Ones of Divinity – compiled from the talks given by Ratan Lal (1918-2006)
Compiled by Ioanna Chrysi Mexi, Edited by R. Varadarajan
Which is the measure
Measuring or
revealing
The Being-Awareness
shining in the heart
Whose light alone
reveals all measuring,
Measure, measurer,
and things measured?
Only as long-as there
is a measurer
Do measuring and
things measured seem to be.
But when the measurer
sees the Self
Of Being and gets
lost in It,
All other things
along with him
Perish and fall
together.
The greatest obstacle
on the Path of Surrender
is egotism, 'I' and 'mine.'
It is something that has- been inheriting
to your personality since ages,
sending its tentacles deeper and deeper
with experience of every succeeding life.
It can be removed only
By the twin detergents. of
Discrimination and Detachment.
EDITORIAL OBSERVATIONS
Using transcripts of
talks to develop a book is a stupendous job. The compiler's effort is
note-worthy. However, because of the nature of the work, usage of passive verbs
is extensive. Because of the enormity of the effort and the crunch of time,
changing this was not feasible. Furthermore, some of the spiritual truths do
not lend themselves easily to passive verbs. The speaker's simple methodology
in presenting the concept of Adwaitha (Non–Dualism) as path for
Self-Realization is excellent.
When the mind turns
towards its source, then it becomes quiet, free from thoughts. That is the
greatest role played by the guru, God, or any spiritual being. Thoughts are
pushed away so that the attention is turned towards one's Source. Inside, the
real Self is waiting for one, in silence. Knowing the Self to be the sole
reality, what is there to fear? Even without the physical presence of a great
Master, one can practice to withdraw one's thoughts from everything external.
The mind will feel a void in the beginning. That is a mental darkness, because
the mind feels the absence of thoughts as void. As the mind goes deeper towards
its Source, it gets merged into That. Then the game is finished.
First, one sees the
Self as an object. Then one sees the Self as a void. Later one sees the Self as
the Self. Only in the last case, there is no seeing but only being.
When one sees
blankness, divert attention from the blankness to the Seer, that is, to the Consciousness
that sees the blankness. Know oneself to be the changeless and Absolute
Conscious Existence-the light that never dims.
PREFACE
For the lady Mind,
the wedded wife
Of the radiant
Sun-god Self,
To forsake the joys
of light
And go astray seeking
The deer darkness of
the world,
What is it but the
frenzied folly of infidelity?
Sri Ratan Lal, whose
talks on which this book is based, has been at the Lotus Feet of Bhagavan Sri
Sathya Sai Baba since 1965. Through these years, Bhagavan has given him
spiritual instructions and led him into the path of Self-inquiry. In the course
of time, Sri Ratan Lal was included among the panel of people appointed by
Bhagavan to give spiritual talks to foreign devotees in the Ashram. He has been
doing this for the last four years. People from all parts of the world started
approaching him, and it happened that some of these Satsangs (spiritual
gettogethers) were collected and presented in the form of this book. Sri Ratan
Lal himself did not have any intention of writing anything. "Who am I to
write?" he would say. "Can I improve on what has been said by the
great Masters? Read their words, not any interpretation of them!"
In fact, Sri Ratan
Lal was put on this path even before he knew Bhagavan Sri Sathya Sai Baba. The
story might be of interest to the reader, since it contains some teachings
relevant to everyone. One day a saint from North India, named Nirmalji Maharaj
from Amritsar, came to Sri Ratan Lal's house in Mumbai. Sri Ratan Lal felt that
he should ask for some specific spiritual instructions. "What practice
should I undertake?" He asked. "Should I keep a picture of Rama and
offer flowers, do japa (repetition of God's name), recite mantras, do
meditation?" "Nothing of the kind," the saint answered.
"Keep a photograph of yourself in the room where you spend the most of the
time, and while looking at it, keep on repeating mentally to yourself, 'I am
not this. I am not this. I am not this.’” "And after that?" Sri Ratan
Lal asked curiously. The saint looked deep into his eyes and said, "First,
practice this. Then ... thereafter!" Sri Ratan Lal never saw Maharaj
again. Subsequently he came to the Lotus Feet of Bhagavan Sri Sathya Sai Baba
for spiritual enlightenment.
