Jnani

CONVERSATIONS WITH ANNAMALAI SWAMI

AS: Nothing can cause bondage for the jnani because his mind is dead. In the absence of a mind he knows himself only as consciousness. Because the mind is dead, he is no longer able to identify himself with the body. But even though he knows that he is not the body, it is a fact that the body is still alive. That body will continue to live, and the jnani will continue to be aware of it, until its own karma is exhausted.

Because the jnani is still aware of the body, he will also be aware of the thoughts and vasanas that arise in that body. None of these vasanas has the power to cause bondage for him because he never identifies with them, but they 
do have the power to make the body behave in certain ways.

The body of the jnani enjoys and experiences these vasanas although the jnani himself is not affected by them. That is why it is sometimes said that for the jnani there are bhoga vasanas but no bhanda vasanas. (Vasanas that are enjoyable but not binding).

Living by the Words of Bhagavan

Devotion

Sri Ramakrishna: “It is enough for a man to pray to Him, alone in solitude, weeping, '0 God, reveal Yourself to me as You are.' 

God is both inside and outside. It is He who dwells inside us. Therefore the Vedas say, Tat tvam asi - That thou art.' God is also outside us. He appears manifold through maya; but in reality He alone exists. 

Therefore before describing the various names and forms of God, one should say, “Om Tat Sat- Om, That alone is Truth.''

It is one thing to learn about God from the scriptures, and quite another to see Him. The scriptures only give hints. Therefore to read a great many scriptures is not necessary. It is much better to pray to God in solitude. 

It isn't necessary to read all of the Glta. One can get the essence of the Gita by repeating the word ten times. It becomes reversed and is then ‘tagi’ The essence of the book is: '0 man, renounce everything and worship God.'”

The Master went into an ecstatic mood while watching the evening worship of Kali in the company of the devotees. He was in no condition even 
to salute the image. Very carefully he returned to his room with the devotees and sat down; he was still in an ecstatic mood. He spoke to them while in that state.

- The Gospel of Sri Ramakrishna

Be still

CONVERSATIONS WITH ANNAMALAI SWAMI

Q: Bhagavan often told devotees to 'Be still'. Did he mean 
‘Be mentally still'? 

AS: Bhagavan's famous instruction ‘summa iru' [be still] is often misunderstood. It does not mean that you should be physically still; it means that you should always abide in the Self. 

If there is too much physical stillness, tamoguna [a state of mental torpor] arises and predominates. In that state you will feel very sleepy and mentally dull. Rajoguna [a state of excessive mental activity], on the other hand, produces emotions and a mind which is restless. 

In sattva guna [a state of mental quietness and clarity] there is stillness and harmony. If mental activity is necessary while one is in sattva guna it takes place. But for the rest of the time there is stillness. When tamoguna and rajoguna predominate, the Self cannot be felt. 

If sattvaguna predominates one experiences bliss, clarity and an absence of wandering thoughts. That is the stillness that Bhagavan was prescribing.

- LWB

Quotes

Self

Having realized the One Self, and that there is nothing outside of It, one knows that the image one has worshipped is THAT in a particular form.

Having found Reality, one perceives it in this particular guise: the deity I adored is none other than the One Self, the Brahman - there is no second.

Thus, the One is the Lord I worshipped.

When one has dived into the depth of the sea, water is known to be He in one form. The aspirant who advances along the path of bhakti will, when he has attained to the vision of his Master, become a true servant. The methods of ‘not this, not this’ and ‘this is Thou, this is Thou’ lead to the One Goal.

- Anandamayi Ma

Pain

D: People practicing meditation etc., are said to get new diseases; at any rate, I feel some pain in the back and front of the chest. This is stated to be a test by God. 

Will Bhagavan explain this and say if it is true?

B: There is no Bhagavan outside you and no test is therefore instituted. What you believe to be a test or a new disease resulting from spiritual practices is really the strain that is now brought to play upon your nerves and the five senses. 

The mind which was hitherto operating through the nadis to sense external objects and thus maintaining a link between itself and the organs of perception is now required to withdraw from the link and this action of withdrawal naturally causes a strain, a sprain or a snap attendant with pain, which people term disease and perhaps tests by God. 

All these would go, if you would but continue your meditation bestowing your thought solely on understanding your Self or on Self-realization. 

There is no greater remedy than this continuous yoga or union with God or Atman. There cannot but be pain as a result of your discarding your long acquired vasanas.

D: Hatha Yogic practices are said to banish diseases effectively and are therefore advocated as necessary preliminaries to Jnana Yoga.

B: Let those who advocate them use them. It has not been the experience here. All diseases would be effectively annihilated by continuous Self-enquiry.

- Crumbs from His Table

Goal of life

Swami Chinmayananda

A human life is a rare and invaluable gift — for a human embodiment is only one among eighty-four lakh possible embodiments of life on earth. As such, it is not to be wasted in suffering from egoism, selfishness, fears, anxieties, desires, and cravings — or any other passing unrealities.

The spiritual seeker, who has had enough of the outside world, will not waste his time on the trifles of the day, but will seek the eternal truth within. This is the serious business of life. All other things are secondary. Making a living is necessary, but it is not the purpose of life. If making a living is meant for life — then what is “life” meant for? Can there be anything which is more lasting in value and purpose than realizing the Self, the reality, and transcending all pain and discontent? This moment, this concept, this truth, is the most tremendous truth of life