PhamDluan/Greg/others and thanks

[Guest guest]

Enjoying very much the discussion of eastern and western philosophy and a

discussion of celtic tradition. Greg makes sense. Origin of various systems

of thought do not matter. All have their origin in the Light of

Consciousness only. Thanks for your brilliance, Greg, Linda, Dan, Nav,

Bruce, Linda, Antoine, Rainbo, Lynne, Dharma, Tony, Jan, Janpa, PhamDluan

(you are the best Pham!), Ashoka, Xena, Holly, Andrew, Xan, Mira, Gloria,

Nora, Dirk, Jill, Michele, Peter, Melody and so many others whose names I

don't remember now due to limits of human memory.

 

Love you all

Harsha

[Guest guest]

Dear Harsha et al.,

 

<<

"Harsha (Dr. Harsh K. Luthar)" <hluthar

 

Enjoying very much the discussion of eastern and western philosophy and a

discussion of celtic tradition. Greg makes sense. Origin of various systems

of thought do not matter. All have their origin in the Light of

Consciousness only. Thanks for your brilliance, Greg, Linda, Dan, Nav,

Bruce, Linda, Antoine, Rainbo, Lynne, Dharma, Tony, Jan, Janpa, PhamDluan

(you are the best Pham!), Ashoka, Xena, Holly, Andrew, Xan, Mira, Gloria,

Nora, Dirk, Jill, Michele, Peter, Melody and so many others whose names I

don't remember now due to limits of human memory.

 

Love you all

Harsha

>>

 

KKT: Are you teasing me, Harsha? :-))

I have not posted even a single post for

a long time and what is this << you are

the best Pham! >> ? :-) I have not even

enough time to read all the posts and

follow the discussions! :-(

 

Anyway, I want to offer you all a very

beautiful talk by Sri Nisargadatta Maharaj

in the book "The Nectar of Immortality",

edited by Robert Powell. Enjoy the reading

and thanks to Harsha and Jerry for giving us

a peaceful (but sometimes very ... stormy! :-))

space to enjoy together the blissfulness

of the Non-Duality! :-)

 

With Love (in my Silence :-))

KKT

 

==============================================

 

THE NECTAR OF THE LORD'S FEET

 

Maharaj: If one obtains and relishes the nectar of the Lord's feet,

the charan-amrita, the mind can be conquered. This means that

the mind will no longer hold sway over us; its mastery imposed

from childhood will no longer oppress us. This is called manojaya

-- victory over the mind. But this is made possible only with His

Grace . Without Grace, we cannot relish the nectar.

 

However, only a true devotee, a bhakta, a god, can obtain the

charan-amrita . But who and what is this devotee ? It is nothing

else but the consciousness, the sense of being, the knowledge

that "we are," which has appeared unknowingly and spontaneously

in us. The consciousness is the charan-amrita, the nectar of the

Lord's feet.

 

The entire cosmos in its vibrant, stirring movement is represented

by the consciousness, the feet of the Lord, and the whole universe

is the body of the consciousness. But what is its relationship with

all beings? It dwells in the core of all beings as the knowledge

"I am," the love "to be," the charan-amrita .

 

One who drinks the nectar of the Lord's feet is a true devotee . He

abides in the knowledge "I am." He is godly . Thus, when one sips

continuously this nectar by witnessing the consciousness or the

sense of being, one's mind, which assesses and differentiates

persons observed as males and females, gradually removes itself

from the focus of attention, leaving the consciousness in its innate

glory .

 

But how can such a state be attained? Only if one totally accepts

the knowledge "I am" as oneself with full conviction and faith and

firmly believes in the dictum "I am that by which I know 'I am'." This

knowledge "I am" is the charan-amrita . Why is it called amrita--

the nectar? Because, it is said, by drinking nectar one becomes

immortal. Thus, a true devotee, by abiding in the knowledge "I am"

transcends the experience of death and attains immortality . But

so long as the mind remains unconquered, the experience of death

is inevitable .

 

Although my talks go on and on with many visitors, my standpoint

remains unchanged. Why? Because my standpoint is stabilized

at the charan-amrita. It stays put in the consciousness, the source

of concepts and language. Out of it emanates the language from

its subtlest formation to the grossest vocal expression, as para,

pashyanti, madhyama, and vaikhari.

 

If you could just give up all other spiritual efforts and disciplines

and absorb yourself in relishing the charan-amrita, by abidance in

the consciousness, the mind will release you from its clutches.

At present, you meekly accept whatever the mind dictates as

your own. If the mind goes into silence, where and what are you?

 

Once you subside into the consciousness, the factual state of

Reality shall be revealed to you with the knowledge that will

emanate out of you intuitively, like spring water. This will enable

you to discern not what is real and unreal, but most importantly,

to realize what "I am."

 

What am I for myself alone? What is this life? Once these questions

are resolved intuitively and the Reality emerges, the mind cannot

predominate any longer. However, functioning of the mind will go

on, but the quality of its functioning will be totally different. One who

has attained such a state remains unaffected by any happenings,

since the blabberings of the mind can have no effect. And who could

be that one? Surely not an individual who is trapped in the mind-shell.

But that one is the knowledge "I am"--the consciousness.

 

It is said that we should break off the shackles that attach us to the

body and the world. What does that mean? Whatever is seen and

perceived is at the bodily or worldly level. An attachment is developed

with objects perceived, and then we identify with a body as ourselves

and claim the objects as our own. Attachment is the nature of the

mind, and it obstinately persists in these attachments. But if you

drink the charan-amrita by stabilizing in the consciousness, everything

will be resolved and you will be enlightened. You need not go to

anybody to clear your doubts.

