Sri Bhausaheb Maharaj
A seeker should live in this world like a lotus-leaf in the lake, untouched by its mud. He should perform meditation while engaged in his worldly affairs. He should, however be very cautious here and should never fall a prey to the attractions of woman and gold belonging to others. He should be satisfied with what God has granted to him and steadily continue his spiritual sadhana. Moreover, he should perform his worldly duties, with utmost care and diligence. He should not shun them through idleness. He should constantly observe and examine his conduct at every step, and should always behave prudently. Imprudence is the source of misery. Still, with all our prudence we must not fail to realize that God's will alone ultimately prevails. Hence we should be ever ready to abide by His will. When we are overwhelmed with dangers, we should not fail to remember Him and perform our duty.
A person is required to worship God for success in his worldly business as well. That would form his Worldly Religion, useful for his worldly life. but that is not all in all. That alone will not bring about fulfillment in his life. On the other hand, he should adopt the path of Spiritual Religion and try to identify himself with God through proper devotion. He should learn to adapt himself even to (adverse) places and (trying) circumstances in which he would be called upon to live through the will of God and should never give up meditation on the Divine Name on any account.
Worldly life and Spiritual life, Duality and Identity, Censure and Praise are pairs of opposites in which, without the help of one we cannot understand the other. Identity cannot be understood without duality; in the absence of censure the value of praise would not be realized. Likewise, without the help of worldly life, spiritual life cannot be properly realized. Worldly life is reprehensible no doubt. But its aid is quite necessary for attaining the commendable spiritual life. We must realize all this properly and through the proper practice of meditation attain love and bliss of spiritual life.
Man desires
that the Lord should not throw him-- entangle him--in the meshes of Maya. But
it is futile to entertain this desire. Even the Lord Himself incarnates in the
Maya, carries on, displays His sport in it. How, then can we be freed from Maya?
When we are residing in the domain of Maya, we should develop devotion for the
Lord, by remaining unaffected by Maya. Maya then could not affect us. We should
learn to participate in the sport of the Lord, in the Maya of the Lord, like
the Lord Himself. Never should we forget that Maya belongs to the Lord Himself.
Then we won't be troubled by Maya.
(From Nama Yoga)
One who has got the purest knowledge of the `Truth' thinks that being `bound and free' is all a joke. Where Prakriti (Illusion) moves away or ends with the name and form, there all the words become silent. Then how can any thing like `liberation' remain there? What is the meaning of "liberated". That is only a way, in which people talk. All the bondage is for him, who says he is the body. One who is a Dnyani (Realised) is free from the sense of `I'. For him `bound and liberated' is only a delusion. `Bound' and `liberated' are only concepts expressed. A concept is never true. One who has understood Maya (Illusion) is free from all fear. The one who says, "I will practise yoga after I become Brahman- then I will do something" is like the one going in search of water in a mirage. It means that such people are simply going backward and forward in a mirage. One who considers mirage as true, gets bound by it. For the man who is awake, the dream disappears. In the same way Dnyani finds this mirage which is in the form of Illusion disappear.
So far as one's own nature is concerned, the relationship of the body itself is untrue. "Trying to contemplate on one who admits of no contemplation," is not possible. As far as Brahman is concerned, no contemplation is possible. But man has a habit of seeing and contemplating something. If one cannot see or think about Self, then what can one do? If one contemplates on a thing then that thing can be known. By the nature of self, even if you want to pull it down to your mind, it can not come to the mind also. It is also not possible to discard the nature of `Knowingness'. It cannot be understood through the senses also. Then what can one do?
The Truth (Brahman) is beyond concept. When one starts meditating the trinity (of seer, seen and process of seeing) is produced. All other objects and senses are alien to us but because we ourselves are the Truth, contemplation on ourself is not possible. If contemplation is given up, great doubts overpower us. But if one thinks and deliberates upon what is everlasting and what is transient, what is self and what is not self, the Truth is revealed. We are not any of the things that exist in this world. We are also not the body. The Vedas, the scriptures, the moon, the sun -- we are none of these. We must sincerely find out who we are.
