Wisdom of Consciousness

If we want to be really happy we have to be really REAL. Being real means not pretending to be permanently happy with temporary happiness. In other words, being real means not imagining that temporary relationships are permanent. There is only one permanent relationship, and that is the relationship of that which is permanent with that which is permanent.

The Supreme Self (GOD) is permanent, the soul-self is permanent, and the insentient invisible substance with which the Supreme Self creates this visible world, and with which the soul is embodied as a living being is also permanent.

The Supreme Self is called SatChitAnand. The Supreme Self is simultaneously eternal (permanent) Existence/Consciousness/Bliss. We can say that the Supreme Self (Paramatman: Supreme Soul) is indestructible, unchangeable, all-pervading, ever-existing blissful Consciousness.

The soul-self (our own self) is called Atman, which means all-pervading. Therefore, our essential quality is that we are indestructible, unchangeable, all-pervading, ever-existing Consciousness. We are blissful on account of our being pervaded by the Supreme Self. Our proximity to the Supreme Self is experienced when we experience that All-blissful Presence, and this highest experience is the highest state of consciousness, and is called Moksha (Liberation), Heaven, Nirvana, and so forth.

The insentient, invisible eternal substance is called Prakriti. This is Nature in its primordial (pre-manifested) state. This Nature is vast and expansive, but it is not all-pervading. This Nature (Prakriti) is pervaded by the Supreme Self and ourselves. Though Nature manifests in the form of the Multiverse (universes after universes after universes), or we can simply say, the Universe, this manifested Universe does not in any way change or diminish the eternal Substance called Prakriti (Nature).

The interrelationship of the Supreme Self, ourselves, and Nature creates this drama of existence, and this drama, or play (LILA) exists for only one purpose: so that we can experience our Essence, which is none other than that All-pervading, Ever-existing, Ever-conscious, Supremely Blissful Self.

So, if we really want to be really happy, we must relate or connect to that state of Consciousness which is permanently happy. If we get caught up in the ever-changing phenomenal world, then the happiness we derive from it will surely change into something else: for example, it will change from happiness to unhappiness.

Since our intrinsic nature is happiness itself, we can never be satisfied with impermanent happiness. Hence, we would be wise to practice detachment from the things of this world; and we would be foolish, or other than wise, to practice otherwise. This practice is a mental practice, because really this world exists in our mind only. From the point of view of the Soul-self, this whole world is just a big drama. When the Light of the Soul shines upon the mind, the mind perceives the truth about this world and is no longer disturbed by it.

This practice is the practice of Yoga. This Yoga is a sovereign and secret science, which simply means that it is one which must be practiced by one’s own self (sovereign), and its efficacy must be experienced directly within one’s own self, which is why this science is unknown or hidden (secret) to those who are looking outside of themselves by living in their images and storybook, manmade religious, philosophical, academic, or materialistic pursuits. OM

Happiness eludes us because we are running away from ourselves. We do not realize that true happiness is inside of us.

We are running away from ourselves when we live in denial about what we need to change. We are running away from ourselves when we refuse to confront our own ego, and choose instead to seek appreciation and recognition. We want to be adored but we don’t adore our own real self. We don’t want to be ignored, but we ignore our own real self.

Our real self doesn’t need anything. When our mind is clear, we realize this. But when the mind is filled with thoughts of poor “little me,” we think the whole world is against us. The truth is there is nothing happening to us that we are not doing to ourselves. If we are angry, we are making ourselves angry. If we are bored, we are making ourselves bored. If we are miserable, we are making ourselves miserable.

If you think this is over-simplification, then you are simply mistaken. If we mistake our mind for our own real self, then we have created a false identity, and that mistaken identity creates lots of confusion. If we do not know who we really are, and what we really are, it is impossible to be who we really are, which means it will be impossible to be really happy. OM

There is so much beauty in this life, but if the mind is confused we won’t experience it. They say, “We should slow down and experience the flowers.” We should slow down the racing mind and experience the inner beauty of this life.

When the mind is brought under our control we are no longer controlled by things happening outside of us. We are completely responsible for our mental state. We can make the mind a palace of good thoughts and inspiration, or we can make it a dungeon of despair. It is all our own doing.

