Excerpts from Swadhyay (23/Jul) by Sir. It might not be precise and the understanding might have been reflected otherwise at some junctures. Kindly discern accordingly.
King Janaka once dreamt that he had lost everything. His kingdom was gone. His wealth had vanished. He wandered hungry, helpless and exhausted. Finally someone offered him a simple bowl of food. Just as he was about to eat, the food slipped away and in utter despair he cried out...
...and suddenly he woke up in his palace.
Unable to understand what had happened, he asked Ashtavakra,
"Which is real? That dream or this waking world?"
Ashtavakra replied,
"King, both are dreams. The one you saw at night concludes when the eyes open. The one that you are presently living and consuming concludes when the eyes close."
What a staggering perspective.
The purpose is not to deny this world.
The purpose is to understand that I have been treating karma uday as the ultimate truth.
That is the real danger.
The moment I start believing that the present karmic arrangement is the ultimate reality, everything begins to feel permanent. I begin identifying myself with my body, my mind, my relationships, my possessions, my opinions, my achievements, my failures and my circumstances.
The arrangement is temporary.
The identification becomes permanent.
That is bondage.
Since beginning-less time, almost every ounce of my energy has gone into protecting, preserving, beautifying and strengthening this temporary identity while almost completely neglecting my permanent identity, the soul.
The greatest mistake is not merely that I live in Sansaar.
The greatest mistake is that I have mistaken Sansaar for my identity.
Perhaps the problem is even deeper than that.
At the subconscious level, I have continuously conditioned myself to believe that temporary happiness is the highest happiness.
Every desire...
Every attachment...
Every fear...
Every expectation...
Every disappointment...
Has quietly reinforced the same false belief.
Without even realizing it, I have kept feeding myself that the pleasure arising from karma uday is the greatest happiness available.
Because of this conditioning, my attention has remained almost entirely outward while the infinite peace, infinite knowledge and infinite bliss belonging to my true nature have remained ignored.
The conditioning has become so deep rooted that I no longer even feel the pinch of this delusion.
That is perhaps the most frightening part.
Buddha expressed something extraordinarily profound.
All conditioned formations are impermanent.
All conditioned formations are incapable of giving lasting fulfilment.
Whatever is conditioned cannot be taken as my ultimate identity.
How powerful these words become when seen in the light of spiritual practice.
Everything that is arising through karma is continuously changing (passing away).
Everything that changes is temporary.
Everything temporary can never become my permanent refuge.
Whether expressed through different spiritual traditions or different words, the pointer remains immensely valuable.
Stop identifying with the changing.
Recognize the one whose journey truly matters.
Then comes another realization that shakes me even more deeply.
This human birth is unimaginably precious.
A healthy body.
A capable mind.
Comfortable and supportive circumstances.
A life that is not burdened with extreme suffering or survival.
The teachings of Omniscient lords like Bhagwan Adinath and Bhagwan Mahavir.
The living inspiration of supremely enlightened beings like Shrimad Rajchandra.
Spiritual mentors who continuously guide, remind, challenge and redirect me whenever I begin drifting away.
Every essential ingredient required for the recipe of Moksha has already been placed before me in abundance.
Nothing meaningful is missing.
The equipment is ready.
The vehicle is ready.
The guidance is available.
The destination is known.
The path is available.
The only thing that remains is my own awareness and my own purusharth.
How many lifetimes would it take to receive such a combination again?
I honestly do not think that this rarest of the rare, best of the best and most beautiful combination will be received again anytime in the foreseeable future. The probability feels unimaginably small. In all likelihood, it may require an infinite... infinite... infinite waiting period, and even then there is absolutely no assurance, no certainty and no warranty that such a combination will ever arise again.
This body is not the destination.
This mind is not the destination.
They are vehicles.
Their purpose is not merely to be maintained.
Their purpose is to be utilised for liberation.
The path to liberation does not lie somewhere outside.
It lies within.
The experience of Sansaar also lies within.
Nothing necessarily needs to change in the external world before the inner transformation can begin. Even if it needs to change or if the change is demanded, the purposeful outcome lies in the intent / the target for which it is changing
The real transformation is not from one worldly situation to another.
It is from identification with the temporary to identification with the eternal.
It is from living as the temporary personality to recognising the permanent Self.
Every moment spent strengthening only the temporary identity is a moment not invested in awakening the permanent one.
The greatest tragedy, apparently, is not death.
The greatest tragedy is spending an entire lifetime protecting the dream while forgetting the dreamer.
May I never again mistake the vehicle for myself.
May I never again mistake karma uday for the ultimate truth.
May this rare human birth be used for the very purpose for which it has become available... the journey from experiencing Sansaar to experiencing the Self, and ultimately, the path to liberation.
Amen!
