When the editor of Realization.org first read Jinendra’s collection of poems ‘Pilgrimage to Self,’ her first reaction was, “This is the equal of the Ashtavakra Gita (an ancient Sanskrit classic of Advaita Vedanta) — it’s an Ashtavakra Gita in modern English.” Her second thought was, “No, that’s impossible, because the Ashtavakra Gita is one of the greatest works of literature of all time, and I just happened to stumble across Pilgrimage to Self on the web,* and who am I to judge anyway?” But after many rereadings, she thinks her first reaction was right. If the great classical how-to poems of Advaita Vedanta -the Ashtavakra Samhita, had been written in modern English by a living realized person who spoke our own colloquial language, they might look like this, ‘Pilgrimage to self’. Jinendra is very practical. ‘Pilgrimage to Self’ is a poetic expression that takes you on a journey of Self discovery. Beginning with ‘Samwad’ a ‘Dialogue’ you embark on a Seven Step Journey. Each group of 3 Poems complete one step. Jinendra prepares you for Right understanding, explores Life and Existence, urges you toward discovering Self through deeper Understanding, Self Observation, Power of Awareness and Enlightenment through Silence. ‘Failure of Wisdom’ reminds you of human follies, in this journey. The last poem ‘Farewell’ nudges you to embark on this journey yourself. Can we find ‘ParamShanti’- the Supreme Bliss in our mundane world? To find the answer one must embark on the ‘Pilgrimage to Self’’. Our constant Seeking takes us on an infinite ‘loop’ of pleasure and pain, seeking name, fame, wealth, material possessions, relationship, etc. One may seek refuge in material world, but one must never be oblivious to the truth that the real or ultimate protection lies in one’s own knowledge of ‘SELF’. To experience the thoughts conveyed by Jinendra in its fullest sense, it is important that you follow the sequence of seven steps ( 3 poems in sequence complete one step), it’s good not to read several poems at one stretch. While reading, deliberately pause at a question raised by Jinendra, re-read, to grasp the essence and gist of it. Contemplate and ponder over the words. Before you move on with the reading, it is advised that you read below a short Commentary on Pilgrimage to Self. Commentary Pilgrimage to Self My friend, you can talk about holy books all you like. But until you forget everything, you will never find yourself. Understanding the vanity of scripture, I hardly expected Jinendra to solve in a single epiphany the mystery of awareness. And yet, as I read his spare and simple verses in the Collection of Poems “Pilgrimage To Self”, I felt that here at last were words, which in some measure consumed my astonishment. They spoke so directly, and so modestly. They seemed so austere, and yet so generous. What is the rising or the vanishing of thought? What is the visible world, or the invisible? What is the little soul, or Divine Himself? Awareness. Pure awareness. The clear space, the sky, the heart of awareness. Jinendra’s words begin after almost everything else has been said. They barely touch the page. They are often on the point of vanishing. They are the first melting of the snow, high in the mountains, a clear stream flowing over smooth and shining pebbles. He is not concerned to argue. This is not speculative philosophy. It is a kind of knowledge. Jinendra speaks as a man who has already found his way and now wishes to share it. His expressions are a direct and practical transcript of experience, a radical account of ineffable truths. He speaks, moreover, in a language that is for all its modesty physical and direct. He is not abstract, though he uses some Sanskrit words to express his message more faithfully, which make him sound difficult, even abstruse. On the contrary, Jinendra is very simple. We are all one Self. The Self is pure awareness. This Self, this flawless awareness is God. There is only God. Everything else is an illusion: the little self, the world, and the universe. All these things arise with the thought ‘I’, that is, with the idea of separate identity. The little ‘I’ invents the material world, which in our ignorance we strive hard to sustain. Forgetting our original oneness, bound tightly in our imaginary separateness, we spend our lives mastered by a specious sense of purpose and value. Endlessly constrained by our habit of individuation, the creature of preference and desire, we continually set one thing against another, until the mischief and misery of choice consume us. But our true nature is pure and choice-less awareness. We are already and always fulfilled. It is easy, says Jinendra. You are the clear space of awareness, pure and still, in whom there is no birth, no striving, no ‘I’. Then how do we recover our original awareness? How do we dispel the illusion of separation? Some commentators suppose that Jinendra is really not concerned to answer these questions. But that’s not true. Jinendra is indeed wild, playful, utterly absorbed in the Self. Since words are of the mind, which arises only to obscure awareness, words are indeed folly. And who would teach folly? Jinendra would. His is an eminently compassionate and practical madness. Even while cutting the ground from under our feet, he shows us at every turn what to do. With a crazy solicitude, he tells us how to end our Self-estrangement. Be happy. Love yourself. Don’t judge others. Forgive. Always be simple. Don’t make distinctions. Give up the habit of choice. Let the mind dissolve. Give up preferring and desiring. Desire only your own awareness. Give up identifying with the body and the senses. Give up your attachment to meditation and service. Give up your attachment to detachment. Give up giving up! Reject nothing, accept nothing. Be still. But above all, be happy. In the end, you will find yourself just by knowing how things are. It would be perverse and humourless to suppose that just because Jinendra, with his irreducible non-dualism, considers meditation merely a distracting habit, he means us to abandon our practice. Of course, from the perspective of unconditional freedom, where nothing makes any difference, meditation seems a comically self- important waste of time. But Jinendra makes it plain. The moment a fool gives up his spiritual practices, he falls prey to fancies and desires. Divine help the seeker who presumes that since he is already and always fulfilled, he can give up trying. It is all a matter of knowing. We are all indeed already perfect, but until we know it, we had better deal with our ignorance, and just listening to words can’t do that. It requires sadhana, trying, doing what we do not wish to do. It means long, hard self-effacing work. The heart of Jinendra’s advice is not to give up our practice, but to abandon our strenuous indolence. Striving is the root of sorrow, he says. But who understands this? Look at the master, he says. Who is lazier? He has trouble even blinking! He certainly does not run around puffing himself up looking for Divine or liberation, busily making excuses for not finding himself. Dealing with our ignorance also means, for almost all of us, finding someone like Jinendra to help us. We cannot easily break the spell ourselves. Here again, Jinendra is very practical. In the book “Pilgrimage to Self”, first poem “Samwad” starts as a Dialogue, and in the next 7 steps comprising of a group of 3 poems each, he prepares you for Right understanding, Life and existence, Deeper understanding on enlightenment and Discovering the Silence, Importance of Awareness, and finally reminds you of human follies, in this journey to discover that Awareness. The last poem “Farewell” nudges you to take this journey yourself. Who is this Jinendra, this uncompromising man with many faces. Jinendra’s whole point is that individual identity is an illusion. He urges us to see beyond even the ugliest form, as it is filled with Divine’s radiance. The body is nothing, the Self is everything. Jinendra enquires with a litany of self-dismissive questions, all of them utterly rhetorical. What is good or evil? Life or death? Freedom or bondage? Illusion or the world? Creation or dissolution? The Self or the not-Self? Where is the little soul, or Divine Himself? Within the ever fulfilled and ubiquitous Self there is no place for these or any distinctions. There is no place even for spiritual enquiry. Who is the seeker? Jinendra asks. What has he found? What is seeking and the end of seeking? These final questions dissolve even the voice, which asks them. Who is the disciple, and who the master? With this last gesture of self-erasure, the nameless master is finally free to declare his real identity, which he shares unconditionally with all beings. Table of Contents 1. Samwad: A Beginning Would you like to take a pilgrimage to Self? If yes, then just walk together holding the hand of our guru — the Awareness Throughout our journey ‘Keep in mind’ That the words ‘I,’ ‘my,’ ‘me’ represent our guru and not a person As we begin our journey, remember These words are not mine (the ‘person’) but, directly from our guru The ‘words’ are never the ‘Actual’ So Understanding is Now or Never This ‘Samwad’ is to prepare your mind Before we begin our journey As we journey step by step Search earnestly for simple Truths In these silent words, you too can Discover Meaning after Meaning Like multiple reflections in two parallel mirrors This Attempt is, to ‘Awaken’ you And Not to Teach You Be aware, avoid ‘Understanding’ the Word-Play Mentally and Literally Use your own Intuitive Sense To get More than What You Read Be a silent observer And observe the Phenomenal-Interplay The Truth is then Revealed Through inner-focus on your-self The words are aimed to cleanse you Of all your illusions, delusions and psychological confusion So be aware and face the challenge When the words hurt or upset you Your own wrong perception stops you from seeing the Truth You now ignorantly see and feel in them Lack of Compassion When the surgeon operates Will you blame the surgeon for causing you the pain? Don’t you see his kindness while you experience pain? The pain of the blow is due to ignorance How can the blows hurt when they are not aimed at You? The blows are to break all Chains that Bind you Realize Now It’s your existing thoughts that Chain you Depriving you of your freedom Agreeing or disagreeing is only an idea But the Real Essence is ‘Understanding’ through Awareness That changes your Perception I make No-claim to make you Understand your-Self You must Provoke yourself to take the pilgrimage to Self Why judge or label anyone from what appears to be? Your feelings come from the ‘past’ (memory) that is continuously at-work It’s the ‘past’ that makes you insensitive to the experience of the ‘Present’ Learn to observe yourself factually While we are in relationship If there is no change in your own Perception Of what value is our relationship? If experiencing bliss and equanimity Remains an unknown secret for you What will you have gained from ‘me’? As you read Know that these expressions in words Took forms from source ‘unknown’ And though they carry a Mark of my Individualism There’s no Attachment nor has it any significance It’s there simply to help you Link Outer expressions of the inner experiencing Make a beginning Now to Unfold your own Self You too can take this journey to discover the bliss in your Self To some These expressions in words may be a Mystical-Nonsense And you too may ask What is the use and purpose of all this Mumbo-Jumbo? ‘I’ have no Purpose Other than what Life Brings I simply wish, you too may find How to Live Life Happily Life free from all Complications Life free from all Entanglements Know that it’s through Doubt only You too can Reach the state of Certainty In these few poems are hidden Compressed secrets of my own experiences Be aware and perceive rightly Then the words come alive and become meaningful If not, they are like writings on water Soon to disappear into meaninglessness!! 