James: I get them regularly. Here is a copy of an email I sent out today to a Vedanta teacher.

Listening, the basic stage of Vedanta, is difficult, but reflecting on what you have heard is more difficult.  Had you heard Kena Upanishad, particularly Chapter 2, and done proper reflection (manana) you would not have reacted so strongly to the idea that you had Enlightenment Sickness.  Everyone gets Enlightenment Sickness (ES).  That’s why there is an Upanishad on the topic.

Even the people who won’t claim their identity as the Self (claiming is explained in Chapter 1 of the Kena Upanishad) for fear of ES have it because ironically you need to claim that you are the Self (to yourself) to transfer your identity to the Self, not proclaim it to others. If you proclaim it to those who have properly completed the three stages of Vedanta practice (sravana, manana and nididyasana) they will probably find it amusing because what else could you be? There is only one Self. Non-dual means no second thing.

But if you proclaim your identity as the Self to entry-level people who are not ready to see a teacher as anything other than the body speaking in front of them, you will only confuse them.  This is why the Bhagavad Gita says, “Let not the wise unsettle the minds of the ignorant.”  Because we are all born in duality, meaning ignorant of our unborn whole and complete nature, the duality filter persists until death in most people.  It is absurd to think that novice seekers (or even more more advanced inquirers) are going to get a complete understanding of the topic.  

It won’t sort itself out. The claiming ego has too much invested in it, particularly if they are ambitious and attract people. Somebody who has assimilated the Upanishad, which is just common-sense knowledge, needs to inform them.

I want to check in with you now and again to get some true directional correction.  My compass is not trustworthy! 

Is it that I am (BMI) the only obstacle to light?  In a dream last night, I got a clear message (seemingly from Isa) that this BMI, person was the only real blockage.  Dahhhhh.

Is it that simple?

Instead of using this BMI as a tool to uncover life, I have taken the tool to be me and that stunted all growth/understanding.   Instead of just realizing it is a tool to be used, I’ve grabbed onto it as the “real deal” and stopped growth at the instrumental level.  So in effect, I focused on the telescope and not the universe.  Don’t pull out any remaining hair with my question, I know it is dumb, but there is an urge to ask you and maybe get more trustworthy clarity.

I love the Sunday satsangs because of your presence and teachings.  

In gratitude and love

Ramji:  Aha!  The penny finally dropped!!! Good for you.  Yes, sweetheart, the BMI isn’t you, it’s an apparently pale reflection.  Go to the head of the class.  No need to polish apples for the wonder that is me anymore.  You are me and I am you.  Your enlightenment certificate is in the mail. 
BMI means Body-Mind-Intellect, the “equipment” produced by Maya that permits object-free Consciousness to experience itself as objects. 

Here I’m going to outline five key points which I believe are essential in making the teaching work for you; in other words, converting Self-Knowledge (the object of the teaching) into liberation or freedom.

In the talk, I shared a couple of quotes from a new book I’m nearly finished writing. It’s called “There Shines a Light” and is a spiritual autobiography exploring my journey from samsara to finding an end to samsara through the liberating power of Self-Knowledge. It’s different to most Vedanta books in that it isn’t so much about the “theory” as the “practise” and how, by truly assimilating the teaching and incorporating it into every aspect of our lives, we can enable the power of Self-Knowledge to carry us through life’s many storms and stresses.

My intent was to convey how Self-Knowledge enables us to navigate life’s challenges and respond appropriately to each situation as it presents itself with objectivity, dispassion and devotion. 

This truly is the most sane and healthy way to approach life and the best investment of time and energy you will ever make in your life. As Swami Paramarthanada states, when we are ignorant of our true nature as pure Consciousness, life is nothing but a burden (to put it mildly!). But when we fully integrate the Knowledge “I am Consciousness and not the body/mind/ego”, life goes from a burden to a blessing and we effectively transcend the zero sum nature of the phenomenal reality.

The five keys to living the teaching are as follows:

1. Be clear on your goal.
2. Be qualified!
3. Manage the mind.
4. Don’t get too hooked up in the world
5. Practise sustained nididhyasana, or contemplation.

Let’s briefly touch upon each.

1. Be Clear On Your Goal

It’s essential that you be clear about your highest values and most important goals. Until you have a significant degree of clarity about your true values, life simply isn’t going to work. Muddled values lead to muddled priorities, misplaced action and wholly unsatisfactory results. This is really the death knell for genuine seekers of liberation.

So what is it you really want in life? 

It so happens that much of what you think you want in life is simply societal programming instilled into you from childhood onward. The goals of samsara are many and varied, but they generally fall under the category of the desire for security and wealth and the desire for pleasure. It’s between these two branches that most peoples’ lives swing.

In general, we are conditioned to look outside of ourselves for our happiness, fulfilment and joy. If you want to feel better, you simply need to get more “stuff”; more objects, be they tangible, physical objects or subtle objects in the form of emotion and experience.

In order to be a successful human being, it’s drilled into us that we need to be as GOOD as we possibly can be, first at school, then in other educational or vocational pursuits. The key to happiness is to achieve, attain and acquire; or so we are taught. Once we get the education we want, we then must forge the ideal career and make as much money as we possibly can. With that money, we can buy all kinds of desirable objects; from houses to cars, holidays and entertainment and whatever else happens to take our fancy. Relationships are also a key focus for most. Most people are unable to appreciate their own beauty and light, so they seek a proxy; somebody to mirror back to them the light of their own Consciousness. 

There’s nothing inherently wrong with any of this, of course. The scriptures outline the first three life stages as being focused on learning, career and family and this corresponds with the goals of wealth/security, pleasure and dharma (dharma relating to virtue or right action; ie., doing the right thing at the right time in the right way). 

The problem is when we genuinely believe that these life pursuits are capable of delivering lasting happiness and freedom. The expectation that they can and should is the source of tremendous misery.

While we can and should make the best of our lives and thus contribute to the whole, the idea that the solution to our existential suffering comes from the pursuit and attainment of objects is the very basis of samsara. 

Owing to Self-ignorance, we don’t feel whole and complete in ourselves, so we seek a solution outside of ourselves in the world of objects and experience. We assume that forcing the world of objects into alignment with our personal likes and dislikes is the way to freedom. 

Unfortunately, the very worst way to be free is to rely upon the world of objects behaving as we think it should. The problem is that we are not in control of the results of our actions. We can take the action we think is best and most appropriate, but it’s not up to us how the results of that action fructify. If it were up to us—if we had complete control over the results of our actions, then everything we do would be successful. Every single time you bought a lottery ticket you would hit the jackpot. 

Alas, life does not work that way. There’s a complex chain of cause and effect and unfathomable variables over which we, as people, have no knowledge or control. Indeed, it is Ishvara, the Totality, which dispenses the results of all actions and Ishvara never factors our personal likes and dislikes into the equation.

A mature spiritual seeker is somebody who has come to terms with this fact. They’ve also come to realise that the solution to the basic problem of human suffering is not to be solved simply by getting what we want from the game of life. Seeking happiness in objects is at best a band-aid. It provides some relief but doesn’t solve the underlying problem. It gives us a temporary boost of happiness until pain and discontent once again rear their ugly heads. 

The wise person will conclude that because object-based happiness is temporary at best, the solution must be something altogether different. Indeed, as Vedanta unilaterally declares: lasting happiness can only come from Self-Knowledge and the full and complete realisation of who and what we truly are.

It’s not until you are very, VERY clear on that last point that you will value the teaching enough to commit your life, time and attention to realising this Truth for yourself. 

