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Friday, May 20, 2011

Real Happiness !



Seeker :  What is Real Happiness?
Master :  Real Happiness is not that happiness which you get when you achieve something. The mind has cast a shadow over the real ‘you’, the nature of which is happiness. When the mind falls – then what is behind the mind – that Truth manifests. And when that happens, it is real happiness. Suppose you have an aim, a desire to achieve something or to own something. And when you actually achieve it – then the mind, that was thriving only on that desire – falls for some moments since the desire has been fulfilled. And in those few moments of no-mind, you experience emptiness and you call this as happiness or bliss. All happiness you have ever experienced is only because of the mind getting empty, because of the no mind state, because of the lifting of the shadow of the mind.

But you get the notion that ‘because’ the target was completed – you got happiness. Because you got what you desired – you got happiness. Because of this false notion, desire for newer and more things increase. But, anything that gives you lots of happiness today, does not give you the same amount of happiness later. After some time, happiness diminishes. It ends. Real happiness, which is your nature, is shadowed by the mind. When that is experienced, it being your nature, is not dependant on external situations. This is “bright” happiness (Tej Anand) which never diminishes.

Seeker :  What then is “Bright” Happiness?
Master :  That bliss that is beyond happiness and sorrow… beyond polarities for which there is no opposite. To cite an example, the opposite of ‘success’ is ‘failure’. Similarly: hot – cold, up – down, love – hate etc. – these words are interrelated. But what is beyond both opposites is ‘bright’. What is beyond love and hate is ‘bright’ love. This is beyond happiness and grief. There is no opposite to “bright” happiness. When you come to know of that “one” then, you are liberated from dualism.

Seeker :  Why is man unhappy?
Master :  Because of double unhappiness.

Seeker :  What is double unhappiness?
Master :  You are troubled by something. The body is under pain – this is first unhappiness. But on that unhappiness the mind becomes unhappy, Why does this exist? Why me? Why not others? When would this pain go away? … Then the unhappiness of the body increases ten times over. The body was in pain. The body was curing it too. Nature on its own was curing the pain. But the thorn of the mind made it “my pain”, “my unhappiness”.

Seeker :  Does this mean we should not be unhappy?
Master :  This means unhappiness over unhappiness should not be there.

Seeker :  What does this mean?
Master :  This means that the comparing mind (contrast mind) that raises its head and defines the state of unhappiness shouldn’t be there.

Seeker :  I didn’t understand…
Master :  Understand it like this. You got angry. It does not trouble you as such. Children get angry and the very next second, they are peacefully playing. But you are thinking as to “Why did I anger?” Even after the incident has occurred, what is being thought over it for hours together… that gives you trouble. So you get angry over anger and this troubles the mind. The more your understanding increases, you are rid of this double unhappiness.

Seeker :  That means unhappiness alone cannot trouble us?
Master :  Absolutely correct.

Seeker :  How is that?
Master :  When unhappiness is not acceptable, then double unhappiness begins i.e. unhappiness over unhappiness as to Why I am unhappy? But when there is acceptance of this unhappiness, then unhappiness on that unhappiness doesn’t happen. Depression on depression doesn’t occur. And then this understanding will occur that, it is only “non-acceptance” that is unhappiness and only acceptance is happiness.

Tuesday, May 17, 2011

Is the Truth Bitter or Sweet?


People say many things. If people knew the truth, then whatever is happening in the world today, would that be happening? People do not know the truth. They call information of external things and general knowledge as the truth. The truth gives joy at the beginning, at the mid and at the end. This means it always gives happiness. It is beautiful and sweet. Taste it from anywhere. It is always sweet and never bitter. If truth seems to be bitter, then one should check his tongue to see if there is something bitter on his tongue. If someone is told, “You are a fool… you are fat… you are ugly…”, then this person feels bad. People think that perhaps he found this truth to be bitter. But actually it was not the truth, but the information about his body-mind that he felt bad about. His true self is beyond the body-mind. The truth (the ultimate truth) is beyond the body-mind. But people consider the truth and information to be one and the same.

The ones who coined the statement, “Truth is God, truth is sweet and conducive to wellbeing of all,” had experienced the truth. Those who said that truth is bitter had misunderstood information and general knowledge to be the truth.

Monday, May 9, 2011

Whats your address ?

Once, a disciple of Saint Ramakrishna Paramhansa asked him, ‘You always speak to Goddess Kali. Can you request Her to visit my home so that I can be graced by Her divine sight?’ Ramakrishna replied, ‘Give me your address and I shall certainly send Her to you.’ The disciple gave his residential address and left happily. He thought, ‘Goddess Kali will come to my home, now I need not attend any spiritual discourses.’ Many days passed but Goddess Kali did not appear. The disciple was sure that Ramakrishna, being a great saint, could not have lied. Therefore he again approached Ramakrishna. Ramakrishna said, ‘You have provided the address of your house instead of your address. What is your address?’ The disciple then handed over his office address thinking that he was present in his office for most of the day. He could not grasp the significance of Ramakrishna’s question. There is no end to what ignorance can make you do! Having given his office address, the disciple would wait at his office premises for Goddess Kali to appear!

People waste their entire lifetime waiting for God at the wrong places. They keep searching everywhere except the fountainhead of Truth. You ought to reach the state where the individual ‘I’ ends. This is the very state from where everything begins, the original state of Being—Self. The realization of what you essentially are and your true Self’s address is Self–Realization. If one believes this address to be that of the physical body, then he is lost in delusion. Being established there is Self–Stabilization. This is always living in the state of self-realization. This is not the one off experience. If it is so, then it is just the beginning. 
On attaining Self–Stabilization, there will be a transformation in the way you deal with the world. This transformation could be visible at the bodily level (the instrument for Self Expression) too.
On attaining Self–Stabilization at the age of thirty-five, the Buddha continued to spread the message till the ripe age of eighty. This is self–expression where his body was used by the self to express itself after attaining Self–Stabilization. Thus Self–Stabilization and self–expression are the ultimate goals.

Tuesday, May 3, 2011

Liberation from False Notions

One on One with Oneness

Seeker :  How to attain God?
Master :  When all false notions about yourself get broken – you attain Him.

Seeker :  What do you mean by false concepts and notions?
Master :  Those that are mere beliefs – which have been merely accepted at face value. Suppose, I start believing that if certain targets are achieved in my life – only then I am successful, then I have a ‘false concept’ of success. Because people have told me that such an achievement alone is what consists of success. Now, if something like that doesn’t happen in my life, then I will believe that I am a failure, because the world calls it a failure. This means that I have to be unhappy or happy depending on these beliefs and concepts of others, whereas real happiness is something totally different.

Seeker :  How can I obtain liberation from notions, beliefs and false concepts?
Master :  Only by understanding. The moment these notions come under the light of understanding, they dissolve. The meaning of the word ‘notion’ is something that does not exist – but is merely a belief, an idea.

Seeker :  What are the various false concepts of people?
Master :  People have false notion of life and death. The notion of how to live, how to wear clothes, the notion of good and bad, the notion of fasting and penance, the notion of religion and cults, some false concepts about God, etc. These are some minor notions.

Seeker :  Then, what is the most major notion, the most important one?
Master :  The biggest notion is that of yourself and about your body.

Seeker :  How?
Master :  You consider yourself to be the body even though in conversation you say that ‘this is my body’. When you say ‘my body’ – then how can you be the body?

Seeker :  That means I am not the body!
Master :  Definitely not.