Ones of Divinity – compiled from the talks given by Ratan Lal
THE ORIGINAL SIN
The ignorant mistakes
the body for the Self, but
The knower of the
Self perceives the Self as the Self.
The state called
realization is simply being oneself-not knowing anything or becoming anything.
If one is realized, then one becomes that which alone Is. That which alone Is
has always existed. The "I" casts off its illusion of being "I"
and yet remains "I." Who is to realize what, and how, when all that
exists is the Self and nothing but the Self? One could undertake the task to
eradicate tendencies (vasanas), which are the foundation of the ego.
Realization does not imply merely humbling the ego. It includes the ego's
complete extinction. One should not turn attention away from the Self.
The trinity of the
seer, the sight, and the seen can exist only if supported by the One. If one
turns inward, in search of that One Reality, they fall away. The Divine gives
light to the mind, and It shines within it also. Apart from turning the mind
inward and fixing it on the Divine, there is no other way to know Him. If one
inquires, "Who Am I?" within the mind, the individual "I" falls
off, and as soon as one reaches the source, Reality manifests Itself
spontaneously as the absolute Self. Awareness is nothing but the One
manifesting in different forms, as God and individual soul (Jiva). By
doing this, it suffers no change as the substratum.
It is not the person
or the ego that acts. It is the power in everyone, the light of Divinity, that
enables one to act. One should be fully convinced of this. However, one is
constantly convinced that it is a person who is acting. That kind of belief
contradicts Truth. One should know that the scenes keep on changing, whereas
the Divine Power, or Divinity, remains the same. Without yielding to the doubt,
"Is it possible or not?" one should persistently hold onto the
meditation on Self. Even if one is a great sinner, one should not worry and
weep, ''Oh, I am a sinner, how can I be saved!" Instead, one should
concentrate keenly on meditation on the Self; then one will surely succeed.
Long ago, at the
beginning of this century, there was a great saint who used to live a very
simple life. He lived, more or less, in a hermitage. Some thieves come one
night. The disciples of the saint became worried. He spoke to them and said,
"Let them come and take whatever they want." The doors were
opened. The thieves looked for things to steal, but they found only an orange
fruit and five rupees. They took the five rupees and asked the saint,
"Where do you keep the money?" The disciples answered, "We are
sadhus. We do not keep any money.” The thieves got very angry. They took some
sticks and hit the Master around the knees. The disciples, who were very upset,
because the thieves had beaten their Master, ran after them to beat them up.
However, the Master told his disciples, "They have acted according to
their dharma. We should do our duty and stick to our dhanna. If
you beat the thieves and they get hurt, we ourselves will suffer. They have
done their work, and we should perform our duty as sadhus. So let them
go." After sometime, the police caught the thieves and took them to the
ashram, to the saint. The saint was asked to identify the person who had beaten
him. He only said, "Who beat whom? Find out whom I have beaten in a
previous lifetime, and you will know the man." The moral of the story is
that it is the same Atman that works everywhere when associated with physical
bodies. It works due to the dormant tendencies. In reality no person hits
another person. The wrong identification of being a person has to be abandoned.
Once this is given up, then the Self becomes apparent. Then it becomes directly
intuited. Until the illusion is given up, all sorts of problems arise.
One may ask,
"How to do Self-inquiry? How to merge the mind in Self?" If one's
attraction towards everything external ceases, one can have the ultimate
experience of the Self. Once one "understands" Truth correctly, one
will commence practicing It also. One will subdue the ego to its extinction. As
explained many times, the individual superimposes limitations upon the
limitless. Thus, all appear limited because they have been assigned different
names and forms. The Self is beyond names and forms and beyond the boundaries
of countries. First, understand humanness. Once one understands that, then one
becomes a human being, regardless of the language, or the country of one's
origin. As Divine Baba says, "There is only one religion, the religion of
Love. Love is God. Live in Love."
Abandon this
identification with the body. One is not limited. Self is not limited to the
body. Self is not one's property. It is worshipped in different names and
forms, but It is not an object. It is one's own, real basis. To say, "I am
the body," is the original sin. It is the original ignorance. It has to be
abandoned by thinking, "I am not the body." Now is the time to begin.
Think of God.
Look at the aspect of
reciting the name of God.
It helps one to
transfer one's thoughts from the outer world to God. However, one should know
how to recite the name of God. Choose any name of God you like – the names do
not represent the Self, anyway. The Self is the nameless and formless Divinity.