Until you get to that point, you may have a value for Vedanta and Self-Knowledge, but it’s likely a split value; meaning an only partially assimilated value. There’s a core conflict because although moksha is valuable to you, your attention and energy is still divided and funnelled into various worldly pursuits, goals and endeavours. 

Such worldly goals may be good and necessary, but they must be conducted as karma yoga and not seen as a solution to the problem of existential suffering. You might get what you want, and it might bring temporary happiness, but the ultimate happiness comes only from the full realisation and integration of the knowledge “I am Consciousness alone and I am already entirely whole and complete in my Self”.

In short, you need to be very clear that the pursuit and integration of Self-Knowledge is the solution to your suffering; not chasing various crumbs of joy in the world of objects. You need such clarity of vision and values otherwise you simply won’t devote the necessary time and effort to truly living and assimilating the teaching—and, for a seeker of Truth, that sadly equates to a wasted lifetime.

At the start of each day, you might want to ask yourself:

“What is the most important thing to me?” 

“What is my highest priority?” 

“What is my greatest goal?” 

Then plan your day accordingly.

While we naturally have many things that we love and adore in the world, including family and friends, our job and contribution to society, our highest goal should always be freedom. After all, it’s not until we are free that we can truly bless others and the world and shine the light of Truth and love. That should be our ultimate goal in life.

In Vivekachudamani, Shankara makes it clear that the highest blessing in life is to have a human birth, plus the desire for spiritual liberation (a desire that is exceedingly rare even among “spiritual types”), access to the teaching and a teacher and a mind capable of understanding both. 

If all those factors are in place—and the latter ones can be worked upon and cultivated if need be—you are already enormously blessed. I think it’s safe to say that if you didn’t have significant punyam, or good karma, you wouldn’t be reading this at all. The interest simply wouldn’t be there. No matter what you do, you must capitalise on this blessing and take full advantage of it.

My favourite quote on the topic comes from the Buddhist master Dogen, who said:

“Life and death are of supreme importance. Time swiftly passes by and opportunity is lost. Each of us should strive to awaken. Awaken! Take heed, and do not squander your life.”

Once you are clear on the benefits of moksha, liberation, and the cost of not attaining it (which is continued pain and suffering), you should find the necessary motivation to truly commit to your sadhana, Vedantic study and self-enquiry. Studies have shown that human behaviour is often more motivated by the avoidance of pain rather than the promise of reward, so it can be helpful to reflect on the continued cost of existing in samsara and its constant seesaw of desire, attachment and suffering.

Only then can you ask yourself “Am I ALL IN?” 

Because if you’re not ALL IN, and truly and utterly committed to liberation, then you are as good as out. 

Half-measures don’t work when it comes to liberation. You need to want it as much as a drowning man needs oxygen. The moment you do, you’re already part way there.

2. Be Qualified

Having corresponded with a fair number of spiritual seekers over the past few years, I’ve come to see that this is perhaps the “make or break” issue for just about everyone. 

It’s not a topic most people particularly enjoy; perhaps because it might seem rudimentary and basic. Most people want to skip onto the more inspiring and intoxicating topics of Jnana yoga. What they don’t realise is that, unless the basic mental qualifications are in place, that Knowledge does’t really have a place to land. It remains mere intellectual curiosity and, while obviously still inspiring and exciting, it won’t translate to liberation if the mind hasn’t first been sufficiently primed and brought to heel.

Prior to planting seeds, the soil must be prepared. It has to be fertile and all the necessary conditions must be taken into account in order for the seeds to grow, take root and flourish. The same is true with Self-Knowledge. The glory of this Knowledge is that it does all the work pretty much by itself. Knowledge erases ignorance as effortlessly as light displaces dark. All that we really need to do is to apply that Knowledge to the mind whenever thoughts of Self-ignorance and limitation happen to arise, until such time as they don’t.

The main thing we have to do, however, is to simply keep our mind ship-shape and a fit receptacle for Knowledge.

This means cultivating strong discrimination, which means the ability to distinguish the real from the false, or the eternal from the fleeting. This naturally generates the second qualification, which is dispassion. The third qualification relates to discipline of the mind and keeping the mind a finely honed instrument rather than a destructive and out of control monster as it can so easily become for many. Finally, the desire for liberation, as discussed in the first key, is essential for granting us the motivation to pursue the teaching and apply it to the mind until Knowledge becomes conviction and conviction translates to liberation.

Nobody likes to be told that they aren’t qualified for the teaching. It’s something you absolutely must be aware of, however. If the teaching isn’t changing the way that you see and relate to others, yourself and life, then it’s a sure sign that your qualifications need some work. That is no mark of shame, because unless one is a sannyasi and has completely renounced society and worldly life, you can almost guarantee there will be work to do in that regard. So, it’s not a bad realisation. It’s a good one, because it’s something you can most certainly do something about.

I’ve known students who successfully grasped the essence of the teaching and had firm Self-Knowledge, but it simply wasn’t sinking in because of certain turbulence, attachment and emotional issues clouding the mind and subtle body. 

All seekers should have a firm gauge of just how steady and sattvic the mind is at any given time. Getting qualified is certainly not a one-time effort. Like tending a garden, it may require quite a fair bit of weeding and pruning, watering and feeding. Indeed, the mind is constantly shifting like the ephemeral thing it is. Moment to moment vigilance is required, as we’ll explore in the next step.

A passage from “There Shines A Light” on the topic:

“Only a clear mind can adequately reflect the resplendent light of our own Self. Such a mind, which can be cultivated through a commitment to dharma, the practice of karma yoga, devotion, meditation, and the deep contemplation of Self-Knowledge, is a mind freed from excessive want and selfish desire. Life is no longer about getting what we want. It’s about finding the deeper part of us that’s forever free from want—the part that simply shines in radiant, changeless splendour. This light is the only remedy to the veiling cloud of ignorance that keeps us desperately bound to worldly objects, forms, and attachments while completely oblivious to the fact that we are in actuality, in our heart of hearts, already free.”

Get qualified! Stay qualified! Even in the absence of Self-Knowledge and liberation, these mental qualifications have the ability to make life so much easier and more enjoyable.

3. Manage the Mind

Mind management is an essential prerequisite for any enquirer. After all, the mind is our instrument for interfacing with the phenomenal reality. A turbulent, choppy mind cannot provide an accurate reflection of reality and will create significant stress and tension both psychologically and physiologically.

A tranquil and pure mind, however, is like a lake without so much as a ripple. Only a peaceful mind is capable of reflecting the light of the Self in a pure and undistorted manner, free of the concealing and projecting powers of tamas and rajas.

A large part of mind management, then, comes down to managing the three gunas. We cultivate a pure and sattvic mind by minimising the deadening and agitating excesses of tamas and rajas. The topic of the gunas is an interesting and eminently practical one. We come to see that everything in our life will have an effect on the proportion of these qualities; whether it’s the food we eat, our home and work environment, the people we are around or the stimulus we allow through the gates of our senses. We have to be judicious gatekeepers in this respect and aware of the proportion of the gunas so we can constantly adjust as necessary.

The mind is very much where the spiritual battle takes place. The subtle body is the source of the problem; specifically, the intellect, where we harbour the erroneous belief in being a separate, limited, inadequate self. That’s where we need to take the fight and we do that by applying Knowledge; the only thing capable of eradicating ignorance.

It’s a process that takes as long as it takes; whether months, years or lifetimes. 

