Welcome to Day 38 of our 40 Day Retreat 2008.
Yesterday we had the very nice subject of looking at Infinite Guru and Infinite Grace. I said that to really understand that last line of Mukti Moolam Guroh Kripa that we need to expand our view of what Guru really means. This is the continuous invitation by Guru Gita and by those who live in Guru Consciousness to draw you into that state of consciousness.
Our Journey of Consciousness
The journey of spiritual liberation is really a journey in your consciousness, in your self- awareness. We carry these seven chakras within us that I have spoken to you about many times. These chakras take us on a journey in consciousness, in self-awareness, and they also take us on a journey of energy. These chakra points are points where our individual self or individual Soul, also called Jivatma, is able to communicate with the physical world through that energy body and these seven centers.
Communication with the world is to gain experiences to become free. That is why the salient question, that very important question at the beginning of the Guru Gita is “How can the embodied soul become liberated?” The whole journey is a consciousness journey, and it is a journey along the seven chakras taking you to that place.
Three stages or knots on the Journey
This journey has three stages also described as granthis or knots inside. There are three knots inside which need to become loose, and to be opened. They are Brahma granthi, Vishnu granthi and Rudra granthi. Brahma granthi is in the Muladhara. It is the first granthi that needs to be opened. Vishnu granthi is in the Manipura which takes us on another step of the journey. Rudra granthi is at the eyebrow. This takes us on the final step of the journey. On our spiritual journey we need to understand where these knots are and what they mean in terms of the consciousness journey.
Our relationship with Guru also takes these three stages. When we are on the first and second chakras, we are so caught up in the world and survival issues - procreation, survival, the need for food and shelter. When we meet Guru for the first time or we begin to associate with someone who lives in a higher level of consciousness, some kind of awakening takes place in that association over time.
Stages of Awakening
1st Knot - A new Identity
The first is the awakening that “I am a spiritual being. I am more than the body.” That is the first awareness. So we get a sense of being a spiritual Being, and this would come from that association. We will begin to feel that we are something more than the body, and that is breaking loose the first knot. A new identity is created. The Brahmic consciousness in this sense means creation. So there is creation of a new identity. We begin to believe that we are more than the body.
This happens, however, by association with the Guru outside of us. We begin to admire these qualities and to like the association with the Guru. By being with the Guru we feel a little uplifted, and we begin to be drawn to association with Guru.
Of course, the first part of the journey is highly dualistic. We are still rooted in body consciousness and we see the Guru as a man. It is very much a physical consciousness relationship like a physical friend, someone who is a physical mentor or guide.
2nd Knot - Energy relationship with Guru
The next step of the journey is when Manipura comes. When the navel chakra is opened up we begin to feel another level of power. We begin to feel some kind of energy inside us that is more than the physical. We begin to relate to the energy field of the teacher as well. This takes us into a new relationship of feeling energized by the teacher. We feel some sort of vibration from the teacher is coming into us and awakening something. Then we begin to feel ourselves as an energy being.
That Vishnu consciousness is one of support, where we now begin to feel that we have some kind of power inside. The dual consciousness is still there. We still see the Guru as a man, but a little more than a man. We see the Guru as having some kind of Shakti or power. We enjoy that association and we don’t want to move away from it. It is a sustaining type of association, so we want to stay in it. We realize that this person whom we call Guru has some kind of resource that we need. So there is a consciousness of dependence yet, but it is a little different from the first one.
Here we begin to feel some kind of support from inside, and as the chakras open up we begin to feel at an emotional level, that kind of consciousness we see in the Guru. So if the Guru is expressing a lot of love, we begin to feel that love inside, especially if we are in the presence of that being. We feel a lot more love but we cannot hold this on our own. We still need that presence of Guru. That continues right up to the brow.
