Ones of Divinity – compiled from the talks given by Ratan Lal (1918-2006)
SELF-INQUIRY AND
SURRENDER
"I" concept
disappears through Self-inquiry. It is merged in God through Devotion.
THE PATH OF
SELF-INQUIRY
When the mind is
ripe,
Atman reveals itself
to itself.
Apart from thoughts,
there is no such thing as mind. Likewise, there is no independent entity called
world. Just as the spider emits the web out of itself and then withdraws it
into itself, similarly the mind projects the world out of itself and then resolves
it into itself. The mind never exists, except in dependence upon something
gross. It cannot stay alone. In Vedanta the terms, mind, ego, subtle-body, and
Jiva are used similarly. The belief in the egos independent existence is
bondage. Realizing that there is no one in bondage and no one to be liberated
is liberation itself.
Normally we say there
are three paths to follow: Service, Devotion, and Self-inquiry. Self-inquiry
means to inquire into the Self. Man usually identifies himself with either the
mind or the body. He should give up this habit. One's true nature is permanent
Consciousness, which will not change during the three intervals of time.
Trouble and sorrow are caused by wrong identification with the mind and body.
The shadow mind arises from Consciousness and instantly identifies itself with
the body to sustain itself. If one were not to identify with this body, the
mind would have to recede back to its source. Sometimes, in the waking state,
there are no thoughts, but "one" still continues to exist. The nature
of that existence, the real nature of the mind, is identical with
Consciousness. It is God-Atman. "I am short, I am tall...," etc., are
all thoughts related only to the body. This, the mind must be told repeatedly.
Because of its
identification with the body, the mind has likes and dislikes. If this
identification could be given up, the mind would recede to its source (God or
Consciousness). It does not _want to go back. It wallows in worldly joy and
grief. As the Bible says, "The Truth is within you," and "Be
still and know I am That I am." The mind is useful only for daily life,
but not for pursuing one's true nature. It thinks that whatever does not pass
through the test of mind is not real. It forgets that it is dependent on
Consciousness.
Human birth is given
by God to realize the purpose of life, not merely to eat and drink. What is the
difference between humans and animals? God has given man the power of
reasoning, thinking, and intuition in order to realize God. Happiness and pain
are due to our false identification with the body.
Sometimes an actor
(in the theater) plays the role of a monarch wearing rich robes. At other times
he· acts as a beggar. After the play is over, he takes off the kingly robes or
the beggar's rags, because he knows that these are not his real identity. In
the same manner, because of our past deeds, we have been given this body to
play a certain role. Apart from playing this inevitable role, the purpose of
being born as a human is to realize God. Self-inquiry means to recognize our
true Self, our true being, our true existence. One's own reality can be
understood, realized, and experienced in the stillness of the mind. We can say
that the mind has to be "bypassed," but even that is not the correct
word. It is more like informing the mind, "You are not required for
this purpose." The entire attention of the mind should be placed at
the source of the mind, seeking the absolute Truth of our Self. The best hobby
for the mind is to seek its source and remain there; not to stray away, not to
will anything, not to do anything. This is the practice of Self-inquiry.
Stay-do not stray! Be still-do not will!
Atman is Nath. Nath
in Hindi means that which is its own basis, which is not dependent on anything
else. Nath is that which does not require anything else, any other basis. It is
its own basis, upon which everything else is built. We have more faith in what
we see than in what enables one to see. We have more faith in superstructure
than in the foundation. The world is only a projection according to Divine
Baba, whereas the basis, the screen, is permanent. We pay no attention to the
basis; instead we take it for granted. Suppose you go to see a play. There is a
big hall in which light is burning. The light was burning before you came, it
is burning during the play, and after the play is over it continues to burn.
That which gives light to the world is permanent. That Consciousness is God.
How can one get
detached from God's name and form? The answer is that one must first be
detached from one's own name and form. Subsequently, one will be detached from
all names and forms. The truth is that one wants to hold on to one's name and
form and are detached from one's own basis. How is that possible? The mind gets
easily detached from God, and because of the body identification, is attached
to the impermanent world. Some practice is necessary to reverse this process.
Try to hold on to the thinker not the thoughts. Hold on to the seer - not the
seen. There are many indirect methods to turn the attention from world to God,
like reciting the name of God, or thinking more of God than of the world. One
should know that the true Self is realized not by doing or thinking but by
being still. When one is still, the experience of Consciousness will reveal
itself to itself.
Seer and seen are the
contents of the mind. Atman is without content. It is described as Existence,
Consciousness, Bliss. Atman is prior to everything, prior to one's experiences,
prior to the seen, prior even to the seer. It is the power that enables one to
see. The mind cannot function on its own. It is not an independent entity. It
is similar to the moon shining with the light of the sun. The mind functions
with the power of Consciousness. One imagines that without mind there is
nothing. What one calls as nothing is everything. There is nothing apart from
Consciousness. Since one is so engrossed in one's daily life, one ignores this
truth. One cannot have thoughts without Consciousness, but Consciousness is
there without thoughts. The full light of Consciousness cannot be experienced
through the mind. The mind itself is illumined by this light, and the world
appears in the light projected through it, like the film projected on the
cinema screen. With the dim light of the mind, one sometimes mistakes a rope
for a snake. Thus, the mind is not required to see the light of Consciousness.
It can be experienced only intuitively, by turning attention away from the
projection to its source.
In everyday
experience there are three factors: the person who sees, the act of seeing, and
the objects seen. One should ignore the seen by withdrawing one's interest and
attention from it, one should try to hold on to that which sees, that which
enables one to see. If one practices this for only fifteen minutes a day, good
results will follow. After experiencing the peace and bliss within, the mind
will prefer to seek inwardly and not run after shadows. Even if one does
participate in the passing show, one should try to do so as an unconcerned
witness. Then one will remain unaffected by it. Another way is to ask the mind
to seek its source and remain there. These are the two direct methods. Abiding
in the Self alone releases one from all bondage. Stay as the ever-present,
infinite Awareness. Endeavor to turn back thoughts from objects and remain in
unwavering, non-objective, contemplation of the Self alone.
Pure Consciousness,
wholly unrelated to the physical body and transcending thoughts, is a matter of
direct experience. Meditation requires an object to meditate on, while in
Self-inquiry there is only the subject. That is the difference between them. In
Selfinquiry, the mind is not considered as the real entity. Instead, its very
existence is questioned. This is the easiest way to dispel the illusion of its
existence. The mind turned outward results in thoughts and objects. The mind
turned inward becomes the Self or Pure Consciousness. The mind is no longer
confined within the narrow limits of an individualized mind.
