The dreamer

The world is a dream

The waking state is a dream

The deep sleep state is a dream

The dream state is a dream

The dreamer is a dream

dream has no real substance.

Bhakti Marga- Hare Rama Hare krishna

Bhakti Marga- The path of Bhakti or Devotion. 

The following conversation between Sri Nãrada Maharishi and Lord Brahma is found in Kali Santarana Upanishad.

At the end of Dwãpara Yuga, Nãrada, after traveling around the world, approached Lord Brahma and asked him, “How may I overcome (the evil effects of) Kali Yuga?”

Lord Brahma said: “You have asked me an excellent question. I shall reveal to you the secret of all the Vedas by which you will cross over the ‘samsãra’ (ocean of life) filled with the bad effects of the Kali Yuga. This secret must be preserved and protected.”

“Bhagavata ãdipurushasya nãrãyanasya nãmoccãranamãtrena nirdhrtakalir bhavati |

 nãradah punah papraccha tannãma kimiti,”   said Lord Brahma

—-By merely uttering the names of the Primeval ‘Purusha’, who is Bhagavan Narayana, one is freed from the clutches of Kali.

 Nãrada asked further, “sa hovaca hiranyagarbhah” |

—-What are those names of Narayana?”

 “HARE RAMA HARE RAMA RAMA RAMA HARE HARE |

HARE KRISHNA HARE KRISHNA KRISHNA KRISHNA HARE HARE”

—-“O Hari, O Rama, O Hari, O Rama, O Rama O Rama, O Hari, O Hari!

O Hari, O Krishna, O Hari, O Krishna, O Krishna O Krishna, O Hari, O Hari!”

 “iti shodashakam nãmnãm kalikalmashanãshanam |

natah parataropãyah sarvavedeshu drushyate” ||

—Lord Brahma said, “This collection of the sixteen Names (of Narayana) destroys the evils of the Kali Yuga. I don’t see any other effective means (of liberation) in the Vedas.

No wisdom- from the Heart Sutra

“THERE IS NO WISDOM AND THERE IS NO ATTAINMENT WHATSOEVER“

There is nothing in this world that can be said to be permanent. Not the world itself, not the body and not even the mind. Wisdom or knowledge is in the terrain of the mind. If the mind itself is said to be temporary than it cannot be in the domain of the truth. As truth cannot be admitted to be temporary. Only that which is permanent can be said to be the truth.

The body cannot attain the truth, the mind cannot grasp the truth by it’s very nature of impermanance, how can a transitory entity touch that which is permanent. The clouds appear to be in the sky, But can the clouds affect the sky or touch the sky. The clouds gather and disperse But the sky remains, unaffected. Such is the nature of truth. There can be knowledge of this truth, as knowledge is a tool of the mind. 

Mind is dismissed, hence knowledge is dismissed, the concept of attainment is dismissed. What remains Is.

cloud & water

The cloud gathers and the cloud dissolve.

The cloud is reflected in the water.

The water flows.

Shiva’s discourse to Vasishta Maharishi

My intense meditation was broken at this instant,
and my trance gave way to the sight of outward
objects, which I kept looking upon for sometime;
when I observed a flaming fire suddenly rising in
the forest to my view. It was a bright as a big
white cloud, and as brilliant as the shining orb
of the moon.

Vasisht & Rama

Yoga Vasishta is a book compiled from the talks that Vasishta Maharishi had with Rama.

Rama is 16 years of age and completely devoid of all happiness, he’s going through an identity crisis and is wondering what the hell he is doing in the this world and why the hell is he alive and why all people are going crazy over money, power,women etc.

So the book basically is advice given by Rama’s Guru Vasishta on all these factors and more. 

Sri Sri Ravishankar personally recommends reading this book atleast once for any serious seeker of truth and so did Ramana Maharishi. 

In all my years of studying scriprtures. two Books stand out for their massive value and the immediacy of the effect of the teachings. One is Yoga Vasishta and the other “I am That”. Both these book are pure advaitha and can catch a man’s mind and never let it go. It’s poweful, simple and direct.

Here Vasishta describes how the world is created, the crux of the problem, basically how and what and why and when of everything, every question you might ever have is explained in this book. every answer, and THE answer to all questions. 

Rama in the beginning is dense, a little depressed and not ready to listen to yet another discourse, but as vasishta starts speaking in the royal court, not only Rama but all the courtiers are rapt in attention & are in due course liberated.

To casual readers, its can be an amzing fiction too. the stories, the imagery, the concepts, but if absorbed, the ideas given in this book, if percieved directly vasishta’s one and only message, then there is no escape but to experience the truth.

Like he tells Rama in the beginning “by the time I am done with my talking, you will most definitely be liberated”. Its said that if a non seeker, non interested, depressed seeker like Rama can be liberated by just listening to Vasishta, anybody can too….

“Just as the sky is (i.e. appears to be) stained by dust, smoke and clouds, so also the pure Self in contact with the qualities of maya is (i.e. appears to be) soiled by them.”- Vasishta

Nisargadatta: The Way to Self-Realization

The person merges into the witness, the witness into awareness, awareness into pure being, yet identity is not lost, only its limitations are lost. It is transfigured and becomes the real Self, the sadguru, the eternal friend and guide. You cannot approach it in worship. No external activity can reach the inner self; worship and prayers remain on the surface only; to do deeper meditation is essential, the striving to go beyond the states of sleep, dream and waking. In the beginning the attempts are irregular, then they recur more often, become regular, then continuous and intense, until all obstacles are conquered.

via Nisargadatta: The Way to Self-Realization, Part Six.