The number one thing we can do to assist the process is to keep the mind as calm, balanced and tranquil as it can be. When thoughts of ignorance and limitation come up, as they most certainly will, we patiently and steadily apply the opposite thought. Bit by bit, we dismantle the false notion that we are a lacking, suffering little person and replace it with the Knowledge that what we are is whole, complete and free of limitation and defect.

That is no small challenge. The mind is, by nature, restless. It’s constantly modifying according to stimulus and, for a great many people, is prone to neuroticism. The mind itself is a mechanism designed to keep us safe by constantly evaluating and trying to control our environment. The problem is, it’s constantly biting off more than it can chew. It tries to control things that it actually has no control over. The result is likely to be constant rumination, doubt, fear and anxiety.

The moment we accept that we’re trying to control things we have no control over, it creates a space of acceptance and openness. We can recognise that what the mind deals in is thought; and thought is just thought. No matter what terrible things the mind is trying to control and change; it’s all just thought–and thought can be managed.

If you’re thinking thoughts that are not constructive and which only bring stress and suffering, it’s important to step in and redirect the mind to thoughts of Truth. You can always tell when you’re thinking thoughts of Truth because you will automatically feel freer and lighter. Emotional distress is a sign the mind has contracted itself into rajas and tamas conditioned thoughts and you have lost touch with the basic truth of who you are.

That’s not the end of the world. It happens. All you need to do is to gently redirect your mind to an acknowledgement of who and what you truly are, and to recognise that everything in this field of dharma is taken care of for you by Ishvara. This may not always be easy. The mind can be tenacious and implacable in what it sees as its imperative to try to control life. It’s crucial that you learn to take the reins, however. You must be in control of the mind, or it will devour itself and scupper all chance of assimilating the Self-Knowledge of Vedanta.

Like Arjuna on he battlefield, you must take a stand and consciously direct your thoughts to Truth, God and Love. Here the yogas provide the perfect tools for conquering the untamed conditioned mind. Karma yoga and bhakti yoga, or any kind of devotional practice, will effectively shift the focus from mind-made fears and conditioning to the ever shining Self that you are. 

This effectively defangs the mind, reorienting it to Truth and converting base emotion to an all-encompassing devotion. Quite often, the problem is simply that the mind is trying to be God. Alas, the mind cannot be God, because it only has limited knowledge and power. The key is to recognise that the mind doesn’t have to carry such a burden. It doesn’t need to micromanage the universe. You can rely upon God to be God, and relax and channel your energy and attention where you want it to go.

4. Don’t Get Too Hooked Up in the World 

One of the keys to inner peace is to cease looking to the world for harmony, equilibrium and peace. That’s something “the world” is unable to give; particularly in these times of instability, hyper-acceleration and exponential change. 

You cannot wait until things become peaceful and stable outwardly before you devote yourself to inner peace and the freedom of moksha. It has to be done right here, right now. 

As Kabir powerfully stated, “Wherever you are is the entry point.”

A mind constantly hooked to the world of the senses—and to, for example, news and media feeds—is a mind that will take on tremendous stress and agitation. Never forget that the mind modifies itself to whatever you choose to focus it on. If you are constantly worrying about the state of the world and spending your time “doom scrolling” as has become common in recent times, you’re almost certainly disqualifying the mind and losing your discrimination, dispassion and discipline; and perhaps even your desire for freedom, too. The mind becomes muddled and unfocused and you lose sight of your true values and goals.

Of course, this doesn’t mean that you shouldn’t keep up to date with worldly affairs and it doesn’t mean you don’t care about what’s going on. You should care. We all have our dharma to do and ways in which we can contribute to the world and make it a slightly better and more harmonious place. If we can offer help to those who are suffering and it’s appropriate and timely for us to do so, that’s something we should do.

To spare the mind stress and conflict, however, all action should be done as karma yoga and in a spirit of devotion and surrender. That’s what frees us from action even as we find ourselves in the world taking action. We do the best that we can and trust Ishvara to do the rest—and we maintain that trust even if things don’t seem to be going the way we think they should. Karma is an endlessly complex thing and we never quite know how things should be. That’s for Ishvara to decide.

The key to this principle is to remain centred on the stillness within your Self; that placeless-place of perfect peace, tranquility and balance at the core of your own being. If you stay rooted in that, you derive your peace not from the turbulent, ever changing outer world, but from the Self alone; the pure Consciousness which never changes and never modifies to any experience, either pleasant or painful.

As I was growing up, I found it quite painful being in this world. As a young child, I saw it as a magical place filled with possibility. Yet, as I grew up I learned about the darker side of human nature and the violence, disregard and brutality human beings often display toward each other, animals and the planet. At the age of ten, I began trying to do things that would help the environment. I couldn’t believe the insanity of what human beings were doing to the planet and its creatures. I was grieved by the hateful way people were capable of treating others. I was horrified the more I learned about humanity’s violent history of war, corruption and genocide.

It’s natural to be perturbed by adharma. That’s what motivates and impels us to restore dharma. We each have a responsibility in that regard. We become much more powerful and effective as people, however, if we stay rooted in the light within ourselves; in the light of our own Consciousness.

That’s what enables us to deal with the outer disturbances and discord with objectivity and effectiveness. We do our karma yoga, taking actions not simply to reinforce and bolster the ego’s likes and dislikes, but as service to Ishvara and a blessing to the world. Whether or not we get the results we want, when we remain rooted in the pristine purity of our own Being, we remain calm and at ease because we have surrendered the fruits of our actions to Ishvara where it belongs. The challenge is, therefore, to be in the world but not of the world. That is truly the greatest service we can render the world.

Sometimes, life can seem like a succession of problems, challenges and traumas. There’s no getting around that fact. Speaking personally, I have experienced health limitations and challenges for most of my lifetime; some chronic and some acute and life-threatening. Three years ago, I was diagnosed with advanced and inoperable cancer. Fortunately, by the grace of God, my Self-Knowledge was quite firm by that point. The doctor was rather amazed by the equanimity of my response. He asked why I wasn’t shouting, crying or making a big deal out of what was, after all, a very big deal. The fact was, however, I knew not to get too pulled in by what is going on externally. I was blessed to know that it isn’t real; that my body isn’t what I am and that, as Consciousness, I am unaffected by whatever might be wrong with it. That doctor was impressed and, upon learning I was a teacher and writer, said he would definitely buy my books! My other doctors and nurses probably think I’m either a “strong person” or in denial. In actuality, I simply know who I am and have trained my mind not to accept limitation and lack as belonging to ME. It’s all just the play of karma and it doesn’t affect who we are whatsoever.

Vedanta is sometimes called the yoga of objectivity. To be able to live with objectivity and to deal with issues calmly and impartially as they come up is the best and most sane way to live. 

Every problem has a solution and, as difficult as certain situations may be, you can be sure that Ishvara also has a solution somewhere, or at least some action you can take to improve a situation. 

With discrimination and dispassion, life becomes so much easier to navigate. When you cede all the doing the Ishvara, it actually becomes effortless. It may sometimes take a while to figure out the best solution in some situations, but rest assured it will present itself. Knowing this we can get through even the greatest of adversity and, indeed, use it to help polish the mirror of the mind and strengthen our self-enquiry.

5. Practise Sustained Nididhyasana

Nididhyasana will be a term familiar to most Vedanta students. It means the steady and sustained contemplation of Self-Knowledge and our nature as Consciousness/Awareness. Nididhyasana involves rigorously applying this Knowledge to the mind and using it to neutralise all ignorance and blocks until the mind finally acquiesces and surrenders to this Knowledge. 

This is the all important key that transforms Knowledge into conviction and conviction into liberation. 