The devotees who
attended his Satsangs would recognize the speaker as a humble, direct,
and impersonal instrument of Bhagavan. Never would he give himself any
importance. He would rather stress on Truth only. Reluctantly, therefore, would
he speak about his own experiences. Sometimes, if asked, he would relate some
incidents from his remarkable encounters with the Divine. Some
of these stories are included in the first chapter of this book. The rest of
the book is on the sublime teaching of Bhagavan Sri Sathya Sai Baba:
the Non-dual (Adwaita Vedanta) teaching, also called the path of Wisdom
(Jnana Marga). The talks are not a word-for-word transcription. However,
it is an attempt to maintain the Satsang format to enable the reader to find
both teaching and prescribed practice repeated throughout the book. This allows
each chapter to be read independently of others. Different subjects are treated
and many questions answered. They all point towards the same Truth, namely, the
Oneness of Divinity and the need to inquire into one's self in order to find
the ultimate answer to all doubts. Therefore, the repetition is not only good
but also necessary to convince the mind about Truth and to make the mind
established in Truth.
"Truth is
simple, so simple that people often miss it," Sri Ratan Lal would say with
a smile. For those of us who attended his Satsangs, it was precisely the
beauty of his simple and direct way of exposing Truth that struck us.
"Know Thyself' has been a primary maxim in philosophy since ancient times.
The same Truth is explained in many ways in the scriptures to suit innumerable
grades of seekers. The philosophy of absolute Non-dualism, as taught by Masters
at different times, in different religions, points towards "That"
which is beyond the intellect. It is consequently not only a
teaching for mind but also teaching to be practiced. The scriptures point toward
the Grace of the Unspoken Word. But unless experienced, what is gained by
simply proclaiming that "It" is beyond the reach of mind, speech, and
body, that which is perceived is mere illusion, that there is nothing apart
from the Self, and that the Supreme is all-inclusive, perfect, and infinite?
For us human beings, padded by our thinking, ignorance, and illusion, the
Master's words shine as the most precious jewel to be sought. The Crest Jewel
of Discrimination will dispel the ignorance hiding our true Self, as the sun disperses
the clouds that hide it. A special feature of NonDualism (Adwaita) is
that, instead of pointing to an object for the seeker to know, it doubts the
existence of the seeker itself. Forgetfulness makes us feel separate from God.
Like fire burns and wind blows, so the mind thinks. The
thinking ego is itself the obstacle to realization, but to try to get rid of it
is as futile as trying to bury one's shadow. The Master's words will ultimately
put an end to rigorous discipline and ritual worship, together with the mind prompting
them. The answer is simply to withdraw as Pure Being. The search for Bliss will
drive it farther away-seek the seeker and wait to be gradually consumed in the
fire of Wisdom.
"What is the
true meaning of Satsang?" the speaker would sometimes ask the audience.
Superficially we understand it as good company. Sat, however, means true
existence. Sang stands for association or company. The deeper meaning of the
word is to make the mind abide more and more in its source-God. True Satsang
therefore, is abiding in the Self, in other words remaining as we are, or just
being. Always cherish association with the wise. Sankaracharya said that, in
all the three worlds, there is no boat like Satsan, to carry one safely
across the ocean of births and deaths. Satsang with the embodied guru will push
the mind inward by removing worldly attachments. When Sat is understood to be
the Self, one recognizes the guru in the heart. In the ever-speaking Silence,
one receives the true Upadesa and Sat will be revealed-as It ever
was and ever is.
The lady Mind has
strayed away from her true Consort. She is enjoying her new companions in the
world of the senses. Nevertheless, how long can she, the measurer of reality,
be satisfied with mirage water? It is suggested that the reader contemplate
over the short verses 1 since these profound sayings of great Masters can be
said to summarize the teaching contained in this book. The reader is invited to
participate in these Satsangs, which disclose a teaching that unifies
all religions, castes, colors, and creeds. May the reader, through
understanding and practice, come to realize his true Self and to abide as
"That" which is.
Irene
Larsen, Prasanthi Nilayam, October 1998