It is not possible to do the wrong actions and be positive at the same time. A wrong action is one which negates our real nature. Actions which are contrary to our real nature will always cause confusion in our mind. If the mind is confused we will not experience the beauty of our life.

Our ego is a beast that does not let us be our best. When our mind is ruled by our ego our potential to experience our own inner beauty is severely limited. Unless we sever our ego from the mind we will never have a really good time. A good time is a good life; it is NOT a fleeting moment of cheap pleasure. The cheap pleasures of the mind can be very costly in the long run. Even in the near term, they can cut our life short. Before that happens, we should cut ego out of our life. We need to lance the tumor of ego with the sharp scalpel of wisdom.

We think it is painful to remove our ego, but actually it is much, much more painful to let it grow inside of us. When we let ego grow in our mind it completely clouds our vision and doesn’t let us experience the beauty of life. Hence, we spend our entire life looking outside of ourselves for happiness and never find it.

This life is only a single moment in our eternal journey of Liberation (Absolute Freedom). This life is a golden opportunity. We should seize the moment and live it to the fullest. OM

An open heart is an open mind. Mind is the heart of the matter. If the mind is messed up, everything that matters in our life will also be messed up. The mind is messed up when we don’t keep it tidy. A tidy mind is one which is put in order. Peace of mind is more important than the material things of this world and more important than the mind is the Self (the soul, ATMAN). If we do not put our soul work first, then our mind is out of order and out of control. That mind becomes narrow and stingy, and gives one a heavy heart. Really, a heavy heart is simply a mind that is burdened with the thought of “little me” (ego).

Opening our heart means opening our mind to the wisdom of Consciousness; it means broadening our awareness and looking beyond our small self. It has absolutely nothing at all to do with being kind or gracious with the wicked and selfish-minded people. If we are open to those who are dead set on using us and abusing us, then we are definitely going to be used and abused, and we might even end up dead.

One whose heart is open is not stuck in their ego. Though they may still have ego, they do not live for their ego, nor do they try to please the egos of others. They are not people-pleasers; they are pleasers of soul, they are pleasers of the pure consciousness.

In our heart of hearts we are nothing but pure consciousness. When we remove all our mental debris we discover in the core of our being the pure state of Divine Love. That state of being is beyond wanting and desiring; it is beyond expecting, projecting, prospecting, accepting or rejecting. In other words, it is free of all selfish motives.

An open heart is a mind free of selfish motives. It is a mind devoid of any ego-agenda. When our heart is open and filled with divine wisdom, we become the source of solace and inspiration. We become a beacon of Light in this world, and when we depart from here we leave the mark of goodness and pass through the rays of the sun into eternity. OM

Oh restless man, oh restless woman. . .

Where will you go? What will you do?

Wherever you go, and whatever you do,

Your boredom comes right back to you.

Sooner or later you have to make up your mind.

Sooner or later you have to stop listening to your ego.

Why are you restless and why are you bored?

You are out of balance and out of tune.

Running with your mind, controlled by your ego,

You will find no satisfaction and no peace.

Your restlessness makes you angry, and

Your boredom makes you depressed.

You cannot find release by appeasing your mind and

Repressing your real self.

Your real self is already happy and full.

It is just your mind and ego that make you think

You are unfulfilled and falling apart.

Slow down your racing mind and get out of your ego.

Listen to the wisdom and take it to heart.

Every moment is a new beginning, a new start.

Live in the freshness of Consciousness and make

This moment the experience of Eternity.

There is no other way to overcome your

Insecurity and uncertainty.

Life has not cursed you; it is just your wrong thinking

That makes you feel down and out.

But what you feel with your mind is not what you really are.

The mind and ego are NOT what you are all about.

Your life is a gift from above, and everything here is just a test.

You have written the test yourself, and your Real Self is

Ever above and beyond all of this.

You can pass this test of life without remiss.

All you need to do is stop your mind from running out.

The running mind is restless because ego

Resides there and causes much agitation.

Besides this, there is also the lack of wisdom.

You were born with a pure heart, but you were not born wise.

You become wise when you control your mind and give up your ego.

There is no other way to find what you are looking for.

When you find it, you will never again be restless or bored.

“Make peace with yourself, then you can make peace with others.”

