ADVENTURES IN ADVAITA VEDANTA...

Adventures in Advaita Vedanta, the philosophy and science of spirit. We are one you and I; are you curious why?..


Choose Life Divine

Hari OM

Monday is AUM-day; in search of meditation.

Meditation & Life, with Sw. Chinmayananda (Gurudev).
We are now exploring the writings of Gurudev on our focus subject of Meditation. The book is a thorough treatment of the subject and extends to over 170 pages of closely printed text. No attempt is intended, here, to present the text in its entirety. However, important paragraphs and quotes will be given, within a summary of each section. You are encouraged to use the links on sidebar to obtain a copy for yourselves from CM publications. Please remember that each of the posts under this title is part of a thought flow and it is important to go back and read the previous post in order to refresh and review the context.

6: Spiritual Growth cont'd.
The Technique of Self-Perfection.

The many saints and sages who have taken the path of meditation and proven its value all tell the promise - you too can achieve this Supreme State of Consciousness, a unified and glorious Bliss. Cease from all your tumbling around in life looking for happiness; when you have the lost key in your pocket how can you find it anywhere else?! Another example often given is that of the lady who, for a moment, wonders where her favourite necklace is, only to have her husband point out it is still round her neck! A modern example might be the person who frantically seeks the missing spectacles, which are all the time on their head!

Image result for i am not the bodyYes, almost the entirety of our lives is about seeking that which we do not have, but often not understanding exactly what it is we seek. When we stop and think deeply on it, we come to realise that all we need is the inner search to bring balance and meaning to life. The Bliss is within and all that is required is for you stop beating about, sit calmly and let it come to you.

The physical body, with its organs of perception and action, all its chemistry and natural magicks, is nothing more than a 'suit of flesh' for the jiiva to tire out some of its karmic debt; to burn out the vaasanas. The mortal jiiva, however, is under the delusion that the 'suit' is himself… you are NOT the body! You are the essence of Self, separated from your wholeness - reconnect with that whole and you come to know you are immortal. The jiiva identified with the body is the ego-self. The ego alone suffers, pain, limitation, 'death'. The attempts to disassociate ourselves from our body 'habit' and the consistent practice of seeking our Real Identity is what constitutes the divine life. This can be done by any of the four paths (yogas); karma (action), bhakti (devotion), raaja (ascetisim - includes hatha, the physical yoga) and jnaana (Knowledge). Saadhana is the daily practice of the spiritual life. "The present life is not the tyrannical dispensation of a power-mad, superhuman dictator God… it was made by each of us, for ourselves, in our past hours, days and lives. Our self-effort in the past is our destiny in the present. Thus any self-effort (purushaartha) made in this life will have its effect in the next incarnation...make your tomorrow peaceful by living today in right understanding, divine thought and selfless action."

Wishes, desires, are the nascent kernal around which thoughts arise. The thought alone tells us there is a desire lurking. The purpose of meditation is to quieten the wishes so that the thoughts cease. Arresting the flow of thoughts, the mind is free to focus on the one Truth. The life lived in pursuit of the total removal of the river of thoughts is the divine life.

In the thought-castle we build for ourselves, we find such story-telling! The "I" of ego is the king of its castle, all its hopes and memories and pride… stopping thoughts, topples the king ego. To live the life divine, is to live in the Kingdom of God. To enter that kingdom, the requirement is that we surrender our personal kingdoms, the ego. Alter your attitude and live the life divine. You need not give up position or family or possessions. Simply tweak the outlook from "I, Mr Jones, desire or plan to execute…", which only solidifies the ego self, and adopt instead the thoughts that 'He is the Truth and the Way, His will be done, may I be an instrument in His hands and through this body may His plans be fulfilled.' With this adjustment in thinking our path becomes clearer, less troublesome… more divine.

As you progress thus, it becomes easier to spend more time in the genuine search for Self Unification. A liberated person lies dormant in every individual. As butter is in milk, God is in you. To obtain the tasty butter, the milk must be churned. Churn your inner being to find the delicious butter of God. If we stop using any one of our senses, one fifth of the world ceases for us - closing one's eyes provides an easy demonstration of this. When all the senses and the mind are thus controlled, we can see the Truth as it is. This is the process of meditation which aids the life divine. There is a choice to follow this. The choice is yours to make.