2. The Abstract Core Why can’t Each one of us Realize Liberation, Enlightenment or God If it is a state of our own — Consciousness? All Rituals and Traditions are not completely useless Some have hidden precious truths but, truth mixed with lots of Errors and also lots of Untruth How can that Tradition be good If, Instead of gaining Wisdom you end up following Untruth? Most Rituals and most Traditions are Infections Passed on by previous generation to us, and then from us to next Don’t let Rituals and Traditions Occupy the place Of Wisdom that’s in you Keep away from this folly Or you may become a lost Man too When we observe the history and life of all the Great Masters and Teachers We find Rebel and Iconoclast were all of them Each one of them broke away from the myth and belief That Truth can be had from Someone-else All dependence on another is an obstacle and hindrance This dependence cannot lead you to the experience of the Independence ‘This’ Non-Reliance ‘This’ Non-Obedience Brings Inner Freedom And Reveals to you the Fact The Fact that can neither be received nor learnt ‘The Words’ that got transmitted From disciple to disciple May be Absolutely True to the ‘Letter’ But how could they transmit ‘the Reality’ behind ‘The Words’? The Reality that exists in the Consciousness of the Enlightened Master As the Perfect Master conveyed Verbally or Silently His great message of Liberation The Reality got Corrupted As the Recipients Consciousness was not in ‘synch’ with his Master’s As the Message moved from one to another ‘The Words’ remained perfect But the Disciples could not transmit The Reality behind ‘The Words’ The Reality that Exists in the Master’s Consciousness So what we Now Have from the original Message Is but a faint fragrance of a flower that once blossomed Each One must Walk Alone To find his own Inner Truth Don’t try to find ‘God’ For ‘God’ will find You Are you still Reluctant to Accept Though it’s so easy to Grasp the fact? Look at the Abstract Core of true Knowledge Does it reveal anything to you? Understand and see the Fact The Knowledge of Truth is always in Present Understand and see the Fact The Knowledge of truth is within man Himself Understand and see the Fact ‘The Reality’ is Absolute ever Free from any Decay Understand and see the Fact The Unity and Separation are both within Man himself Do not doubt the Abstract Core It then creates opportunities for gaining Wisdom But Complete Acceptance of these facts will come When you experience them yourself Change your focus of Awareness So that ‘Serendipity’ can work But be careful and remember That ‘words’ are only Concepts The Truth cannot be found Simply by Understanding this Word-Play Some like to talk, Some like to listen But none observes one-self One who says “I Realize and so I will change” Is only fooling one-self One who says “Now, I Understand and I will try to change” Is also far, far away from change One who says, “I Know” But his Actions fail to reflect “this Knowing” Is he not an intellectual fool who thinks “I have changed”? Just see the fact Can ‘thought’ liberate you from ‘thought’? Shouldn’t ‘Action’ of body, speech, and mind Reflect your ‘New Knowledge’ ? Just observe your own inner-outer ‘Actions’ While being in relationship with ‘this world’ If you remain Equanimous It reveals your own true-Self There is no other true test of your ‘Waking-Meditation’ Beware of your own stupidity For you discard so easily All that you do not understand Just use your own Intuitive Sense To get More than what you see, hear, and read When you experience ‘That’ Which no Science can explain You will Awaken and See That ‘Knowledge of Self’ can exist Without any words or without any Thoughts Jinendra urges and asks Why are you so reluctant to Accept Each one of us can Realize ‘That’ which brings Liberation, Enlightenment, or God? Realize that ‘Learning’ itself is not liberation But ‘understanding’ and ‘Knowing from experience’ what you’ve learned brings Liberation Be aware and perceive rightly Then the words come alive and become meaningful If not, they are like writings on water Soon to disappear into meaninglessness!! 3. Viewpoint of Atman Man says, “I am in bondage?” This viewpoint of Atman Reflects our own wrong Understanding today Man ignorantly refuses to acknowledge His own free state of Being Then runs around in circle In search of his own freedom Man’s dependence makes him seek Books, systems and rituals It’s man’s Ignorance of Truth That makes him seek gurus, masters, swamis, and guides Be Aware you cannot ‘demand’ and ‘receive’ a gift of salvation, even from a Satguru Only when you are ‘Ready’ and ‘Right’ can these intermediaries be of help Our ancestors’ beliefs and rituals Reflect understanding and traditions of their daily life Our present daily life Reflect our inner conditioning and our own beliefs today Understand clearly Life is a movement It’s new everyday Be Aware Avoid being enchained by old beliefs and rituals That prevents understanding of your life today Realize this Now To arrive at your own true convictions Learn to Focus on the Facts That reveal your own Integrated Being Learn to assimilate and integrate All your experiences and all you know But do not forget True conviction comes from ‘Right Perception’ and ‘Self-understanding’ alone Be clear … … It’s through Awareness alone You’ll re-discover your original Being Know that the knowledge of my-Self is not with anyone else but myself ‘This’ Understanding is necessary It brings a sense of clarity and a changed perception too When right conviction is born You ask yourself in surprise “Why seek from any authority the knowledge of my-Self, my happiness spirituality, or enlightenment when it is right there within me?” Who but you alone can look within yourself Align yourself with your own Atman To Know the view point of Atman Then you’ll find enlightenment, the glory or the purification and bliss you seek You seek outside guru for you believe you do not know Some offer you A false sense of security and comfort But, can this bring Self-empowerment and self-growth? Be clear and beware of gurus who promise you the Unknown Beware of your wrong dependence It comes from your wrong following You may end up in a ‘conformity’ Then, instead of True Freedom You may end up in ‘total conflict’ Can Guru give you the experience of ‘Self’? The Guru can only guide you and ‘convince’ you of the Truth Each one has to walk alone, seek alone and find truth about his own ‘Self’ Beware, following somebody ignorantly Is to lose your own independence Do you expect to achieve freedom without ‘Right Understanding’ But, simply through such dependence? Don’t deny the Fact You too can attain Liberation No matter where and what you are Just lose your-self to Find your-Self By realizing that the Absence is the Presence Truth is in everyone Not far, not near, not here, not there It is eternally, always in the Now No outside authority can give you The Key to Truth, that reveals Atman Each one holds within himself The key to Truth That lets him discover his Self Be aware and perceive rightly Then the words come alive and become meaningful If not, they are like writings on water Soon to disappear into meaninglessness!! 4. Truth Truth is a pathless Oasis Who can show you the path? Have faith in yourself alone And begin the inner walk To experience Truth Put all aside All that you have heard All that you have ever read All knowledge of scriptures and the philosophical tenets Put them all aside Just be Aware of the Reality Of this moment within you Truth with a big T means — “the truth about you” Your own Awareness reveals Truth about your self … … though not the Ultimate Truth Next moment is your Next Reality And so on and on and on you walk From Each moment to next moment Just be simply Aware Of the Reality that is within you Remain Equanimous Each moment… … … … … as it arrives Observe Through your Inner Eyes The inner play, of your Body and Mind As the inner walk progresses Awareness of space and time ceases Now … a miracle is happening Each moment of your daily life Always remaining Equanimous Alone you walk … … and walk … and … walk To the deeeeeeepest depth Of your mind and heart To arrive at the Whole Truth To live truthfully Let each moment of Truth Bring you To next moment of Truth So, from this moments Truth to the next moments Truth From Truth to Truth … to Truth On this pathless path you move Until you finally arrive In this pathless journey To the Oasis of Truth Truth is so simple when revealed to you You will have the answer of Why and How to live As you continue your ‘inner walk’ The observer merges with the observed In a flash is revealed the Unknowable The Truth — the Self is now Known Beyond all doubts Are you eligible to experience Truth? First understand the difference between a ‘Grahastha’ and a ‘Sadhaka’ A ‘Grahastha’ is always a ‘smart-person’ A ‘Sadhaka’ may be ‘smart’ but is also a ‘good-person’ Do you know? A ‘smart-person’ lives and acts for ‘self-gain’ A ‘good-person’ lives and acts for ‘gain-of-Self ‘ To experience Truth Be a ‘good person’ Simply live and act for ‘gain-of-Self ‘ Now don’t hold on to your pre-conceived ideas and beliefs Let go of all your old conceptions Of ‘good-person, smart-person, grahastha or Sadhaka ‘ In search of Truth Be a ‘Sadhaka’ Then you’ll understand and see the meaning that hide behind these words The Laws of Life are so very simple If you know the Truth This Truth brings total synthesis Between the ‘Environment’ and ‘You’ Inward -Outward you now exist In total peace and harmony Be aware and perceive rightly Then the words come alive and become meaningful If not, they are like writings on water Soon to disappear into meaninglessness!! 5. Rituals All rituals are nothing But the Ritual of our Mind In our Daily Life Some repeat Diligently and Punctiliously ‘mantras,’ ‘ shlokas,’ and sacred words That may sometimes bestow on them a distinction among Fellow-men But is it what we outwardly do that Matters and not How and Why we Do ? Some seekers prefer and Seek not complete Liberation They only Seek Sensory and Emotional satisfaction Why do some seek God’s Favour and not God Himself ? There are many ways to experience pleasant emotional feelings Some drugs too provide pleasant emotional responses Can’t Rites, Rituals, and Ceremonies Be just another way, to provoke similar Responses? A dip in holy waters may have it’s own benefits But, have you ever taken a dip within ‘Self ‘? You will need no convincing After even a momentary dip within ‘Self ‘ All ‘Poojas’, ‘Yagnas’, and ‘Tirthas’ are not necessary to realize your ‘Self ‘ The worth of charity or sacrifices Will be Known, when Right Perception dawns You will then be self-assured of the benefit and merits of a dip within ‘Self ‘ True worship requires flowers of Pure Awareness and devotion of Equanimity ‘This Pooja’ purifies your mind and reveal your True-Self Of all the Daily Rituals man invented ‘Observing oneself ‘is the greatest Ritual of all Simply Be Aware and Be Equanimous each Moment to the sensations in your body to the content in your Mind So now if you want to be in some ritual Start with the ritual of ‘Silent observation’ Let this Ritual transcend into a Natural Way Then a ‘Conceptless mind’ is born That gives rise to ‘Waking Meditation’ And bestow on you, the Supreme Gift of all Be aware and perceive rightly Then the words come alive and become meaningful If not, they are like writings on water Soon to disappear into meaninglessness!! 