Trev Light Bown:
- The Universe is
only illusion from point of view of the observer formless witness. Taking part
in everyday activities is no longer such a serious activity. But the part must
be played out.
There is realisation that the person you thought
is no longer the doer. Action just happens. Can you say more on the doer?
SK:- A Gnani being in the illusion he is not of the
illusion. Doer and doing and the world are all within the duality. With perfect equanimity, even in practical
life within the practical world a Gnani attends all his worldly duties like any
other commoner. He may have sorrows but he is in perfect equanimity because he
is aware of the fact that, the physical awareness is mere illusion created out
of the soul, the innermost self. He is fully aware of the fact that the physical
life started within the illusion and ends within the illusion. In
self-awareness the soul, the innermost self is free from experiencing the form,
time and space in the midst of the duality.
Where is the doer, where is the doing where is the world
when the soul is in awareness of its own formless nondual nature. The doership,
doing and the world belongs to the illusion. Whatever is happening within the
illusion will go on happening the soul the witness of the illusion is
unaffected by the happening within the illusion because it is ever formless. All
the dualistic knowledge is limited to the illusion.
Where is the past? Where is the present and where is the
future? Where is the form? Where is the time? Where is space? For the soul, the
innermost self, which is ever formless?
A Gnani acts and reacts as a commoner in the practical
life within the practical world with a perfect equanimity of both in illusion
or reality.
On
page 482: On Gnani: "The knower of Brahman wears no signs. Gives up the
insignia of a monk's life…his signs are not manifest, nor his
behavior." When the knower of
Brahman wears no signs it means he remains as commoner does not identify
himself as wise man and others are less wise.
The
man who claims to be a Gnani but must advertise it by wearing a monks robe, or sitting in a cave, or remains nude,
is thereby proving that he is thinking of the body, is attached to it; he is not
a true Gnani. The latter has no need to
distinguish himself when he knows all is One. All Those distinctions mentioned
are for religious guru or yogi.
The
Gnani will feel that millions are suffering in the world, but simultaneously he
will also know that they identify themselves wrongly with their finite selves.
He will understand his limitation through being in the realm of form, time and space
and knows that he cannot help them all, so he will do whatever it is possible
for him to do. He will make use of his body to whatever extent it is possible
in helping others, but admittedly he can relieve only a tiny fraction of
humanity.
Both Gnani and ignorant see the
multiplicity, but Gnani does not take the differences which he sees as being
real. That is the difference between them. The Gnani sees the unity behind the
differences and considers the welfare of all others as his own. A true Gnani can never renounce anything. It
is impossible. He has only renounced the idea of a separation.
Gnanis are one in millions for they
have ignored the opinions of whole peoples in their independent search of
truth, and questioned all beliefs, all scriptures, all authorities, until they
could be proved to be true.
Even the arguments that religions have been
followed since time immemorial makes no difference to them, because if people
have believed a false thing over thousands of years, the length of time does
not prove it true.
The Gnani’s position is that if
enjoyment comes, he accepts it; if it does not, he keeps quiet. Even when he is
taking pleasures, however, he is not deluded by them and he regards them as a
game of life since he knows their unreality: he does not take them seriously.
Clouds do not affect the sky, although they appear to; so the pleasures do not
change the Gnani.
The Gnani will follow whatever
occupation he wishes according to circumstances. There are no prohibitions for
him. He may be a barber or a billionaire.
