Guest guest Posted January 19, 2006 Report Share Posted January 19, 2006 5 The World We have seen that the truth of the Self will reveal Itself when the mind persists in the Quest of the Self, actuated by the resolve to find that Truth. This the mind can do if it be not deflected from the Quest by extraneous thoughts.The mind that is not so deflected is an apt instrument for finding the Self. In the case of the Sage of Arunachala the mind was such an apt instrument, because it was untainted by desires or attachments which could raise a current of thoughts diverting the mind from the Quest. For such a one it is unnecessary to engage in discussions about the world. Says the Sage: “Of what use are disputes about the world, saying that it is real, that it is an illusory appearance, that it is conscious, that it is insentient,that it is happy, that it is miserable? All men alike love the Egoless State, which is won by turning away from the world and knowing the untainted real Self which transcends the assertions that It is one or that It is manifold. Here the Sage makes a statement which at first would seem to be inaccurate. He says that all of us are lovers of the Egoless State, which is to be won by turning aside from the world; and since we are to turn our backs on the world after all, it does not matter to us what the world may be. But few are the persons who have heard of the Egoless State. And still fewer are those that want that State. What then does the Sage mean by saying that all men without exception are devotees of that State The Sage himself has furnished the explanation, which is in perfect harmony with the teachings of the ancient lore. It is as follows. It is true that not all are conscious lovers of the Egoless State. But unknowingly they do love that State. And they show that love by their great partiality to a state which has great resemblance to the Egoless one, namely the state of dreamless sleep. This state is far inferior to the Egoless State, as we shall see later. It is a happy state, but its happiness bears no comparison at all with that of the Egoless State. However, it is exactly similar to the Egoless State in being egoless and worldless. It will be seen later that its egolessness is imperfect. Because it is egoless, it is also worldless; and this it is that makes it happy. The Sage tells us that one that is in love with sleep, in spite of its imperfection, cannot be heard to say that he does not love the Egoless State. For this reason, if only we knew what it is that we really want, it would be unnecessary for us to discuss the world. It is the Self that should interest us, not the not-Self. Therefore, says the Sage, it is absurd to investigate the not-Self, as it would be absurd for a barber to scrutinise the heaps of shorn hair, instead of putting it in the dust bin. All inquiries about the not-Self are vain, if not mischievous, because it delays the main enterprise, the Quest of the Self. And this is so, even if one arrives at the correct conclusion about the nature of the world, if he does not then at least commence that Quest. But for those that are in earnest to find the Self, without being able to pursue the Quest with one-pointed mind, this inquiry is neither unnecessary nor undesirable. The necessity arises thus. Most men, even those that are in earnest to be delivered from bondage, are hindered in the pursuit of the Quest by unwanted thoughts that arise and fill the mind. The habitual flow of the mind is towards the world, not towards the Self; even when one succeeds in turning the mind away from the world and concentrating it on the Self, it breaks loose and wanders back to the world. But why do thoughts intrude into the mind even when they are not wanted? The Sages say it is because we have the belief that the world is real. The Sage of Arunachala tells us in one of his compositions that but for our belief that the world is real, it would be quite easy for us to obtain the Revelation of the Self.†The greatest wonder, says the Sage, is this — that, being always the real Self, we are striving to become one with Him. He tells us that a day will dawn when we will have to laugh at our present efforts to that end. But that which will be realised on that day of laughter exists even now as the Truth. For we are not to become that Self; we are He.It may be asked what this belief of ours has to do with the Quest. One reason is this. Whatever we hold to be real has an unquestionable right of entry into the mind; thoughts regarding realities cannot be denied admittance by a mere fiat of the will. But that is not all. We now regard the world as real in a sense in which it is not real. And by so regarding it we make it impossible for ourselves to realise the Self, until we give up our false belief. It so happens that the very thing that obscures the Self for us is the world itself. How can that be? The Sages tell us that the Self is the Reality underlying the world; just as, when a rope is mistaken for a snake, the snake obscures the rope, so the world obscures the Self. There is only one Reality, which in our ignorance appears to us as the world, and will appear as it really is, as the Self, when we transcend the ignorance. ........ Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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