While the first two stages of the teaching, shravana (listening) and manana (reasoning) have a set duration and will come to an end, nididhyasana is something that should be continued for the duration of a lifetime. This shouldn’t be a chore but should be something pleasurable and rewarding and, after a certain time, will become the automatic operating mode of the mind; something that barely requires any conscious effort.

It can take considerable time to get to that stage. It’s vital not to give up too soon. The premature abandonment of nididhyasana renders all the previous steps, including the acquisition and the understanding of Self-Knowledge somewhat useless in terms of the desires goal, which is freedom. 

Swami Paramarthananda likens it to adding sugar to coffee. You must stir the coffee after adding the sugar or it will simply settle to the bottom of the mug and you won’t be able to enjoy its sweetness. It’s rather the same with nididhyasana. Once adding this Knowledge, it must be stirred until such time as you can taste the sweetness—and, rest assured, if you follow all the steps, you certainly will.

Many of the Vedanta students I’ve met and spoken with have already mastered the first two stages of the teaching but find themselves in the third; this assimilation of Self-Knowledge. I advise them that it really is the key; the agent which alchemises the Knowledge into the genuine experience of liberation, which comes from knowing our own true nature as limitless Consciousness.

When it comes to nididhyasana, you have to be like a dog with a bone. A dog is so absorbed in chewing the bone that it will utterly refuse to stop or let it go for anyone. It will gnaw and gnaw until it’s finally left with nothing. With nididhyasana, we chew away at the Knowledge until we’re left not with nothing; but a full and complete realisation of our own nature as Awareness. That’s our goal and the scriptures are clear that it is the very highest human goal because it enables us to enjoy the freedom that is our very nature. The terrible burden of being a suffering little person gives way to the realisation that what we are is Awareness and Awareness is always and ever free.

Once again, don’t wait for life to be “easy” or “perfect” before you commit to this practise. Again, “Wherever you are is the entry point”. You can use life’s challenges and stresses as a way of strengthening your Knowledge, your qualifications and your nididhyasana. 

Therefore, live life simply, do your dharma, perform all actions as karma yoga and bhakti (in truth, the two are one) and accept all results as the legitimate and proper outworking of karma. Everything can be used as fuel for the fire of Self-Knowledge.

On this topic, here is another excerpt from my upcoming book, “There Shines A Light”:

“The steady contemplation of our nature as Awareness is called nididhyasana in Vedantic terminology. It’s been suggested that for every hour we spend in the first stage of Vedanta, listening to the teaching, we should then spend a hundred hours going over the reasoning in our head and a thousand hours meditating upon it deeply and with great focus and clarity.

“So, for all there’s nothing we can do to become the Self—because we’re already the Self and cannot be anything else—it does take considerable effort to reorient and retrain the mind. As I learned the hard way, the mind can be our greatest friend or our most implacable and merciless foe. You alone decide which. An untamed mind is the root of enormous suffering and chaos. On the other hand, a cultivated and refined mind is an instrument for liberation. A sufficiently purified mind allows our true light to radiate from us and to bless all whom we meet. What a gift not just to the world but to ourselves. But, once again, it takes time, perseverance and grit. As the saying goes, everything is difficult before it gets easy.

“I made a number of missteps as I practised nididhyasana over the next few years. I got suckered by my psychological blind spots and ended up down one or two avenues that weren’t in line with who I was and who I was meant to be. I assumed that I was “finished” before I truly was and relaxed my efforts, only to be in for a fright when samsara tried to get its hooks in me. Life likes to test us. The moment you think, “That’s it, I’ve done it,” you can pretty much bet that Ishvara is thinking, “Oh, really, have you now…?” 

“There was no lasting damage in my case, but I learned the supreme importance of vigilance and humility. In time to come, my body and mind would be put through the fire big style. That, as it happens, would actually be immensely purifying, allowing my Self-Knowledge to cement in leaps and bounds. The true alchemy of living involves accepting and embracing all of life’s challenges and adversities and using them as grist for the mill of self-enquiry.

“Here’s a helpful thought which I very much believe to be true. All of life is secretly conspiring to awaken us from the dream of separation into full realisation the divine unity of all things. In spite of how it might often seem, this is not a cruel reality. It’s a cosmic game of hide and seek and the hurt and pain is not there to torment you. It’s there to jolt you awake; compelling you to remember the vastness of who and what you truly are, emboldening you to claim your divine birthright.”

The goal is freedom. While the jiva will always be bound by karma, when you divest the jiva of self-identification and place it back where it belongs—the Self!—life becomes an endless blessing and wonder. The burden of seeking comes to an end; whether it’s seeking happiness through the manipulation of worldly objects or seeking happiness through moksha. 

When seeking ends, all that’s left is enjoyment and appreciation. Life becomes a wondrous and beautiful thing in spite of its harder and more painful aspects. We no longer live to get or achieve or acquire anything; but simply to give, to contribute and to enjoy the ample blessings the Lord always sends our way. Even the simple, everyday sight of a blue sky, the scent of a flower, the wag of a dog’s tale or the smile of a loved one can be experienced as an entire universe of joy and bliss.

I will conclude with another passage from the book, which highlights just why it’s essential to commit fully and completely to the Realisation of your own nature as Consciousness and not the body/mind/ego entity:

“The light of Consciousness forever shines, regardless of whatever is going on at the level of maya. That’s why, at heart, we are always free. Nothing can ever touch the light that we truly are; not any experience, any fear, pain, hurt or even the crippling burden of a distorted egoic self-concept. Like the sun always shining above the clouds, Consciousness is forever free, always available and without limit or boundary.

“Very few have the ability to fully grasp this, even among spiritual seekers. Only sincere and committed spiritual enquirers have any way of processing this understanding. To the average person it will seem nonsensical and irrelevant. This Knowledge, however, is the key to alchemising life and turning the lead of worldly sorrow and limitation into the gold of perfect Divinity.

“I don’t feel I have achieved a whole lot materially in this lifetime. That really isn’t why I am here, however. My life path has been an opportunity to use limitation and adversity to turn within and realise the Light within myself and within all beings. That’s the key to this game of life. Integrating this Knowledge into the core of my psyche was far from an overnight job and I stumbled along the way. It led, however, to a treasure beyond compare: the discovery of an unending ocean of inner peace, contentment and joy that none of the vagaries of worldly life can rob us of. Even though the odd thought or emotion might cloud the sky temporarily, this Light can never be lost because it is the true essence of what we are: pure Consciousness wearing temporary sheaths of body and mind.

“While I wasted a few too many years seeking love and validation from others, the ultimate realisation was that I already have and am everything I’d ever sought.

“What’s more, the person I thought I was existed as nothing but a concept in my mind; a set of conditioned thoughts, reactions, desires and fears, capped with a name. Now, I admit it’s a mighty strange way to end an autobiography, but, in ultimate analysis, there’s no such person. It’s all just story. I don’t see myself as a person now; my centre of identification is just Awareness shining upon a body and mind. Even when you find yourself having to take action, and pick up your bow and arrow and take to the battlefield like Arjuna in the Bhagavad Gita, life flows quite by itself if you let it. All that gets done, all the words spoken, actions taken and thoughts thunk, happen automatically by virtue of Consciousness enlivening a body and mind. What a wondrous thing!

“It may not happen overnight, but with repeated application to the mind, Self-Knowledge brings with it an unspeakable sense of relief, freedom and joy. While there’s still a world of names and forms appears before these eyes, and certain likes and dislikes and conditioned patterns cycling through the mind, I increasingly see only God, even where there seems to be discord, disharmony and strife. Above and beyond it all, is the Light, making all things take shape and dance as they play out their karma.

