Truth cannot be told in words

Seeker: If Truth cannot be told in words, then how can one attain it and embody it in one’s life?

Sirshree: The answer to this is that even though it cannot be said in words, it can be pointed out to. All great saints have done so, be it the Buddha, or Guru Nanak or Jesus Christ or Ramakrishna Paramhansa or Ramana Maharishi or Kabir or Gyaneshwar. All these saints knew that “the truth cannot be expressed in words, it can only be indicated to… signalled out… pointers can be given.” This is UNTOLD TRUTH.

Be it the Gita, the Bible or the Koran, all books mean the same and talk of the same truth.

If the truth is pointed out to the one who is “thirsty”, who is a seeker, who has the desire, who wants to be spiritual, who is free of deceit, who is ready to listen, who has the eligibility, then that indication would be enough for such a person and he will experience the bliss of truth. It is only for such people that indications were made. But others misunderstood and they made meanings of their own. Be it the Gita, the Bible or the Koran, all books mean the same and talk of the same truth. A saint who has lived this experience of the truth has pointed out – “Whether you read the Gita or the Koran – liberation from ‘you’ and ‘me’ is the truth in all these sacred books.“

When the indication has been made, and if the seeker is still mired in his own imagination, then he will not grasp what is indicated, because many a time even the unreal appears real. Fake jewellery shines more than real jewellery, the photograph of a child seems better in comparison to the real child itself. “Reality” is there right in front of your eyes, yet, what is fake attracts us more because we are used to giving importance to the fake rather than the reality. If the seeker does not have the real understanding, then he would give more importance to the false things. When the truth is being pointed out, what is erroneously being grasped is the pointing finger, rather than the truth.

A father is writing in red ink. Some ink spills over his fingers. His son, just then, asks him, “Daddy, how does green colour look like?” The father runs his eyes around the room and his eyes locate a green object. “Look at that,” the father says pointing out with his finger, “that is green colour.” But the son looks at the red colour staining the pointing finger and says, “I got it.” You know what he has actually understood.

What am I?

Number five has a special significance in spirituality the five elements (Panchmahabhoota), the five bodies (Panchsharir), the five rules of the Buddha (Panchsheel), the five precepts of Aurveda (Panchkarma),  etc.

However there is one set of fives that denotes a unique spiritual phenomenon that very few are aware of the five qualities of the Self. Lot of significance has been attached to the questions Who am I and Why am I? But the question What am I? is oft ignored. What is my inner core made up of? What are the qualities of the Self? What is at the essence of my being? What are the five core values of a human being? And the answer will be five qualities or values. These are creation, realization, satisfaction, devotion and discrimination. To make it simpler, you can substitute these five qualities with the verbs Expressing, Being, Enjoying, Loving and Knowing.

The five qualities of the Self

Why only these? You can use an micro or macro approach and will arrive at the same set of five whatever approach you take. Macrocosmically, examine what is being human all about. What differentiates us from animals? Man is considered to be the highest manifestation. What makes him highly evolved are five things that only humans are capable of, not any other animal. Only man is endowed with higher abilities to create and express as manifested in art, to meditate and inquire as manifested in self realization, to love and devote as opposed to merely lust, to be happy and blissful as manifested in laughter, to discriminate and know the difference between what is real and unreal as manifested in developed cognition and conscience.  Microcosmically, when you meditate on Who am I and are established on the inner Self, you are left with only these five values. You experience creativity, peace, happiness, love and truth emanating from your inner core and reverberating in the universe. You do not even require enlightenment to experience it. Ask yourself whether at your core, arent the values of creativity, peace, happiness, love and truth that exist? Take any list of values in a value education class and you can distill them to these fiveno more or no less.

Thus both from a macro and micro point of view, you are left with these five essences. Let us examine each of them to understand the qualities of Self or the nature of Godhead:

Creation (Abhivyakti) : Creation is the physical manifestation of ideas and thoughts. At the core of the universe is creation. The Self in Rest created the universe, the Self in Action to know itself. Shiva created Shakti. Creation also denotes self expression.