6. Circle of Desire The essence of liberation is in breaking the Circle of Desire As an infant all you desired was food and comfort Then your desire for nice clothings and ‘stuff ‘ was so much necessary in your youth But as you ‘matured’, your desires ‘progressed’ to having spouse, house, wealth, and child too Then with ‘age’, when you have possessions, positions, and credentials, you reach deep understanding of life Now your mind desires, ‘god’ or enlightenment too So from clothing, to spouse, to desire for ‘god’ You imagine you’ve made great progress in life In reality nothing has changed But the objects of your desires Know that the essence of liberation is In breaking the Circle of Desire The rich and the poor The servant and the master The ‘grahastha’ and the ‘sadhaka’ The disciple and the ‘so-called spiritual man’ And also all those still rooted in ‘Longing’ of ‘some kind’ They’re all equal in their illusions Still Circumscribed by the Circle of Desire Do I ‘know’? Do I ‘understand’? How can I be attached, and still attain Liberation? Your so called progress is simply a change From one illusion to another Maybe from a material to a spiritual illusion But your life is still full of delusions All your ‘Actions’ are to ‘gain’ something and ‘avoid’ other things Your efforts for the future are affected by your past You Forget in the process the ‘present’ is a Fact Can you Act without any motive? Just observe your every action It gives a ‘Desired fruit’ or may be an ‘Undesired fruit’ But is there a way you can act so ‘no fruit’ accrues to you ? Know that without Renunciation You cannot experience ‘no fruit’ Isn’t that really the Truth? But, Renunciation is not in the act It cannot be learned nor taught The secret is revealed to you When you experience a state of ‘Changeless Desire’ You will know exactly how to live and act So ‘no fruit’ accrues to you You think you have progressed by having virtue of ‘Wanting nothing, Doing nothing, Being nothing’ But, aren’t you still caught up in Circle of Desire? Be Aware and realize From the Circle of Desire Arises all ideas of acceptance and rejection How can pleasure and pain be absent while you are Perturbed? Leave aside all ‘ideas’ of acceptance or rejection And remain Steadfast and Equanimous Then, through self-experience you’ll know In Enlightenment Pleasure and Pain don’t dissolve Nor is there Freedom from their experiences But it’s Wisdom that acts as an armor Protecting you from either pain or pleasure Any experience leave no imprint on the mind This is Freedom from the mind And it is ‘this state of mind’ That brings Freedom from all Actions Be Aware You are always conscious of ‘what Changes’ Can you be Conscious of ‘That which does not Change’? Know that ‘this state of mind’ is the Essence that brings liberation from the Circle of Desire It’s when nothing else is wanted amazingly the Reality is right there!! Be aware and perceive rightly Then the words come alive and become meaningful If not, they are like writings on water Soon to disappear into meaninglessness!! 7. Renunciation What is renunciation? Do we Renounce 100%? Do we Disown 100%? Do we Disclaim 100%? Do we Negate 100%? Do we Contradict 100%? Do we ever ‘let go’ 100% — ? True Renunciation is in 100% Refusal Through self-observation, can you see the Fact that even in our Refusals, acceptance is always there — ? Our Refusal has in it’s ‘background’ Our own Tendencies and Idiosyncrasies Our Refusal is never Absolute, never 100% Here, Renunciation is not concerned with physical facts Nor is it concerned with the facts of the material world Renunciation is not achievable by learning or understanding, nor can it be Taught Renunciation sprouts Automatically On realizing the Truth about your own mental world Know that Reaction to a thought by another thought Is not a Refusal Our reaction is also a thought in response to some thought Understand, such Refusal is only an idea How can such Refusal be a fact and absolutely Free — ? If at all you Refuse Then is it free from ‘Influence’ — ? — It may be some person or object — May be some circumstances — May be Environmental influences — May be your own tendencies Now, do you see clearly the ‘Influence’ that’s behind all your Act ? Then, how can such conditioned Refusal Be a Free Act ? Observe yourself Honestly, Seriously and Carefully Can you see the fact, that your Refusal Is never without an ‘Acceptance’ Then, what is Pure Refusal, which is 1OO% ? Renunciation is a Fact It can be perceived in a Free Act Look at the Content of Your Act — Is there a Belief? — Is there a Motive? — Is there a Desire? — Is there a Fear? — Is there expectation of ‘the Fruit’? — Is there a Partial acceptance? — Is there a Conditional Refusal? — Is there Vanity ? — Is there Pleasure ? — Is there Pain ? — Is there an Emotion? Is there … … ? Yes, no act is a Free Act If the Act is of a ‘Conceptful Mind’ If the Act is of a ‘Conditioned Mind’ True Renunciation is in renouncing ‘That’ which Activates the body ‘That’ which is the Cause of birth and all Actions True Renunciation is renouncing your ‘Conditioned Mind’ True Renunciation is living with a ‘Conceptless Mind’ True Renunciation is In Realizing that ‘Nothing is Mine’ Then the Mind moves from fact to fact True Renunciation is living with an ‘Unconditioned Mind’ You discard the ‘ i’ and ‘mine ‘ In all objects of your Perceptions Jinendra asks Do you now know, what is 100% Renunciation? Is it also not 100% Acceptance? True Renunciation brings Total Freedom Abandoning the ‘Ego-sense’ and all ‘concepts’ You now live in Transcendental State free from all thoughts!! Be aware and perceive rightly Then the words come alive and become meaningful If not, they are like writings on water Soon to disappear into meaninglessness!! 8. Responsibility Be Responsible To know Who am I? If you want to know the Truth First find Who am i? Am i … … … … Mind ? Am i … … … … Atman ? Am i ‘That’ right …Now ? To know, just be … Aware Be conscious of your Self Go to the root of your i And know that this i Is nothing but an alibi Then, Who am I? We Respect and have Faith in authority So … … we Accept authority We have ‘No-Choice’ So … … we accept authority Respect, Faith, No-choice Are our psychological authorities Unknowingly we Create them as ‘Our Master’ Then voluntarily live life becoming its servant We Refuse to See and Accept the Real Fact The Fact is Responsibility creates Anxieties We don’t want any Anxieties So we avoid Responsibility See this fact as Fact It May help you in your quest Who am I? When we take shelter in ‘Our Master’ It’s to seek freedom from Anxieties So ‘Respect’, ‘Faith’, ‘No-choice’ Is to let ‘Our Master’ act in our daily life But we still continue to live in an ‘illusion of freedom’ Thinking ‘I make the Choice’ To come out of this illusion Know and See the Fact from fact Aren’t you the Real and ultimate judge — of your Own Being? — of your Own Action? — of your Own Truth? When I accept ‘authority’ Who decides to accept? Who is Responsible for the imposition of ‘The authority’ on myself? Know that … … when I act For Myself and By Myself I truly become Responsible Then I am ‘The Master’ of all ‘the masters’ In Each and Every action I Own Know that … … when I Act ‘Reactions’ are due to authority But ‘Actions’ are from my own authority Be Responsible Know how to be in ‘Yoga’ Take full charge of your own life Be Responsible with awareness — For each action of your own — Each behavior of your own — Each thought of your own ‘Yoga’ of body, mind, and Intellect is the way to be in Action Liberation is then also possible Through ‘Actions’ alone Be Responsible Be 100% Responsible Then the secret of ‘Nishkam Karma’ Will be revealed to you If you really want to know the Truth Find out “Am I responsible for the ‘fruit’ of my Action?” The Truth will be revealed On knowing, Who Am I? Be aware and perceive rightly Then the words come alive and become meaningful If not, they are like writings on water Soon to disappear into meaninglessness!! Be aware and perceive rightly Then the words come alive and become meaningful If not, they are like writings on water Soon to disappear into meaninglessness!! 9. Inner Revolution Let this Birth Let this Day Be the Birth-Day That reveals what Inner Revolution is ‘Samyag-darshan’ is ‘Right-Perception’ It comes from Inner Revolution Creating in the process a sense of Inner freedom Come, let’s find our Inner Freedom For this, secure the Leisure necessary for your Broodings and Ponderings An Inner Revolution happens On Cessation of all Psychological Resistances Living Now in Bondage of Past Can you experience Freedom Now? Can you at the same time walk South and North ? For Samyag-darshan Cease to perceive, from the eyes of yesterday Cease to Act, Feel, and Think, from fixed Ways It’s clinging to the Old Yet trying to Understand New That creates the Chaos in Me and You If you Insist on Training the Mind then be a Silent Witness Simply be Aware to what’s going on in your Mind This is a silent Act — Of Samyag-darshan — Of Awareness without choice Just see things as they are from each moment to next Remain Aware at all time Within and Outside This perception Frees you from all your conditioned past You now begin to experience both inner and outer Freedom In the beginning Awareness is simply a Tool That Awakens your sleeping Mind and Heart It’s Awareness that brings Complete understanding of ‘Inner You’ What is Mind? Don’t waste efforts to find Find ways to adopt and make use of mind To understand your Inner and Outer Universe Know that Nothing is New under the Sun But, for a man who Understands That the world changes not, but only himself It is this New understanding That completely changes The Meaning and Purpose of Life Let this Birth Let this Day Be the Birth-Day That reveals what ‘UMED’ is — You are … … … … Universal You are Not … … … Mind To be … … … … Enlightened Experience your non-Duality You are the Subject You are the Object You are both in your Consciousness It is the Awareness of this Fact That leads to Inner Revolution Know that revolution is HERE and NOW But never in the future So let this day Be the day of Inner Revolution Be aware and perceive rightly Then the words come alive and become meaningful If not, they are like writings on water Soon to disappear into meaninglessness!! 10. Clarity Be Clear … … … All Forms (name & form) decay Inevitably Be Clear … … … Think… … Think again … … Contemplate … … Contemplate till you see the fact All Forms decay Inevitably Be Clear Of this Fact It will lead you to other Facts Be Clear … … The ‘Original Teachings’ have no fault But they come to us in manifested form Be it the Scriptures of this religion or that Be it the teachings of this Master or that Be it Who-so-ever…. or What-so-ever ‘Their Reality’ comes to us in ‘forms’ But all Forms decay Inevitably Then how to find Reality? Be clear … … Can any Form be your Authority? Be Aware … All Religions are but frozen thoughts of man Your Own Opinions and Ideas are frozen thought forms too All Forms decay Inevitably Then how to find Reality ? Are you Clear ? … … … Do you now ‘know’ and ‘understand’ ? Be Clear … … … See how Perception of Real grows Be Clear … … … First know the false as False Then Awareness of the ‘Truth’ will dawn It is the recognition of false as ‘False’ That lets Perception of Real grow Be Clear … … … see how Perception of Real grows Meet Life face to face To See and Know the Facts from facts Then, though everything remains same as before You see them differently Now This is how New Perception dawns Then, suddenly one day It’s like entering a new dimension And you end up shouting ‘Satori ‘ That’s how Perception of Real grows Be Clear … … … See how Perception of Real grows Do not Act as you ‘feel ‘ but Act as Life demands Act not … … in Reaction to let … … the Real Act For it’s only in the ‘Action’ with no Inner Obstacles That the Real Acts That’s how Perception of Real grows Be Clear … … … What’s in Knowing Everything When you Know not your own Being Look within yourself to know the Nature of your own Being Be Clear … Be Aware … Be Alert … Understand ‘All the Laws’ that affect your own Being It’s ‘The Way’ to reach from Being to Reality Be Clear … … … Know the Nothingness of this ‘i’ To which you Unknowingly hang-by You shall then Know and discover This ‘i’ as the distilled essence of our own stupidity This ‘Understanding’ is necessary To grow from Being to Reality Be Clear … … … It is this ‘i ‘ that makes us run in Circles Misguided by our twin Reactions to pleasure-Pain of Life Be Clear … … … Pleasure and Pain are just Incidents in the process of our Living Can it be The Laws By which one must be living ? Be Clear … … … See how Perception of Real grows Be Aware … … … Pleasure-Pain are Always There in the magical movements of Life Can escape from Pain or attainment of Pleasure Be the Goal of our Life? Let Pleasure-Pain be just there Let them come and go Coming-going is their very Nature Are you Now Aware ? Be Clear … … … Through Awareness of this Truth you’ll experience Ecstasy It’s then that you’ll short-circuit Pleasure-Pain and All other Dualities Be Clear … … … Concentration is a habit A habit so hard to break Demanding in the process Wasted Time and Efforts Be Clear … … … Be Aware … … … Be Aware of your own Consciousness See how Perception of Real grows Are you Aware? Consciousness has Content Consciousness has Perception Consciousness has Emotions Consciousness has Feelings Be Clear … … … Awareness has Consciousness Be Clear … … … Is this Awareness Unaffected by what’s In Consciousness ? Remain Equanimous then it will be a self-experience Consciousness keeps on Varying Awareness remains Unvarying Dissociate yourself Emotionally From all that your Consciousness IS Be Natural and Spontaneous For that’s where Awareness IS Be Clear … … … Be Aware … … To know and experience ‘That’ which is Truth Awareness is All there IS Be Clear … … … Liberation is not a conversion to another ‘Set of Ideas’ But Freedom is Liberation from all your existing ‘Ideas’ True Freedom is liberation from All ‘Conditionings’ in life Truth is not Some-Thing That some-where you can find It’s in This Moment of Living Ever-Present Here and Now Be aware and perceive rightly Then the words come alive and become meaningful If not, they are like writings on water Soon to disappear into meaninglessness!! 