“Beneath the surface waves of this karma, all is interconnected by the vast ocean of universal Consciousness. The waves come and go, arising and subsiding in endless succession. What remains and never changes is Consciousness or Awareness; the one thing which can never be touched, tainted or harmed in any way.

“Bodies come and go, lifetimes pass by in the blink of an eye, stars are born and die, universes come into creation and dissolution, but the Light of Awareness, always present in all beings and universal in nature, shines endlessly. There’s no birth for it and no death, and all limitation is but the product of maya and is, to Consciousness, as insubstantial as a dream.

“This Knowledge brings liberation. We shift our centre of identification from the conceptual ego identity to the Awareness in which it arises. Only then do we taste freedom from seeking, freedom from lack and freedom from having to continually manipulate the outer world in order to satiate our desires and cravings. In spite of whatever might be sprouting in the endlessly fertile field of karma, the reality is that you, the true You, is already and ever free.”

Om Tat Sat.

Ramji,

The post at the bottom raised some question marks in this mind. I talked about it with a friend, so I have added her to this mail as well.  It shows much respect for the teaching tradition and apparently has the blessings of some mahatmas.  On one hand, it shows respect, it looks like this person has been asking for sannyasa, and does t know what he was asking for.  How do you read this?   And if I am reading this correctly, how does it work other than an ordinary blessing given by a mahatma or anybody who just says “Good luck with everything?” 

Hi Sally,

You’ve got a good sniffer!  I read enough of his Facebook page to come away with the following impression.

His Facebook page is an advertisement to join a cult of Personality.  Seems like he’s a Mooji wanna be, which is pretty sad in so far as Mooji was just a poor imitation of Osho, who was a complete fraud.  You might have noticed that Mooji has cancelled all his events this year and seems to have completely lost his shakti.  Someone told me that it was a reaction to two suicides at his place in Portugal, although I have no way of verifying it.  I watched a video of him giving a non-satsang and it was a real eye-opener.  In mysterious ways Isvara does It’s duty.  

Anyway, back on topic, the only kind of ashram that is open to people who don’t want is a spiritual program is a fishhook for worldly people who want to mask their desire for association with people to further their own ends with a spiritual word i.e ashram.  I’m not sure why he doesn’t just resurrect the Zorba the Buddha soundbite.      

This is a very ambitious seemingly humble person who is unknowingly suffering an undiagnosed case of enlightenment sickness.  You’re right, he doesn’t really know what true renunciation means.  He thinks it’s only a lifestyle and he wants in on the benefits.  He doesn’t understand Swami P’s teaching on renunciation.  A renunciate is someone who has renounced the doer and lives a normal life, of which “king” Janaka is the classic example from the Puranas.  The Gita calls true renunciation, “jnana karma sannyas,” which means knowing that Isvara is the doer.   

“Isvara is the doer” is a statement that describes the knowledge of a person who knows there is no one to claim discipleship or humility or Vedanta knowledge.  Swami D says that the first stage of nididyasana removes psychic remnants from childhood and Swami P says the second stage removes teaching remnants.

So a proper sanyasi will confidently say to his or her self and apparent othersif asked, “I was never born.  I never suffered.  I never sought the truth.  I never qualified to seek.  I never had a guru.  I am not enlightened or unenlightened”, etc.”  All these and similar ideas belong to the I when it was apparently deluded.  So, if you are still associating these ideas with the I now, you are the I that doesn’t know what it means to be the Self.  Yes, you know the Self but….to repeat…you don’t know what it means to be the Self in terms of your existence in this world.  This person has indirect knowledge, not direct knowledge.  So that is all that people who are attracted to him will get if they bite the juicy bait on his fishhook.  Which is OK because you have to first know that the self exists before you learn what it is and what it means to be it.

Yes, this person seems to loves the truth as far as he understands it, which isn’t very far, but it certainly seems he doesn’t realize he is hypnotized by the glitter of an exotic tradition.  One of the most salient characteristics of enlightenment sickness is the need to build your brand.  So right out of the box you get a lineage, install yourself there, and convince others that they need to look up to you and listen to you. He will find a few takers, probably because there are many desperate seekers out there.

If you are actually the Self, people will acknowledge you no matter what kind of clothing you wear and what kind of words come out of your mouth.  Swamiji once brought a dirty, naked ascetic to the temple and installed him on Swamiji’s seat and let him sit there without speaking until everyone was in samadhi and paying attention to the ascetic.  Then he told the ascetic that there was food in the kitchen and the ascetic got up and left.  Meaning this spiritual thing is no big deal.   

His statement of Ramana shows his complete ignorance of Ramana’s life and teaching.  Ramana wrote Sat Dharshanam and Upadesha Saram to point out that a person needs to do Self inquiry and that it certainly involves mental activity, which is to say, applying the teaching to the ignorance-inspired thoughts arising in the mind..  Ramana spent twenty-two years in caves doing Self inquiry, in the traditional Vedantic fashion, once he was clear he was the Self.  Can you imagine Ramana begging for money and people to help him build an ashram in Greece.  What a joke! 

It seems this fellow is unconsciously looking for respect and using the appearance of studied humility to attract people.  If you are truly humble you don’t need to make a display of your devotion, publish certificates of authentication from gurus, etc.  In a way, I hate to publish this satsang, but I am required to give this teaching from time to give people a warning when it is brought to my attention, because there are always gullible people out there who could use a bit of sound advice. 

This person, God bless him, will eventually come face to face with the zero-sum rule and start to understand that he’s actually spinning his wheels.  He’s not obviously dangerous or manipulative—at least not yet—but he will probably wonder why people move on, which they will.  One fine day he will come face to face with Isvara and will learn the actual meaning of humility at that time.  The Self is neither proud or humble.

So is Swami P participating in this charade?  Swami P, in the tradition of mahatmas like Swami D, who was his guru, blesses everyone who asks for it in harmony with the words of Krishna in the Bhagavad who says, “Even a sinner who is resolved to know the truth is to be respected.”  So no, he is just doing his duty and leaving the results to Isvara, which is that this person is doing his level best to make hay out of it.  Swami D had a similar situation happen with Swami Sudananda back in the day.

Considering the long list of fallen yogis in the last fifty years I wouldn’t be surprised if this guy ended up as the latest example of greed in the search for fame.  He should study the Chinese proverb, “When doing evil avoid punishment.  When doing good, avoid fame. I’m not sure whether to laugh or cry at the studied look of sincere transcendence on his face. May God bless him in the form of the results of his actions.    

Love,

Ramji

https://www.facebook.com/blissaware/posts/pfbid02ZahMZsKmXNZHnXXQkCUFNtgmmRnceH2fLyn23ZfzbWpNtruyxNpZypif1ra7Hcikl

Dear James,

How about those that have an energetic experience though Grace like a Satori glimpse of the SELF that can occur at any age to anyone without studying of teachings and no interest in Enlightenment? Apparently many Satoris one after another will lead to Enlightenment, a permanent “state.”

Eckart Tolle claims his powerful Satori overnight changed him permanently although he had no idea of what happened for some time until he came into contact with Eastern teachings, but he was already there, the teachings confirmed it, but did not cause it.