Realization (Mouna): Why did creation take place? So that the Self can realize itself.  So that the silence can be realized. At the core of everything created is silence, peace. The purpose of human birth is to realize oneself. The body-mind has been given for the Self to realize itself. The body-mind can never realize the Self. Self realizes itself through the body-mind

Enjoyment (Anand) : The Self realizes itself to be established in bliss. A mere body-mind is enough for the Self to realize itself. But what is unique about humans is that the individual someone who thinks of himself as separate also gets created. And when the individual surrenders to the Self, bliss manifests. God created individuality to experience the happiness of coming back (realizing) to Himself. This happiness is possible only when there is forgetfulness, when there is separation. Thus the significance of the individual. Realization leads to bliss.

Love (Prem): To realize oneself and be established in the Self, the body-mind has to surrender to the Self. You can call this as devotion (bhakti). Devotion arises out of duality. I am separate from God. The individual is separate from the Self. So now the individual surrenders to the Self through bhakti a higher form of love. Where the body-mind appreciates and is in amazement of the Self.  Bhakti leads to realization. On realization, a higher form of love manifests. Love of the Self for its creation. Pure love. Love of the Truth for the Truth.

Discrimination (Satya): On realization, you are stabilized on the truth. There is a clear distinction between what is real and what is unreal.  Only knowing remains. Knowing of the truth. To attain realization too, discrimination of what is the truth and what is not the truth is critical. Only human beings can discriminate between real and unreal. There are only two paths to realization one is that of Surrendering (bhakti). The other is that of discrimination (vivek) where there is a constant enquiry of what is real, what is unreal.

These five qualities shall emanate effortlessly from the one who is realized. Others can practice some simple steps that can enhance these five qualities in their life. Take up a vocation or a hobby where you are fully self expressed where you do not have a sense of time as you create. Mediate to have glimpses of realization. Carry happy thoughts and take time to smell the flowers as you enjoy the process of whatever you do. Be open to the love that exists in relationships. And practice self enquiry to discriminate between what is real and what is unreal.

Open your eyes and watch how all nature, how all that you do is a manifestation of these qualities. How these are the core values. Marvel at the question, What am I?

Spiritual Transformation and beyond 12 steps

The road to spiritual transformation is a 12 step path and there are 12 states that are progressively experienced. We will learn 12 steps in this article and 12 states in the next one.

The 12 steps

Illustration: "Stairway to Heaven" by Jim Warren

The mind of the seeker can aid or can abort his spiritual progress. There are 12 steps that a seeker progresses through. The mind can get stuck at any 1 step. The mind ought to be given the understanding that it has to keep progressing up the steps.

Step 1 : What?

As a child grows, the child starts asking the question, What?. What is this? What is that? It wants to explore everything. So, the first step is the question that the child poses to the world what?

Step 2 : How?

As the child starts to learn new words and starts to make meaning, then the word what slowly starts losing significance. The second step enfolds. The child starts to ask the question, How?. How does this work? How does that work? He asks everyone the question how. Children nowadays know the answer to the question how fairly early. They can operate computers and mobile phones at a very early age.

Step 3 : Why?

The third question is a critical junction. The child starts asking, why? Parents are now in a fix. The child asks, why did someone die? Parents can at most explain that he died out of sickness. The child then asks, but why do human beings die at all? Parents may be dumbstruck. They tell the child not to ask a why for everything. The child asks why shouldn’t I?

Step 4 : I know

When the answer to why is suppressed, many children erroneously form conclusions and stop at Step 4. They have got a few readymade answers to the question why. They have received some basic kindergarten answers to the most profound questions of life. The child, now a youth, starts to imagine that he knows it all.

Step 5 : I dont know

At this step, the youth listens to a discourse. Maybe reads a book. And then it hits him (or her) that I don’t know. However, many do not even progress to this step. Now at least he knows that he doesn’t know. This is very fortunate that he has received the first gem of wisdom that he is not wise at all.

Step 6 : I am in KG

The youth then starts understanding various concepts of spirituality. He starts understanding about concepts such as karma, heaven and hell, liberation, etc. He assimilates all answers, but there is a vacuum somewhere. He wants to know more. He wants the final answer. He realizes that all that he knows is either GK or KG. General Knowledge or mere knowledge of KinderGarten spirituality. Now he is a bit wiser. The answers he has received are not wrong. They have their own place. But they are still correct to the extent of Kindergarten spirituality only. The thirst for the final answer begins to arise.

