Articles for Saadhana

Harih Om Tat Sat. Jai Guru.

This is from Yoga Vasishtha Ramayana.

Eka-tattva-ghanābhyāsaḥ. Eka tattva ghana abhyāsaḥ - Practice of intense, non-dual thought. What is this non-dual thought? I would like you to differentiate between two words and propositions. One is a principle, a thought or a concept. Another is existence in one or the other form. Whenever you refer to existence, it is always to the presence of some kind of an entity or the other. You say earth. It is a reference to what we are all sitting or where we live and move. When we say water, it is a kind of a liquid substance which is very much associated with our life. In our body, 80% is water. Then we refer to air. Water is pervasive in the sense it spreads and whichever substances are porous, it enters there. Water finds its own level. Then we have earth. Earth is solid and therefore it has got no pervasive potential. Water has pervasive potential. It pervades in earth. It can permeate sideward and downward. Actually speaking, downward alone.

When comes the question of air, it has got permeational capacity all around and even above. Now these are the three forms of existence or substance. Whatever we have otherwise is energy which permeates in matter. All these are existences. They exist and our senses can perceive and feel them. There are other items which cannot be referred to and felt like this. For example, when you say mind, it is a word by which we refer to some kind of an entity or a presence. But that presence is unlike earth, water and air or even like fire. It is a reference we make on the basis of our mind which always produces ideas, expressions, emotions and the like. So, the mind produces a concept. It is not existence. It is not an existential product. It is only a conceptual presence.

The Supreme Reality is not an existence. God is not an existence; God is a presence. God does not have any dimensions like the solid earth, liquid water, gaseous air and fire as energy. The presence of God is characterized by something entirely different from these. So what shall I say? it is a conceptual presence or entity like our own mind.

Our mind is within the body. Nobody can point to what is this mind, where it is there. Our senses are powerless. So we have some perceptional or perceiving capacity by virtue of which we are able to feel and say that we have mind, it produces thoughts, emotions, memory and the like. That is why I always quote the concept of infinity and the concept of nothingness.

What is nothingness? Is it a positive presence? Is it an entity? No. What about infinity? It is a kind of qualitative noun but it does not indicate anything like a solid presence. No, no, no. So this ‘eka tattva’ refers to that kind of a principle or a concept you start thinking about. If I explain to you, will you understand?

We say colourless, colourless, colourless, colourlesss. Can you show me where is this colourlessness? Colourfulness you can see with your senses. But colourlessness? Infinity is a concept but we can understand and refer to it also. Similarly, zero, nothingness. God is also something like that. The self, the Supreme Reality, all these are concepts.

I will present a line of reasoning. Follow me. What we find in this world is a mother gives birth to children or things belonging to her own class and group. A human mother delivers human children; an animal mother delivers her own species, animal children; an insect mother gives birth to insect children. Now can you think of a mother who delivers all creatures? Such a mother is there no doubt. Otherwise, how so many different creatures have come upon the earth? You don’t call that a mother, but we say ‘The Source’. See, our concept has to be refined.

The human mother, the animal mother, the bird mother, the reptile mother, now we are saying, we are going to think of a mother from whom all the creatures have come. After the beings have come, it started delivering its own species. Now that mother who delivers all, can that mother belong to any specific kind or class? Tell me yes or no? Audience - “No”. Are you sure that it is no? Audience - “Yes!” Then tell me now what will that mother be like and describe her.

The first description is that she will be unlike all the different species. I want you to tell me how she will be like. We cannot describe. She will be unlike all the beings upon the earth or in the world. But I cannot say how will she be like. She is something or someone who has got the capacity and potential to deliver all the beings we are familiar with. So will you not agree when I say that the source of all will have to be none? Is it clear?

When i say none, none of the creatures, the word ‘none’ means, none referring to the world and whatever it has. So we are thinking of a source which has delivered all the things in the world. So to be the source of all, it has to be “no all”. Is this understood? If it is “no all”, will it be anything? Can you describe it? That is called ‘tattva’. It is a tattva. It is a tattva means it is not an existence, it is not a presence, it is not anything that you can refer to! But it is there. That it is there and it is unlike all, therefore it is none, this much you can say. That tattva you have to practice.

That tattva is not matter, not energy, it is not visible nor it is not invisible. Such a tattva if you practice consistently, that consistent practice will take you to the realization of truth. Eka-tattva-ghanābhyāsaḥ. The rest I am not explaining.

So what you have to do and you must do is understand that the source of all is none of the all. Only for nothing and no one, the potential to deliver ‘all’ will be there. It is a very simple reasoning but why are you complicating it? What is the difficulty to understand this?

See our tongue. It is tasting all kinds of tastes. But does the tongue have a taste? Unless it is taste-free, it cannot taste all. So a mother who is none alone can deliver all. It is a very simple reasoning. Why are all struggling then?

So that tattva, we call it a tattva because this is a reasoning we make and a conclusion we arrive at. There, existence, non-existence, senses and other things don’t come. So it is only an idea, a concept. In good English or Science, we say it is a postulate. Unless you are able to break the barriers of your mind and reach to this level, you will not be able to get anyway near God.

That tattva which is indefinable was there. That is why I say, think of your parents, their parents, their parents, their parents and you go to the first parents. Now you tell me, the first parents, wherefrom were they are born? They were born form no parents! When I say first, wherefrom they were born? They were born from no parent. At that time, not only human beings came, non-human beings came, panchabhutas came, matter came, energy came, everything came. That evolution was only like dream.

The sleeping mind produces all the dream phenomena. How it produces? In the same manner, the world also has been produced. The purpose is to make you understand that the sleeping presence is capable of producing all the dreamt phenomena which are exactly like the wakeful phenomena. Why don’t you think? Will not one of you understand this and start shouting?

How many days have passed? God, God, God, God, God, temple, temple. What is this? If you eat, your stomach will become full. If you sleep, your tiredness will be over. For every effort, there is a progress and fruition. But for religious effort, no progress, no fruition. And we are speaking about a presence which is everywhere which surrounds you and penetrates you. And still after decades of struggle, you say “I know nothing”.

Eka-tattva-ghanābhyāsaḥ. So you must be able to practice this non-dualness fully, fully, fully. You know every one of you can speak like this as I do. What is that? It is neither existence nor non-existence. Only substances can exist. It is not a substance. Only when you say existence, the opposite non-existence is there. So it is neither existence nor non-existence. It is neither present nor non-present. It is neither this nor that. Any kind of a negation you can make is welcome. I don’t have anything more to say. Just think about it; I think any other talk is of no avail. I can give you a lot of practices, practices, practices. Why don’t you deal with this? That is why i say this, you start rolling on the ground, let your mind will become pure, intelligence become clear. Okay.

Harih Om Tat Sat. Jai Guru.