Life

I had quite an interesting day today. I received approximately fifteen phone calls from people all over the place. My door bell rang about ten times. The dog was barking and biting everyone who comes in. My daughter was playing the stereo at full blast. And yet my body responded the way it's supposed to. But I had absolutely nothing to do with it. It didn't affect me, the Self, one iota. Yet my body did what it had to do, took care of the calls and answered the door, quieted the dog, turned down the stereo, but I had absolutely nothing to do with it.

I'm bringing this point up to show you that you can be in the most horrendous situations and be at peace. It doesn't matter what you're going through, even death. It makes no difference. The real you has absolutely nothing to do with it. You are free from the whole thing. There may be wars all around you, people fighting and stabbing each other, people quiet and peaceful. Look at both those situations the same way, with even mindedness. Do not react to anything. Do not allow your mind to go out and respond. Do not think past your nose. Your body is going to do whatever it has to do, but you are not your body. Anything that you respond to is a product of your mind. It is your mind that becomes angry. It is your mind that becomes stubborn. It is your mind that wants to get even. It is your mind that is hurt. But if you subdue your mind, tell me, where is the anger? Where is the depression? Where is the response to conditions? There isn't any. When the mind is subdued there is only eternal peace and that peace is the Self, consciousness.

Consciousness is always peaceful, always happy. It has nothing to do with conditions. All conditioning comes from the mind. Therefore I say to you, do not try to change conditions. Do not try to change situations. Simply learn how to control the mind by making it passive and quiet, and then you will find that things turn out better for you than you can possibly ever hope for. There are no problems. There is nothing wrong. Everything is unfolding as it should. Everything happens in its own time. Space and time are illusions. They really do not exist. They're stationary. Causation does not exist either. No thing has a cause therefore no thing has an effect. Cause and effect are again products of your own mind. When the mind is quiet, karma ceases, samskaras are non-existent. There never was a cause for anything.

Sri Robert Adams

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कृष्ण

हंसते हुए धर्म के प्रतीक हैं कृष्ण :

कृष्ण का व्यक्तित्व बहुत अनूठा है। अनूठेपन की पहली बात यह है कि कृष्ण हुए तो अतीत में, लेकिन हैं भविष्य के। कृष्ण मनुष्य की समझ से बाहर हैं। भविष्य में ही यह संभव हो पाएगा कि कृष्ण को हम समझ पाएं। इसके कुछ कारण हैं।

सबसे बड़ा कारण तो यह है कि कृष्ण अकेले ऐसे व्यक्ति हैं, जो धर्म की ऊंचाइयों पर होकर भी गंभीर नहीं हैं, उदास नहीं हैं, रोते हुए नहीं हैं। साधारणत: संत का लक्षण ही रोता हुआ होना है। जिंदगी से उदास, हारा हुआ, भागा हुआ। कृष्ण अकेले ही नाचते हुए व्यक्ति हैं, हंसते हुए, गीत गाते हुए।

कृष्ण अकेले इस समग्र जीवन को पूरा ही स्वीकार कर लेते हैं। इसलिए इस देश ने और सभी अवतारों को आंशिक अवतार कहा है, कृष्ण को पूर्ण अवतार कहा है। राम भी अंश ही हैं परमात्मा के, लेकिन कृष्ण पूरे ही परमात्मा हैं।

राम के जीवन को हम चरित्र कहते हैं। राम बड़े गंभीर हैं। उनकी जीवन लीला नहीं है, चरित्र ही है। लेकिन कृष्ण गंभीर नहीं है। कृष्ण का चरित्र नहीं है वह, कृष्ण की लीला है। राम मर्यादाओं से बंधे हुए व्यक्ति हैं, मर्यादाओं के बाहर वे एक कदम न बढ़ेंगे। कृष्ण के जीवन में मर्यादा जैसी कोई चीज ही नहीं है। अमर्यादा। पूर्ण स्वतंत्र।

कृष्ण को समझना बड़ा कठिन है। आसान है यह समझना कि एक आदमी संसार को छोड़कर चला जाए और शांत हो जाए। कठिन है इस बात को समझना कि संसार के संघर्ष में, बीच में खड़ा होकर और शांत हो। आसान है यह बात समझनी कि आदमी विरक्त हो जाए और उसमें पवित्रता का जन्म हो। कठिन है यह बात समझनी कि जीवन के सारे उपद्रव के बीच, जीवन के सारे धूल-धवांस के कोहरे और आंधियों में खड़ा हुआ दिया हिलता न हो, उसकी लौ कांपती न हो।

कृष्ण को जिन्होंने पूजा है, उन्होंने भी कृष्ण के टुकड़े-टुकड़े करके किया है। सूरदास के कृष्ण बच्चे से बड़े नहीं हो पाते। कोई है, जो कृष्ण के एक रूप को चुन लेगा; कोई है, जो दूसरे को चुन लेगा। गीता को प्रेम करनेवाले भागवत की उपेक्षा कर जाएंगे, क्योंकि भागवत का कृष्ण और ही है। भागवत को प्रेम करनेवाले गीता की चर्चा में पड़ेंगे, क्योंकि कहां राग-रंग और कहां रास और कहां युद्ध का मैदान! उनके बीच ताल-मेल नहीं है। शायद कृष्ण से बड़े विरोधों को एक-साथ पी लेनेवाला कोई व्यक्तित्व ही नहीं है। इसलिए कृष्ण की एक-एक शक्ल को लोगों ने पकड़ लिया है। जो जिसे प्रीतिकर लगी है, उसे छांट लिया है।