Final knot - A new Awareness
When the brow chakra is opened up, then a new awareness comes. And this is an awareness of our own individual power as Guru. We begin to feel, “I can be like that Being”. And a new kind of birth comes in that, a new sense of freedom that “I can become like that person”. For the first time we begin to feel a different kind of independence, so the relationship changes into a different one: “I can become like that; I want to become like that”. That is where the final knot is opened, and that begins our journey homewards.
Three stages in relationship with Guru:
First - As a man, when the Brahma knot is opened thinking: a very nice person, a nice being. We like the company though we don’t know exactly why.
Second - When the Vishnu knot is opened up there is a kind of energy sharing and we are sustained by that association. We can feel it in us as well, but we need that outer support.
Final - When Rudra granthi is opened we begin to feel: “I can do this on my own. I want to do this on my own.” Then the meditation changes as we saw yesterday. We begin to feel that something is pulling us inside into our inner space. We become more aware of the inner Guru. The inner Guru becomes very powerful from the brow chakra, although there is some kind of sustenance that is drawn from inner Guru as we share the presence of the outer.
We see three stages in that relationship with Guru. The final one taking us into that feeling of independence, coming into our own in terms of self-awareness and consciousness. We need to move through those levels. If we stay at one level then how are we going to progress on the journey?
Understand the Inner Consciousness
It is therefore extremely important for a student to understand these levels, and to be faithful to the goal of these levels. And for a lot of you who are attracted to being around me, then you would be at the second and third levels. So that association with Guru is important for sustenance, but we need to also step into that ownership and responsibility of the Rudra granthi, and then see Guru as an example of what we want to be. Then we need to spend time with him, but we need to spend with us, with ourselves!
We need to learn how to become the butterfly that is willing to break the shell. Or the caterpillar that is willing to break the cocoon. We need to now move away from that comfort, and we need to do so completely. Enjoy the comfort, but begin to come into our own. In a way, we need to be weaned. We need to spend time alone trying to understand that inner consciousness, still feeling connected to the Guru. This is because we can feel that connection and we have been feeling it from the Manipura coming up. We have been feeling that association. So no matter where we go, we can still feel that connection with the Guru.
Remember I said that the breaking of attachment needs to be done in the presence, and not necessarily moving away from the presence. You learn that when you are with the physical Guru, you learn how to go inside, and begin to relate his power with your power and go within your own being. If you can do it in the physical presence, if you can be around Guru and still be in that inner space, then that is very powerful. It means that no matter where you go, you will feel that connection very strongly. So it is always important when you are with him, to spend those periods of self-reflection and meditation when you can meditate on that inner Self.
Do not go immediately with every little question that you have. No, no! Begin to think it through yourself. Think: “What would Guru say?” Then you can ask him, “I have been thinking of this, what do you think about it?” It is important to learn how to do that.
Everyone who is a true teacher would love to see when you begin to think through a process for yourself. When people ask me those questions and I think that they should be self-reflecting, I respond with, “What do you think?” Whenever I ask you that question, I am putting the responsibility back to you saying, “You know it.” Or “You can find it. Why ask me that question?”
This is the stage we need to move into. That is what makes me very happy, when you can progress along these stages understanding the nature of consciousness, and not staying at the lower level.
Time is of Essence; Practise now
Always remember the concept of time, the time-line. Time is also a dimension that we exist in, not just the other three dimensions that hold us in a certain space. We exist only for a certain time in this space and there is a time-line of our life. So when you think about yourself existing in the world, always think about how long I am going to exist in the world. Always think about it, because as a teacher and a leader I think about that. I think of how long I am going to live in the world. I am also charting my time-line. Why not you?
For those of you who are older it becomes even more important because you don’t want to wait for another life to continue this journey. When you have made your material accomplishments already, continue to work on that inner being, because you never know how many years you will be here. Of course, you will like to be here for a long time. And those of you who are younger, start early as I did. Start early, and begin to explore that inner consciousness. This is what life is about. Nothing else!
Take responsibility for your Freedom
Life is about a journey in consciousness. It is about having experiences in the material world by interaction and using all of these experiences to grow in spiritual consciousness until you become liberated. I don’t want to see you remaining in body consciousness. I don’t want to see you suspended in the area of the middle chakras only, because then you are neither here nor there.