 

While doing my normal chores and singing bhajans in praise of God

and so on, to you I appear to be deeply involved in these activities.

But actually I remain apart from myself, bereft of the body and mind

sense, and then witnessing of the activities happens to Me. I wonder

if you have marked this! Many persons are related to me in some

way or another. Although seemingly I hobnob with them, I am apart

from them. For myself, I have fully realized what "I am," and right

now it is absolutely clear to me what and how "I am." But what these

persons think "they are," only they know. They presume to have

acquired knowledge, to have reached a spiritual status higher than

others ... and so forth. This is bound to be, because they are still

slaves to their mind. In my case, it cannot happen. I have totally

imbibed the nectar of the Lord's feet--the consciousness.

 

At present, all communications and functionings happen through

the medium of this nectar--the consciousness. And what is this

medium? It is the knowledge "I am." It is represented by the Lord

Vishnu, the highest god who reclines blissfully on the coils of the

serpent, sheshashayi, and hence is known as sheshashayi-Bhagavan.

 

Well, it is nice to have such talks, but to imbibe and realize their

essence is very difficult indeed. Why? Because you firmly believe

that you are the body and live accordingly, while entertaining fond

wishes that you will achieve something good in the world, and later still

better. These expectations are primarily based on the misconceived

notion that you are the body. This wrong identification, however,

dissolves in the nectar of the Lord's feet, when you totally subside

in the consciousness and lose your individuality.

 

Dissolution of individuality is not possible without devotion to the

Master--guru-bhakti--which in other words is again the consciousness,

the guru-charan-amrita. Abidance in the consciousness removes

all past and future problems, and stabilizes one in the present--Here

and Now.

 

Consciousness is the sense of knowingness "I am" without words,

and it appeared unknowingly and unsolicited. It is the manifest

universal life force and, therefore, cannot be individualistic. It extends

inside and outside, like the brilliance of a diamond. You see a

dream-world inside you and a perceptible world outside you, provided

the consciousness prevails. From the body level, you may say

inside and outside the body, but from the standpoint of consciousness,

where and what is inside and outside? Only in the realm of knowingness

"I am"--the consciousness--can a world be, and so also an experience.

 

Hold on to this knowingness "I am," and the fount of knowledge will

well up within you, revealing the mystery of the Universe; of your

body and psyche; of the play of the five elements, the three gunas

and prakriti-purush; and of everything else. In the process of this

revelation, your individualistic personality confined to the body shall

expand into the manifested universe, and it will be realized that you

permeate and embrace the entire cosmos as your "body" only. This

is known as the "Pure Superknowledge"--shuddhavijnana.

 

Nevertheless, even in the sublime shuddhavijnana state, the mind

refuses to believe that it is a non-entity. But as one subsides in the

consciousness, one develops a firm conviction that the knowledge

"you are"--the sense of your being--is the very source of your world.

This knowledge alone makes you feel "you are" and the world is.

Actually, this manifest knowledge, having occupied and permeated

the cosmos, dwells in you as the knowledge "you are." Hold on

to this knowledge. Do not try to give it a name or a title.

 

Now coming to a very subtle situation, what is it in you that undestands

this knowledge "you are"--or from your standpoint "I am," without a

name, title or word? Subside in that innermost centre and witness

the knowledge "I am" and JUST BE. This is the "bliss of being"--the

svarupananda.

 

You derive pleasure and happiness through various external aids

and processes. Some like to enjoy good food, some like to see

a picture, some get absorbed in music ... and so on. For all these

enjoyments some outside factors are essential. But to abide in the

"bliss of being" no external aids are required at all. To understand

this, take the example of deep sleep. Once you are in deep sleep,

no aids or treatments are called for and you enjoy a quiet happiness.

Why? Because in that state identity with the body as male or

female is totally forgotten.

 

Some visitors ask me, "Please show us a path that will lead to

Reality." How can I? All paths lead to unreality. Paths are

creations within the scope of knowledge. Therefore, paths and

movements cannot transport you into Reality, because their

function is to enmesh you within the dimension of knowledge,

while the Reality prevails prior to it. To apprehend this, you must

stay put at the source of your creation, at the beginning of the

knowledge "I am." So long as you do not achieve this, you will be

entangled in the chains forged by you mind and get enmeshed in

those of others.

 

Therefore, I repeat, you stabilize at the source of your being and

then all the chains will snap asunder and you will be liberated.

You will transcend time, with the result that you will be beyond

the reach of its tentacles and you shall prevail in Eternity. And

this sublime state can be attained only by drinking ceaselessly

the nectar of the guru's sacred feet--the guru-charan-amrita. It is

a state of ecstatic beatitude--the self subsiding blissfully in the

Self. This ecstasy is beyond words; it is also awareness in total

quietude.

 

The quintessence of the talks is clear. Your most important asset

is the "knowledge" that "you are" prior to emanation of mind. Hold

on to this "knowledge" and meditate. Nothing is superior to this, not

even devotion to a guru--guru-bhakti--or devotion to God--Ishwara-bhakti.

 

January 25th 1980

[Guest guest]

Dear Harsha:

 

Even though recently treated for medical problems, I hope that I am still

considered one of your brilliant contributors. LOL

 

My name, that seems to have escaped the limits of your human memory (and I

always thought you were so thorough!), is Zenbob...although I have, of

course, been forced to answer to a bevy of quite humorous revisions.

 

As Krishnamurti once drily responded, "Excuse me, Sir, it is you, sir that

insist on calling me that name, that title; I have no need of it and was born

perfectly useful without it."

 

Your Friend...even though now long forgotten in the mists of time. Ah, how

soon they forget!

 

Blessings

Love,

 

Zenbob