Step 7 : I want to know.

In this step, he has become a seeker. Now the thirst to know the final answer deepens. He yearns to know the truth. A thought occurs that I want to be liberated from all thoughts. This is a happy thought. He has now progressed through steps such as, I don’t know, I may not know and is now at I must know.

Step 8 : I have knowledge

At this step, he now understands the truth intellectually. He intellectually knows what is the meaning of duality, non duality, Self at Rest, Self in Action, etc. At this transformational step, he derives happiness by intellectually knowing and understanding the truth.

Step 9 : I am knowledge

At this step, the seeker understands that what he is, is nothing but knowledge itself. Now he has progressed from intellectually knowing and saying that I have knowledge to I am knowledge. He understands that there is no one else to know. There is no individual who will be left to know the knowledge. Knowledge is. Experience is. Experience is experiencing experience through experience in experience. At this step in the transformation of the seeker, the seeker and the sought are no longer separate. The knowledge seeker and the knowledge sought are no longer different.

Step 10 : I am is knowledge.

At step 10, he transcends even further. Now even I am knowledge is transcended. Only I am remains. This is the bright wisdom (Tejgyan) that is brought forth. However isness continues to exist. With the experience and existence of I am, the knowledge is complete.

Step 11: Am is.

At Step 11, the I also does not exist. There is no knowledge either. What remains is just amamness. isness. Beingness in truest sense begins. Just being. Just presence.

Step 12 : Bright silence

At this step, there are no words. Just bright silence (tranquillity). After the 12th step, the expression (demonstration) of the bright silence occurs. Only after all 12 steps have been ascended, does life in its truest sense begin.

Awakening to Religion

The poem below based on Sirshree’s teachings highlights that ‘consciousness’ is the underlying thread of all religions. One of Sirshree’s key teachings is that the world does not need a new religion, it needs a new string that binds all religions together. And the existential experience of consciousness is that string. Hindus worship the sun. Muslims consider the moon auspicious, while Christians refer to the star of Bethlehem. But the hidden idea behind these reflections is to prod the humans to take a deeper look at the sky. The sun, the moon and the stars are symbolic pointers for gazing at the  vast nothingness of the sky – the all encompassing consciousness.

Instead of arguing whether it is ‘Aham Brahma’ of the Hindus, ‘Allah’ of the Muslims, ‘Wahe Guru’ of the Sikhs, ‘Yaweh’ of the Jews, ‘Bodhisattva’ of the Buddhists, or ‘God’ of the Christians that is more meaningful and relevant, then, it must be known that ‘consciousness’ is the most appropriate and the true reference to the Self. The whole world needs to understand the nature of the Self; it is the same pervading consciousness that is referred to in all religions. This consciousness can only be experienced. Words are only a medium to understand just, the existence of this Consciousness. Words can never surpass its meaning or explain it entirely. The experience of the Self is beyond description of the material words. This feeling of the Self or consciousness can be experienced through various methods suggested in every religion. The ‘understanding’ of how this can be made possible is the only thing the world requires. With this experiential understanding, you get led to the divine, silent, stillness – the tranquil point of consciousness. Rest in the celestial stillness and know that you are God, that consciousness is your true nature.  The poem below only serves as a pointer:

The word ‘Buddha’ means the awakened one,
Aren’t we all Buddhists if awakening in us is done?

A true ‘Christian’ is one who has awakened to Christ consciousness,
Aren’t we all Christians if we are established in this oneness?

The word ‘Islam’ means being surrendered to God’s will,
Aren’t we all Muslims if we are surrendered and still?

A ‘Hindu’ is one who follows the vedas – the essence of wisdom,                                                                                                                                             Aren’t we all Hindus if we have access to knowledge’s kingdom?

The word ‘Sikh’ means one who is a disciple – a learner,
Aren’t we all Sikhs if we are a seeker?

A ‘Jew’ is one who believes in Yaweh – the inexpressible name of God
Aren’t we all Jews if the inexpressible yet accessible consciousness is our Lord?

Awaken to the Self – whatever be your religion,
When you begin to awaken, you belong to all faiths or belong to none.