11. Springboard to Unknown Life is the springboard to Unknown In life’s arena the contenders are only two Myself and death Death is to know, I was not born ‘Moksha’ or ‘Nirvana’ or ‘Mukti’ is also to know, I was not born When I see others die I infer my own death too Isn’t that how I have formed a conviction that I live temporarily too? Can anyone choose his body’s death? Outwardly you perceive The time and cause of body’s death to be in many varied forms Look, Ramana Maharshi, Ramakrishna Paramahansa Vivekanand and so many other enlightened ones Had a diseased body when they left this world Jesus, Buddha, Mahavira also died differently Then why worry When and how my own death comes ? Realize this fact It matters not who I am now I cannot choose The time and form of my body’s death Birth and death are two end-points Can ‘one unborn’ now know what’s life after birth? How can ‘one born’ now know what’s life after death? Between birth and death I am sure of one thing ‘I exist’ and this I is same from birth to now That ‘I am’, I know But what or who I am? — I don’t know Why not find out? Sleep and death both have a similarity Both in sleep and death One experiences no body and no world Awakening from sleep, I take on the same body Awakening from death, do I take on ‘New’ body? Birth guarantees death So why worry about the inevitable death Do you know anything about ‘Life’? Is my ‘existence’ just this life? First focus on ‘Life’ And when ‘Life’ is Known Death will also be Known Life is the springboard to Unknown But can knowledge of atoms and genes Of cosmos and our own universe Enable me to commune with the ‘Source’? It’s as foolish to think, that by reading of water I can quench my thirst When I am conscious and aware — The same I is a self-experience undeniable — The same I is there within me, at any time and place Isn’t Peeping into myself the only way to find Truth of I that is within ? Find I — I that’s free from all internal and external influences — I that exists by itself, ever present, and changeless When the I is known, the secret of ‘Life’ is unfolded And one realizes ‘That’ which brings Liberation With Awareness As I unravel my own ‘pre-conscious’ I come closer and closer to my-Self Then unexpectedly there is Awareness alone In a flash — The Self is Known Now there is Only One Consciousness One Consciousness is a Fact Now there is no higher, no lower No me, nor them, not this, nor that No birth, no death So why talk about death when you know nothing of Life? Life is the only path to Unknown Life is the springboard to Unknown Be aware and perceive rightly Then the words come alive and become meaningful If not, they are like writings on water Soon to disappear into meaninglessness!! 12. Life: The Universal Energy ‘Life’ is in all Creation Creation is through Manifestation Manifestation is through Activity Can there be life where there’s no Activity? To know and understand Life Shift your focus of Awareness to Activity Be Aware And Just simply observe If you take away Creation then where is the Life? What ‘Is’ beyond the manifestation ‘Is’ in the manifested too The Unmanifested is right there in all manifestations too But man ignorantly seeks freedom from manifestation Not knowing Liberation from manifestations is also through manifestation I the Life have come from Being into Existence from Formless to Form from Infinity to Finite from Absoluteness to Particular from Unconditioned to Condition from Unqualified to One with qualities I in self-manifestation has remain unchanged The Being is right there in all Life’s manifestations. Life creates, Life is the Creator But as Life manifests and takes form In this very act of Creation Life gets ‘anchored’ and lose its Essence-of being the Creator Now let a fresh breath of Reality Enter your world of ‘form and matter’ Let it penetrate every pore of you To Cleanse you of all Limitations. Just be effortless Just be spontaneous That’s being ‘Natural’ in all Acts You then experience The Power That brings you closer to Life Of all Life’s manifestations It is only in man Life can awaken into ‘itself ‘ It is in this blooming of Self-consciousness Life is Free once more as a Creator It is only in man that Life is Both object and subject as well He looks at Life’s creation (World) as Object And back into Life’s creation (himself) as Subject It is through this process I the subject realizes itself as subject Life thus Freed from its objectification Comes home again Completing the cycle it began Man has to do nothing He has simply to express ‘That’ what he ‘Is’ Isn’t ‘Life’ the ‘Source’ of Existence? Isn’t ‘Life’ the Absolute Essence? Look where we may in Nature ‘Naturalness’ abides But strange as it may seem In man ‘unnaturalness’ abides Life flows Unattached to it’s own Creation But Man gets attached to all it’s creation Transcend this ‘Alien’ nature Liberate ‘Life’ from life Then you are what ‘you are’ ‘Life’ The Universal Energy Realize and be aware of the fact Life or Reality is free and absolute also in all it’s manifestations Realize and be aware of the fact All manifestations are of one and the same Life Realize that the Truth one seeks of Unity in all Diversity Is right there in the synthesis of Reality, Nature, and Me But you are puzzled When you look at Nature You perceive Uniqueness in sight Where is the Universality of one and same Life? ‘Creation’ differs For Man and Nature In Nature Life creates through manifestation But in Man Life creates through ‘Right Perception’ Objectively everything remains as it is Till ‘Right Perception’ dawns Then Instantly in a flash Everything in the consciousness transforms This vital change brings with it ‘Right Knowledge’ and ‘Right Understanding’ ‘Right Knowledge’ and ‘Right Understanding’ Brings new values and new significance to Life Now begins for Man Creation through ‘Right Action’ Now begins for Life the true ecstasy of Creation Now Nature ceases to be Merely a world of objects It now reveals to man Its infinite meanings and secrets This is the bliss of Self-Awareness Awareness reveals the ‘Tri-Ratna ‘ — ‘Samyag-Darshan’ (The Right Perception) — ‘Samyag-Gnyan’ (The Right Knowledge) — ‘Samyag-Charitra’ (The Right Living) ‘Tri-Ratna is the Yoga It brings Life back into complete knowledge of ‘itself ‘ ‘Keval Gnyan’ — ‘Only Knowing’ is your Reality Now who am I needs no Enquiry Life awaits Self- discovery In Each and every Person Know that the Truth of Life’s Nature Is revealed only through Self-Consciousness It’s Realization of ‘Itself ‘ When Man Awakens into Self-consciousness He now realizes The ‘person’ is only an instrument through which Life Creates On Self-discovery Man and nature unite into Self-identity The i of man merges itself into the I of Life This merging transmutes into Unity from the multiplicity of Man, Nature, and Life As each person is an individual and essentially Unique This process of re-discovery is also a fresh adventure indeed No two paths are alike nor is the process same This is the beauty of Life In rediscovering and knowing ‘Itself ‘ Life’s manifestation is unique Each must discover what Life is Each must find his own way From Uniqueness to Universality Be aware and perceive rightly Then the words come alive and become meaningful If not, they are like writings on water Soon to disappear into meaninglessness!! 13. Enlightenment Are you seeking Enlightenment? Be Aware … … Enlightenment requires no new knowledge So, what is there to teach and learn? All Knowledge is right there In the Realm of your Inner World Can Life of Enlightenment be a Direct Transmission? Can Initiation, Grace or Silent Way Be the miraculous ‘Grant’ by our Guru or Master? Enlightenment is not ‘Something’ that one can ‘Attain’ from ‘Someone’ Enlightenment is not ‘Something’ that one can procure like a ‘Merchandise’ Some pin their Hopes on ‘Do-it-yourself ‘ Systems Proposed by Masters, Gurus, Swamis Munis, Sadhus, and Religious Sects Some propagate Secret, Ancient methods for dissolving or killing the Ego Is Liberation possible through Suppression Self-denial, and techniques of Meditation? If you knew what ‘Ahinsa’ is at the level of the ‘Self ‘ You will not follow Any Method that results in ‘Spiritual Suicide’ Our sages revealed ‘Death’ is the Beginning of New Life But is ‘Mental Suicide’ the ‘Death’ they mean? Your ‘Mind is Stilled’ through techniques And you ignorantly believe to be at ‘Mental Peace’ Not understanding, this Peace is there Simply because your mind is Anesthetized While the Life within is still seeking Silence and Itself Our sages said ‘Death’ is the Beginning of New Life What is this ‘Death’? This ‘Death’ is Liberation Liberation from our ‘Conditioned mind’ Liberation from our ‘Conceptful mind’ Here the ‘old mind’ is dead You become the Master of this ‘ New Mind’ A ‘Conceptless’ and ‘Unconditioned’ mind Awaken and See All our Confusion, Conflicts and Problems are self-made By none other but Me — the ‘person’ So Transformation is possible For me, By me, Through me only But why are you so concerned with your i — The ‘person’? Our sages confirm through their own experience ‘The person’ doesn’t exist without the body But I the ‘Self ‘ exists for Ever Then Why struggle with the ‘person’? Why change the ‘person’? Why mold the ‘person’ into what you think is right? Enlightenment is in seeing clearly The Futility of All Change Enlightenment is in seeing and discovering the ‘Changeless You’ Liberation is not far away on Realizing the Fact — The Changeless is achieved not through any Action — No Changeful can ever take you to the Changeless If you leave the ‘person’ alone The person doesn’t dissolve But when the ‘person’ is Silent ‘Samyag-Darshan’ — the ‘Right Perception’ dawns Enlightenment is through understanding Everything that you are Not This understanding brings a ‘New Vision’ A Perception so Sharp, Clearer and more Subtler That all perception of the opposites dissolves Once ‘Right Perception’ has evolved There is neither duality nor non-duality In this ‘New Vision’ your attitudes are naturally in tune with The Only Reality To Act or not to Act happens automatically Consequences of your act are now immaterial As ‘Karmas’ do not bind For Enlightenment Just know yourself As Changeless Witness of the Changeful Mind That is enough Enlightenment requires no new knowledge Simply, your being convinced of your Changeless Reality Know that this Silent Knowledge needs no Memory So, what is there to teach and learn? All Knowledge is right there In the Realm of your Inner World Be aware and perceive rightly Then the words come alive and become meaningful If not, they are like writings on water Soon to disappear into meaninglessness!!