Even when one comes out of Samadhi, the recollection of Samadhi is only a faint reflection of Samadhi—actually, the memory of Samadhi is just an impression of ‘nothingness,’ which is the Unmanifest (Prakriti) in its most subtle expression.

Anyway, this expression—this explanation—is not of much importance. The essential import (meaning) of our Life does not lie in analysis. Art is not produced by connecting dots. Music is not played by reading notes. Poetry is not created by stringing words into sentences and sentences into paragraphs. No doubt the analysis is there, the dots are there, the notes, words, and sentences are there, but there is so much more which cannot be produced or understood by the mind. To go beyond the mind, the mind will need to be silenced. To silence the mind, wisdom must be acquired, and to acquire wisdom, ego must be dropped. To drop the ego, the touch of a True Teacher is essential. OM

Some people think their name is very important. In fact, some people are so attached to their name that they actually think they are their name. So, what’s in a name? What is a name, really?

Your name was given to you after you were born. Even though you existed in your mother’s womb prior to birth, no one referred to you by name until after you were born. So, who were you before you were born? What were you before you were born?

Regardless of your opinion of ‘when life begins,’ almost everyone will agree that a child just a month before being born is in fact a complete human being, entitled to all the protections and rights of a new born baby. Question: is the unborn child ‘incomplete?’ Is the unborn child only a ‘partial’ human being just because the child has no name? Of course not.

When my first son was born, we did not give him a name for several months. We just called him ‘beautiful soul.’ That’s all. We did this intentionally because we didn’t want our relatives (or ourselves) to begin treating him like ‘a person.’

You see, we are so much more than just a person. Our ‘personhood’ begins when we get caught up in our name and form. The truth is, in essence, we are neither our name nor our form. Names and forms are always changing. But there is ‘something’ about each and every one of us which is not subject to change or alteration. There is ‘something’ that cannot be adulterated by adults. There is ‘something’ that cannot be superimposed upon, cannot be defined (put in a box), or even imagined. That ‘something’ is who and what you really are. You are indivisible, invisible, invincible Divine Spirit.

You are an Eternal Conscious Being!

Now, I know some people will object to this phrase ‘Divine Spirit,’ so let me clarify what I mean. The ‘spirit’ is simply the energy or life force which empowers the mind to think and gives the body the power to act. This energy-field is indestructible and is beyond both mind and matter, which is why it is called ‘divine.’ ‘Divine’ simply means that which is beyond mind and matter—and what is that?—that is Consciousness.

The life force is the energy that emanates from Consciousness. This is called PRANA. Prana is the inherent force of Consciousness. In essence, you are Consciousness, I am Consciousness, and everyone is Consciousness. You are eternal, I am eternal, and everyone is eternal. You are not temporarily eternal—that makes no sense. If your eternal nature begins at some point in time (such as at your birth in the body, or when you are ‘enlightened’), then that could not be called eternity.

You and I are eternal and we are eternally unique—one of a kind; hence, each and every one of us is also one-without-a-second. You have always existed (though not in your present form) and will always exist. But there is ‘Something’ greater than you and greater than I, which is also eternal, and is also One-Without-a-Second, and THAT is the Supreme. Some call that Ultimate Reality the Supreme Being, some say GOD, others say Paramatma (Supreme Soul), and there are so many other names too.

What is the Purpose of a Name?

When we name something we describe its properties. The properties of a ‘thing’, ‘substance,’ or entity are inherent in it. For example, the property of heat is inherent in fire. The properties of eternal things are eternal, but the names used to designate the properties (qualities) may change according to the evolution of language.

Linguists ponder the question of the origin of language. Where did language originate? Is there an original language? If so, are there elementary words which are inherent in the Universe, just like elementary particles? The Vedic Rishis (sages) have explained that all words emanate originally from OM. Om is the primal seed Mantra. The Sanskrit language is made up of sound vibrations which can ultimately be resolved to this single syllable. These sound vibrations form the roots of words, and both the roots and the original words are eternal in the sense that they are inherent in the sound of OM, which is the sound vibration of the Absolute (GOD).

Now, ‘sound’ means that which is heard. When we hear words in our head we do not hear physical sounds, yet we are still ‘hearing.’ When we ‘hear the Names of God’ it means the mind is reflecting on God’s characteristics. GOD’s names are His qualities; for example: Mitra: friend; Dayalu: compassionate; Atiti: indestructible.

Our own names should also describe our qualities. But nowadays (due to the preponderance of shallow personality) many of our personal names are whimsical and meaningless. This should not be so. A name is not a number used for reference and record keeping. Our name should describe the quality of our essence—it should tell something about who and what we really are. Our name should remind us (and others) of our real nature. When the mind is reminded over and over, again and again, of our real nature, our mind begins to look more and more like who we really are. Then we are no longer confused about who we are.

The mind needs to be ‘washed’ (purified, clarified) with correct conceptions in order to have right perception. In other words, the ‘brainwashing’ must be washed away, otherwise our misconceptions will lead to misperception and misunderstanding, which in turn lead to self-deceit, self-defeat, and self-destruction.