Our problem is NOT with others; our problem is with ourselves. We are in conflict with others only because we are conflict with ourselves.

Of course, we are talking about interpersonal relationships and not international relationships. However, even the relationship of one nation with another nation can only be peaceful if both countries respect their borders. Now, this means everyone must respect their own borders as well as the borders of others.

Where do we draw the boundaries? Our boundaries are established in antiquity, and they only become antiquated due to neglect. In other words, we are personally bound by the law of our own being: when we break that law we violate our own being. For example, since we are human beings, being humane is a law of our being. If we behave inhumanely, we violate our own being. When we betray ourselves, we will not hesitate to betray others too. When we violate our own boundaries, we will surely violate the boundaries of others.

It is inhumane to be cruel or hurtful. We hurt ourselves with our bad habits. We hurt ourselves when we cheapen ourselves. We hurt ourselves when we ignore our conscience and listen instead to our selfish ego.

Some people become so inhumane that they cease to be human beings. According to the Law of Karma and Reincarnation, those who behave inhumanely are not born again as human beings, but instead they are born as animals (including fish, insects, etc.). Regardless whether or not you believe in reincarnation, it is enough to know that those who are inhumane suffer in many different ways in this life.

Human beings CANNOT be happy with themselves so long as they are lying to themselves. We are lying to ourselves when we think we can stay in our ego and be happy. Sure, we might be temporarily happy or excited, but that happiness or excitement will always fade away, and we will never really find fulfillment or inner peace.

Inner peace can only come to us when we make peace with ourselves. What does this mean? It means we have to be honest with ourselves, recognize our own weaknesses and limitations, and do something about removing them. Our “doing” must be deliberate and focused; otherwise it will be a “shot in the dark’.

We can only recognize our pitfalls when we shine the light of wisdom on our mind. This wisdom will expose our own ego and we will clearly see how we limit ourselves with our personality, our preferences, our false expectations, and our images.

As long as we remain in the darkness of Ignorance, we will remain bound by our ego-aspirations and hallucinations. Only the wisdom of Consciousness can give us the insight to see inside ourselves and stop looking outside for meaning and fulfillment.

We are full with the Light of Consciousness! Fullness is our nature. When our mind is filled with the “fullness” of Consciousness, our mind is peaceful, and that peacefulness leads us to experience the Greatest Love, the Highest Bliss, and the Perfect Peace. OM

Om Yah Pranato Nimishato . . . . .

We are the energy of Consciousness, and that energy is indestructible. Since the beginning of Time, and before Time, and for all Time we have been manifesting in innumerable forms. Our bodies are formed from the elementary particles by the power of Consciousness.

The energy that emanates from Consciousness is our Life Force. It is called PRANA. That living energy has created everything that lives and breathes. That same energy brings into manifestation the material substances of this Creation. That same energy enables our mind to think and understand, our eyes to see, our ears to hear, and our other senses to experience this vast Universe.

When we fine tune our mind, we can perceive that this Universe is our body (our greater ‘body’ is the Universe), and that our small self is only a single particle of our Being. This is not an intellectual experience. It is something we can experience directly in deep meditation.

All living creatures are the manifestation of that Supreme Power which is our Essence, but only we human beings on this planet Earth can experience that Essence. It is for this purpose that we have been born, it is for this purpose that we live, and only by fulfilling this purpose will we be able to conquer Death. OM

Nearly everyone in this world is suffering from self-delusion, including this one. If we were not suffering from self-delusion we would not have come here, nor would we stay around. We would be long gone. [We we not get into ego or stay in ego; we would rise beyond it.]

Our ego leaves us when we stop supporting it in our mind. The problem is, everyone is validating their ego. In other words, everyone is feeding their ego to keep it alive; we keep it alive because we think it is real; we think it is real because “we are thinking about it.’

Swamis, gurus, acharyas, sanyasis, preachers, mullahs, rabbis, priests and pundits; one and all are living in self-delusion. We say one thing, but do another. We preach one thing, but practice another. At least everyone should admit to themselves that they do not know. If we know that we do not know, then we at least know something; otherwise, we know nothing.