There is
nothing like non-self- but it is talked of as non-self, for understanding it.
Unless the `I' dies off Heaven can not be seen. Parabrahmam is non-dualistic-
means we ourselves are `That'. Therefore we have to be `That' in order to know
`That'. This does not require any other means- or an instrument. If we have
to experience some other object, we have to see it. But because we are `That',
we are by nature `That alone'. If we give up the consciousness of all the rest,
then we are as we are. We have never forgotten our nature. So it is not necessary
to remember it. Only if it is forgotten, then it has to be remembered. Therefore,
our Nature is beyond remembering and forgetting.
(From Amrut Laya)
The Master doesn't want anything. Whether he is in the body or not, the Master doesn't feel anything. He gives the understanding and the disciple takes that up only. The bees take the pollen from the flowers and make honey out of it. Others may just take the honey, enjoy the honey, and say, "Very nice, very nice." But the one who takes the essence, who wants the reality, will do so even at the cost of his life! So one has to kill oneself, the ego, and once that conviction "I don't exist" is there, then illusion never comes back to you. How can it come back to you…only if there is some mistake in the mind. The Master can rectify that mistake…he has his ways.
The body doesn't exist, agree! But He exists in every body and everywhere, and except Him there is nothing. Then you have a clear-cut understanding. What the Master says is correct, and with his understanding you can do it. The reality is always there, it doesn't go anywhere, it is yourself, but you don't know that, and that is the difficulty.
So who to appreciate that reality, tell me? So you can appreciate the Master only as long as his body is there, okay. He has given the understanding, and when his body goes away, the Master remains with you in your heart by understanding. And that understanding makes so much love out of it.
There is a fountain and some stones come into it. Take out those stones, stones are ego. At the cost of yourself, you have to achieve what your Self is, and that is the real appreciation of the Master. Anyone can do it! Don't worry, just say, " I don't exist," no need to tell others, keep it inside. One can live vacant inside. Even if people say you are a very great person, say, "okay, okay. Bas!" But no need to say anything.
In this
way, if you do it, you are He. How much time it takes? You are He, you are He
forever. Nothing to do then, and that is the real appreciation of the Master.
Master does everything, but doesn't take the touch, "I don't do anything,
I don't exist," that is his understanding. Do everything for Him or the
Master or anything…but say that "I don't exist," otherwise the
"I" can come at anytime. The "I" is so cunning…the
ego is very cunning. By understanding you can kill it, that is the main point.
(From Illusion
vs Reality Part 2)
Start with the body. From the body you get the knowledge of `I am'. In this process you become more and more subtle. When you are in a position to witness the knowledge `I am', you have reached the highest. In this way you must try to understand, and the seeds of knowledge will sprout in you.
When you come to the end of material world-knowledge, at that stage you transcend the observer and the observed. That means that you are in a true state of being-ness. Thereafter, you enter the state of transcending being-ness, where the identities of the observer and observed disappear.
Suppose somebody abuses you and you find out who it is. Is it the body? It is not the body. Then what could it be? Finally you come to the conclusion that it is spontaneously happening out of whatever that body is. You will not attribute it to any individual. When your individuality is dissolved, you will not see individuals anywhere, it is just a functioning in consciousness. If it clicks in you, it is very easy to understand. If it does not, it is most difficult. It is very profound and very simple, if understood right. What I am saying is not the general run of common spiritual knowledge.
When you reach a state when body is transcended, mind is transcended and consciousness is also transcended; from then on all is merely happening out of consciousness, which is the outcome of the body, and there is no authority or doer-ship. When a sound is emanating out of a body, it is not that somebody is talking, it is just words emanating, just happening, not doing.
The Absolute
alone prevails. There is nothing but the Absolute. The un-manifest manifested
itself, that manifest state is Guru and it is universal. Who is the one who
recognizes this body-mind? This `I Am-ness' which recognizes the body-mind is
without name and form, it is already there.
(From Consciousness
and the Absolute)