To really be who you are (in essence), you need to do what is essential. The most important thing you can do is to do what you say. Of course, if what you say is not true then you should not do it. Remember: it’s the mind that does all the talking. Your self-talk needs to reflect who you really are, and that reflection needs to be projected through your actions. This is why it is so important to put the right thoughts into your mind, because then the mind will reflect on those good thoughts, and the mind will become better. In other words, it will become a better reflector of who you are; your mind will not present a distorted image of your self. Instead, you will see (with the mind) who you really are and you will be your Self. ‘Being yourself’ means being true to your Real Self; it means doing actions which are in harmony with your real nature.

My name is Jai Maha Dev. What does it mean? It means I am a spark of the Supreme Self; it means my life is for the glorification of that Supreme Being—it is not for self-glorification, selfishness, or shallowness. My name reminds me of my real nature and real purpose. Of course, I need to project these qualities through my actions in order to fully realize (actualize) who I am. This is a process and it is called the ‘art of living.’

The art of living is the unfolding of the truth of being. That ‘being’ is immortal, indestructible, complete, full, and one-without-a-second—but it is NOT one without any equal. On the contrary, we are all equals, and we are all eternal, and we are all permeated with the Light of Supreme Consciousness. That Light is the Wisdom which is our eternal inheritance—there is no greater wealth than that—so we should treasure it.

Eventually everyone needs to awaken to the truth—they need to listen to the Wisdom of Consciousness. When we listen to the Wisdom of Consciousness we are listening to our own Higher Nature. The time will come when we will see God face-to-face. This can only happen when we stop turning our back on the truth. The truth is always staring us in the face—there is no where we can turn to hide from our own Self. So we might as well face the truth and get busy doing the work of refining and reforming our own mind.

Only self-reformation will lead to self-transformation. We reform ourselves when we refine our mind with wisdom and put it into practice. Practice being your Self, that’s all. To practice being your Self, it is helpful to remind yourself who you really are.

Knowing is Doing

Don’t be so attached to your birth name—the name arbitrarily assigned to you at birth—especially if it is not a good reminder of who you really are. In fact, regardless of your name, you should not be attached to it. Remember: a name is only a reminder. Once you know who you really are you don’t need to remember it—but if you don’t practice it, you will definitely forget it, even if you repeat it like a parrot. In other words, ‘knowing is doing.’

Your true Self is neither an introvert nor an extrovert. Your true Self is beyond duality. Your true Self is not different from the true Self of others—the true Self is the same in everyone—but every Self is one-without-a-second; every Self is eternal and unique. This fact is an expression of the ever-newness, ever-freshness of Consciousness.

The Supreme Consciousness is the Supreme Self present in every Self. The Supreme Self is the Self of your Self. You are Atman, and the Supreme Self (Paramatman) is your Self. That is, GOD (the Supreme Being, the Absolute, Parabrahma) is the Essence that eternally pervades the eternal Soul (Atman: you). You are not GOD, but GOD is your Self. To understand this, it is necessary to leave your ego, your false identification with your small self.

Your small self is the self you ‘think’ you are. It is the imagined self. It is the self you have assumed yourself to be for the sake of acting out the drama of life. Because you are such a good actor, you don’t even know you are acting. You have convinced yourself that you are a mere mortal when in reality you are an immortal.

To experience our Essence, it is necessary to stop playing ‘mind games.’ The drama of the world is really just a side show. The real drama is the divine drama beyond the realm of ordinary mind and ego. To experience the extraordinary Drama of Creation, one must live an extraordinary life. To ‘live an extraordinary life’ simply means to go beyond your small self.

To make the mind balanced, the Truth must be brought into focus. The Truth is brought into focus when images are removed from the mind.

What is the Truth, and what are ‘images?’ The Truth is that which cannot be imagined. Images of the truth can never be the Truth. Images are ideas formed from impressions. Impressions are formed from actions performed with an interested motive. In other words, impressions (Samskaras) are formed in the mind when actions are done with ego. Ego is the idea ‘I am the doer.’ When this idea, which is also an image, is eliminated, all other images are also dissolved.

The idea that ‘I am the doer’ can never be dissolved by simply ceasing to act. Ceasing to act is the equivalent of succumbing to (surrendering to) ego. Ego can only be overcome by acting (living, working) without the idea of ego. This is the essence of Karma Yoga, and Karma Yoga is just another name for Raja Yoga, which is just another name for YOGA. Some people misconstrue Yoga as consisting of different ‘types,’ but in fact the different types of Yoga are really just different aspects of Yoga.

Yoga is the union of the mind with the divine. The ‘divine’ is that which is beyond the mind. The mind is united with the divine only when it is balanced, and it is balanced only when it is free of images. The mind is finally free of images only when ego is expelled from the mind, and ego is expelled only through the performance of action without ego.

The performance of action without ego is a process. The progression of the purification of the mind is facilitated by the practice of Yoga. The practice of Yoga means the consistent and persistent effort to balance the mind through the removal of mental states which are contrary to one’s higher nature. One’s higher nature is the Truth that one is Pure Consciousness, undistorted, immutable, indestructible and unimaginable. The Truth is one’s Essence. When the mind is purified, the Truth is ‘reflected’ in that mind and one is Enlightened.