Cease to be Caesar and let all problems dissolve

Instead of solving all problems in life, one by one – if you know your true Self, all problems dissolve all at once. Let us understand this with an analogy:

The End of Julius Caesar from: The Comic History of Rome, 1850

Let us suppose your name is Julie and you are playing the role of Julius Caesar in a drama all dressed up as a man. Being Caesar, you are weeping at the treachery of Brutus. The play ends where Caesar is stabbed and he is lamenting in anguish, ‘Et tu Brutus’. The curtains come down and the audience is left wondering whether Caesar died or not.  The problem now is that Caesar continues to weep even after coming off the stage. He is inconsolable. If at that time someone tells Caesar that you are the cause of your own misery, he does not understand. He retorts, ‘Why are you blaming me for my lamenting. It is Brutus who has deceived me’. Caesar needs to be told, ‘All that is fine. Now get off it. Become who you actually are—return to your true identity. All this was only while you were on stage, enacting a role. Now come out of the drama, get off the role you are playing and re-assume your true identity. You are Julie, not Julius. Cease to be Caesar’. If he still persists with the question, ‘Am I to blame?’, you are likely to say, ‘Yes, you are to blame. You are the one who has forgotten your true identity. If you remember it, everything will be fine.

Similarly, if someone were to be lamenting on his problems, he is probably not clear about his true identity. The Self – your true nature – is limitless, timeless, spaceless, ageless and egoless.  From the point of view of a separate individual (Caesar) – whatever your problems are – may indeed be troubling. But just by experiencing your true nature, all problems cease all at once. The key word here is ‘experiencing’. In fact, Julius can never experience Julie. Julius has to cease to be. The mind that assumes itself as a separate individual can never experience the Self. The mind drops and the Self experiences itself. Just intellectually telling yourself that I am the Self  or I am That or Aham Bramhasmi is of no use. This is all the mind still saying the dialogues while being a part of the play.  Instead through the exercises taught to you in the MA retreat, an understanding arises in the mind and it drops. When it drops the Self which is always ever present – manifests. And then the Self can experience itself – the crowning glory for which the body mind has been created is attained.

-Extract from a discourse by Sirshree in the follow up sessions of the MA retreat

How can I attain it?

Seeker: What is Samadhi?

Sirshree: In the state of Samadhi, the Experiencer experiences the Experiencer in the Experience.  Samadhi is the state of consciousness before time began. It is the state of being in the state of undifferentiated beingness; a state of tranquility and bliss, where the mind continues to be alert. It is the state of eternal presence, the everlasting present moment, which exists before the world came into existence. The measurement of time based on a frame of reference such as the clock or the calendar was conceived for the sake of convenience, only after the world came into being. In the state of samadhi, you get to experientially know the Creator of the world. The Creator exists within you and to know Him is true spirituality. When you are in deep sleep, you are indeed in the state of samadhi. The only difference is that when you are asleep, you are not conscious of the state of samadhi. You are unaware of time while you are asleep. It is only after you wake up that you realize how long you slept based on the ticks of the clock. We need to attain that state which is beyond time, beyond the body, mind and intellect, while we are in the waking state.

How can I attain it?

If it is possible to attain the state of samadhi in the waking state, then what is the roadblock in its attainment? The chief blocking factors are false beliefs and imagination. It is essential to get rid of them before getting into the state of samadhi. You believe in certain so-called truths which are not real. When you eliminate all your wrong beliefs, you are naturally at the seat of Being. However, the mind tends to look for security in the external world. True security lies within you. You experience true security in the state of samadhi. It is in this state that you gain the conviction that you are not the body.

The one who is enlightened casts off his physical body (at the time of physical death) with the same ease as a porter would unload the luggage at the destined place without any hesitation. This is the very reason why there is no fear of death after attaining Self Stabilization. The enlightened one is established in the unshaken conviction about eternal life of the Universal Self. In this very lifetime, he is able to experience eternal happiness by being stabilized in his true state of Being.

His physical body functions in the same way as others’ do; his senses can perceive the world just like others. However, internally he is always seated in the state of samadhi. He remains in the original Experience of Being which is beyond the body, mind, and intellect. Being stabilized in the state of Being before time, He sees Himself in each and every living and nonliving aspect of the world. To see oneself everywhere, to be one with all that exists, is true spirituality.