I want you to come to the brow chakra and I want you to take ownership of your journey. And to use all that I have taught you to go inside and become independent. That is freedom! I said before that no sort of slave mentality is joyful, because you are completely controlled by what is around you. Freedom is the only blissful thing in the Universe; ultimately to be free of everything around you. That is how I am!
Let go; Be independent
I am not dependent upon anything around me. I am not dependent on praise, or material possessions. I can live with anything, anywhere. Of course, people do not allow me to do that, but I can live anywhere. I can sleep in any space and exist with anything. That I have learned a long time ago, and that made me completely free.
The reason why I can give up a lucrative job, fame and name in the world, is because I thought those were little things and completely not important. At every stage where it was necessary to give up, I gave up quickly and easily without even looking back. I knew what the most important thing in life was and if I passed away any day I knew that what I was doing would be the most important for that journey. I prepared for the future.
Let the message set you Free
Think about your life. Think about all what the Guru Gita is saying. Think of what I am saying to you. I am a messenger to remind you of your greatness. Take the message. The messenger is important, but the message is more important than the messenger. The messenger will leave the world but the message is eternal. Take the message! Internalize the message, and let the message set you free!
The whole spiritual journey is a journey of associating with Guru, going into the inner Guru, sharing that energy relationship with Guru, and coming into your own space of freedom. The Guru Gita gave us some verses pertaining to that final state when we move into the brow and we begin to meditate, they tell us how to meditate. And always remember that when Guru Gita in the earlier verses that I spoke about, said to meditate on Guru, it is to begin to make this transition from the physical to the inner Guru.
Verses to guide your Meditation
Let me read these verses for you. They are beautiful verses but they tell us how to meditate on “That” which is eternal, and “That” which takes us into freedom. These are freedom verses. Let us listen to the words of Guru Gita:
Paraat parataram dhyeyam
Nityam aananda kaarakam
Hridayaakasha madhyastham
Shuddha sphatika sannibham
One should ever meditate on the Supreme, beyond which nothing exists which bestows bliss at all times, which is seated in the heart space (in the essence of our being) and which shines pure as crystal.
It tells us to go into that deep inner space where the Supreme exists beyond anything. That is the Source, the indescribable Source.
It continues:
Ajo ham ajaroham ca
Hyanaadi nidhano hyayam
Avikaarash chidaanando
Hyaneeyaan mahato mahaan
I am unborn, I am deathless. I am beginningless. I am endless.
I am attributeless. I am consciousness and bliss.
I am smallest of the small. I am greatest of the great.
This puts you into that space of consciousness where you feel that you are in every thing. That you can be the smallest or the largest and you are exist in a Source that is beyond all attributes, you are consciousness and bless. You are everything that is, and that is beyond. This is what it is saying that you are. This is freedom consciousness.
It continues:
Apoorvam aparam nityam
Swayam jyotir niraamayam
Virajam param akaasham
Druvam aanandam avyayam
There is none prior to me and none later. I am eternal. I am self-effulgent.
I am painless and diseaseless. I am ever pure. I am the eternal Akasha (ether).
I am without the least movement. I am bliss.
All these tell you about the indescribable self that you are, and that which you are has no beginning and no end. When you are tied to the body consciousness, then you are in the awareness of beginning and end. But that which you are has no beginning and no end. That which you are has no boundary. That which you are is consciousness and bliss. That is what you are.
These verses say that is the Bhava – the feeling that you must have when you meditate. That is what Shiva is saying in Guru Gita. He says this is the consciousness we need to have. This is the freedom consciousness. This is what the Guru would want of you, and this is what Guru Gita would want of you. So we meditate on this consciousness.
Concluding Remark:
May the deep significance of this message stay with you, transforming your consciousness, putting you in a state of self-responsibility and liberation in Self.
Have a blessed day.
Namaskar.