James:  What changes, unchanges is a fundamental principle.  Enlightenment is the realization that I am not a changing entity.  It is the knowledge that I am unborn existence shining as ever-free unchanging Awareness.  Eckhart was actually the unchanging Self when he thought he was the Eckhart that was subject to change.  He misidentified himself as someone who was born at a certain time so he assumed that he changed with each and every experience.  When he sat on the park bench he was changed by what he realized.  It is a common problem people for people who have epiphanies. After he read some spiritual literature he got an IDEA of what happened.  If he knew what…not who…he was he wouldn’t have said that he changed, much less changed permanently.  The SELF is not a person.  The “who person” is changing all the time.  It is in a state of permanent flux.  Liberation is freedom from that person.  And in so far as there is a person, it is freedom from the who person.  Freedom from what?  Change.

What he perhaps meant was that his IDEA of who he was changed permanently.  Before the satori he thought he was one person but after he thought he was another person.  That is entirely possible. 

Hi again!

Thank you very much. I am very grateful for all the work you are doing. Otherwise Self knowledge would not be as easily accessible.  I watched a lot of your videos, and I learned a lot.  I also learned by discussing in forums regarding Vedanta.    I realised That and I do know for sure what Brahman Satyam, Jagat Mithya and Jivo brahmaivo naparah means.  I know this. without doubt, not like a person repeating  E=MC12  in physics.

I wanted to see if my understanding was aligned with Vedanta and it did mostly but one of your teachers felt I was wrong saying that Only God is Real.  I showed him a book by Swami Chinnmayananda where he said only God is Real and he agreed then.  I know it is Brahman but Brahman is God, as Sat chit Ananda. 

I think I might come across as not qualified to due to writing very much like I speak and also as a not native speaker but  I have no problem understanding any of what I read so I cannot see how one with Moksha, is not qualified.  Have you misunderstood me?   I respect and understand what you say, but I have experience in explaining things to people with misconceptions.  I feel there is not more to ask, but I feel like asking you about some things, since you know the teaching in such details.  

I understand your message of going through the teaching from beginning to end to help others.  I just wanted to clarify since I do not see how I am not qualified when I am having a mind without thoughts and know all of the universe is me.  And me being eternally free of it.  Things I can any way consider is how can anyone really know there will not be anymore sprouting of vasanas since there still are vasanas.  Yet I do not see how I can reincarnate since everything is me.  So it feels impossible.  I know how to do karma yoga.  I started 26 years ago not to work for the fruits of actions, when I first read the Bhagavadgita.  This and bhakti has helped a lot until I realized being Sat chit ananda.  I just wanted to clarify since I do not see how I am not qualified when I am having a mind without thoughts and know all of the universe is me.

James:  The following statements indicate that you don’t understand What you are.  Explain to me why you are concerned about the sprouting of vasanas if you are eternally free as you say, because vasanas aren’t real; they don’t have an effect on you, existence shining as pure Awareness/Bliss. The vasanas are mithya, as good as non-existent.  So you are always free of them.  

You are not a who, a Ute.  Ute is a conceptual created entity seeking to understand the nature of reality.  She is an object known to you.  You never were that imaginary person.  You are eternal unborn Existence shining as Awareness.  Freedom is freedom from Ute, not freedom for Ute.    

You can’t reincarnate because you are not incarnated now.  You were never incarnated in the first place.  You are unborn.   

The confusion you have about What you are means that you are not qualified because a free being knows that qualifications have nothing to do with What one is.  It’s not your fault; your intellect is not subtle enough yet to understand the teaching.   Keep thinking.   One day it will all make sense.   Qualifications are mithya, apparently real, as good as non-existent.  If you know What you are, you will know that you are neither free nor are you bound. 

You’re stuck because you are stubborn and willful.   You think you have it all figured out but it is false confidence, perhaps because you really want to be free, which is good.   I am sure your mind will say “Yes, but…” and give me reasons why Vedanta is wrong.  What I’ve said here is just the truth according to Vedanta.  It has nothing to do with me.  

Ute: I agree with all this. Thank you for your clarity.  It is how it is, that is why I say I am free, not the body, it is just the body which I of course do not mean is myself, if you took me to assume the word I to be Ute.  Ute is a name given to the body.  I am not the body,  I am That.  Sat chit ananda is free of this body.  It has never been within a body, my realization is that there is limitless consciousness which has no limitations at all.  It is without form, and is what I am.  That which I am is not born,  and will not die. I definitely agree in that vasanas just appear.   They are in no way attached to what I am.  Stubborn yes, but not ignorant 🙂 

It is true, there is not really reincarnation. Since the Self always has been, will always be, and impossibly can be “within” a body.  It just seemed to be until I realized atman was Brahman some years ago, and that there was not any separation going on.  Not from the world to Self, the manifested is not really different from That which is Satya.  Or Real   Of course, one will have to say differently in a teaching, but it is just Awareness,  just manifest.  It is advaita.  It permeates everything,  and is just like Krishna say in the Gita, like a threat holds together a necklace of pearls.  “My” self, which is not mine but is just The Self is all that is.

Love Ute

James: OK. Good.  Sorry to lecture you.  It was my mistake owing to your use of English.   It seems that you do know What you are but there is still a communication problem.  How is anyone but you able to verify the truth of your words?   Nobody but you has access to you.   People only know you through your words.   A person who doesn’t know they are Brahman will think you are crazy.   You must have experienced that.   Furthermore, the one who knows they are Brahman won’t think that they are free or not free because those words don’t apply to you, Brahman.   Brahman is only free with reference to the idea that it is not-free.  It is like the chicken and the egg.  The egg is not free from the chicken and the chicken is not free from the egg.  There are no eggs and chickens in Brahman.  In  your letter you must have assumed that I’m not Brahman.   If you saw me as Brahman, then you would have made it clear who you really are.   But you didn’t.  You wrote the letter from the point of view of a not-free person.   That is why I replied as I did.  Nobody can read your mind to know what you know and what you don’t know.  But we can make certain inferences, which are not always right.

I have been involved in the so-called “spiritual” world probably since before you were ware born.   It is full of people who claim to be free but who obviously aren’t free because they take vasanas to be real. Your statement implied that the vasanas are real, that they have some connection with you, Awareness.  They claim freedom because they think it is a special kind of status, something that distinguishes them from others or from themselves when they were “bound.”  But freedom is freedom from the one who thinks it is free.  If you are free you were always free.   If you are free there are no others. 

There is a good reason to claim that you are ever-free Awareness, but only if ever-free Awareness is tricked by Maya into thinking that it never not free.   Can you see the problem?   Because I am Brahman I see everyone as Brahman, until they tell me they are a person who knows Brahman.   How can a person know Brahman?  It is not an object of knowledge.  

It seems you are writing me because you want teaching.   Is that true?  I don’t care if you are free or not free.  I am only interested in what you know about yourself.  If you are free and you want to teach people who don’t know what they are, then you need an impersonal time-tested method that has nothing to do with you either as a person or as Brahman.   But before you teach them you need to make sure they are actually asking for teaching.  A lot of so-called Self realized people want to teach because they want to gain the respect of others, owing to some defect in their character.  If you respect yourself you aren’t interested in what people think of you. 

If the desire to teach is coming from you, you need to be very careful not to claim it or you won’t be an effective teacher.  In our tradition, there is only one teacher, Isvara, and the scripture is Isvara’s words.  I’ve attached a copy of Vedanta commentaries on Kena Upanishad, which was written by Isvara.   Please read it with an open mind.   Don’t think you are free or not free.  Just try to understand what it is saying.   It was written to help people like you who claim they are free so they don’t give other people the wrong idea about What they are.   Pay particular attention to the idea that the Self cannot be objectified and the following teaching about claiming.  You didn’t make it clear who the “I” was to me although I am clear now.   And, if you are what you say you are, then what do you want to know?  

Love,James

Hi James.