हमने कृष्ण के उन हिस्सों का इनकार किया, जो काम की स्वीकृति है। लेकिन अब यह संभव हो जाएगा, क्योंकि अब हमें दिखाई पड़ना शुरू हुआ है कि काम की ऊर्जा, वह जो 'सेक्स एनर्जी' है, वह ऊर्ध्वगमन करके ब्रह्मचर्य के उच्चतम शिखरों को छू पाती है। जीवन में किसी से भागना नहीं है और जीवन में किसी को छोड़ना नहीं है, जीवन को पूरा ही स्वीकार करके जीना है। उसको जो समग्रता से जीता है, वह जीवन की पूर्णता को उपलब्ध होता है। इसलिए मैं कहता हूं कि भविष्य के संदर्भ में कृष्ण का बहुत मूल्य है और हमारा वर्तमान रोज उस भविष्य के करीब पहुंचता है, जहां कृष्ण की प्रतिमा निखरती जाएगी और एक हंसता हुआ धर्म, एक नाचता हुआ धर्म जल्दी निर्मित होगा।

��ओशो��

Ego

THE EGO IS A POWERFUL ELEPHANT

D: How is the Guru found?

M: God, who is immanent, in His grace takes pity on
the loving devotee and manifests Himself according
to the devotee’s development. The devotee thinks
that He is a man and expects a relationship as
between two physical bodies. But the Guru, who is
God or the Self incarnate, works from within, helps
the man to see the error of his ways and guides him
in the right path until he realizes the Self within.

D: What should the devotee do then?

M: He has only to act up to the words of the Master
and work within. The Master is both ‘within’ and
‘without’, so He creates conditions to drive you
inward and at the same time prepares the ‘interior’
to drag you to the Centre. Thus He gives a push
from ‘without’ and exerts a pull from ‘within’, so
that you may be fixed at the Centre.

You think that the world can be conquered by your own
efforts. When you are frustrated externally and are
driven inwards, you feel ‘Oh! there is a Power higher
than man!’

The ego is like a very powerful elephant which cannot be
brought under control by any less powerful than a
lion, which, in this instance, is no other than the
Guru, whose very look makes the elephant-like ego
tremble and die.

You will know in due course that your glory lies where
you cease to exist. In order to gain that state, you
should surrender yourself. Then the Master sees that
you are in a fit state to receive guidance, and He
guides you.

D: How can the silence of the Guru, who gives no
initiation nor does any other tangible act, be more
powerful than His word etc.? How is such silence
better than the study of scriptures?

M: Silence is the most potent form of work. However
vast and emphatic the scriptures may be, they fail in
their effect. The Guru is quiet and Grace prevails in
all. This silence is vaster and more emphatic
than all the scriptures put together.

D: But can the devotee obtain happiness?

M: The devotee surrenders himself to the Master and it
means that there is no vestige of individuality retained
by him. If the surrender is complete, all sense of self
is lost, and then there can be no misery or sorrow.
The eternal Being is nothing but happiness. That comes
as a revelation.

From Maharshi’s Gospel

Realization

When Realization dawns, then what happens?
You are no longer 'you'.
You remain established in the inner silence and freedom without any concern for your welfare, content with whatever comes along -- and life goes on in perfect effortlessness.

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When you see, that you have no control over the results, you stop worrying about the results and concentrate on the work that is being done.

Ramesh Balsekar
29th December

Vision of god

TEACHINGS OF SHANKARACHARYA SWAMI BRAHMANANDA SARASWATI

You desire to live a worldly life because you have not yet had a vision darshan of God: one should live instead for that experience-

When seeds are roasted there is no chance for them to sprout later. Similarly, when the human mind is roasted in the fire of knowledge and devotion, then there is no chance to return and germinate anew in the cycle of life and death. Therefore, try to become a devotee and knower, jnanavan.

But don't become that type of knower who mutters, “Sivo'ham, Sivo ‘ham, om, om, and Aham brahmasmi, "I am Siva. I am Brahman,” and yet retains love samsara in wealth, women, progeny, and so on. Such superficial knowledge produces more harm than benefit. 

When people call themselves Brahman yet stray from dharma and karma, they lack sufficient strength to remain in that state. Hence, as long as you are not free from the love of worldly objects, do not fall into  the trap of “Brahman,” but instead, develop devotion to God When you practice devotion for a long time, greater desire, raga for Bhagavan will dawn, releasing you from the cycle of birth and death.