Seeker: How can samadhi be attained? How can the Self be experienced? Will I experience the Self inside the body in Samadhi?

Sirshree: The experience of the Self is neither inside nor outside; it is beyond the concepts of ‘inside’ and ‘outside’. Until the Experience of the Self is recognized with Understanding, questions will keep arising as to whether this Experience exists outside the body or within; whether this Experience can be felt on the body, or due to the body. This can be grasped with the help of some examples.

1) There are sweets called rasgullas that are popular in India. These are spongy sweet balls that are soaked in sugar syrup. Is the syrup present inside the rasgullas, or outside them? One who has tasted rasgullas would say that the syrup is present within as well as outside the rasgullas. In the same way, Self Experience is both inside as well as outside the boundaries of the physical body.

2) A fish lives in water, and is thus surrounded by water on all sides. It could keep searching for water and not find it, because water is so close to its eyes, stuck to it, so much so that, it does not realize that it is inside water. The fact is that water alone exists outside as well as inside the fish. In the same way, Self Experience is so close, so innate to us that we do not realize whether the Experience is inside us or we are inside the Experience. In fact, Self Experience is present all around the physical body and also pervades the body.

In this way, Self Experience pervades and transcends everything. You only need to attain the understanding of how to know it. Understanding Self Experience intellectually is the first step. Having understood it intellectually, when you develop unshaken conviction about it, you stabilize in the Experience. It is like one who has learnt the alphabet from A to Z, and yet does not know how to form words. You would tell him, ‘Since you have learnt the alphabet, you will soon learn to form words.’

Seeker: Can you teach me the alphabets? How can the first step of Self Stabilization – that is understanding Self Experience happen clearly? How can the conviction grow then?

Sirshree: The Magic of Awakening retreats held here are for this purpose. You are welcome to participate in it.

Seeker: What happens in this retreat?

Sirshree: The purpose of the Magic of Awakening retreat is for the experience of the Self. For clearly understanding the experience and know how the conviction can be increased that leads to Self stabilization. The purpose is simply Self Experience – with understanding and clarity.

The Experience of the Self is your essential feeling of ‘being’, the feeling of your ‘presence’. You are not the body; but due to the body you are able to experience your presence. If you are able to see this clearly, then ask yourself: Why am I associated with this body? What am I doing with this body? Am I fulfilling the purpose for which I have taken up this body form?

If the Experience of the Self is understood, it begins to show in your daily life. You would then question yourself in every incident: ‘What am I considering myself as in this incident?’; ‘What do I believe myself to be while taking this decision?’; ‘Am I thinking myself to be this body, or the all-pervading Experience that is felt due to the presence of the body?’ When you begin to constantly remember this, then the bliss of the Self begins to deepen at the experiential level.

Seeker: What will I get on attending the Magic of Awakening retreat. How much I will have to pay?

Sirshree: The answer to both questions is “nothing”. What you will get is “nothing”. The meaning of enlightenment, Self Stabilization, nirvana, moksh is to become ‘nothing’ or ‘zero’. However, this ‘nothing’ is not the ‘no-thing’ that the mind or intellect would imagine. The mind always tries to understand everything in its own terms. Therefore, when we discuss ‘nothingness’, the mind tries to imagine absence or non-existence of everything. This ‘nothing’ encompasses and transcends everything. This ‘nothing’ has the potential for everything. It is the experience of this ‘nothing-everything’ that many seekers attain in the retreat. The state of nothingness transcends all dualities like heaven and hell, joy and sorrow, praise and censure. Enlightenment is the state in which Nothingness alone is experienced at each and every moment of life..

And what you will have to pay is nothing. How can one value this experience – value what is priceless, value what is beyond value.

There is no price or cost you have to pay for this wisdom

Seeker: Will I attain samadhi in the retreat?