Thank you very much for this,  I agree it seems to be a communication problem. In a way I feel overly qualified to be a student. I am That and know it without doubt.   I often understand when teachers are not understanding who they are.  I have for instance experienced that they do not understand they are Life, but if saying Self is Life, they think I am wrong.. It is good to see Kena Upanishad say it as well. Self is the Life of life, this universe is an object, Life is what I am, all are, eternally.

James:  Well, one is never over-qualified to be a student.  One should always have an open mind.  Self knowledge solves a temporary problem.  Once you know who you are, you still have to live your life, so your mind should not have come to any conclusions.  It needs to be curious and detached all the time so it can take advantage of the opportunities to grow that Isvara provides.  Most of the spiritual teachers today are dead while living because they have come to the conclusion that they are “cooked.”  But they are boring people, forced to chase in enlightenment what they chased in endarkenment.  In life there is always something that is not known, elightened or not.  It is the Isvara factor.  When you appreciate it, you become simple and humble and innocent. 

Ute:  No I do not assume you are not Brahman, since the way you speak about Self makes me understand you are Brahman. As we all are, although most do not know they are.  I am very happy for the Kena Upanishad you sent and that it is actually made to help people to express who one is without being misunderstood.

James:  Yes.  The student says, “I don’t say that I know and I don’t say that I don’t know.”  It means he is something other than existence’s two primary categories, the known and the unknown.

Ute: I have no urge or desire or want to teach. I do not feel like teaching anyone who are not interested either, thank you, it is important not to.  I just feel a responsibility,  a duty, to be able to answer questions as adequately as possible, because if I go through the teaching, with a qualified enlightened teacher, I can better help them out.  I do see that “people” who do not yet know that they are Brahman, who might have read a lot, do not understand that I know who I am, sure.  I think they only would know if I were appearing as a teacher in a robe, and as you know, often not even then.   Which you must experience a lot of.  Even though you know the teaching very well.  No one can really know if anyone is enlightened, sure. Only oneself knows.  And many think they know who they are, without knowing. I  do not feel to talk about being Self, since Self really is Silent. It has no need to say I am.   Only the body/mind would want to speak about being That.

I just had to try to explain so you do not assume I do not understand any of this.  Yes, the chicken and the egg allegory was good, it is the manifest and the unmanifest which is one, or rather not two.  I will read the rest of the Upanishad and get back to you, and answer these questions, I got to get busy here now. Thank’s a lot!

Love Ute

James:  Silence speaks, but words are good if the Self is speaking them.  Love you, Ute.

“Sorry. James Swartz is definitely neo-Vedanta. He teaches (among many other wrong ideas that he got from his neo-Vedanta teachers) that after enlightenment there are still vasanas that continue and some are not a problem and others are? I don’t think so. That idea is neo Vedanta, in Traditional Shankara Vedanta after Enlightenment there are no vasanas good or bad. If you think your Enlightened (as James does) and
still have vasanas your in big trouble and so are your students. Ira”

Hi Carl, 

Well, it depends on Ira’s idea of “enlightenment.”  He seems to think it is an event.  For it to be an event reality needs to be a duality and the Self needs to be an experiencing entity that is impacted by experience.  But if reality is non-dual and there is such an entity called a jiva, an individual, then it is actually non-different from the Self.  Shankara, who definitely wasn’t a Neo said,  “jivo brahmaiva na-parah.”  The jiva and the Self are non-different.  So Ira is looking at it from the point of view of an individual, which, at best, is an apparently real individual i.e. mithya.  If an apparently real entity gets an apparently real enlightenment it only means something to other apparently real entities. 

Does he define enlightenment as Self realization?  If so, Vedanta calls Self realization indirect knowledge.  A jiva who didn’t know there was a Self and that the Self needed to be known to remove its suffering is a Self-realized jiva with the addition of a bit of knowledge i.e. “there is a Self.”  If the jiva realizes that it is the Self and says “I am the Self” without any doubt we call that direct knowledge.  If the vasanas are rendened non-binding or apparently real (mithya) by the knowledge and the knowledge is accompanied by a palpable ever-present current of bliss, the Self has been freed of the notion that it is limited jiva prone to suffering.  The vasanas are like roasted seeds; they can’t sprout but they taste good and life flows with unspeakable ease because the person (jivan mukta) is completely satisfied (tripti).      

If there is no doubt in the jiva’s mind that it is the Self once it has direct knowledge but it doesn’t experience perfect satisfaction (tripti) then it has some residual samskaras, usually childhood stuff like desire for love or security, that is obstructing the bliss, which is to say there are still binding vasanas, which can be removed by continuing its sadhana: karma yoga, upsana yoga and jnana yoga i.e. Vedanta (sravanna, manana and nididyasana).  Vedanta calls that stage nididyasana.  It will end when the obstacles are removed and tripti comes.   The apparent jiva is usually mostly satisfied in this stage but is subject to various periodic bouts of suffering which diminish in frequency and intensity.

But what if enlightenment is freedom from the jiva?  If the vasanas have been burned out by yoga or negated by Vedanta sadhana, which means they are mithya, apparently real, they are as good as non-existent, in so far as they have no impact on the Self.   

So direct knowledge in that case is freedom from the Jiva, meaning there is no jiva.  I never said I was enlightened.  Depending on who asks, I pretend like I’m a jiva.  There is no sense  telling someone who thinks they are a person that you are the Self because they don’t know what that means.  And a person who knows they are the Self would never ask or if they did they would understand what “I am the “Self” means. 

Maybe Ira knows something and maybe he doesn’t.  Before a person makes a judgment it’s always best to do some in depth research and contextualize the issue as I’ve tried to do above.   My statements above are from Chapter 7 of Vidyaranya’s Panchadasi.  You can find them translated in my book,  Inquiry into Existence.  I copied them in below.

I’m not sure why it matters to him.  If it pleases him to think I’m a Neo, that’s fine with me. The most anyone can say with certainty is “I am” and know that it means perfect satisfaction.  Who cares about silly dualistic concepts like Neo and Traditional, my guru and your guru? 

Carl.  My dilemma is how, if at all to respond. On the one hand, I feel that I do not wish to get into any sort of debate.  On the other hand, it leaves a mark on the internet involving you without response. I know from my studies with you that what he says is totally silly and I have no idea why he should say what he does but he does seem to teach traditional Vedanta.

James:  You can post this email if you want.  Or get the link from the satsang section of the website and post it. 

It’s an opinion, probably born of some kind of competition  The word “definitely” suggests a bias.  I have no idea who this person is but he seems to think I’m a guru giving out wrong knowledge.  He evidently doesn’t realize that I make it very clear that Isvara is the only guru and the scripture is Isvara’s words.  He’s not well informed.  He would do well to read my discussion of Neo-Advaita on the resources page of the website.  Here’s the link: https://shiningworld.com/resources/    He would definitely drop the word definitely if he did. (smiley here)  There are a lot of sincere smart intellectual guys out there who picked up some Vedanta through reading and visiting various teachers but who were not properly taught by a Vedic mahatma.  It doesn’t take much knowledge to teach Western people.  In the land of the blind the one-eyed man is king.  And it certainly doesn’t take much to voice an opinion without contextualizing it properly.         

