What and where is the Self/Brahman/Being that Shri Mataji wants us to realize?

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" In the Sankhya doctrine which emerged at this time, after the

Upanishads, the universe is conceived in terms of 'purusha' and

'prakriti'. These are two complementary principles where 'purusha' is

spirit, consciousness or person, and 'prakriti' is nature from which

all the world emerges. In the 'Svetasvatara Upanishad', which is one

of the late Upanishads dated at about 300 BC, the doctrine of the

'purusha' is fully developed. Here we see the emergence of this

cosmic Person as the cosmic Lord. The personal God is clearly

revealed. For instance, the text says, " Those who know beyond this

world the high Brahman, the vast (the 'brihad'), hidden in the bodies

of all creatures and alone enveloping everything, as the Lord, they

become immortal. " (Svetasvatara Upanishad 3:7) The " supreme Brahman "

is the name for absolute reality and this text is saying that this

absolute or ultimate reality is in the midst of everything and

envelops everything and that he is the Lord. He is not only the

impersonal 'brahman' but also the personal God. In this way the idea

of the personal God emerges. The text continues, " That person, that

Purusha, is the great Lord. " The word " Lord " here is the same as

the 'Kurios' in Greek and the 'Adonai' of the Old Testament, and is

the one who rules the universe. (P.131) He is the great Lord, " the

mover of existence. He possesses the purest power of reaching

everything. He is light; he is undecaying. " It goes on, " He dwells in

the heart of all, that Purusha not larger than the thumb, dwelling

within, always dwelling in the heart of man. He is perceived by the

heart, the thought, the mind. " (Svetasvatara Upanishad 3:11,13) So

this supreme Person transcends everything, and at the same time is

immanent in everything and dwells in the heart of each person. Each

person is a person in that great Person. In the next chapter of the

Svetasvatara Upanishad it says, " He is the creator and supporter

of the gods, the great seer, the Lord of all. " The gods are the

cosmic powers and they also all derive from the supreme Person, whom

they manifest. It goes on, " He transcends all understanding. No one

has grasped him above, or across, or in the midst. There is no image

of him, whose name is great glory. " (Svetasvatara Upanishad 4:19).

 

A New Vision of Reality (Western Science, Eastern Mysticism and

Christian Faith), Pgs. 130-131

Bede Griffiths

Templegate Publishers - Springfield, Illinois

ISBN 0-87243-180-0

 

 

" But do you have your self-esteem? If you have then where should be

your attention? It should be on your Self. Where is your Self now? It

is God Almighty; it's part of that Great Primordial Being. Your

attention should be on that.

 

After realization your attention should be in your heart, on your

spirit which is the part of God Almighty. If your attention is on

your spirit you will be amazed how your attention will act. "

 

Shri Mataji Nirmala Devi

23 June 1980

 

 

" You used the word Being. Can you explain what you mean by that?

 

Being is the eternal, ever-present One Life beyond the myriad forms

of life that are subject to birth and death. However, Being is not

only beyond but also deep within every form as its innermost

invisible and indestructible essence. This means that it is

accessible to you now as your own deepest self, your true nature. But

don't seek to grasp it with your mind. Don't try to understand it.

You can know it only when the mind is still. When you are present,

when your attention is fully and intensely in the Now, Being can be

felt, but it can never be understood mentally. To regain awareness of

Being and to abide in that state of " feeling-realization " is

enlightenment.

 

 

When you say Being, are you talking about God? If you are, then why

don't you say it?

 

The word God has become empty of meaning through thousands of years

of misuse. I use it sometimes, but I do so sparingly. By misuse, I

mean that people who have never even glimpsed the realm of the

sacred, the infinite vastness behind that word, use it with great

conviction, as if they knew what they are talking about. Or they

argue against it, as if they knew what it is that they are denying.

This misuse gives rise to absurd beliefs, assertions, and egoic

delusions, such as " My or our God is the only true God, and your God

is false, " or Nietzsche's famous statement " God is dead. "

 

The word God has become a closed concept. The moment the word is

uttered, a mental image is created, no longer, perhaps, of an old man

with a white beard, but still a mental representation of someone or

something outside you, and, yes, almost inevitably a male someone or

something.

 

Neither God nor Being nor any other word can define or explain the

ineffable reality behind the word, so the only important question is

whether the word is a help or a hindrance in enabling you to

experience That toward which it points. Does it point beyond itself

to that transcendental reality, or does it lend itself too easily to

becoming no more than an idea in your head that you believe in, a

mental idol?

 

The word Being explains nothing, but nor does God. Being, however,

has the advantage that it is an open concept. It does not reduce the

infinite invisible to a finite entity. It is impossible to form a

mental image of it. Nobody can claim exclusive possession of Being.

It is your very essence, and it is immediately accessible to you as

the feeling of your own presence, the realization I am that is prior

to I am this or I am that. So it is only a small step from the word

Being to the experience of Being. "

 

The Power of Now: A Guide to Spiritual Enlightenment

Publisher: New World Library; 1 edition (September 27, 1999)

ISBN-10: 1577311523

ISBN-13: 978-1577311522