
In Meditation, We Experience Real Nature Shines The World
by Girish Jha,
Talk & Practice. Happiness Here and Now is talk from the greatest master Astavakra. It is step-by-step understanding or simply understanding in an open session that helps achieve the highest meditative state. The teaching is free from yoga, mantra, tantra, meditation, mindfulness still helps us achieve freedom, permanent happiness in life.
Transcript
Okay,
Sarah belongs to your group.
She's not on the video,
So I said,
Here is Teddy.
She's one of our teachers.
Oh,
She's one of your teachers.
She's also my teacher.
So now see that it's a beautiful,
We are going on the second chapter of Ashtavakra Gita.
So if you summarize Ashtavakra Gita,
You see that we meet each other,
We introduce,
Here is David,
Here I am,
So there has to be the proper condition,
The light is there,
The mind is interested and the eyes are open and I know you.
So exactly what happens,
This path says,
My intellect,
If the intellect gets the knowledge of the real self,
Then I need not to do any practice,
It is here and now.
That is the beauty of this highest text.
You see,
We say the Gyan Yoga,
Gyan means knowledge and what yoga means?
Here yoga means equanimity.
So if there is an equanimity in the mind and the intellect,
The mind is not going anywhere,
It is not attached,
It is not causing any challenges and now the intellect is pure.
In that state of the mind and intellect,
What happens?
The knowledge happens.
So it becomes the knowledge yoga.
See that yoga is a second word and Gyan,
Gyan means the knowledge.
So knowledge that happens in the equanimity state of mind,
We need not to do any practice.
So this verse is again most beautiful.
Prakasho me nijam,
No,
Prakash,
Yeah,
Prakasho me nijam roopam na atirakto aham asmi tatha.
Yadaprakashati vishwam tatha,
Tatha,
Bhasam evam hi.
Now the simple translation is that the light is my nature.
I am no other than light.
When the universe manifests itself,
It is nothing but it is me.
It means I am becoming Sam,
I am becoming Ked,
I am becoming David.
Can I have that awareness all the time?
That is what is known as awakening.
So the second topic,
You see that second chapter,
Where the seeker who is the highest level of a seeker,
That is why he asked how to attain dispassion in the very first chapter,
How to attain the knowledge of the reality,
My real self,
And how the liberation or the freedom is attained.
So once the master explained this is what is the real self,
The seeker says,
I am already there.
Now,
It is worth comparing my own experiences in meditation with the experiences this seeker has.
The seeker in the very first verse says,
How wonderful I am,
Tranquil,
Taintless,
Pure knowledge,
Transcending matter in the very first verse.
And then there is another verse where he explains,
Just as waves,
Foams,
Bubbles are not different from water,
So all this which has emanated from the oneself is no other than oneself.
So in the beginning,
What happens?
We start the journey,
I am not the body.
Why?
To make the mind and the intellect completely pure and settered in the state of equanimity.
And now the same intellect is coming out.
When it comes out,
It says,
No,
There is no difference.
I am becoming everyone,
I am becoming everything.
Like in another experience,
Just as cloth is one thread,
The same,
This existence is woven from being.
Now,
Look at this.
Understand this verse,
We never care for one thing while we are seeing,
Listening each other.
I see you,
You see me.
Is it true?
Yes.
How do we see each other?
Through the eyes and the mind.
Is there anything needed?
That escapes our attention.
The most important thing that is required is the light.
If the light is not present,
I cannot see you,
You cannot see me.
Besides other factors are there,
My eyes should be right.
You should be within the range and then we can see each other.
We forget the presence of the light.
The most important factor.
So the master is saying,
What is subtle escapes our attention and awareness.
That is why you see that yoga lays too much of stress,
Purify the mind,
Focus the mind,
Continue to practice asanas to make the body steady,
Lot of.
Why?
To explore that subtle,
That should not escape our attention.
So what is subtle escapes our attention and awareness.
Mind why?
Now ask yourself,
Mind is so much conditioned.
That is always happy with the material world of sensation.
We have heavily conditioned ourselves to see the material world alone.
Senses have their limitation,
We know it.
Senses cannot see beyond,
Senses cannot see what is very near,
Cannot see what is too far.