Sirshree: Come to the retreat with the expectation that ‘nothing’ shall be attained. All that happens in the retreat is that you understand who you really are and build conviction about the same by experiencing few moments of samadhi. People have misunderstood samadhi as being seated with eyes shut for long hours. It is because of this that the mind becomes more prominent instead of dissolving. The mind believes that ‘it had gone’ into the state of samadhi. It is for this reason that the right understanding is given a lot of importance in the retreats. Understanding alone will lead you to the successful state of samadhi. In this state, you get convinced that the ‘false individual I’ will dissolve in the state of samadhi and the ‘true Bright I’ (the Universal Self) will awaken. You get convinced that you are not the body in the final state of samadhi. For example, a girl is fully convinced about being a girl. She has no doubt about it. She does not need to be reminded about her being a girl. She is aware about it at every moment, while performing all activities in life like eating, sleeping, walking, etc. Similarly, samadhi should also help in realizing your true identity. If you are not gaining such a conviction from samadhi, then such a samadhi is useless.

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What happens on Self Stabilization?

Seeker: So, what happens on self stabilization

Sirshee: From the state of enlightenment arises the expression of unbroken joy, unconditional love, and fortitude. Infinite creative potential is manifested leading to unique creations. Even if the expression of this state is restrained due to any impediment at the body level, it does not cause any concern. This is because of the unshaken clarity as to who is expressing through the body. This expression is not that of a limited individual, but that of the Universal ‘I’—the Self. Therefore there is supreme contentment. This is the state of liberation from ego (the false notion of an individual ‘I’ which assumes a separate existence from the rest of Creation). Upon attaining Self Stabilization, the fictitious individual that was created due to the sense of apparent separateness gets eliminated. The multi-headed demon (the contrast mind, impregnated with various false notions and tendencies) is vanquished; it is the victory of Divinity (Self). The remembrance of the Self and its Experience remains thereafter.

What happens on Self Stabilization?

When one stabilizes in the Experience of the Self, one is able to see all the possibilities at once. There, neither does ‘past’ exist, nor the ‘future’. The eternal present alone is. In other words, the so-called past and the future are experienced in the timeless present. This is beyond the understanding of the intellect.

Before the attainment of Self Stabilization, one leads his life by choosing an option at every juncture, according to his tendencies or level of understanding, though several possibilities exist for him.

Let us imagine that there are some slides containing certain images. Suppose that ten such slides are stacked together and you are asked to look at the entire stack. You will not be able to understand the images, as they overlap. In this case, you will need to keep a gap between the slides and watch them one after the other, to understand each picture. This gap is called ‘time’. Time was created in order to watch and understand the photographs in sequence. Just because the element of time is brought in, the ‘now’ gets divided into ‘past’, ‘present’ and ‘future’. Time is thus a grace that is bestowed upon us so that we can see the entire film in sequence. Otherwise, the entire film is here-and-now.

Similarly, there are endless possibilities in the life of any human being. All the possibilities exist in the here-and-now. One who is enlightened realizes this secret as the entire scene unfolds before Him. For example, the event of a vehicle approaching a crossroad may be a future scene, and a vehicle that has passed would be a past scene for someone who is standing on the ground. However, someone who is viewing from a helicopter above is able to see the vehicle that has gone (past) and the one that is going to come (future) in the ‘now’. He is able to clearly see what the driver of the vehicle and the bystander are able to see. He can also see what the people on the ground are not able to see. He also sees the blocks or obstructions that are preventing them from seeing what they are unable to see.

Seeker: What thoughts arise on Self Stabilization?

Sirshree: Thoughts do not ‘arise’ in the mind after Self Stabilization. Rather, they are ‘brought forth’ voluntarily from the thoughtless state. Before Self Stabilization, thoughts occur at random. This is because man does not remember his real purpose of coming on earth. Thoughts that arise after Self Stabilization are an expression only meant to impart or help gain the Truth to other bodies. This is because one has regained or remembered the true Self and the purpose of coming to earth. All those thoughts that used to arise when man was leading life believing that he was an individual body, come to an end. On Self Stabilization, you are in effortless samadhi. Whether thoughts are there are not – does not effect you.

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Self Stabilization – here and now!

Seeker: Are you enlightened?

 

Sirshree: I am. And so are you.  Jesus said, “I am the son of God. And so are you”. The second sentence was never paid importance to.

Are you enlightened?

Seeker: Can I attain enlightenment or self stabilization this lifetime?

