When we start our spiritual journey we are so much engrossed in scriptures, knowledge , doctrines , concepts, guru and so on. Ramana Maharshi used to say always , this is not the right way to go about it. You should be able to see your way out only if you come to your original source the pure self. That should be your only goal. In finding your own way, it is an experiential method rather than an intellectual one. But each person based on conditioning would have his/her own method. It is purely subjective.
Gangaji one the Advantin teacher used to point out this.
[Student]: I’m so happy! I’ve seen Isaac, Vartman and now you!
[Gangaji]: Have you seen your self?
What he was saying was your focus should not be on teachers , the relationship with them, ideas concepts etc. Your only focus should be to find the truth, to experientally find the self and stay there. All other questions, all other doubts pale in comparison to the importance to this central theme. In fact all the talk about spiritual path is just to convince you to embark on this journey. So your progress is determined by how you are going about it.
Nisargadatta Maharaj used to say. The central teaching is just this. Find your "I am" and stay there to find the Absolute. Dont look at anything else.
In the Nisargadatta Gita , Pradeep apte summarizes Maharaj's teachings . He says thus.
"Only the ‘I am’ is certain, it’s impersonal, all knowledge stems from it, it’s the root, hold on to it and let all else go.
Right from the day you came know that ‘you are’ to this day you still know that ‘you are’.
All add-ons have come and gone. They are transient but the fundamental ‘I am’ has remained unchanged and is the only certainty. This ‘I am’ is impersonal, it’s common to everybody and wordless, the moment you came know that ‘you are’ you did not know any words or language, which came later. Based on this non-verbal ‘I am’ you could later on say verbally ‘I am’ in whatever language you were taught."
Your meditation, your activities are all based on this pure feeling of the self. Of course it is not at all easy. But unless you start this journey , there is no point in understanding any concepts. Spirituality is all about practice. Initially it may come with effort, slowly you would ease into it.
One of the key factors that block our path to realize the self is dualistic thoughts. Not all thoughts are dualistic. Any factual thoughts are not harmful. For e.g. anything that you think about with out yourself or any relation is not an issue. It is just a fact and it never clouds your mind. However when we have thoughts which are mainly concerned with the ego, then it tries to see the world and rest of the world and this is getting us far away from the self.
In upanishads there are lot of dialogues between the guru and the disciple which guides the student in the direction. This often uses paradoxical or mystical means to guide the student. This is because the self cannot be known as an object of knowledge, it need to be arrived at through understanding what it is not and what it could be.
In Bṛhad-āraṇyaka upanishad ,Yājñavalkya says
"You cannot see the seer of seeing, you cannot hear the hearer of hearing, you cannot think the thinker of thinking, you cannot understand the understander of understanding. He is your self which is within all things … Thereupon Uṣasta Cākrāyaṇa kept silent. "
What the guru means here is that the self is not a direct thing to perceive. It is something latent in us and is the cause of all , if you can grasp that then only you can reach towards it. By separating the tangible from the subtle, and going to the essence of what is the underlying reality , is the only way of self realization. What the student expects to find as an answer to where we can find the self is a direct answer like "This is a cow" or some such direct thing. What the guru points out is that if you think so it is wrong. You need to probe deeper and deeper.
Gangaji one the Advantin teacher used to point out this.
[Student]: I’m so happy! I’ve seen Isaac, Vartman and now you!
[Gangaji]: Have you seen your self?
What he was saying was your focus should not be on teachers , the relationship with them, ideas concepts etc. Your only focus should be to find the truth, to experientally find the self and stay there. All other questions, all other doubts pale in comparison to the importance to this central theme. In fact all the talk about spiritual path is just to convince you to embark on this journey. So your progress is determined by how you are going about it.
Nisargadatta Maharaj used to say. The central teaching is just this. Find your "I am" and stay there to find the Absolute. Dont look at anything else.
In the Nisargadatta Gita , Pradeep apte summarizes Maharaj's teachings . He says thus.
"Only the ‘I am’ is certain, it’s impersonal, all knowledge stems from it, it’s the root, hold on to it and let all else go.
Right from the day you came know that ‘you are’ to this day you still know that ‘you are’.
All add-ons have come and gone. They are transient but the fundamental ‘I am’ has remained unchanged and is the only certainty. This ‘I am’ is impersonal, it’s common to everybody and wordless, the moment you came know that ‘you are’ you did not know any words or language, which came later. Based on this non-verbal ‘I am’ you could later on say verbally ‘I am’ in whatever language you were taught."
Your meditation, your activities are all based on this pure feeling of the self. Of course it is not at all easy. But unless you start this journey , there is no point in understanding any concepts. Spirituality is all about practice. Initially it may come with effort, slowly you would ease into it.
One of the key factors that block our path to realize the self is dualistic thoughts. Not all thoughts are dualistic. Any factual thoughts are not harmful. For e.g. anything that you think about with out yourself or any relation is not an issue. It is just a fact and it never clouds your mind. However when we have thoughts which are mainly concerned with the ego, then it tries to see the world and rest of the world and this is getting us far away from the self.
In upanishads there are lot of dialogues between the guru and the disciple which guides the student in the direction. This often uses paradoxical or mystical means to guide the student. This is because the self cannot be known as an object of knowledge, it need to be arrived at through understanding what it is not and what it could be.
In Bṛhad-āraṇyaka upanishad ,Yājñavalkya says
"You cannot see the seer of seeing, you cannot hear the hearer of hearing, you cannot think the thinker of thinking, you cannot understand the understander of understanding. He is your self which is within all things … Thereupon Uṣasta Cākrāyaṇa kept silent. "
What the guru means here is that the self is not a direct thing to perceive. It is something latent in us and is the cause of all , if you can grasp that then only you can reach towards it. By separating the tangible from the subtle, and going to the essence of what is the underlying reality , is the only way of self realization. What the student expects to find as an answer to where we can find the self is a direct answer like "This is a cow" or some such direct thing. What the guru points out is that if you think so it is wrong. You need to probe deeper and deeper.
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