Guest guest Posted October 26, 2005 Report Share Posted October 26, 2005 On Oct 26, 2005, at 9:23 AM, Era wrote: > The Supreme, the Mind and the Body > > Q: From what you have told us, it appears that you are > not quite conscious of your surrounding. To us you seem extremely > alert and active. We cannot possible believe that you are in a kind > of hypnotic state, which leaves no memory behind. On the contrary, > your memory seems excellent. How are we to understand your statement > that the world and all it includes does not exist, as far as you are > concerned? > > Maharaj: It is all a matter of focus. Your mind is focused in the > world; mine is focused in reality. It is like the moon in daylight - > when the sun shines, the moon is hardly visible. Or, watch how you > take your food. As long as it is in your mouth, you are conscious of > it; once swallowed, it does not concern you any longer. It would be > troublesome to have it constantly in mind until it is eliminated. The > mind should be normally in abeyance -incessant activity is a morbid > state. The universe works by itself -that I know. What else do I need > to know? > Q: So a gnani knows what he is doing only when he turns his > mind to it; otherwise he just acts, without being concerned. > M: The average man is not conscious of his body as such. He is > conscious of his sensations, feelings and thoughts. Even these, once > detachment sets in, moves away from the center of consciousness and > happens spontaneously and effortlessly. > Q: What then is in the center of consciousness? > > M: That which cannot be given name or form, for it is without > quality and beyond consciousness. You may say it is a point in > consciousness. Like a hole in the paper is both in the paper and yet > not of paper, so is the supreme state in the very center of > consciousness, and yet beyond consciousness. It is as if there were an > opening in the mind through which the mind flooded with light. The > opening is not even the light. It is just and opening. > Q: An opening is just a void, absence. > > M: Quite so. From the mind's point of view, it is but and opening > for the light of awareness to enter the mental space. By itself the > light can only be compared to a solid, dense, rocklike, homogeneous > and changeless mass of pure awareness, free from the mental patterns > of name and shape. > > Q: Is there any connection between the mental space and the > supreme abode? > > M: The supreme gives existence to the mind. The mind gives > existence to the body. > > Q: And what lies beyond? > > M: Take as an example. A venerable yogi, a master in the art of > longevity, himself over 1000 year old, comes to teach me his art. I > fully respect and sincerely admire his achievements, yet all I can > tell him is: of what use is longevity to me? I am beyond time. However > long a life may be it is but a moment and a dream. In the same way I > am beyond all attributes. They appear and disappear in my light, but > cannot describe me. The universe is all names and forms, based on > qualities and their differences, while I am beyond. The world is there > because I am, but I am not the world. > Q: But you're living in the world! > > M: That's what you say! I know there is a world, which includes > this body and this mind, but I do not consider them to be more 'mine' > than other minds and bodies. They are there in time and space, but I > am timeless and spaceless. > > Q: But since all exists by your light, are you not the creator of the > world? > > M: I am neither the potentiality nor the actualization, nor the > actuality of things, In my light they come and go as the specks of > dust dancing in the sunbeams. The light illumines the specks, but does > not depend of them. Nor can it be said to create them. It cannot be > even said to know them. > > Q: I am asking you a question and you are answering. Are you > conscious of the question and the answer? > M: In reality I am neither hearing nor answering. In the world > of events the question happens and the answer happens. Nothing happens > to me. Everything just happens. > > Q: Are you the witness? > > M: What does witness mean? Mere knowledge. It rains and > now the rain is over. I did not get wet. I know it rained, but I am > not affected. I just witness the rain. > > Q: The fully realized man, spontaneously abiding in the supreme > state, appears to eat, drink, and so on. Is he aware of it, or not? > M: That in which consciousness happens, the universal > consciousness or mind, we call the either of consciousness. All the > objects of consciousness form the universe. What is beyond both, > supporting both, is the supreme state, a state of utter stillness and > silence. Whoever goes there, disappears. It is unreachable by words, > or mind. You may call it God, or Parabrahman, or supreme Reality, but > these are names given by the mind. It is the nameless, contentless, > effortless and spontaneous state, beyond being and not being. > Q: But does it remain conscious? > > M: As the universe is the body of the mind, so it consciousness > the body of the supreme. It is not conscious, but it gives rise to > consciousness. > Q: In my daily action much goes by habit, automatically. I am > aware of the general purpose, but not of each movement in detail As my > consciousness broadens and deepens, details