 

Sirshree: You cannot attain enlightenment any lifetime. Because the “I” that wants to attain enlightenment can never attain it. This “I” is the mind asking. This is the false “I”.  This “I” asking the question cannot attain it.

Seeker: Let me rephrase the question generally. Can Enlightenment be attained in this lifetime?

Sirshree: Speaking of lifetimes, it is not that there are many births required for enlightenment to manifest in a particular body. It can be attained in this very lifetime. We need to understand how this is possible. Attainment of enlightenment implies stabilization in our original state of Pure Being, where the Experiencer experiences the Experiencer in and through every experience. There is a preliminary state before any game begins. While practicing yogic exercises, there is an initial state before the body gets into any yogic posture. Once the yogic posture is completed, the body returns to its original posture. Science opines that it is further progress that will lead to ultimate liberation. This is inferred because science dwells on the limited framework of logic and reason. Contrary to this, the truth is that you ought to regress (go back) and stabilize in your original state.

The state of Self Stabilization is experienced only upon returning to the original state of Being, the state before the grand game of Creation began. Being stabilized in the state of enlightenment, actions arise out of decisions taken while dwelling in that original state. What does each decision we make indicate? Are our decisions made with the complete understanding of who we essentially are? Are our actions an expression of who we truly are? We offer prayers but are our actions aligned with our prayers? Our decisions clearly indicate whether we do what we say.

For instance, one may say, ‘I want to live a good healthy life’; but his actions (overeating and consequent obesity, for instance) could indicate that he wants to die. He will be puzzled if he is told that he does not value his life. He will not believe it. If we carefully reflect and understand this aspect in depth, we realize that every decision we make reflects whether the decision is arising out of the false identification with our body or out of the clear understanding of our true identity (the Universal Self, our original nature). Enlightenment is the state of stabilization in our original state of Being, an unshaken understanding or conviction of our true identity from where all decisions arise.

Seeker: What is meant by ‘stabilizing on your original state’ or ‘returning to the original state’?

Sirshree: Attaining our essential nature implies returning to our original state.  We are in our original state in deep sleep. Every morning, we wake up from our original state and set out from home to our workplace. In the evening, we return home from work, retire after dinner to the bedroom, on to the bed. Lying on the bed, we go further back into our body and finally into sleep—back to our original state. In this way, we keep regressing further and further until we reach our true state in sleep, wherein we are in the pure experience of Being. How can we get this pure experience of Being in the waking state? We should be able to stay in this pure experience of the Self while we are awake. Our decisions and expression should arise from that state of pure Being. If we can achieve this, then the whole and sole purpose of our life—Self Stabilization—will have been fulfilled. In this state, one experiences contentment, never boredom or lowered consciousness.

Seeker: How much time is required for this to happen?

Sirshree: Consider a student, who wakes up early in the morning and is flooded with a hurricane of thoughts: ‘Today I need to submit my journal in the college . . . I have to rush to college . . . I have to reach early at any cost.’ Suddenly someone tells him, ‘Today is Sunday!’ Having heard this, how long would it take for the storm of thoughts to die down into tranquility? It would hardly take a moment. Self Stabilization can be attained in the same duration. It does not take even a moment!

No sooner did the student realize that it was Sunday, than all his earlier thoughts completely vanished and were replaced with new thoughts. Everything changed within the spur of a moment. Similarly, if you were to realize who you truly are, what would happen the very next instant? What would happen to all the thoughts that were arising out of the false identification with the body? From that state of liberation, how would you perceive all the pain associated with the earlier set of thoughts? This freedom can only be known through experience. Just a while ago, one might have been thinking, ‘I am this hand; my hand is paining.’ And now he realizes, ‘I am not this hand.’ How would he then regard the pain? If he is convinced that he is not the hand (or the body-mind), the hand will continue to pain, but he will no longer be grieved due to the pain. How did this difference come about? This is because he returned to the original state of Being. Given the right understanding, it takes just a moment to attain it.