Our senses create limitations because senses have limitations.
So when I accept only the sense organ can give me the knowledge,
So I live in that limitations.
Limitation understand that.
That limitation causes the ignorance.
It escapes what is behind and beyond these sense organs and the mind.
Are you getting it?
Let me take,
Let me make another understanding.
Limitation is conditioning,
It creates ignorance.
Bill Gates is richest.
Biden is president,
Most powerful president of the nation at present,
Whatever is present,
I'm talking about.
Can you tell me what is the common thing?
That destroys all the glories of the wealth,
The power and the position.
Understanding that begins the yoga.
Bill Gates,
No doubt is richest,
But with limitations.
Biden is no doubt the president,
But with limitation.
Do you see that limitation?
Limitation because as long as I feel that I am the body,
I have to live with the limitation.
Even if one is the wealthiest,
If one is the most powerful.
Do you see that limitation?
That limitation causes the ignorance and ignorance causes the suffering.
So when all conditions are met,
Knowledge takes place.
Now what this master says,
What the seeker is saying,
This is my experience,
What is his experience?
The light is my nature.
What is this light?
As the light is present,
The sun rays are present everywhere.
Similarly this light is symbolically written,
That light is a consciousness and the consciousness is the knowledge.
He says light is my nature,
Means consciousness is my nature.
He is not saying,
He has broken all the limitations.
He said now I experience consciousness is my nature.
That consciousness signifies the knowledge and the knowledge lives with consciousness.
I told you remote is inert.
It does not know itself,
It does not know me.
Means absence of consciousness,
Absence of consciousness,
Absence of knowledge.
I am conscious,
Yes that consciousness.
So that very consciousness also is knowledge and that consciousness is represented as,
Now see that seeker says my experience that what is light is my nature.
Consciousness is my nature.
He has broken all the limitations.
He says I am no other than this light,
I am no other than this consciousness.
Then it blows our mind.
He says the universe that is manifesting outside is basically me and who is that me?
That is consciousness.
So he is not saying that Sam with its physical individuality is me.
He is saying the consciousness is also present there.
Consciousness is all-pervading.
Hence I manifest that consciousness.
This I is not related to the body,
Not related to the mind.
When it can happen,
It can happen only by understanding.
It can happen here and now in that field of awareness.
So what he says,
He says light is my nature,
Light signifies that knowledge,
Knowledge is consciousness.
See a simple thing.
When I say I know you,
Our focus remains on the physical,
Physical,
Why?
I am limited by the sense organ and further I am limited by the mind.
What the sense organ perceives?
It perceives the shape and the size.
The mind says he is a boy,
She is a girl and a lot of attributes.
So the mind and the sense organs limits.
But now ask yourself,
What is that thing without which the sense organs cannot see?
Without which the mind cannot work?
It is consciousness.
So it means consciousness is working behind.
When this consciousness gives light to the mind,
Then the mind gives light to the sense organ,
Then the sense organ perceives the world.
So what is the ultimate source?
The ultimate source is the consciousness.
So the master seeker is saying I am consciousness,
I am that light.
Not only it enlightens me,
But it enlightens the entire world.
Remove that consciousness,
There is nothing.
Then I become the inert.
I become simply the inert.
So you see the beauty of his experience.
Can I enter into that experience?
Can I enter into that experience?
That is what the master says that.
The seeker says,
Seeker is also a master.
Janaka says I am consciousness that cannot be divided,
Cannot be broken.
It is unlimited,
All pervading.
Again look at it,
What it means?
He has broken all the limitations of daily living.
So now compare.
So he is rich.
Bill Gates says rich but limited.
Now seeker is rich because he is unlimited.
All the conditionings of the mind has been broken.
That is why we say purify the mind,
Purify the mind.
So it's a unique knowledge.
The way the sun lights itself means what I am consciousness.
Take another simple example that to see something during the day I need sunlight.
But what instrument I need to see the sun?
The sun has a light,
It is essential property.
So sun can see itself by the sun.
Sun does not need any instrument.
The consciousness does not need any other instrument of sense organs in the mind.
So break that limitation.
Move the mind deeper within.
