Becoming Steady in Wisdom

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Dear Friends,

 

More practical advice on Sadhana from Swamiji. An auspicious week end to all, Alan Becoming Steady in WisdomalanadamsjacobsDate: Saturday, 7 February, 2009, 2:22 AM

 

 

 

 

"The wise one is of steady mind, an enlightened person is one whose mind is established, unmoving and always steady. His mind never wavers from either sorrow or joy; he is free from attachment, fear and anger." Bhagavad Gita 2:56 In Chapter 2 of the Gita, the verses from 54th onwards are called the qualities of sthita prajna, steady unwavering Enlightenment. This is also exactly what Bhagavan meant when he would refer to God in Tamil as "kadavul", meaning the transcendental Divine Self abiding within in Stillness and Silence. Words of spiritual content in the Tamil Language, much like Sanskrit, convey definitions that describe deep meanings as well as secrets to attainment. In this instance, 'kada' means to transcend, the root 'ul' means within; the implication is that which is transcendental is also immanent. Going Forward For us, working towards purity of mind, we are talking of the experience of being at the very

door of the heart. But where is the key? In fact, where is the keyhole? The key turns out to be the next stage, which needs further skillful development. Yes, we must slog on! The key has been gifted to us. Remember that with each and every meditation we are praying for the Lord's embrace, for the Divine to "take my hand, and lead me on". The attainment of purity comes from the mutual interaction of our effort and God's grace. Without the hand of the Lord upon us, our effort will yield little. Bhagavan echoed this profound Truth in His "Marital Garland of Letters" by declaring:

"Unless Thou extendest Thy hand of grace in mercy and embrace me, I am lost, O Arunachala." "Unless Thou dost embrace me, I shall melt away in tears of anguish, O Arunachala!"

"Sri Bhagavan spoke and wrote most about the vichara or Self-enquiry, and therefore the opinion arose that He prescribed only jnana-marga, the Path of Knowledge, which most people find too sheer in this age. But in fact He was universal and provided guidance for every temperament, by the path of Devotion no less than of Knowledge. Love and devotion to Him are a bridge across the abyss to salvation. He had many devotees for whom he prescribed no other path." Though it is true that the path of bhakti (devotion) does not suit the temperament of all spiritual aspirants, it is undeniable that thinking of God, thinking of the "feet of the Lord", does attract His grace. Whether devotion is achieved through bhakti or jnana, when the grace of God dawns upon us, our devotion deepens into love of Him. The love of God is the

key that opens for us all knowledge, peace and purity. This key is the keen and lively awareness and our patient endurance, while waiting on the Lord, which we have developed by persistently weathering out the storms of thought that mercilessly attempted to turn our attention outwards. Beyond Samadhi So we can see that to be in the lower states of samadhi is really not a big deal when compared to the goal. Paradoxically however, to be fully aware and alert within those states is a very big deal. For this alertness is in reality true manana, watching with reflection. By watching this condition with reflection, we begin to awaken to its source with the posing of the question "Who am I?". Or as Bhagavan said, it is more correctly a query of "Whence am I?". Bhagavan often directed many before him to reflect

on "Whence am I?". Two clear examples of this are as follows:

"A young man, Mr. Knowles, came for darshan. He had read Paul Brunton's two books. He asked: "The Buddhists say that 'I' is unreal, whereas Paul Brunton in the Secret Path tells us to get over the 'I- thought' and reach the state of 'I'. Which is true?" Maharshi: "There are supposed to be two 'I's; the one is lower and unreal, of which all are aware; and the other, the higher and the real, which is to be realized… the idea of diversity has arisen along with the body-consciousness; this body-consciousness arose at some particular moment; it has origin and end. What originates must be something. What is that something? It is the 'I'-consciousness. Who am I? Whence am I? On finding the source, you realize the state of Absolute Consciousness." On another occasion, Bhagavan was more succinct and thus, as was his way, more

direct:

Devotee: "I want to get rid of pain. To be rid of it is said to be liberation." Maharshi: "That is what all religions teach." D.: "But what is the method?" M.: "To retrace your way back." D.: "Whence have I come?" M.: "That is just what you should know." Thus our reflection is transformed into a state of awareness. Now our job is to make this state steady and continuous. Steadily following the thread inward toward whence we came. This entire process is what the Saints, and Bhagavan, rightly call purification of the mind by softening and melting away of

the obstacles that have for lifetimes barred our way to the door of the heart. It is also important to understand, as has been understood by experience and seen in the upadesha (spiritual instruction) of these very same Saints and Sages, that this process can be accelerated and the sublimation of the mind of man can be quickened by the use of japa (constant repetition) usually of the Name of the Lord or OM (the single-syllable Pranava mantra).