The Enlightened One is the Self that has completely purified the mind. Enlightenment is the aim of the Game of Life. The Game of Life can only be won by becoming completely egoless, which can only be accomplished by living and working without expressing ego. Merely repressing ego will not result in egolessness. Transcendence is necessary, and transcendence means to live and work and go beyond (transcend) ego. Eventually, this work causes the complete disintegration of ego—that is, the ego ceases to be integrated with the mind (the mind/ego connection is broken). Ego still exists in the Enlightened One; it is just no longer present in the mind. When ego is no longer present in the mind, one has complete presence of mind—the mind fully reflects the light of Consciousness.

This is called the realization of Truth, which means the actualization (manifestation) of one’s real nature (Higher Nature, Soul) through the purification of the mind.

Do you want to save yourself from unnecessary pain and suffering? Then you need to do your own ‘homework.’ No one can erase your mistakes for you, no one can make you free, no one can give you salvation, and no one can take you to heaven on their shoulders. That is all a hallucination born out of ignorance of your Real Nature.

You decided on your own to play this Game, to live this Life. You knew what you were getting into before you started. Even though you have long since forgotten why you came and where you are going—even this forgetfulness is part of the drama. You will remember when the mind is clarified. You will get to where you are going when you get your self out of the way.

So, images are created by ego (the ‘power of identification’). This identifying-power is manifested when the Energy of Consciousness is channeled through the Principle of Knowledge (Mahattatwa), which is manifested from the union of Spirit (Purush, Energy of Consciousness, Atman-Soul projecting its own inherent soul-force or PRANA) with Matter (Prakriti, which in essence is simply pure nothingness).

In reality (Ultimate Reality), our images are nothing, our ego is nothing, everything is nothing. Beyond all this is THAT which is Real. When this is THAT, we are Real. Until then, we remain caught up in unreality. When what was and what will be is dissolved into now, Eternity is experienced in the moment, which is now and forever.

OM

The Self sees but does not superimpose. The Self is beyond thought but is not thoughtless. The Self is the same in everyone, but everyone is not the same Self. Every Self is unique, but the Self is not an ‘individual.’ Individuality is born out of ego, whereas the Self is unborn, ever-changeless yet ever-new (dynamic).

You, I, and everyone is the Self, but the Self is not what we think the Self to be. The Self cannot be thought in the mind. When the mind is absolutely clear, the Self is clearly reflected there, and this reflection is the experience of absolute Freedom (Moksha).

Beyond the experience of the Self as reflected in the purified mind, is the Supreme Self. The Self knows the Self (Supreme Self) by the Self alone (without the medium of the mind). This is THAT which is beyond this and that. This is SATCHITANDAND: indivisible Existence (Being), Consciousness (Awareness), Bliss (Supreme Ecstasy).

Being self-centered means the mind is preoccupied with ego, the small self. The small self, ego, is the identification of consciousness with the body and mind, and by extension, with other people, places, and things associated with the body and mind.

The identification of consciousness with the mind (and through the mind, with the body) occurs naturally. For example, when we are born we naturally begin to identify with our body and mind due to our association with them. However, it is unnatural to remain limited by our ego—in other words, it is unnatural to accept being bound by our ego (our identification with the mind, body and their various relationships and interrelationships). On the contrary, it is our true nature to be free and imageless, and if we are bound and caught up in our images it is our nature to break free.

Breaking free means breaking our images (including, especially, our self-image). When our images are broken our ego collapses—it cannot stand without the crutches of images. Hence, we need to remove our images and the only way to remove them is through the acquisition and application of Wisdom.

When the mind is energized with the light of Consciousness we become ‘light hearted’—we don’t take ourselves so seriously and don’t feel overburdened with anxiety, annoyance, and frustration.

True peace of mind can only be realized by getting out of our ego. As long as we remain in our ego we remain in bondage.

“The range of human experience is limited only by one’s imagination.”

This statement is true—but not in the way it is generally understood. So, I will reword it here: ‘Your ability to experience your Essence is limited by your images.’ If you spend your time living in your imagination, you are not experiencing reality. The reality I am referring to is the Ultimate Reality—your Essence.

People who are busy imagining things never experience what this life is really all about. Instead, they wile away their time in their images of unreality—in fact, many people live in virtual unreality (oftentimes mistakenly referred to as ‘virtual reality’).

If you think perception is reality, you are mistaken; you are living in misperception. Reality is perceived through the mechanism of the clarified mind, and the mind can only be clarified (purified) with the Wisdom of Consciousness.

Reality always remains reality irrespective of its perception by (through) the mind. The perception of Ultimate Reality is the ultimate aim of life. The perception of reality is a mental phenomenon manifested as a result of the refinement of the mind. The mind becomes more and more fine as ego is removed from it. Since ego is an element of Ignorance, it follows that ego can only be eliminated by way of the removal of Ignorance.

The elimination of ego simply means its removal from the mind. When this happens, the Universal Self is manifested in one’s life, and this manifestation is called Enlightenment. Enlightenment is the process of the removal of ego and ignorance.