Let the mind be centered into that state of equanimity and then the knowledge takes place.
What is that knowledge?
That I am the real self and I am not only the real self here but it is the same real self present everywhere.
I have broken all the limitations and conditionings that was imposed on the consciousness.
There is one beautiful word when I saw it I said I should talk about it.
It says Prakasha.
Literal translation of Prakash means light.
But when I break up into two syllables prefixes pra.
Pra means power,
Brilliance and akasha means space.
Now add the two Prakasha means light in the sky.
The sky that is full of light.
The world that is full of light.
How do I know the word by the light?
What is that light?
It is consciousness.
That is one meaning and second meaning.
Second meaning is that light in the presence of the light the darkness goes away.
Darkness is represented by ignorance.
That light consciousness is present in the intellect purified intellect.
Did we understand that where the when I say I am here I am seeing you that I where it takes birth in the intellect?
That is how yoga explains.
I-ness takes birth in the intellect.
The moment you say I am Sam I am Kate I am that I can I become aware of that I?
First point.
Second point.
Maintain awareness that the intellect does not identify itself with anything coming from outside.
Then what happens that I becomes pure that I is already a pure consciousness I realize this I realize is the pure consciousness it is the pure knowledge then I settle in meditation 24 by 7.
Do you ever forget your name when you wake up in the morning?
Will you ever forget when you realize that reality this I is not David not Sam for the sake of convenience.
Yes I will use it.
I will use it but internally you know internally you know that I is the real I.
Doesn't it blow our mind?
When we understand how this seeker is experiencing sharing his experiences of meditation.
See that see the beauty of it.
So the mind is now see another way to understand and then we will practice.
You see deeper inside is the intellect then we have a mind in between and then we have a sense organ.
The sense organs outer outside mind is in between and the intellect is here.
You can say the intellect mind in the sense organ.
Because of a heavy conditioning you can say cultural conditioning religious conditioning educational conditioning inherited tendencies.
This mind is constantly looking to the sense organ and to the world to find out who am I.
Now if this mind starts looking at the intellect so it leaves the material world.
When it leaves the material world it drops the conditioning then now the mind is pure and it is looking at the intellect in the purified state we experience pure consciousness.
Not a big deal but we have to work on it work on it work on it work on it when you work on it then we find yes it is there it is here and now.
Yoga doesn't talk of any blind belief and no no release no cut no dogma.
It says understand that understanding puts you into the state of pure consciousness and you are there.
So let us start our journey our practice.
Eyes are closed.
Eyes are closed.
Eyes are closed.
So when you close your eyes what is that thing that escapes our attention you see.
So I say mind is facing within looking within either inside the heart or inside the forehead in the space and then we come back we I say look at the head and the neck joint neck joint be there feel sensation being comfortable and steadiness.
You know I'm not giving you a practice I'm communicating you are aware and attentive so you your mind follows what I'm speaking.
It is like taking a morning walk and you ask the question where is the real self and we are going together and once we start walking you remain silent and you follow the words and these words will awaken you to the knowledge of the self.
This is what we are doing.
So moving the mind on the yeah taking a walk see that this is what I'm saying taking a walk to the shoulder joints when you when you see that then what happens sensation is there sensation you are comfortable and you are comfortable and you feel the steadiness.
We are taking a walk together remember not nothing more nothing less we are not doing any practice okay.
We are taking a walk become aware of the entire body and all the joints of the body and you experience sensation being comfortable and steadiness.
If your mind is demanding oh I have not done reading practice I have not done mantra chanting.
So in this journey even the mantra chanting is known as conditioning I want to condition my mind so nothing coming from outside.
So what is left it is pure awareness it is that consciousness in the field of the consciousness I have an experience sensation comfortable and steadiness.
So what is common?
Consciousness what is common it is awareness.
There see the intellect understands through the concept.
So when I say step it is a concept what is a concept it is the product of knowledge.
Okay I understood we are taking a walk together.
So thoughts are coming it's a it's a fact thoughts are coming and good.
Who is aware who knows my awareness does awareness get mixed up with the thought no it is separate can I know it separation the moment I know that any thought feeling sensation and experiences taking place it is happening in the mind and I am different from that.