</p 14. Discovery Behind each creation, there is an Invisible Intelligence Biologically you are born from a cell The sperm and the egg, form a human cell The DNA in each cell has unlimited intelligence From the Past, it takes about 6 billion genetic codes to prepare your blue print of life In the Present, it regulates over 100 trillion cellular functions of the body In the Future, the entire lifetime of events will unfold in precise sequence The Past, the Present and the Future are all simultaneously right there in a single cell In each one of us a complex program is at work that coordinates between the Neurotransmitters, Messenger molecules, Hormones, Enzymes, Cells and the Nervous system But have you ever wondered Who is the Programmer of this complex program? From Knowledge arise all Intelligence Knowledge is a quality inherent in Source or Programmer The sages for convenience call this ‘Source’ “I, Self, Atman, Soul, Life, God, Awareness, Consciousness” Einstein proved what our ancient sages knew long ago In nature ” Nothing can be created nor destroyed but simply changes forms ” Can “Source’s” existence today, be from non-existence? If I existed in the sperm, or the egg, or the cell How can I be non-existent before I was the cell? Then am I the cell or the sperm or the egg? I existed before I became a cell, that became the body It is I which Is in the sperm, egg, cell, and the body As I existed before this body How can I be Non-Existent without this bod? I exist not only now but existed in past, and will exist in future Now do you understand why this I is Eternal Existence? You know you were once a cell? It’s the cell which became the fetus, then an infant, then a child, a youth, an adult and finally an old man Aren’t you the ‘same’ who has taken all these forms? Don’t you feel the unity of I in all these varied forms? Then who or what is this unchanging ‘me’, the I in all these changing forms ? Einstein talks about Changing Nature, but the nature of this I in me is Changeless Then how can I be part of this changing ‘Nature’? Now do you understand why this I is Changeless and beyond ‘Nature’? Be convinced right now ‘I am’ Knowledge, Changeless, and Exist Eternally But the Truth of this knowledge can be known only through self-experience of this I One day you too will reach this Reality But, how to reach this I? Look within microscopically, with your ‘minds eye’ Remain detached and equanimous to all experiences As your sensitivity to the subtle experiences increase Many trillions of atoms are at play in a Symphony Every pore of your body, is experienced as pulsating Know that your atoms are billions of years old And will live for many billions of years more Isn’t ‘death of a body’ at gross level simply a change at atomic level? Do you know why we celebrate birth-day yearly? In reality ‘The atoms’ you are Now made-up of will not be there ‘A Year from Now’ In a year’s time you are ‘totally new atomically’ The ‘old you atomically’ ceases to exist Discover ‘This body’ is non-existent every one year Unaware you take on a new body every year No wonder your ignorance, causes fear of Death Know that death is the birth-day of your new body You may still think death is an awful event awaiting you in the future Where as in actuality you die every moment Each moment you are being subtly transformed Death is just another gross transformation Birth and Death Are simply two gross events in this continuous process of your transformation But there is no loss or gain for the I in this unending cycle of transformation Experiencing Death while being Alive You’ll discover for yourself what Death is Death by itself is neither positive nor negative Death is not an end-point you call extinction Stand outside this arena of ‘Change’ And perceive ‘Change’ from domain of ‘Non-change’ Mahavir through his Self-experience preached the universal principle of ‘Anekantavad ‘ Millenniums later Einstein’s Quantum Physics proved what Mahavir expressed through his ‘Anekantavad ‘ Our accepted Way of Perception is false And that’s how the ‘Theory of Relativity’ was born He taught us that our physical body is an ‘Illusion’ The same is true for All Forms in our Universe No two persons share exactly the same Universe For there is no Reality apart from the Observer ‘ Samyag-Darshan’- ‘Right Perception’ is the Way For each one of us to Know and Experience The Reality that is right here Only between birth and death you think Life flows Discover for yourself, in Reality, Life is an Eternal flow This discovery will reveal to you the nature of the I I that is Knowledge, Changeless, and Exist Eternally Be aware and perceive rightly Then the words come alive and become meaningful If not, they are like writings on water Soon to disappear into meaninglessness!! 15. Tri-Ratna Truth is Limitless Truth is Unconditional Truth is Unapproachable Then how can you Organize it In Limited Forms and Words ? And you think, Samyag-Gnyan is possible Simply through discourses or reading scriptures Truth is Unknowable Can you ‘follow’ the Unknowable? Can Knowable take you to the Unknowable? Then how to Know the Unknowable? The ‘Knower’ (person) of the Unknowable is ‘himself ‘ not the Unknowable How can simply following the ‘Person’ bring you to the Unknowable ? Some Accept no God or Atman You Accept there is God, Atman Is there a Real difference Between you and him? You call yourself a Hindu a Jain, a Buddhist, a Muslim a Sikh, a Christian, or a Vedantin Do you see the Real Fact? Are we all not products of our own ‘ Programming’? Am I not in bondage because of my own Minds Programming? Can I hope for freedom Without seeking and recognizing the Programmer? Can you see this Fact? Does this Fact hold any meaning for you? You seek Samyag-Gnyan As if it is some object Realize now, it cannot be taught or learned But it is experienced, when you sense the Self How to get Samyag-Gnyan? First Know if you are Ready and Right Be Alert … … Be Aware of these facts If there is conflict in your consciousness Samyag-Gnyan is not possible! If ideas and rituals of religion have authority over your mind Samyag-Gnyan is not possible! If your memory has authority over your mind Samyag-Gnyan is not possible! If you imitate or adopt another’s knowledge Samyag-Gnyan is not possible! If you evade or continue evasion of any kind Samyag-Gnyan is not possible! If you just believe in self-discipline and strain for it Samyag-Gnyan is not possible! If you believe in exalted ideal and await revelation Samyag-Gnyan is not possible! If you spend your time in psychological analysis Samyag-Gnyan is not possible! If you cling to images, symbols, ideas, then too Samyag-Gnyan is not possible! If … … … ? Yes! If only, you stop Clinging to your thoughts Then thoughts cease to affect ‘you’ Breaking in the process The cycle of ‘Asrav’ and ‘Bandh’ And when you remain Equanimous It leads to ‘Samvar’ and ‘Nirjara’ Freeing you of the ‘Karma’ that causes your ‘bondage’ Realize this now To break the chain of ‘Karma’ First Stop Reacting To the dictates of your ‘Programmed Mind ‘ Realize what binds you to your own Ignorance Then … … …… … may be Samyag-Gnyan is possible Self Observation with Awareness is the ‘Key’ To see our minds invisible Program In the Acceptance of this Fact Lies the ‘Act’ That starts dissolving this Program Perception of a Programmed Mind is not the Right Perception Your Mind must be completely deprogrammed to discover the Real When you Realize “To think absolutely clearly the only way is, not to think at all” Then ‘Right Perception’ dawns ‘Samyag-darshan’ is ‘The Way’ To discover Real from Unreal Simply pause after each question and contemplate as you read Did you Observe the Operation of your Own Mind ? Did you like certain things or dislike other things ? As you read Did you Accept something or you reject other things ? As you read Did you agree with something or disagree with other things? Now just observe without any judgment Is your mind filled with hesitation Comparison or Disapproval? Be Aware Just see this fact as Fact Realize this hear and Now There is always some ‘distraction’ in the Process of our Perception Is it not our Programmed Mind that stops us from ‘Right Perception’? Realize that Samyag-darshan is in the Perception of Truth Truth that exists in the Moment which is Here and Now Jinendra asks How can you Perceive the New without a Free Mind ? First unburden the ‘Past’ to make room for the New Only then it is possible to perceive the fact as Fact This process takes you beyond thought and you perceive that which is Real Your conflicts, problems and sorrows are created by your own ‘Charitra’ But the Way out of all your miseries Comes easily through Samyag-Darshan-Gnyan You may start On a great Enquiry of ‘Who Am I’? But the journey is too short Because of this programmed mind ‘Aham Brahmasmi’ or ‘Mai Atman Hoon’ Is Truth all right But in the ‘Present’, it is Only a Belief of your own Programmed mind You have faith in an ‘unknown’ But faith or Belief is only a hypothesis It is Not a Fact arrived through self-experience How can it be a Fact When you don’t experience It? The Search for Truth Requires a mind With ‘No Programming’ Why clutter and burden your mind With another new Programming? Truth to you is unknown Searching what you do not Know Will always remain Unsearchable So leave the ‘Atman’ and ‘Supreme-Self ‘ alone Begin first to understand ‘Yourself ‘ Understanding Yourself — Is beginning of Wisdom — Is beginning of Self-Knowledge — Is beginning of Samyag-Darshan — Is beginning of Samyag-Gnyan In our daily life, we live unaware of our links with everything else In Samyag-darshan You See without distortion The Fact that is ‘I am’ In this changed perception You now see and experience The underlying ‘Unity’ of all ‘Jiva’ and ‘Ajiva’ Samyag-darshan is not an act It’s the Awareness you are in You enter ‘Real Meditation’ When you know your-Self Live Life in ‘Real Meditation’ That’s ‘Living in Truth’ The real significance is in Knowing the ‘Fact’ That It is present Here and Now Understand Now To have Samyag-Darshan and Samyag-Gnyan The only Pre-requisite Is to have a Deprogrammed Mind You may call This Deprogrammed Mind ‘New Mind’, ‘No-Mind’, ‘Silent Mind’ ‘Higher Mind’, ‘Void’ or ‘Virgin-Mind’ ‘Free Mind’, ‘Un-conditioned Mind’ You may name This Mind, This or That But it does not change the Fact Understand with Clarity What you have just read Be cautious and put your prejudices aside So that this whole exercise is not meaningless In search of Ultimate Knowledge Solve the ‘Three Riddles’ you encounter and establish your ‘Link’ with ‘Atman’ ‘Samyag-darshan’ is the ‘Mastery of Awareness’ Which solves the ‘Riddle of Mind’ The ‘person’ experiences Full scope of his own Awareness and Perception ‘Samyag-Charitra’ is the ‘Art of Behavior’ Which solves the ‘Riddle of the Heart’ The ‘person’ experiences Love, Unity and Bliss He now lives and acts with ‘Karuna’, ‘Mudita’, ‘Upeksha’ and ‘Maitri’ The ‘person’ is now in alignment with ‘Self ‘ ‘Samyag-Gnyan’ is the ‘Mastery of Intent’ Which solves the ‘Riddle of Atman’ The ‘person’ experiences Projection of his thoughts and actions Beyond the limitations of his ‘person’ Know that Samyag-darshan-gnyan-charitra Are different stages of evolution of the ‘person’ Samyag-Darshan opens the gate to Samyag-Gnyan and Samyag-Charitra Now after all this Understanding Don’t take Refuge in your memory Don’t attack or reject the message you’ve received Let your Perception be free And experience the significance of whatever you read Look at it verbally Or comprehend it intellectually Accept it or Reject it But, give it a Chance with a ‘De-clutched’ and ‘Aware Mind’ A Deprogrammed Mind Is it an Idea or a Fact? A Deprogrammed Mind Is it a useless, inert mind? A Free Mind is a Fact It’s Completely Alive and Alert Being Absolutely Free It can Perceive ‘That’ which is Unknowable Know that Samyag-darshan-gnyan-charitra Is ‘The Way’ to take pilgrimage to your-SELF!! Be aware and perceive rightly Then the words come alive and become meaningful If not, they are like writings on water Soon to disappear into meaninglessness!! 16. The Sound of Silence Have you ever listened to The Sound of Silence within you? The Silence arises from the void of the ‘Heart’ This void is the throne of your ‘Atman’ Do you know What matters to the ‘Heart’ … … … matters ‘You’? But what is this ‘Heart’? Who is this ‘You’ ? The Body … … is not You The Mind … … is not You The Intellect … is not You Nor, the Emotion and Feeling is You But do you ‘Know’ What’s in the HEART is YOU ? It is highly fashionable … … to be ‘Rational’ But, can you find the ME in Rational? The words have their own consciousness Let the alphabets in the words speak to you Be ‘ E_M_O_T_I_O_N_A_L ‘ … … and Un-Scramble … … … the Cosmic Code Let-go … … your-self … … in spiral … … to experience … … a Revelation There is ….ME There is ….MOTION There is ….NO-TIME There is ….only you…..ALONE ME is Awareness MOTION is creativity of Life NO-TIME is eternal Timelessness ALONE is the Self – the Witnesser When the Heart goes ……. tick, tick, … tick The intellect goes … … one , two , three Can’t you SEE ? … … that the … … 1 , 2 , 3 is simply the reverberation of the … tick , tick… , tick The Rational is just 1 , 2 , 3 Go beyond … … this 1 , 2 , 3 …. to the Source of the …. … TICK , TICK, … TICK For in this ‘ T_I_C_K ‘ You’ll experience . ..’IT ‘ … … … Listen to ‘IT ‘ … … … … Be with ‘IT ‘ … … … Merge with ‘IT ‘ This merging is Meditation This merging is Real ‘Bhakti’ Contemplate … deeeeeeeply on the void of the ‘HEART ‘ It is NOT the ordinary organ-heart It is the throne of your ‘Atman’ You’ll ‘KNOW ‘ What the ‘HE-ART’ is When you experience in it the truth that is ‘HE’ Listen to your ‘HE_AR_T’ ‘HE’ calls HEAR, HEAR Come silently … Come quietly … … a little closer … … … just a little more NOW, open your ‘H_EAR_T’ and discover the inner ‘EAR’ It is through this inner ‘EAR’ That you can ‘HEAR’ … … Loud … and clear … …. … ‘SOHAM, SOHAM, … SOHAM’ This Soham is The sound of silence within you IT beckons you to return to your-Self ‘Soham’ brings you back To the void of your ‘Heart’ … … the throne of ‘Atman’ You too can discover the source of your I Search for, who am I ? Abide in it and be an Enlightened being Now you ‘understand’ Now you ‘know’ What matters to the ‘Heart’ … … matters ‘You’ You can ‘know’ a great deal If you know ‘how to Read’ Do you really know what the word ‘understand’ means? Or for that matter what the word ‘know’ means ? And you still think you can arrive at the Abstract meaning that hide behind the words you Read ? Be aware and perceive rightly Then the words come alive and become meaningful If not, they are like writings on water Soon to disappear into meaninglessness!! 