Since one limits oneself, one superimposes that limitation on God also. God
descends on earth from time to time, taking on different names and forms, to
make man realize his Divinity. Man, however, is quite obstinate. He finds the
world very colorful and attractive. Why should he not enjoy the world? Enjoy
it. Do not be attached to it! One will not get absolute peace and bliss in the
world. It can be obtained only by experiencing the Self. Continuing to limit
oneself to the body is not going to be of any help. Ideally, one should not
identify with a particular body. Parents gave one a name. Did the name exist
before one was born? Did the body exist before you were born? Only the Self-is
permanent. It was here before one was born, it is here now, and it will be here
after the body disappears. The Self is permanent, unchangeable, unaffected by
birth or death. It is the Self that enables one to ask the
question now. The Self is enabling the speaker to answer the question. The Self
is always there. It is not only in the church. It is not only in the mosque,
nor only in the temple. It is everywhere.
If everything is
Consciousness, do the trees or animals also manifest Consciousness?
Why should one be so
concerned with the trees? The tree is laughing because one is more concerned
about it than about one's own reality. Know your reality. First, know yourself,
your real Self. Then, the reality of the world and the tree will be known. You
are more concerned about what you see than what enables you to see.
You have more faith in your eyes and ears, your touch, than in That which feels
the touch, or sees, or hears. Try to think more of the One Atman, or the Self,
than about manifestation. Manifestation is not independent of its basis, the
Self. You are not independent of the Self. There is no so-called
"you" without the Self. Still, you are not concerned, and you ask
questions about manifestation. First, know who you are. Are you this body,
name, and form?
We understand all
this intellectually. How can we practice it in order to experience Divinity?
If one really
understands what has been said intellectually, then one should let this
intellectual understanding become a conviction. Is one convinced that one is
not what the Higher Power enables one to understand?
Conviction alone can
lead to practice, then it will lead to experience. With no practice, how can
one experience? Is one willing not to be attracted by the world? Is one willing
to recite the name of God for some time during the day? Does one know how to
recite the name of God? It should be recited with the rhythm of one's breath.
One may recite a few times only. That is not so important. Reciting with the
rhythm of the breath will transfer one's attention from the world to God. That
will be helpful. As Divine Baba says, one should recite Soham along with one's
breathing. Combine it with your breath. Say "So…" while breathing in,
and "Hum... " while breathing out.
One should practice
contemplation. Try, to transfer your interest arid attention from the seen to
the seer. Try to do it all the time. Try not to have interest in gossip and
worldly talk. Do not have unnecessary worldly worries. "Why is this
happening? What is going on? What to do?" Where is our interest? Try to
hold on to the seer within you. Can the seen be seen without the seer? Can you
see without the light of the sun? Try to go behind the mind, and you will see
yourself. This is the practice you have to do. Without doing that, you accept
that you are the body. If you are so attached to that particular body, which is
so handsome, ask, "Who is handsome?" Try to realize the oneness
of Divinity. We are too attached to our mind-body complex. Our mind thrives on
differences. It says, "He is handsome! He is not so handsome!" All
these are modulations of matter. It is nothing to be proud of or to be ashamed
of. That which is born will decay and die. Locate the immortal Self within.
That is why all religions prescribe rituals, so that one can tum one's
attention for some time from the world to God.
The mind wants to run
hither and thither. The mind does not want to adhere to the One. The mind, even
intellectually, does not stick to the oneness of Divinity. It feels fear
because it has to extinguish itself in order to experience Divinity. Therefore,
the mind will create many hindrances, so that one may not concentrate on the
oneness with Divinity. It' will find many excuses, and we will think that they
all are genuine. It will convince itself that it is right, that there is
nothing beyond itself. It will say, "Who has seen the Self?"
"Who has seen God?" "Who has seen the nameless and formless
Divinity?"
King Janaka, the
father of Sita, was an enlightened person. After attaining enlightenment he
said, "Now, I have caught the thief that has· been ruining me all
along." The thief is the mind. The mind is the shadow of the Self. We have
more faith in the shadow than in Reality. The mind feels that it can sit in
judgment upon God. It does not understand that God is its own bedrock.
Change in one's
reactions is a mark of progress. In the ego-less state there are no reactions;
that is the state when one abides as the Real Self.