What makes you aware?
Aware of what?
It gives you some idea I'm different from all these thoughts all these garbage in the conditioning.
We're not doing anything.
Now see the light is my very nature.
You know why we share our experiences so one day what happens your experience becomes my that is why we are understanding the second chapter of the Sita not by comparison but I understand when someone shares the experience I don't get upset.
So here the light is my nature consciousness is my nature.
No issue look at the world outside immediate world outside you.
When I say look you should be aware of what is just outside your body it is the space did that escape your attention during the day you see this is what is conditioning and limitation it is here and now we are not creating anything so there is a space just outside your body very good.
So take the mind too far in the room articles objects and every object is inert every object is inert it cannot see itself and it cannot know itself.
And who knows the objects I really yes I know who is this I so the seeker is saying it is consciousness my friend nothing less nothing more.
Oh it is.
So let us remove the wrong conditioning wrong information so that it does not escape our attention look at the physical body physical body is made up of a different proportion of protein carbs fat etc etc all is matter matter is inert it does not know itself and it does not know others who knows this body I what is this I what is this I this is consciousness this is pure awareness really yes but I see my body through my eyes I feel it through the sensation no doubt sense organ physical sense organ physical matter inert.
So we will just the awareness so body I am not the body the moment you break that limitation how the limitation is broken by knowledge by understanding by awareness nothing more nothing less we do not need anything very good.
Look at the breath you look at the breath that you is awareness when there is no limitation and that you is the mind when you have a limitation what is that means?
Mind says should I breathe deeper and slower and shorter this is conditioning I am simply saying look at the breath look at the breath look at the breath with the pure mind what is pure mind the pure mind perceive why the pure mind first keep looking at the breath very good so the mind sees the breath is going in and out it is the conclusion it is the knowledge by the mind no doubt clear.
Now no limitation should cause no lack of awareness should not cause any limitation so we ask the mind what do you mean by breath is going in and out so mind has created a limitation that I am the body and that is why this breath is going in and out but now we are very clear I am not the body body is simply a matter so now I come back to the breath look at the breath again look at the breath again look at the breath again now as the mind is the breath going in or out I am not the body I am not the body.
So you see that the mind has created millions and trillions of limitations by which we work in the world and that limitation causes the ignorance and ignorance causes the suffering you are looking at the breath can I say the breath is just moving moving in a straight line because I am not the body it's a fact and it's a truth body is my instrument so this movement in a straight line is known as prana the prana is regulated prana regulates the breath breath is different there is no change in the rate in the rhythm of the breath why there is a change the mind causes the change why mind causes the change because of limitations so we don't want to change we just want to be aware of the breath what is this awareness awareness is the light light is the consciousness very good continue looking even saying continue is defeating the purpose of this journey you are simply aware in the presence of sunlight whether you see me or you do not see me doesn't matter that is what awareness is consciousness is I am translating this verse into the so called practice or walking together so until now we found we discovered the word outside cannot exist without me because when I know then it exists second thing it cannot know me same thing with the body with the breath you are looking at the breath you see whether the mind has broken the limitation the mind not even for a second says that yes breath is going in and coming out it loses that limitation in the field of awareness do you see that it's easy interesting at the same time it demands only a witness self-awareness you're looking at the breath all of our wrong notions that this breath is going in and out has gone now as I used to say you are aware that let us go deeper is deeper world a limitation yes the moment I say deeper it means deeper than the word deeper inside the body oh see that just aware you we are walking together yes there cannot be anything deeper when I'm not the body what it means by deeper so the journey by Patanjali is different than this journey by this master he said don't walk with the limitation now become aware of the thoughts and the feeling and the sensations and any and every experience that touches the mind mind says I feel calm just be aware tingling okay this is experience of the mind I am an experiencer see that what I am saying why I am an experiencer consciousness is my nature light is my nature this is what the master is saying I'm no other than the light I cannot be my experience can we play with whatever is happening in the mind is breaking the limitation what do you mean you hear me hearing is your experience you are different from that thought enters into your mind you are different from that mind goes to the body oh I