I work

The feeling 'I work' is the hindrance...
Ask yourself 'who works?'
What is destined to happen will happen...
If you are destined not to work,
work cannot be had even if you hunt for it;
if you are destined to work,
you will not be able to avoid it;
you will be forced to engage yourself in it..
So leave it to the Higher Power;
you cannot renounce or
retain as you choose...
Maharishi's Gospel... p...4..
Ramana Maharshi

Silence

Sri Bhagavan: The silence of solitude is forced. Restrained speech in society amounts to silence. For the man then controls his speech. The speaker must come forth before he speaks. If engaged otherwise speech is restrained. Introverted mind is otherwise active and is not anxious to speak.
Mouna(Silence) as a disciplinary measure is meant for limiting the mental activities due to speech. If the mind is otherwise controlled disciplinary mouna is unnecessary. For mouna becomes natural.
Vidyaranya has said that twelve years’ forced mouna brings about absolute mouna - that is, makes one unable to speak. It is more like a mute animal than otherwise. That is not mouna.
Mouna is constant speech. Inactivity is constant activity. ~Talks with Sri Ramana Maharshi

Realization

Spiritual science says there are six symptoms of Realization.

I never said neglect your food-body. This is the media through which you can identify yourself. There are so many concepts from childhood till today: ‘I am born’, ‘I am a man or woman’, so many concepts are there, social concepts, religious concepts. And within this circle we are living our life. After perfectly identifying (yourself) there will be dramatic changes within you, called signs of Realization. Spiritual science says there are six symptoms of Realization.

There is the question: ‘How can I identify whether I’m Realized or not? What is the sign of Realization, what is the sign of Enlightenment?’ After having Conviction, after absorbing the knowledge of Reality, some changes are taking place.

*‘Shama’ means to forgive and forget. Petty matters are giving irritation. After having the Conviction you’ll be calm and quiet, just like Gautama Buddha or Jesus Christ, you know them? There’s no irritation. ‘Shama’ means forgive and forget. If anything happens against your mind, you’re not getting irritated, no anger is there.

*‘Dama’ means tolerance or patience. Tolerance comes spontaneously within you. Where petty matters would irritate us, there may be some violence inside, patience will appear. You will feel it. If any incidents happen against your mind, you’re not getting irritation. There’s tolerance, patience,

*‘Titiksha’ means just to know the Reality, anxious to know the Reality: who am I?

*‘Uparati’ means there is no attraction of the world. There are so many attractions to the world: publicity, money, sex, there are so many attractions to the world. No greediness, no attraction to the world. You’re living in the world, but there’s complete calm and quiet.

*'Bhakti’ means devotion, total devotion. After knowing the Reality there is total devotion.

*‘Shraddha’ means full trust and faith.

These are the six symptoms given in spiritual science. You can measure yourself. And after having the Spontaneous Conviction about the Reality, these changes are taking place. What you are prior to beingness, how you will be after leaving the body, at that time there was no anger, nothing is there. And these symptoms will appear spontaneously within you. You’ll be calm and quiet.

Sri Ramakant Maharaj

Silence

Silence is never-ending speech. Vocal speech obstructs the other speech of silence. In silence one is in intimate contact with the surroundings. Language is only a medium for communicating one's thoughts to another. Silence is ever speaking.

― Ramana Maharshi

(photo: Golden Ears Provincial Park, British Columbia, by Lizzy Gadd)

consciousness

When you do not know what is good for yourself, how can you know what is good for others?”

Question: When we talk of helping humanity, we mean a struggle against disorder and suffering.

Maharaj: You merely talk of helping. Have you ever helped, really helped, a single man? Have you ever put one soul beyond the need of further help? Can you give a man character, based on full realization of his duties and opportunities at least, if not on the insight into his true being?

When you do not know what is good for yourself, how can you know what is good for others?

Q: The adequate supply of means of livelihood is good for all. You may be God himself, but you need a well-fed body to talk to us.

M: It is you that need my body to talk to you.I am not my body, nor do I need it. I am the witness only. I have no shape of my own.

You are so accustomed to think of yourselves as bodies having consciousness that you just cannot imagine consciousness as having bodies. Once you realize that bodily existence is but a state of mind, a movement in consciousness, that the ocean of consciousness is infinite and eternal, and that, when in touch with consciousness, you are the witness only, you will be able to withdraw beyond consciousness altogether.

— Sri Nisargadatta Maharaj, from I Am That, Chapter 68: Seek the Source of Consciousness .

(photo: Buddhist novice in temple, Myanmar by Sasin Tipchai)

Surrender

Being completely absorbed in ātma-niṣṭhā [self-abidance], giving not even the slightest room to the rising of any thought other than ātma-cintanā [thought of oneself or self-attentiveness], alone is giving oneself to God. Even though we place whatever amount of burden upon God, that entire amount he will bear. Since one paramēśvara śakti [supreme ruling power or power of God] is driving all activities [everything that happens in this world], instead of yielding to it why should we always think, ‘it is necessary to act in this way; it is necessary to act in that way’? Though we know that the train is going bearing all the burdens, why should we who go travelling in it suffer bearing our small luggage on our head instead of remaining happily leaving it placed on that [train]?

Ramana