17. Awareness: My Inner Guru Would you like to take pilgrimage to Self ? If yes Then just walk with me as ‘I ‘ holding the hands of my guru — the Awareness as we journey through the three worlds waking world, dream world and sleep world I go to sleep each night and dream The process of dream reveals my waking reality In dream I am aware * Things just happen * I do nothing consciously * I do experience enjoyment and suffering through my acts, emotions, and feelings On awakening I am aware I experience freedom from all my acts, emotions and feelings in dream I see the ‘aimlessness’ of everything that happens in my dream All my dream experiences ceases to have any value to me In dream, I may be a millionaire or a pauper and experience accidents, or may even die at times But on awakening I Realize I am unharmed, and find myself the same ‘That’ which is aware in dream is also the same ‘that’ is aware in waking I am ‘that’ which is ‘Witnessing’ all that happens in waking or dream As we journey further Let’s see why the ‘Witnesser’ in sleep has no significance for ‘everything in waking life’? I observe that the ‘person’ or the ‘ego’ cease to exist (not present) in sleep Is it not the silence of the ‘ego’ that lets the ‘Witnesser’ take charge once more -? May be that’s why sleep is so blissful that I don’t mind loosing my Identity of ‘person’ Let’s journey further As I awake The ‘ego’ once again takes charge The ‘person’ with name, form, and its memory of joys and sorrows makes me play silly games of life But at night , merely by closing my eyes I bring an end to this temporary ‘person’ With clarity I See, that for the ‘Witnesser’ My existence in dream state has no significance in waking state My existence in waking state has no significance in sleep state This ‘Witnesser’ remains Free and unaffected in all three worlds the waking world, dream world, and sleep world In this journey I reach a point When there is nothing to witness Then the ‘Witnesser’ too dissolves There is just this Self — The Silence This Silence is Pure Awareness — the Atman Now I live in ‘Waking Meditation’ There is no difference in solitude or active life In this state of Let-Go, the ‘doer’ itself is Silent So Who is there to decide? Now the ‘Witnesser’ is unaffected by any action be it working, eating, sleeping, or doing nothing Now I know — I experience my body because of ego (mind) — My mind is in my consciousness — The ever changing consciousness is in the ever present Awareness Awareness in relationship with the World is the ‘Witnesser’ Awareness when there is nothing to witness is the constant, unchangeable, ever present ‘Self ‘ Is this the end of my pilgrimage to Self ? My journey has not ended but just begun Trust your own ‘Guru’ and journey to your Self ‘O sleeping man’ Awaken from your ‘awakened sleep’ to discover your Reality — the Truth!! Be aware and perceive rightly Then the words come alive and become meaningful If not, they are like writings on water Soon to disappear into meaninglessness!! 18. Sadhana: First and Last Step A seeker of Truth is a Sadhaka The process of seeking is Sadhana In Sadhana — Self is the goal of Sadhana — Self-observation is the Sadhana — Awareness is the only tool necessary In sadhana take each step with ‘right Perception’ In sadhana take each step with ‘right understanding’ First understand — who is a ‘Sadhaka’? Seeker of Atman Diving within Himself and remains Aware Keeping himself in Atma-bhava Lets understand what is ‘Self ‘ State of Egoless Life Force Lets understand what is ‘self ‘ state of egobound life force Lets understand what is ‘ego ‘ Energy detaching God from Ourselves In Sadhana, avoid the pitfalls Arising due to your own ignorance Understand with clarity “Faith, Doership, Surrender, Guru, Grace, lack of Energy and Motivation etc.” The First Step in sadhana Starts with observation within your own body The Last step in sadhana Is the beginning of Cosmic Vision Start with a clear understanding And develop a Cosmic Perspective In this body you are a child of the Cosmos ‘This Faith’ will one day turn into a Fact When you chance upon your Own Reality You believe in Facts But you have no Facts of God So you say, “I lack faith” But do you understand It’s Faith repeatedly confirmed that eventually turns into a Fact Faith is a quality inborn in all of us It is there, right from our birth Faith is the thread That binds us with ourselves and others with us in a relationship Take a moment and ponder How do you know you were born? Do you have any experience and memory of being born? Isn’t it the power of faith that relieves you from such unprovable queries? So be assured we are all endowed with that wonderful power called ‘faith’ Just like the rain happens The wind blows, the Sun rises The flower blossoms spreading its perfume So too in our life ‘Everything Happens’ But you live in delusion that ‘I Do’ Until you ‘See’ and experience The Source that makes ‘All Happen’ Is ‘Surrender’ a way of ‘unburdening’? If it is escapism How can there be self- empowering? Know that ‘Surrender’ Doesn’t make things happen automatically It only changes your Perception to let ‘Grace’ do things miraculously You’ll be amazed how things ‘just happens’ on Surrendering truly Guru is absolutely necessary But you need not make any deliberate efforts Guru will be there When you are Ready and Right Know that all your efforts are of the ego Ego may lead you to a ‘Shushka Gnyani’ as Master The Master may know all the right-words And quote all the right-scriptures He may be brilliant in his discourses And so you think he is a ‘Gnyani’ But his words are like the sound Emanating from the black-smith’s bellows Which does breathe in and out, and make sound But knows not what is ‘Life ‘ You still think “I must make efforts to find my Guru” OK, but the only efforts needed right now is to make your own Awareness your guru Guru is only a means to your end How can it be the aim of your sadhana? Your aim is to know your-self as ‘ Sat-Chit-Anand’, the ‘Changeless-you’ Start your walk Now Move on from wherever you are Now Move along life doing your ‘sadhana’ Till you reach a point Then on your way one day When you are ‘Ready’ and ‘Right’ You’ll just meet your Guru effortlessly and by chance Don’t say, ‘I have no Energy to do Sadhana’ Even the Weakest is endowed with it Energy enough for at least ‘One Step ‘ Take Now your ‘One step’ — the First Step ‘One Step’ is the way of living in the present In ‘One Step’ there is no memory of past steps So start afresh and take your ‘One Step’ One Step …One Step … and on … and on you walk Until … … there are no steps to go This is your One Step, — The Last Step One Step is the secret to keep growing in your ‘sadhana’ One Step protects you from the deadly virus ‘Excuse’ One step is the elixir That grants you the power to live in present Right from the First Step to the Last Step the power of ‘Grace ‘ protects you from the tamasic negative energy of Laziness Understand how ‘free will’ and ‘free choice’ works in your daily life Observe the ‘Urge’ within you Whenever you really desire things this Urge makes you seek and make efforts It’s the same ‘Urge’ that one day Shall seek Understanding and Liberation Liberation is inevitable in its own time But can you use your ‘free will’ and ‘free choice’ To create the ‘Urge’ that makes you seek Liberation Right Now Self-search is not a matter of easy or difficult You have only two alternatives You choose Either you take up this Self-search or you don’t The Choice is yours alone As a sadhaka choose consciously To live life with ‘Right Religion’ But first know and understand How we live with ‘False Religion’ What is the ‘False Religion’? Thinking cannot give you the answer Just observe your-self with awareness Observe all other people With the same intense awareness Do you see? … … Have you found the answer ? … … Don’t be misled by the simplicity of the answer For few have the ‘Sense’ to trust the truth that is obvious, innocent, and simple The fact is — All religiously worship their own Body, Senses, and mind — All spend their life satisfying the Body, Senses, and mind Know This to be the ‘False Religion’ practiced by All Choose Now Not To Live with ‘False Religion’ Be a ‘sadhaka’ and choose consciously To live with ‘Right Religion’ ‘Self-observation’ with Pure Awareness is the only Way to Know ‘Who Am I?’ But when you observe your-self It is your own past beliefs and facts that arise and wrongly convince you of ‘who I Am’ Naturally Your past experiences are your only proofs But have faith on your Pure Awareness And Give room for New Perceptions Let your New experiences be True or False But can you deny the ‘experience itself ‘? As a sadhaka just remember, in your ‘Sadhana’ Transitory Experiences serve no purpose Even if it be a grand vision or unique experience of “God, Light, Scent, Jyoti or Nad” Remain unattached to your feelings emotions, and experiences in ‘Sadhana’ You will yourself Realize These Experiences are simply milestones on your pilgrimage to Self As you progress in your ‘sadhana’ You perceive differently your own experiences You too will rightly come to the same conclusion ‘Siddhis’ are available But of no use in discovering the ‘Self ‘ ‘True Conviction’ comes automatically When by chance Like a lightning in the sky You experience ‘That’ which is ‘Changeless’ Once you have experienced your ‘Self ‘ No other proof is necessary Now, for you ‘The Self ‘ the world totally changes Outwardly you continue to live the way it used to be You Know, for all others the world is still the same Until they too one day experience the ‘Self ‘ When the ‘Witnesser’ is not witnessing anything Being with Self comes naturally ‘Sadhana’ brings about an effortless change in you There is now no difficulty ‘ to refrain’ from ‘unnecessary’ work and actions Effortless living comes naturally now because of being in a state of Let-go Real sadhana is to continue emptying yourself completely Until you loose your name and form and the ‘person’ doesn’t exist The Last step in sadhana Is the beginning of Cosmic Vision When you experience Even a minute infinitesimal change in you Causes a change in your universe You now know that “Guru, God, Brahman, Atman” are all one — the ‘Self ‘ You now realize what AWARENESS is Advaita Which Arises and Reveals Egoless Natural Existence of Self in Swabhava You now realize what LOVE is Living among Others with Vanished Ego You now realize the essence of LIFE Love Is For Everyone You now know the secret of LUCK Listening absolutely leads to understanding Understanding absolutely leads to conviction Conviction absolute leads to Knowledge absolute In our ‘Daily-life’ second-hand information is quite all right But the same laws do not work on the Spiritual path We ignorantly seek knowledge from without When True knowledge is Within In your search for ‘Self ‘ Search alone within your-self , for your own-Self — For Self is the Instrument — For Self is the Force — For Self is the Destination Each must do his own sadhana Each must find his own way from Uniqueness to Universality Be aware and perceive rightly Then the words come alive and become meaningful If not, then they are like writings on water Soon to disappear into meaninglessness!! 