Once, a man won a lottery. Winning the lottery was a very big deal for him. When he went to claim the fortune, he was told that a certain amount would be deducted towards taxes and the remainder would be credited to him. Upon hearing this, he flew into a rage thinking, ‘The lottery advertisement promised me of a million, and here they are deducting such a large amount.’ His past beliefs and preconceived notions made him mechanically react in anger. In a fit of fury, he said, ‘I don’t want your money. You are cheating. Return my ten rupees that I had spent to buy your lottery ticket!’ He did not realize what he was saying! Our perception of incidents is shaded by our beliefs. Being deluded thus, he could not realize what he was losing for a paltry sum of money. So it is with man: he compromises on the all-important purpose of life, on supreme bliss, for mundane trifles! He finds it difficult to choose between money and enlightenment. Nobody says, ‘Return my state of enlightenment!’

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What is Self Stabilization?

Seeker: I had an experience where I became one with the universe. Is this self- realization or enlightenment?

Sirhree: Before answering the question, it is important to know your understanding of self-realization. It can be said that self-realization is just the beginning. Self-stabilization is the goal. One day a seeker experiences a deeply profound meditative state. He is in a no-mind state for quite some time. It is an experience of self-realization. Somebody experiences oneness with the universe when he is on a nature trail. He experiences that he is no longer a separate entity. It is an experience of self-realization. True Self-realization is experienced only when the interfering and comparing mind disappears.

What is Self Stabilization?

Seeker: So, what happened with me?

Sirshree: The mind emerged again and took credit for the experience.  ‘I performed meditation, I attained this deeply profound state and I experienced realization.’ The mind does not have the understanding that it is not the mind that has experienced that state. On the contrary, it was when the mind was not there that the self experienced itself. Self-stabilization is when the mind does not emerge later. Self-stabilization means remaining stabilized in the experience of Self or Being, or constantly abiding in the truth. It is not just a one-time experience. That is why it is said that self-realization without understanding is futile. And proclaiming that you are enlightened based on a one -time experience without being stabilized in the state is dangerous. The importance of a guru is that he ensures that you progress from self-realization to self stabilization, which is the ultimate goal.

Self-stabilization is the basic purpose of our life. Otherwise, even after having many experiences of the truth, if the body continues with its old tendencies and programming (a fixed framework) then you will not fully benefit from the experience. The mind will return with false beliefs and ask various questions and express doubts about the experience of the Self. As a result, the Self may not be able to experience itself again. The practice is hence not to entertain thoughts of the contrast mind. Otherwise you will get entangled in its web. Thus the ultimate goal is that of self-stabilization and the prerequisite is the surrendering of the contrast mind.

Also, understand that along with self-stabilization occurs self-expression. It is expression of the self through the body–mind mechanism to fulfill its true potential. 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.

If you are confused with the word self-stabilization, then you can call experiences on the path as self-realizing experiences and the goal as self-realization. Hence, the understanding of self-realization is most important. If self-realization is seen as self-stabilization, then it is the goal. If you see it as a one-time experience, then it is just the beginning.

Seeker : I understand now that Enlightenment is actually Self Stabilization and should not be confused with one off experiences. But what exactly is Enlightenment or Self Stabilization?

Sirshree: Self Stabilization is the attainment of liberation from ego, mechanical living, all forms of bondage, preconceived notions and all vices of the mind (fear, anger, hatred, greed, attachment, envy, etc.) What remains after attainment of Self Stabilization is unbroken bliss—bliss which is indescribable, which constantly asserts its eternal presence and pervades every aspect of life. Self Stabilization is the key to a successful and fulfilled life, the royal path to transcendence. The state of enlightenment resides within all of us.

Man tends to live in ignorance. He falls prey to his own idiosyncrasies, tendencies and thought patterns and thus leads a limited imbalanced life. He continues to repeat the same mistakes over and over again. Except human beings, every thing in Nature develops to its fullest potential. For instance, a flower blooms completely and fills the surrounding atmosphere with its fragrance. Similarly, every human being has infinite inherent potential that can be expressed to the fullest. However, owing to ignorance, he remains entwined in some false notions and creates roadblocks to his own progress. As a result, he keeps away from the natural possibility of complete self development.

When the Truth is understood not only intellectually but also at the experiential level, when all questions and doubts dissolve, that is the state of Self Stabilization!  It entails the journey from the limited confines of the mind (the head) to the unlimited realms of the Self (the heart).

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. 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.

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