Articles for Saadhana

Harih Om Tat Sat. Jai Guru. Jai Guru.

I have mentioned this point over and over again, but apparently it requires re-statement and re-introspection on the part of everyone concerned. See, our life, anything that we think, speak, act, everything is part of our life and relating to our life. I would like you to also understand that the world is also part of your life and experience. It is not that the world comes first and you come next. Maybe we can say that the world of matter and energy was there. Various celestial bodies came into being, our earth also. And upon the earth, our body was born. I don’t deny it. It is a fact. But that it is so, is an experience, a finding and a realization that our inner personality, the mind and intelligence do - this you should understand. That you were born is not a fact either the world or the body tells us. "My body was born, before that the world was there. Before the earth came into being, panchabhūtās were there. Matter and energy were there. Some time they came to be evolved and in a great sequence these things came to pass, my body was born." So far as you are concerned, this experience and knowledge arise from your mind.

So, the entire world and world experience, ideas about them, facts about them, all of them are an extension from your mind. This mind and intelligence put together have only two states - either the mind is thoughtful or the mind is thought free. Do not doubt whether the mind can become thought free, because in sleep it is remaining absolutely thought free. So, it has got the capacity to become thought free. This capacity is revealed by the mind during sleep.

One more point, every thought that arises, before another comes up, there is a cessation of thought. So, before and after every thought is a non-thinking state. That also tells us very clearly, as thinking is there, non-thinking also can be there, is there, will be there. What you have to do (is), get yourself initiated properly into Brahmavidya and after the initiation, sit in a room closing the door and window, interlocking your fingers, sit cross-legged, keep the body erect, close the eyes and then get into the mind with the initiated formula that you have been given by the Guru. Do not ask any questions at all. We are going to take the mind by a process of thinking that is the mantra to a state where all the thoughts are arising from somewhere, they are also dissolving somewhere, we are going to reach the origin and the end of the thought process. What do you think of it?

When the mind becomes thought-free, you have nothing more to do. You are in that state which preceded creation, which will follow dissolution. The entire world is sensed and experienced by you and the sphere in which this experience arises is within the body, in the mind. The mind is always vibrant with thoughts, emotions, doubts, knowledge, enquiry, finding etc. All these are in the form of 'mano-vrtthis'. These vrtthis are treated in such a manner that you reach a state of dissolution of vrtthis. 'Vrtthi' means function. Once you reach there, you have nothing to think about. When the mind becomes thought-free, the world is not there, the body is not there, nothing is there. At the same time, you don’t die. You can liken it with biological death, you can liken it with biological sleep, you can liken it with unconsciousness. But unconsciousness is again an experience that you get, but you don’t die.

This is what Vasishtha says,

Employ your own wish and will, handle your mind, deal with your mano-vrtthis in such a manner that you will reach a state of mind-freeness, that means thought-freeness. When you reach that state, neither your ‘I’ separating you from the rest, giving rise to other things, ‘I’.... Only when the ‘I’ is there, you are there; 'he' or 'she' or 'it' or 'they' are there. So that ‘I’ note of distinction will not be there when there is thought-freeness. Then again, if you are not there, another also will not be. The whole distinctions vanish. Are you subtle enough, perceptive enough to understand the magnificence of such a state? Most people are not able to.  

So, what I wanted to convey is mind has got thoughtfulness, thought-freeness. Within the thoughtfulness, it can be anything. It can be a dream creation. It can be a wakeful extension. All these are nothing but thoughts. They can be figures and shapes. They can be letters and words. They can be feelings and emotions. All these are mano-vrtthis. So, when the mano-vrtthis are led to a state of dissolution, you are reaching.. Can you imagine? Go to the end of the world before which time the world was not; you reach that state. And by meditation alone, this state can be achieved. But as important as meditation is, so important is trying to understand, evaluate it, and develop it as the anchor, the refuge, the contentment, the fullness, the abundance and the opulence for you. People are poor witted. They are not able to consider it to be the Supreme.

When Indrajit discharged Brahmāstra, Rama told Lakshmana, “See, Brahmāstra has been discharged. We should not try to resist it, let us prostrate before it.” Simply they lay prostrate. Brahmāstra finding no enemy, returned. What did Rama and Lakshmana do? Did they climb a mountain? They did not resist. The greatest defense is in thought-freeness; the greatest creation is in thought-freeness. When you go to the thought-free state you will find, as and when required, the best of thought process and emotional process will come from there. I would like you to think about it, evaluate it.

Harih Om Tat Sat. Jai Guru. Jai Guru.