19. Pilgrimage to Self Would you like to take pilgrimage to Self? If yes, Then just walk with me as ‘I’ holding the hand of my guru — the Awareness Let’s journey together through space and time and then beyond Now that ‘Alok’ and ‘Kalpak’ Have taken responsibility for their own destiny Now that ‘Shaku’ and ‘others related’ are on their own course of life There’s nothing to do I know The ‘Source’ takes care of everyone’s needs What else shall I do? What else shall I create? What else should I achieve? As I sit doing nothing Relaxed with no care of the world Brooding, pondering, and speculating Suddenly a thought just flashed by Who is this ‘i’? It’s better to know this ‘i’ As it seems to be the root cause of all my questions Thus began my pilgrimage to Self Sitting alone in ‘solitude’ which is different than just being alone The mind is at peace but with this one desire To find ‘Who is the questioner within me? For hours I would sit there like an idiot Doing nothing Simply observing my mind But with no desire to find the answer I don’t know ‘what’ protected me from the deadly virus called ‘Excuse’ The power of ‘Grace’ protected me from the tamasic negative energy of Laziness In the beginning of my sadhana I did not understand what ‘surrender’ is I used it as a ‘peg’ to hang all my minds problems on it Until I realized I was using surrender to escape from my own mind I observed my mind, to find where from it arise I realized the futility, as I was making efforts So in utter helplessness, I surrendered ‘it ‘in my prayer I was not concerned with ‘what Reality is’ The focus of my Awareness was always on ‘what is Reality’ Like a fish ‘immersed’ in water knows not the reality outside the water I observed that in my daily life I too am always ‘immersed’ in the world of senses Unaware of the Reality outside this world of senses My mind is continuously being caught up in the surrounding stimulies of the world These stimulies causes mind to constantly create and build dynamic models of my world But at times with my Awareness focused ‘within’ There was this great feeling of being completely ‘Un -immersed’ In my sadhana I kept moving from place to place In search of ‘right environment’ Until my Awareness revealed to me My mind is my ‘ true environment’ In my daily life I Watched my own motives in all my ‘actions’ I found that the mind is the wrong instrument to use for actions Instead it’s Awareness that works wonders In my sadhana I realized, it’s not what I do but what I stop doing that matters There was nothing to be changed but simply my attitude Which required no conscious efforts but simple Awareness In my sadhana I did not follow any procedure or methods or steps or routines It was simply through my own Awareness I began to lose my self-importance I Realized that Pure Awareness is my inner ‘guru’ The ever present ‘guru’ is always with me helping me curtail my self-importance I realized Outside guru is needed as long as I am ‘Bahirmukhi’ My Awareness is my guru when I become ‘Antarmukhi’ In the very beginning of my sadhana At times, I had doubts Then ‘Dada (Shaha)’ came to my rescue His understanding of different ‘faiths’ and clear perception of the truth in scriptures Helped me overcome the confusion in my mind In my sadhana I also read many scriptures and books of different ‘faiths’ But there was still no clarity of the ‘doubtful’ As I continued my sadhana My yearning to seek the doubtless continued Until I realized Why bother about the doubtful or doubtless When I don’t even know ‘who is the doubter’? In my sadhana I had no problem of not having time For I needed hardly any time for this ‘person’ and it’s daily needs In my sadhana With focused Awareness I looked at my own individual personality to know the ‘person’ I call ‘self ‘ But how could I catch the ever changing ‘person’? I did not give up and continued with focused Awareness Until I Realized the Fact ‘I am’ is not the ‘person’ This experience of not being the ‘person’ Automatically led to experiencing freedom For the first time My consciousness in the waking state Experienced the bliss of not being a ‘person’ In my sadhana I experienced existence without body Which definitely brought detachment to my body The experience also eliminated the fear of death But is it going to stop the cycle of birth and death? In my sadhana At times in heightened state of Awareness There’s something that happened to my perception It lead to serene aloofness and hardened detachment Which slowly and naturally became my normal behavior In this changed perception, when I ‘See’ the world I ‘see’ like a video camera The camera sees and registers everything without judgment or evaluation or any opinion And when it focuses on another view It lingers not on the past views nor is it constrained by previous angle-of-view But is at once free and fresh to register the next impression as they come Mind’s nature being impermanent It tends to constantly ‘anchor’ itself As the ‘anchor’ itself is transitory It keeps moving from ‘anchor’ to ‘anchor’ Until it comes to rest When it finds a permanent ‘anchor ‘ — the ‘Self ‘ ‘Silence’ is the meditation, to know what ‘ Silence’ is In the silence of ‘the void’ is this ‘no-thing’ that stands alone, changeless, here and now I know nothing like it nor can I name it Should I also call it ‘IT’, ‘That’, ‘Atman’ or ‘Self ‘? I did not create ‘IT ‘ nor do I find any beginning or end of ‘IT’ ‘IT’ just remains suspended, all motionless and still in calm, and in silence I cannot describe Though life is interdependence The Awareness is free and independent now To test this independence My mind ‘let go’ all I was dependent on And to my surprise I found that I can be with life the way it is For ‘IT’ is inseparable from Life Is this the end of my pilgrimage to Self ? My journey has not ended but just begun from Enlightenment to the point of no return These words are simply to create the urge in you And help you take – the First step You too can in this life itself Choose consciously to take pilgrimage to ‘Self ‘ Have faith and trust in your ‘Guru ‘ Begin now, your journey to discover the ‘Self ‘ Your mind must flip and take a somersault Walk away from these words towards the Reality that exists without these words Oh please Don’t turn words into ideas, beliefs, and concepts Find ‘that’ which is greater than all Wisdom Be Alert … Be Aware Choose to move away from all ideas and concepts Only that Truth which you discover yourself Will be of any use to you, on this pilgrimage to ‘Self ‘ Be aware and perceive rightly Then the words come alive and become meaningful If not, they are like writings on water Soon to disappear into meaninglessness!! 20. Failure of Wisdom On our pilgrimage to Self, know that ‘I’-‘me’ is our Guru — the Awareness I always had a question What is wisdom ? Those wise men told me — It may come with age but is more than worldly experience alone — It is Knowledge that cannot be taught but can only be known by direct experience — It can be sensed around a wise person As I earnestly moved On the pilgrimage to Self I persistently asked the wise one How can I get wisdom ? Those wise men told me — Be aware and remain Equanimous to all happenings within you On the pilgrimage to Self I earnestly followed their instructions Soon I started experiencing The power that comes from wisdom I experienced it and cognized it Soon there arose a different Awareness that comes from birth of Wisdom Now I — the Awareness lovingly share with everyone The secret of gaining wisdom Now in our daily interactions Arise many opportunities that reveal The process of Right Perception that grant wisdom People in their day-to-day interactions are never in the present Their mind is always moving either in the past or future matters People see their happenings as past, present and future But is there anything Real other than the present? Creativity is the activity of wisdom It arises and acts always in the present Be aware, the solutions to all our problems also lies in the present Let us be aware and observe ourselves Look at the pains we suffer, the loneliness encountered The experiences of disappointment and distress and all the attachments and aversions in life Isn’t each experience a doorway to gaining Wisdom? But we lose the opportunity to see beyond all illusions Is it not failure of wisdom to act in our life? The solution, that pure Awareness presents is a ‘Software’ for wisdom Love for all naturally reveals Ways and Methods So everyone may ‘Learn to Observe’ In our daily interactions See how witnessing can increase our own capacity for Right Judgments But instead of seeing Wisdom in operation we choose to perceive the process as carping Loosing in the process opportunity for gaining wisdom Do you See how Wrong Perception causes the failure of wisdom? In our daily life When the problem is over and gone the solution given Now appears to be meaningless Wrong perception makes one say “what’s done, how can it be undone?” At times in daily life One is unable to see too far in the future the effects of his own action Now So all suggestions are bound to be ignored as the problems are invisible right Now We focus on the Event I focus on the Process Do we See how this difference in perception causes the failure of wisdom? For me The process of living is a Continuum For me The past is active in the present For me The present is moving towards future For us Life is Discreet set of events divided by past, present and future And so we ignorantly search for the Cause and Effect in the immediate events It’s our Wrong Perception and Attitude That forms the base for all our actions interpretations, and life’s appraisal Do you See why we ourselves become the cause for the failure of wisdom? With each experience of pain or negativity Lies the opportunity to challenge our Own Perception This Act can open for us the gate to acquire wisdom The wise Cannot Prevent us from our own learning and growing The wise Cannot Prevent us from letting our experiences influence us Our experiences will move us to the right or to the left We will ask the Wise this question or that This is how in this Moment We create and open the reality of our Choice Now, do you see Why there is failure of wisdom to act in our life? Instead of choosing the path of Awareness We choose Learning through ignorance born out of our own fear, doubt, and lack of faith We choose Not to let wisdom act in our life Choose now to walk on the vertical Path of Clarity The path of Conscious Action and Creative life Choose to learn from wisdom It clears the relationship between the personality and ‘Self ‘ The knowledge you get helps you on your pilgrimage to Self Jinendra asks Do you know where is Ignorance? Do you know where is Knowledge? Ignorance and Knowledge are both in our mind But is gaining of Wisdom through our mind? Is gaining of Wisdom an act of Grace? No one asks No one is interested But, if someone were to seek earnestly He too would find What those wise men discovered about Wisdom — It cannot be taught you have to sense it around the wise man — It cannot come by itself with age or worldly knowledge and experience — It has to be seeked in earnest within yourself, in day-to-day life — To gain wisdom, Be Aware and remain Equanimous to all happenings within you Now do you see Why you act the way you do? You act the way you do For you think ‘ i am right ‘ But you never choose to know ‘Who am i?’ This i is the root cause of failure of wisdom to act in our life Be aware and perceive rightly Then the words come alive and become meaningful If not, they are like writings on water Soon to disappear into meaninglessness!! 