Hridaya

Hrid=centre

Ayam=this

Hrit or Hridaya is the sankrit word for Heart centre. It is often used to describe the ultimate state. It is also said that God resides in the heart centre.

It is not to be confused with the heart chakra or the Anahata chakra which is said to be at the centre of the chest. Hridaya does not refer to a chakra nor does it refer  to the physical heart.

In meditation a Sadhak is asked to meditate on any form of his beloved diety in the cave of the heart. But this heart is neither physical nor psychological. Infact Hridaya itself is God, is the goal, the ultimate state, the natural state. 

It is but another word for Nirguna(formless) Brahman(reality). Hridaya is boundaryless, formless, without divisions and is a state of perfect equanimity. Meditating on the Hridaya the sadhak merges in it, becomes it. 

Everything has it’s own source in Hridaya so find the source and you shall find all. When a thought arises, find where it’s coming from, when you feel pain, anguish, happiness, find the source, where is it coming from. You feel like you exist, where is this “I”, find it’s source in you, dig deep.

Meditating on hridaya is a simple, easy technique that anyone can try and experience it’s fruits almost immediately. Hridaya is love, it’s in no one place, it’s everywhere, it has no form and yet all forms are in Hridaya are Hridaya. So meditating on Hridaya can be a natural easy process and the love that arises can be experienced when all fighting and struggling is given up. Just surrending and being the self, being Hridaya is enough.

Do it and know for yourself.

A man named U.G

 

“If you have the courage to touch life for the first time, you will never know what hit you.  Everything man has thought, felt and experienced is gone, and nothing is put in its place.”     “Whether you are interested in Moksha, Liberation, Freedom, Transformation, you name it, you are interested in happiness without one moment of unhappiness, pleasure without pain, it is the same thing.”   “We don’t want to be free from fear. All that we want to do is to play games with it and talk about freeing ourselves from fear.”   “Your constant utilization of thought to give continuity to your separate self is ‘you’. There is nothing there inside you other than that.”   “When the movement in the direction of becoming something other than what you are isn’t there any more, you are not in conflict with yourself.”   –U.G.

Neo Advaitins

Three Advaita students came out of a Advaita talk.

“What did you think of JK’s talk today?” one of them asked. “When he talked about ego and self, I thought that was kind of dualistic, wasn’t it?”

“Ah,” said the second, “but your even saying that is dualistic itself, don’t you see?”

“Look who’s talking,” said the third. “I’m glad I’m not dualistic like you guys!”

A moment for Zen

 

The only Zen you find on tops of mountains is the Zen you bring there.

Narada Bhakti Sutra 21-24

Sutra21

just like the gopis of vrindavan

Sutra22

even there, in this condition of love

there is no bane for forgetting the glory of the lord

Sutra23

love without wisdom

is like couples indulging in illicit love

Sutra24

love in ignorance

is truly not love that can cause true happiness

Narada Bhakti Sutra 18, 19 & 20 (chapter 1, section 3)

Sutra 18

Without opposing

abide in the self

so says Shandilya

Sutra 19

Narada says indeed

Surrender all to God

& in forgetfullness

feel the supreme pain

Sutra 20

Thus it is.

Baba sitting on the Nandi!

Intelligence does not in and of itself bring happiness. What brings happiness is acceptance. There is no purpose to intelligence, it is inherent within the energy of all that is. Intelligence and energy are one and the same. Energy is intelligence. Intelligence is energy.

Narada Bhakti Sutra 15, 16 & 17 (chapter 1, section 3)

Sutra 15

It’s characteristics are being descibed now

due to the existence of many different views

Sutra 16

Worship with deep love

says the son of parashara Sri Veda Vyasa

Sutra 17

In the stories of the glories of the lord

experience deep love

so says Garga Maharishi

Narada Bhakti Sutra 13 & 14 (chapter 1, section 2)

Sutra 13

or else there is a fear of a fall 

Sutra 14

Be social only to the extent of basic necessities

like eating food, as long as the body exists

Narada Bhakti Sutra 10,11, 12 (chapter 1, section 2)

Sutra 10

All supports when renounced, only then is attained Single mindedness.

Sutra 11

only perform material and spiritual activities congenial to that

renounce  all activities hostile to that

Sutra 12

After a commitment to live the life of devotion

let there be guidance of the scriptural teachings.

Narada Bhakti Sutra 7,8,9 (chapter 1 section 2)

Sutra 7

That being of the nature of Renunciation there is no desire in it.

Sutra 8

Indeed this total renuncation is material, spiritual and of all activities.

Sutra 9

Single mindedness to that

and indifference to all else

This is renunciation.

Alone is

In aloneness

surrender this burden of me and mine

remember that there’s none else but you

 

be you

 

you, all around

bliss

this moment 

know love

love

 

in Aloneness 

abide in the bliss of love

abide in the self

Narada Bhakti Sutra 4,5 & 6 (chapter 1)

Sutra 4

Having gained which Man attains. Is full of bliss and is at peace.

 

Sutra 5

Having attained, he neither worries or grieves. 

Neither does he hate nor does he crave

he becomes free of attachment.

 

Sutra 6

Having known man becomes intoxicated, silent and rests in the self.