tend to recede, leaving me > free for the general trends. Does not the same happen to a gnani, but > more so? > > M: On the level of consciousness - yes. In the supreme state, no. > This state is entirely one and indivisible, a single solid block of > reality. the only way of knowing it is to be it. The mind cannot reach > it. To perceive it, does not need the senses; to know it, does not > need the mind > > Q: That is how God runs the world. > > M: God is not running the world. > > Q: Then who is doing it? > > M: Nobody. All happens by itself. You are asking the question > and you are supplying the answer. And you know the answer when you ask > the question. All is a play in consciousness. All divisions are > illusory. You can know the false only. The truth you must yourself be > > Q: There is the witnessed consciousness and there is the > witnessing consciousness. Is the second the supreme? > M: There are the two - the person and the witness, the observer. > When you see them as one, and go beyond, you are in the supreme state. > It is not perceivable, because it is what makes perception possible. > It is beyond being and not being. It is neither the mirror nor the > image in the mirror. It is what is - the timeless reality, > unbelievable hard and solid. > Q: The gnani - is he the witness or the Supreme " > > M: He is the Supreme, of course, but he can also be viewed as > the universal witness. > > Q: But he remains a person? > > M: When you believe yourself to be a person, you see persons > everywhere. In reality there are no persons, only threads of memories > and habits. At the moment of realization the person ceases. Identity > remains, but identity has no being in itself; it is a reflection in > the mind of the witness, the ''I am', which again is a mode of being. > > Q: Is the Supreme conscious? > > M: Nether conscious no unconscious, I am telling you from > experience. > > Q: Pragnanam Brahma. What is this Pragna? > > M: It is the unselfconscious knowledge of life itself. > > Q: It is vitality, the energy of life, livingness? > > M: Energy comes first. For everything is a form of energy. > Consciousness is most differentiated in the waking state. Less so in > dream. Still less in sleep. Homogeneous - in the fourth state. Beyond > is the inexpressible monolithic reality, the abode of the gnani. > > Q: I have cut my hand. It healed, by what power did it heal? > > M: By the power of life. > > Q: What is that power? > > M: It is consciousness. All is conscious. > > Q: What is the source of consciousness? > > M: Consciousness itself is the source of everything. > > Q; Can there be life without consciousness? > M: No, nor consciousness without life. They are both one. But in > reality only the Ultimate is. The rest is a matter of name and form. > And as long as you cling to the idea that only what has name and shape > exists, the Supreme will appear to you non-existing. When you > understand that names and shapes are hollow shells without and content > whatsoever, and what is real is nameless and formless, pure energy of > life and light of consciousness, you will be at peace - immersed in > the deep silence of reality. > Q: If time and space are mere illusions and you are beyond, please > tell me what is the weather in New York. Is it hot or raining there? > M: How can I tell you? Such things need special training. Or, > just traveling to New York? I may be quite certain that I am beyond > time and space, and yet unable to locate myself at will at some point > of time and space. I am not interested enough; I see no purpose in > undergoing a special Yogic training. I have just heard of New York. To > me it is a word. Why should I know more than the word conveys? every > atom may be universe, as complex as ours. Must I know them all? I can > - if it train. > Q: In putting the question about the weather in New York where > did I make the mistake? > > M: The world and the mind are states of being. The supreme is > not a state. It pervades all states, but is is not a state of > something else. > It is entirely uncaused, independent, complete in itself, beyond time > and space, mind and matter. > > Q: By what sign do you recognize it? > > M: That's the point - it leaves no traces. There is nothing to > recognize it by. It must be seen directly, by giving up all searching > for signs and approaches. When all names and forms have been given up, > the real is with you. You need not seek it. Plurality and diversity > are the play of the mind only . Reality is one. > Q: If reality leaves no evidence, there is no speaking about it. > > M: It is, It cannot be denied. it is deep and dark, mystery beyond > mystery. But it is, while all merely happens. > Q: Is it the Unknown? > > M: It is beyond both, the known and the unknown. But I would > rather call it the known, then the unknown. For whenever something is > known, it is the real that is known. > Q: Is silence an attribute of the real? > > M: This too is of the mind. All states and conditions are of the > mind. > > Q: What is the place of samadhi? > > M: Not making use of one's consciousness is samadhi. You just > leave your mind alone. You want nothing, neither from your body nor > your mind. > > > ~~~~~~~~ > love, Era > > > . > Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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