21. Silence What is Silence? Why talk about ‘Silence’ For all talk of silence is Noise Awareness reveled to Me When I acted to solve the conflict Of the ‘known’ from the ‘Known’ All talk of silence is Noise Helping others perceive the ‘Known’ You get caught in the ‘known’ Trying to modify ‘known’ Making others aware of ‘Known’ Can it bring an end to their Misery and Sorrow? Can our Actions Arising from Conflict in any form Inner or Outer Conscious or Unconscious Ever lead to others Enhancement? To me Understanding at times Comes in a flash Action in Inaction cannot be perceived by all I ‘Perceive’ it immediately While others don’t even See it How can they Perceive what I See When it is not part of their Consciousness? My Inaction in Action Cannot be perceived by all So my Actions from the ‘Known’ Naturally leads to Conflict in their mind For my ‘Known’ is ‘unknown’ for them To avoid this conflict I must Not alter the ‘known’ I must Not change the ‘known’ Nor attempt to make others Aware of my ‘Known’ I simply remain Aware of the ‘Known’ Let who-so-ever come in my Awareness Let him part the way he is Or with a sense of Enhancement But never with a sense of being diminished You are not aware ‘Silence’ is Unity So you seek silence of many types You seek Silence of environment Silence of speech Silence of taste Silence of senses Silence of “Raga, Dvesha, Moha” Silence of the mind, and so on and on Your focus is always on ‘Silence of ‘ something Be it ‘some-thing’ gross or subtle It’s this objectification of silence, that leads you to ‘Act’ In your perception now, this ‘something’ is ‘Noise’ You the ‘subject’ and that ‘something’ as the ‘object’ Once again you are caught up in the world of dualities Do you still hope to find ‘Unity’ through such ‘Acts’? The silence you ‘know’ is absence of ‘something’ The silence I ‘Know’ encompasses everything To ‘Know’ what this silence is ‘Silence’ is the meditation What kind of a relationship can there be Between one, only aware of the ‘known’ with the One, aware of the ‘Known’? What is the relationship of ‘Such’ a Mind to a mind that is ‘Not such’ ? In such relationship there can be Only communication but No Communion 0nly when both ‘See’ At the same ‘Level’ At the same ‘Time’ There can be Communion So what does ‘Such’ Mind do? It remains ‘Aware’, in his ‘Mauna’ ‘Silence’ is the only Way For he Knows All talk from Silence is just noise for others!! Be aware and perceive rightly Then the words come alive and become meaningful If not, they are like writings on water Soon to disappear into meaninglessness!! 22. Farewell I have spoken Just a few words But much remains unsaid For I myself cannot speak What is in my ‘Heart’ And reveal to you my deeper secrets Each poem reveals a fresh approach indeed Each is complete though it’s part of the Whole Each poem arises from an Awakening To lift the veils between You, Mind, and Self So you too can make contact with your Self Even if you read the poems casually An occasional thought is sure to slip through your defenses The words will spiral it’s way into your heart And break down barriers to Divine But if you read them with Awareness You let Grace Act that brings serendipity in your Life Read them in your leisure moments Let the words dwell in your heart Give it time to work on your subconscious Unexpectedly they’ll blossom and spread its perfume You will be surprised to see Just when you need it Revelations comes to you quite unexpectedly Bringing you an insight and inner healing Each step leads to another step So you too can discover ‘that’ Which is beyond the ‘word knowledge’ As you take each step Simply ‘surrender’ and be with your ‘Guru’ If you still have some doubts, then realize the ‘believer’ is also the ‘doubter’ Be inquisitive To unravel the Truth of ‘Life’ Be Aware and Alert of human endowments — Your Self-Awareness — Your Conscience — Your Independent Will and Free Choice — Your Creativity Make full use of them Then only ‘Life’ shall be free from life ‘Jinendra’ asks Why do you want to believe simply in a ‘god’ That’s nice, benevolent, and takes care of you? ‘Jinendra’ asks Do you have the courage to believe in ‘god’ That’s nice, benevolent, and takes care of you But also * Who want’s you to attain ‘His Wisdom’ * Who want’s you to attain ‘His Power’ * Who want’s you to attain ‘His Vision’ * Who want’s you to attain ‘His Position’ * Who want’s you to attain ‘His Identity’ On the path of the Pilgrimage to Self What ‘Purushartha’ is needed? * Just be Aware of your self Use your own Awareness To evaluate and See — Do you let new insights slip away — Do you let new understanding die by In-Action? — Do you drag yourself to move in a new direction? — Do you lack the will to move in the direction you have been avoiding? Can you hear the whispers of your own breath? Can you see the movements of your own thoughts? … … … You do not see? … … … You do not hear? But … .. it’s all right Know that through the dense mist dawns a clear bright day So shall the clouds that veils your ‘eyes’ and ‘ears’ Are bound to be blown away one day by the winds of ‘Right Knowledge’ And on that beautiful clear day You too shall see The Self and the purpose of all that exists If my silence hides me from you Be assured I shall seek your understanding Through the same words you now read And as these words become more kin to your own thoughts The ‘Truth’ shall reveal itself to you Then you too will ‘Know’ That which ‘My Guru’ said “There is No Creation There is No Destruction There is No Destiny There is No Free Will All there is, Is the Silence” Farewell … … to all Let the Grace be with all We have come together and taken The Pilgrimage to Self We have met in a ‘dream’ But Now the sleep has gone Our ‘dream’ is over But is there ‘dawn’? Farewell… Together we walked Now we must part But if we ever meet in the world of thoughts We shall share again our experiences For I Know Awareness (Self) is before the Experience Awareness (Self) is in the Experience Awareness (Self) is after the Experience Truth with a big T means — “the truth about you” So make sure that each time you read You single-mindedly search For a deeper understanding of yourself. Again and again Together we shall go On the Pilgrimage to Self Until one day You too will drink From the Same river of Silence Then your heart shall sing The sonnet that come effortlessly … … and then you may … … … … … continue this poem! Om shanti, shanti, shanti!! [THE END] “Self-knowledge is the only remedy for sufferings.” “Self-knowledge is the easiest thing there is!” “Have Atmagnyana (Self-knowledge) first and then see God. When the Atman itself cannot be seen how can Sarveswara be seen? Seeing God is to give the mind itself as food to Atman.” Sri Ramana Maharshi, Atman Vidya (Vol.1) and Sat Darshan “Gurus can be had by hundreds and thousands. Everybody is anxious to be a Master. How many are there who would care to be disciples?” “For the teaching of divine truths, Adesh is the one thing needful. Without Adesh thou wouldst be asserting thyself and thinking, ‘I teach.’” “He who thinks his spiritual guide a mere man cannot make much progress in the spiritual life.” Ramakrishna Paramahansa God When you go on a pilgrimage, it directs the mind towards God. But remember — God is within.” “The one who prays and the one to whom prayers are addressed are one and the same. Sri Yoga Swami of Jaffna “If a spiritual Preceptor (Guru) can raise up one without one’s own efforts, why does he not raise a bull, an elephant, or a camel?” Attachment “Such a sentimental person who continues to drink the filthy water from a well, simply because it was dug by his dear father, leaving aside the pure Ganges water available close to hand, is certainly a slave, under other’s control.” Sage Valmiki, Yoga Vasishta Sara Detachment “How can detachment come simply by attachment to God? Only when mind is detached from the world, it can be attached to God.” Jagatguru Shree Kripalu Mahaprabhu Ahinsa (Nonviolence) “To restrain oneself from violence by practicing nonviolence, is no change at all. Nonviolence with a motive is still violence.” J. Krishnamurti “A person remains ordinary as long as he is led by the mind; but freed from the mind, he becomes a great saint.” Swami Nityananda of Ganeshpuri “Thou art free according to thy own will and honor, to be thy own creator and builder. To Thee alone we gave growth and development depending on thy own free will. Thou bearest in thee the germs of Universal Life.” Jesus Christ The Observer is the Observed “Once upon a time, I, Chuang Tzu, dreamt I was a butterfly, fluttering hither and thither, to all intents and purposes a butterfly. I was conscious only of following my fancies as a butterfly, and was unconscious of my individuality as a man. “Suddenly I awoke, and there I lay, myself again. Now I do not know whether I was then a man dreaming I was a butterfly, or whether I am now a butterfly dreaming I am a man.” Chuang Tzu, Zen Mind Self-Realization “The wise discover that Atman is not seen either by study of the scriptures, by initiations, by shaving the head, by wearing robes or by being a Guru or a Chela, nor is it seen through postures.”
Avadhut Gita A man of Pure Intellect realizes the Self even by instruction casually imparted. But a man of Impure Intellect is bewildered in trying to realize the Self even after inquiring throughout his life.” Sage Ashtavakra, Ashtavakra Samhita’ Liberation Even after the Truth has been realized, there remains that strong beginningless, obstinate impression that one is the agent and experiencer. And this is the cause of one’s Transmigration. It has to be carefully removed by living in a state of constant identification with Supreme-Self (Atman). Sages call that Liberation which is attenuation of all Vasanas here and now.” Sri Adi Sankaracharya, Viveka Chudamani Silence “Only when one comes back to the noisy from the Silence can one preach the Silence. How can the Silence preach itself through Silence?” Swami Tapovan Maharaj of Uttarkashi’ Equanimity “To be fixed in One’s Self is to be Equanimous.” Shrimad Rajchandra “Spiritual practice is being aware of Awareness. “It is the state of Witnessing. Witnessing brings Pure-Understanding of WHAT-IS (all there is, IS Consciousness, in which appears the Totality of all manifestations and its impersonal functioning). “This Understanding, being of noumenal nature (and not phenomenal or intellectual), brings about a qualitative change through merely witnessing all thoughts, feelings, desires, as they arise, without getting involved with them, without identifying with them.” Ramesh S. Balsekar’ “All words are narrow footpaths leading nowhere but to others in a closed jungle of confusion and illusion. Apparently there is no way out of this mad delusion but to Sit up and Awake. “So there is no path, no jungle of confusion and illusion — no going out or about, as soon as you are free from the delusion dream. “All words are the ripples that arise in the ocean of Absolute Silence and they merge back into it. “You are the endless, bottomless, ocean of Consciousness that is Life within and beyond.” Swami Harish Madhukar Even if you read The Pilgrimage to Self casually An occasional thought is sure to slip through your defenses. The words will spiral their way into your heart And break down barriers to Divine But if you read them with Awareness You let Grace Act That brings serendipity in your Life. Swami Jinendra ‘WORDS-VAULT‘ is a good example for converting half a chance into a full-growth opportunity. The leap that a pole-vaulter gets using the pole, an intelligent seeker can get such a ‘LEAP’ to launch himself, in the realm of perceptions with the WORDS-VAULT. This leap is from the prosaic known to the transcendent UNKNOWN! Words are surely the way for us human beings to understand. Whereas, realization is ONLY when one knows, as to when and how to emerge free of ‘words’. Let not words become burden for us, even if they are spiritually loaded ones! As in pole-vaulting, the pole is useful only to launch us above the hurdle-mark. At the right moment one has to let go of the pole, otherwise the whole efforts gets faulty. Let us handle the spiritual words, as the successful pole-vaulter handles the pole!
Preface
Commentary on Pilgrimage to Self
Commentary on Pilgrimage to Self
1. Samwad: A Beginning
2. The Abstract Core
3. Viewpoint of Atman
4. Truth
5. Rituals
6. Circle of Desire
7. Renunciation
8. Responsibility
9. Inner Revolution
10. Clarity
11. Springboard to Unknown
12. Life: The Universal Energy
13. Enlightenment
14. Discovery
15. Tri-Ratna
16. The Sound of Silence
17. Awareness: My Inner Guru
18. Sadhana: First and Last Step
19. Pilgrimage to Self
20. Failure of Wisdom
21. Silence
22. Farewell
ELIXIR OF WISDOM
Elixir of Wisdom:
Self-Knowledge
Guru
Grace
Freedom
Free will
Sadhana
The Way
Serendipity
Spiritual Glossary
WORDS-VAULT
Glossary of Spiritual words Related Images:
Pilgrimage to Self
Table of Contents
Preface
Commentary on Pilgrimage to Self
1. Samwad: A Beginning
2. The Abstract Core
3. Viewpoint of Atman
4. Truth
5. Rituals
6. Circle of Desire
7. Renunciation
8. Responsibility
9. Inner Revolution
10. Clarity
11. Springboard to Unknown
12. Life: The Universal Energy
13. Enlightenment
14. Discovery
15. Tri-Ratna
16. The Sound of Silence
17. Awareness: My Inner Guru
18. Sadhana: First and Last Step
19. Pilgrimage to Self
20. Failure of Wisdom
21. Silence
22. Farewell
ELIXIR OF WISDOM
Spiritual Glossary
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