experience calmness I am different from that I am I am different from all my experiences all my experiences we are walking together every step gives you an experience and the experience is known by awareness and I am pure awareness and consciousness I cannot be my experience because one experience takes birth at this moment it dies and replaces the other experiences and so the life seems I seem to be a product of all my experiences but that is not the truth the one who knows all the experiences one who knows thoughts comes and goes one who knows experience comes and goes one who is the knower is me that knower is consciousness that knower is the light are we doing anything no except we are walking together yes we are walking together look at the Sun who lightens every object in the world and lights itself can I say that Sun knows itself by itself and it also knows the entire world replace the Sun with yourself this is what meditation is this is what the seeker is narrating his experience so when now I say who am I I am pure consciousness I am the Sun who how do I know I know myself by myself the way the Sun knows itself by itself you don't need a candle to know where the Sun is that candle is the mind see it only demands an awareness breaking all the limitations what it takes to break the limitation nothing simple awareness that consciousness is present when it is present when it is present 24 by 7 where it where it is present I mean location at all the locations what do you mean see break the limitation it is present in all the location that is why I know where I am how can I know where I am or how can I know what is that location because of I am in which condition it is present in all the conditions it is in the pain with that mind experiences but it is not the pain it is in the pleasure but not the pleasure it is in the body but not the body it is in the mind but not the mind it is in the thought but not the thought my monitor appears very bright because of light monitor is not bright you see the limitation I've been using the word limitation to explain to the verse limitation causes the ignorance and ignorance causes the suffering we are walking together we are walking together tracking to a mountain we are watching everything aware of everything we reach to the peak of the mountain and from there we see everything meditation is reaching at the peak of your awareness from where we discover we are the Sun we illuminate the world not only we illuminate we are the world not only we illuminate we are the world not only we illuminate we are the world not only we illuminate we are the world not only we illuminate we are the world not only we illuminate we are the world we are already doing nothing continue to walk even saying doing nothing does not fit today remain in that state even that does not define explain why what is my real nature why are you saying remain as it is be the plant shanti shanti shanti shanti shanti shanti bring your awareness on the right hand bring your awareness on the left hand lift your both the palms place it on your closed eyes open the eyes inside know your experiences and then bring the hands down how are you Sam?
I'm great.
The last two meditations have been very difficult to come out of.
On the start they've been thoughtless and it was very link and light and happy and thoughtless and just quiet it was great.
It was great.
Thank you.
Yes very good.
How are you David and Jerry?
Sarah doesn't show herself.
Okay yes David.
The mystery similar to Sam it was it was like if I could just like show it visually it was like started here just down this for all your words just space and then your chanting at the end just came out of it again it was just beautiful beautiful yes now compared today's experience with early days of your experiences you see that this takes you to oh I'm always always there I am that that leads to a transformation so how are you Jerry?
It was great a lot the takeaway with the walk was that we same breath the same space and the light.
Yes yes yes that too you know you know we all our mind is totally different it varies from person to person so that's why I pick up certain things five or six tips.
Contemplate and reflect if you reflect if I am NOT the body if and then where the breath is moving is it moving inside or is it moving outside?
It is not moving neither moving inside nor outside but why I say that that is how the intellect understands through a concept if you don't give a concept to the intellect it will not create a knowledge but the real self is not a concept now see that this is what he's saying that light is my nature so when we live into that state how are you Sarah?
Sorry I was just typing you a message actually I was apologizing for not showing myself yet I am recovering from an illness I have no heating pad on and Sadra so I figured I'd just be here with you.
Very good no no remain here with me with a curtain no problem.
Thank you.
How are you Kate?
Good.
Well.
How do I?
Your voice is breaking.
Oh.
It was wonderful.
How are you Sunita?
Monday or Thursday?
Monday Thursday.
How are you Terry?
Terry was asking me how do you know my mind because I know my mind that's why I know your mind also I can read.
Good.
So do not think too much.
So pay attention listen to it again and again and just contemplate and reflect.
Arrive,
Let the intellect remain pure in that state and it should arrive at the knowledge what is that knowledge it is consciousness it is pure awareness then another challenge comes do I live into that state 24 by 7?
And that is why we are doing the Mondays and Thursdays.
Thank you my friend we'll meet again.
Thank you.
Thank you.
You