We are imperfect human beings. It doesn’t matter how many college degrees we have; it doesn’t matter how many books we have read or written; it doesn’t matter how many important people we know, or how many people think we are important; it doesn’t matter how many spiritual experiences we have had or how long we can meditate or how often we pray or how many prayers or mantras we have memorized. We are still imperfect human beings; we are still fallible; we are still going to die, forget, and be forgotten.

We keep on thinking about ourselves, because we are suffering from self-delusion. Beyond self-delusion is the State of Being. The State of Being is not known by the want-a-be’s, the wish-I-were’s, and the wish-I-were-not’s. The State of Being is our Essence, and the state of ego-knowing, ego-relating, and ego-expecting is the state of self-delusion.

Everyone loves to be in the company of someone who is deep, and no one likes the company of a shallow person. Since we have to live with ourselves everyday, and we take our mind with us wherever we go, we have to connect to our own depth of consciousness to be really happy with ourselves.

Much of our life is spent living on the surface level. From there we cannot see beyond ourselves. When we are living for the satisfaction of our ego, our life is very unfulfilling even if we fulfill all our ego goals. We need to slow down the racing mind so that it stops making so much noise. Often the answers to our questions are right in front of us, but we don’t see them because we are blinded by our ego.

Ego blinds us and ego binds us. It ties us down to our daily routine of self-gratification, frustration, annoyance, blame, and shame. All of these negative experiences exist on the surface only. We need to look deeper to find the cause of our unhappiness and instability. If our happiness is unstable we are definitely going to be insecure. We cannot secure happiness and peace of mind by following the whims of our mind or the dictates of our ego. So long as we are driven by selfish ego-motives, we will remain in self-delusion.

Beneath the ordinary state of consciousness lies our subconscious mind. These two: the ordinary conscious mind and the subconscious mind determine the experiences of all ordinary people. Deeper than these states of mind, and beyond them, is the super-conscious state. When the mind is connected to the state of Pure Consciousness, this is called the super-conscious state of mind.

To establish the mind in the superconscious state requires work. It does not happen by osmosis; in other words, it doesn’t just happen on its own. We need to practice the state of super consciousness. This means we need to:

• Practice being peaceful
• Practice being compassionate
• Practice being a good listener
• Practice inner quietude
• Practice self-control
• Practice patience
• Practice simplicity
• Practice, practice, and practice

We become deep when we practice the depth of consciousness; we do not become deep by just hearing about it or reading about it.

The depth of consciousness is the state of Being. When we are in the core of our being, we are in our center and we are balanced. We lose our balance only when we are off center. A human being who is uncentered is living on the surface level and is shallow. We cannot be happy when we are shallow, because shallowness is not our real nature. Shallowness is the nature of a mind left unattended. When the mind is left to do whatever it wants to do, it is not going to do what it needs to do. We need to tend to our mind the way a gardener tends to his garden.

We need to keep our boundaries to protect our life. If our mind has no boundaries we will not be able to save ourselves from our own ego. People become insane only because they haven’t sanitized their own mind. Our sanity is rooted in our inner balanced state. When we lose our center we lose our balance, and when we lose our balance we lose our sanity.

The way to stay balanced is to center our mind on the wisdom of consciousness. We do this by being in the company of the Wise, attending satsang (wisdom-gatherings), self-study and introspection (inner-inspection), and performing all our duties in the spirit of dispassion. Dispassion means: compassion without any attachment. Dispassion is a state of being; it is NOT a state of disinterestedness, lack of concern, or other form of false detachment.

Dispassion is the quality of a deep human being. The depth of consciousness is characterized by dispassion. The depth of consciousness can only be known through the practice of dispassion. OM

God is One, indivisible, immutable, indestructible, eternally existent, eternally conscious, eternally blissful Being (Reality). That Supreme Being (Ultimate Reality) is called SatChitAnand.

God is One, and gods are none. There are no such things as gods and demigods. There is no devil either, this too is just made up in the mind.

When we talk about the different DEVAS, or gods, we are referring to the innumerable qualities of that Supreme Being Who is One Without a Second.

There is one Supreme Being, but there are many other beings too, some conscious and others unconscious. For instance, human beings and other living beings are conscious, whereas non-living objects composed of particles of unconscious matter are unconscious. Space, Fire (energy), Air, Water, and Earth are unconscious.

