Maharshi on sadhana and the witness

[Guest guest]

Dear friends,

 

Shri Bhagawan explained to a visitor: " Meditiation should remain

unbroken as a current, if unbroken it is called samadhi or kundalini

shakti. The mind may be latent and merge in the self, it must

necessarily rise up again, if it rises up one finds oneself only as

ever before. For in this state the mental predispositions are present

there in latent form to remanifest under favourable conditions.

 

Again the mind activities can be completely destroyed. This differs

from the former mind, for here the attachment is lost never to

reappear. Even thought the man sees the world after he has been in the

samadhi state, the world will be taken only at its worth, that is to

say it is the phenomenon of the One Reality. The True Being can be

realized only in samadhi; what was then is also now. Otherwise it

cannot be Reality or Ever-present Being. What was in samadhi is here

and now too. Hold it and its your natural condition of Being. Samadhi

practice must lead to it. Otherwise how can nirvikalpa samadhi be of

any use in which a man remains as a log of wood? He must necessarily

rise up from it sometime or other and face the world. But in sahaja

samadhi he remains unaffected by the world.

 

So many pictures pass over the cinema screen: fire burns away

everything; water drenches all; but the screen remains unaffected. The

scenes are only phenomena which pass away leaving the screen as it was.

Similarly the world phenomena simply pass on before the jnani leaving

him unaffected.

 

You may say that people find pain or pleasure in worldly phenomena. It

is owing to superimposition. This must not happen. With this end in

view practice is made. Practice lies in one of the two courses:

devotion or knowledge. Even these are not the goals. Samadhi must be

gained; it must be continuously practised until sahaja samadhi results.

Then there remains nothing more to do.

 

Question: By meditation manifestation disappears and then ananda

results. It is short lived. How is it made ever abiding.

 

Maharshi: By scorching the predispositions

 

Question: Is not the Self the witness only (sakshimatra) ?

 

Maharshi: "Witness" is applicable when there is an object to be seen.

Then it is duality. The truth lies beyond both. In the mantra sakshi

cheta kevalo nirgunasha, the word sahsi must be understood as presence,

whithout which there could be nothing. See how the sun is necessary for

daily activities. He does not however form part of the world's actions;

yet they cannot take place without the sun. He is the witness of the

activities. So it is with the Self.

 

from the Talks p439

 

 

may we persevere with vichara until sahaja is gained and not stop short

of the goal

 

Om Arunachala Shiva

 

Christiane