by the mere utterance of the
word Brahman.
63. Without causing the
objective universe to vanish and without knowing the truth of the Self, how is
one to achieve Liberation by the mere utterance of the word Brahman ? — It
would result merely in an effort of speech.
65. As a treasure hidden
underground requires (for its extraction) competent instruction, excavation,
the removal of stones and other such things lying above it and (finally)
grasping, but never comes out by being (merely) called out by name, so the
transparent Truth of the self, which is hidden by Maya and its effects, is to
be attained through the instructions of a knower of Brahman, followed by
reflection, meditation and so forth, but not through perverted arguments.
66. Therefore the wise should,
as in the case of disease and the like, personally strive by all the means in
their power to be free from the bondage of repeated births and deaths.
The experience of Birth, life,
death is happening within the world. From the ultimate standpoint the world is
mere illusion. Due to ignorance, the
illusion is experienced as reality. The illusion is present in the form of ‘I’
or mind. The mind is present in the form of the universe. The universe appears
as waking or dream and disappears as deep sleep. The three states are one in essence and that
essence is consciousness. The consciousness (soul) is the innermost self. On
the standpoint of the innermost self the three states are illusory.
Everything is consciousness, which Sage Sri Sankara declared 1200 years back:- everything is Atman because Atman is ultimate truth or Brahman. Brahman is present in the form of consciousness.
Wisdom can only remove one’s own ignorance; it does not bring a new thing. Wisdom is for realizing the truth here and now.
Self-realization is the highest and is the only tool to freedom. Non
duality is the truest wisdom. In non-dual wisdom there is no second. One has to realize
the fact that the self is not the form but self is formless.
The test of truth is to be able to realize the fact that, all the three
states are mere mirage created out of consciousness. Constant reflection is
necessary during the early stages of this path. One has to learn to view and judge the
three states on the base of the formless [soul] as self, and drop the old habit of
viewing and judging it on the base of form [‘ego’], which is the false self.
The soul is in the form of consciousness. The consciousness pervades in
everything and everywhere in the universe, which is in the form of mind. The
mind appears as waking and dream and disappears as deep sleep. Consciousness is
in the rock which is crumbling, in the grass which is growing and then
decaying, in the yogi who is meditating, the religious believers who is immersed in
devotion; there is consciousness because the whole universe is created out of
consciousness.
Natural state or Sahaj Samadhi is being in the formless and non-dual nature of the soul, the innermost self. To capture the essence of Natural State or Sahaj Samadhi, it is better to say that in the natural state knower and the known are identical. It is only pure consciousness that by which its very nature is self-revealing and self-knowing.
Natural state of the soul, the innermost self is “without the experience of duality. It is the absence of duality
and presence of fullness of consciousness in Sahaja Samadhi which allows for the
clear recognition of the soul the innermost self.
Soul, the innermost Self is the Knower and
the Known, the Seer and the Seen, without any duality. Self, being one
without a second, is always the self-knowing. There is no “other” for it to know.
That is why it refers to the soul, the innermost self as the Sahaja or natural. The reference to Sahaja
implies the non-dual nature of the formless soul, the innermost self.
While deep sleep is a
state of complete unconsciousness, Sahaja Samadhi is the state of Full and
Complete Consciousness. Deep sleep and Sahaja Samadhi are the two sides of the
same coin. In a very real and true sense Sahaja Samadhi is the state of
“deep awake”. One is fully asleep to the world of perceptions and fully awake
in the Self, which is non-dual self-awareness.
Sahaja Samadhi cannot
be understood without Self-knowledge or Brahma Gnana or Atma Gnana. But it is not impossible to understand
it. People who speak about Sahaja Samadhi without the knowledge of the true
self can only speculate about its nature. Because such people are confused
about Sahaja Samadhi, their statements create confusion for others.
The experience of
duality can continue to exist and function after Sahaja Samadhi. But for Gnani
all the three states are unrelated, because he has become one with the
witnessing consciousness.
After
Self-Realization, the duality is seen as existing but not separate from the
Self. The Self knows itself even though the duality still exists. The duality
exists as a condition that arises from the soul, the innermost self and then is absorbed back into
it. It is due to the presence of the duality, (until it disappears by death), that Knowledge of the
self can be passed on by the Realized beings to others who seek such knowledge.