Some people assign personalities to unconscious objects. For example, some people imagine that a mountain, or a rock, or a river, and so forth, have personalities. In other words, they think these things can be conscious entities. Some astrologers believe that Mars, Venus, Jupiter and other celestial bodies are actually possessed by super conscious beings called demigods. All of this is a fantasy created in the mind of the ignorant.

Certainly, one might make use of analogies in the shape of a story or tale, for the sake of giving a lesson. This is simply poetic, literary, or artistic license, and examples of this exist in every religious and philosophical tradition. When appropriately used, these forms of expression can be helpful in creating a deeper understanding of things. Of course, they can also be misunderstood, and in such cases there should be clarification by those who know better.

Each of us is a self-contained conscious being. By self-contained we mean to say that intrinsically, each and every one of us is absolutely independent in our uniqueness as conscious entities. In other words, at the core of your being you are uncreated, which means you (the Real You) is immortal and immutable (non-modifiable). That core of your being is called ATMAN, or soul-self: absolutely pure consciousness devoid of any and all mental superimpositions.

Though we are self-contained, we take birth in these human bodies (and other bodies capable of supporting life) for the purpose of expressing ourselves. Our life is an art, and each of us is an artist of life. We use our bodies and minds to bring out the best in us, to manifest the core of our being, to share the beautiful qualities of our spirit, in the spirit of unselfishness and divine love.

Embodied in this human body, we are absolutely inter-dependent with all other beings, both sentient and insentient, i.e., conscious and non-conscious forms of existence. As the saying goes, “No man is an island”.

Collectively, we (the entire Universe) are an infinitesimal expression of that Supreme Consciousness. That Supreme Consciousness, which is all-pervading and indivisible, cannot be cut into pieces or made into fractions, because Its nature is that It is All-pervading and Unchangeable; hence, Its all-pervading, indivisible nature cannot be changed into a fractionalized one. That Supreme Nature is 100% present in Its entirety within the core of our being and all around us. That Supreme Soul is the Soul of our soul, the Heart of our heart, the Being of our being, and the Life of our life.

Does this mean that the Supreme Consciousness is also present in a rock, river, or mountain, and so forth? It would appear to be so, but it can only be true if the existence of the object can be proven to be real (eternal). But on the contrary, we can prove the non-eternalness of the object, hence, it is established that that which is eternal cannot be said to be present in that which is non-eternal. In other words, that which is eternal can only be said to be absolutely eternal if the characteristic of eternalness is eternally established. Since a temporary object is by nature temporary, it is impossible for something to be eternally present in it; hence, we must conclude that the Eternal Presence (GOD) is NOT present in temporary objects of nature; otherwise, we will have to say that the Supreme Being, who has the unchangeable quality of being eternally present, is temporarily present (in the temporary object). To say so is a contradiction and is absurd.

The Supreme Being is eternally present in that which is also eternally present; namely, in all of the other conscious beings and in the primordial matter (called PRAKRITI). Of course, by ‘conscious beings’ we mean the innumerable souls in their unmanifested state. Now, when the soul (pure consciousness) is manifested in (for example) a human form (comprised of particles of the primordial matter), the expression of that embodied soul cannot really be said to literally be the manifestation of the soul; nor can the expression of the entire universe (or Multiverse) be said to literally be the manifestation of the Supreme Soul (GOD). For example, when an artist paints, or a musician plays, or a writer writes, the expression is not literally the artist, musician, or writer. You (as consciousness itself) already exist (with or without a body). As an immortal being, you are already eternally manifest [manifest in the sense of being present]. The expression of your eternal presence through the medium of the mind and body is really just a drama, as even the entire Universe is just a drama, a play, a sport (Lila).

When we are playing tennis, or football, or we are acting in a play or drama, we know it is not really real. The part we play in a drama is a real part of the drama, but the drama is still only a drama, and we are not really the part we play in the drama. In the same way, this drama of Life which we think is so real is not really real, it is just a real drama.

As the saying goes, “We are in the world, but we are not of it”. Similarly, we are in the body, but we are not of it. In reality, we are not even in the body, we are just in the drama of being in a body.

The truths expressed in this short discourse can only be fully grasped through the direct experience of meditation. Having experienced them, one must employ this meditative awareness throughout the day in one’s daily activities. Ultimately, we will fully realize the Essence of our being. OM