Love,

James   

                    Seven Stages of Enlightenment – Vidyaranya

         Panchadasi  Chapter VII Verses 29 to 33. (1) Ignorance of the self causes (2) veiling. Veiling is a state in which the self thinks it is only a Jiva and pursues objects for happiness when it is the source of the happiness it seeks. In the next stage – projection, or (3) superimposition – it identifies with the body and believes it is a doer/en-joyer that experiences pleasure and pain. Eventually it enjoys what it thinks is a non-dual experience or hears about the self from an enlightened teacher or from scripture. This is the stage of (4) indirect knowledge. The Jiva says, “The self exists,” not knowing that it is talking about itself. Then, by means of discrimination born of inquiry, it realizes that the self is self-evident in the form of “I.” (5) This is direct knowledge. Direct knowledge (6) cancels the doer/enjoyer idea and suffering stops. Finally, the Jiva realizes that it has accomplished everything that needs to be accomplished and experiences (7) lasting objectless satisfaction.

Hi Mary,

Nice well-written story.  It’s not uncommon in the spiritual world.  I’ll cut to the chase.  First, you probably missed it in your study of the Gita and you finally figured it out on your own, however it bears repeating.  Several times Krishna says, “let not the wise unsettle the minds of the ignorant.”  So this inner stuff needs to more or less stay hidden because as you know, the world, well-meaning as it is, invariably calls the little men in white coats with their bag of pills and the results are generally not pleasant, as you also know.  One of the most important disciplines is speech discipline (vak tapas.)   I had a case of messianic enlightenment sickness too but Swamiji busted me right away and when he realized that I actually understood how silly it is, he mentioned that he was pleased to discover that I could keep my light hidden under a bushel.  Shortly after my realization I became a scavenger on the streets of San Francisco and kept my mouth shut, although I could have babbled enlightenment to the heavens and experienced no blowback one way or the other, in so far as I fit right into the world of crazies acting out their stuff.  Everyone is well aware of the price Jesus paid for dabbling in miracles and publicly claiming to be one with God.  The yoga sutras make a big point of dismissing siddhis and the sense of inflation that comes with it.  And honestly, Mary, nobody has a way of verifying one’s story, nor do people lay awake nights thinking about what other people experienced or are experiencing inwardly because nobody has access to anyone else’s thoughts.  Experience and knowledge stay with the upadhi. 

The next point is that this feeling doesn’t belong to either to the Self or to the jiva.  So if anything is going to come of your realization Isvara will manifest it…or not.  So, I wouldn’t trouble myself with it.  If Mary is meant to save the world, the world will come to her and when it does she should get the request in writing in triplicate and let it sit on her desk for a couple of years while she thinks about it.  It’s just another thought object known to you, existence shining as consciousness.  Let it die.  When Mary is totally satisfied with herself as she is, in spite of the attendant insomnia and pain, this idea won’t be attractive.  

The perfect satisfaction that is self-actualization is simply the appreciation of the bliss of self-knowledge, which is non-different from the bliss of existence itself.  It doesn’t have any mithya based ramifications.  And it’s not really about the jiva because there isn’t any jiva.  We only say that to keep jivas doing sadhana for a long time to make sure that enlightenment sickness doesn’t take root and their minds become worthy vehicles for the dharma.  At some point the knowledge is assimilated and the doer disappears.  Instead off thinking that you got something special, it’s best to think that you got rid of something unspecial i.e. ignorance, tuck your spiritual tail between your legs and slink off into obscurity.  The doer seems to have survived the firm knowledge “I am the Self” so it needs to get rid of that notion too.  Nothing actually happened except that ignorance unhappened.  There’s nothing romantic about it.   

However, it is natural to want to ring the bell and call the faithful to church and you do have something to share, are a good person and very articulate, but I’m saying think twice about it, which it seems you are since you are asking for my views.  If I was in your shoes I’d work on my health and build up my energy patiently and gradually.  In the course of your life Isvara will send people your way who are attracted to you and once you have established a loving connection you can teach them. 

I don’t know if you realized it, but I didn’t write Mystic by Default because I was trying to get famous.  I wrote it about 30 years after I was freed from the idea that I was James to simply save myself the trouble telling it to people who wanted to know.  I was bored to death with the whole spiritual business and refused to talk about it so I just recommended the book for those who wanted to know.  It’s a useful book but will never  be a bestseller.  In the intervening years between 1971 and 2010 when I wrote How to Attain Enlightenment and gained a certain degree of recognition, I basically went fishing, dabbled in small things, travelled the world and enjoyed being nobody.  Pray to the God of Small Things.

Finally, it would probably be beneficial to ask yourself what you think you are actually going to gain by “not playing small.  It’s going to be a while before your mind calms down.  Your obsession with Vedanta generated so much sattva that it suppressed the tamas and keeps you up nights.  I’d say forget Vedanta, sit in the  sun, eat good food, exercise your body so it gets physically  tired, cultivate the sleep vasana, do your art and play life very small.   Slowly the energy will return.  Slowly the bliss of existence will take over and the doer will dissolve and the future will disappear. 

Mary:  Thanks James, that was exactly the perspective I needed, time to settle down and relax. 

James:  Yes.  Take it easy.  Go fishing. 

Mary:  Can you please clarify the “there is no Jiva” point? My current understanding is that in Reality there is no Jiva because there is just Awareness but in the apparent reality there is Jiva (awareness plus the 5 sheaths). 

There is only one Self, Mary.  Do you experience your self as two or more?  No.  You are just one conscious sentient being.  You exist and you are conscious.  This much you know.  This much everyone knows.  It is innate knowledge.  Nobody ever asked you what the word “I” means.  If you only say the word “I”when you meet a stranger that person knows what you mean because he or she is the same I. 

Now the question is: do you know that you are full and complete?  Do you know that you are limitless, meaning that you are unaffected by the discrete experiences that present themselves to you in the waking and dream states?  Are you aware of the constant current of bliss that is your fundamental experience, the reason why you want to live another day?  If so you are the Self. 

If you don’t you are also the Self that doesn’t know.  The scripture says the Jivatman and the Paramatman, the self in you and the self in everyone, are non-different.  If you don’t understand that, it is because you include your body and mind when you say the world “I.”  The “I” is the Self always.  There is no other option.  But it looks like it is limited and subject to change because you are including the body/mind when you think of it.  So you have to subtract the body and mind when you think of yourself.  When you aren’t thinking of yourself you are just Awareness thinking of something else.

Mary:  Also I’m a bit confused at this point about how I should place my relationship to Isvara, lately it has been feeling a bit strange to pray to Isvara because it’s clear that reality is non dual, so who am I praying to but myself? Is this me and Isvara, Father and Son type relationship notion an erroneous idea that I need to drop? If there is no Jiva then there is no Isvara? 

James:  Assuming you think you are Mary, a body/mind entity, Isvara is the power that created you, sustains you and will remove you from the body. It is the factor that delivers the results of your actions.  So if you think you are a body and mind, then you need to have a good relationship with that factor or you won’t succeed.  I find it hard to believe that you have been through the whole full set and missed the karma yoga teaching.  It is the most important teaching because you won’t get the steady bliss of self knowledge if you haven’t purified your vasanas. 

If you are the Self, then you don’t worry about your karma, life and death, etc. because Isvara has no impact on you.  Yes, if there is no jiva there is no Isvara.  They are both mithya, seemingly but not actually real.  Knowing this is freedom.  Freedom from what?  From Mary, the body/mind entity. 

Mary:  And finally when you say “the future will disappear” what do you mean by that exactly/practically speaking?

James:  You will be happy as awareness.  There is no future or past or present for awareness.  They are all only thoughts in you.  You expressed enthusiasm for a new way of life.  For whom?  What’s wrong with the life you have now?  How would a different life make you different?  If you understand Isvara you see that whatever is manifesting in you at every moment is perfect and you don’t want it to be different. 

Much love,

James