Renounce Ignorance And Know Your True Self

Satsang Podcast with Sri Renounce Ignorance and Know Your True Self When someone decides,

Maybe you or me,

To embark on a path of Self-Realization,

Enlightenment,

Freedom from the mundane waking state reality,

Firstly they are faced with the awareness that the things and the forms and the desires and the people and the situations are limited.

They don't bring total satisfaction or happiness.

Either someone observes other people,

Maybe their parents,

That seem to have fulfilled their desires and live what's considered a happy life,

And yet something seems missing.

Possibly they're just going to work,

Coming home,

Going to sleep,

Waking up again,

And maybe partying,

Drinking on the weekends in order to forget their troubles or their problems.

Someone might come from a place of having everything materially,

Even nice people in their lives,

But yet there's still a sense of not being fulfilled,

Not feeling complete.

Or somebody might suffer a great deal with physical health challenges,

With financial problems,

With relationships,

And might just come to a place where they're fed up,

Tired of human suffering,

And want to find something higher.

Maybe they've dabbled or experimented with drugs or alcohol and have also come to see that although temporarily problems are forgotten,

They come back again,

And then the side effects of physical reaction to substances in the system make it hardly worth it,

Because you have to deal with those hangovers or side effects.

So whatever brings someone to come to know that there's got to be something more,

Something higher,

Some way of knowing your true self and remaining free,

Because everybody knows that there are times when the mind is settled,

Whether in deep sleep or sometimes throughout the day,

Possibly in nature,

Looking at the sunset,

The river,

The mountains,

The ocean,

Where you're absorbed in that experience.

So the one who has the ability to seek higher awareness becomes aware that why not,

If in those moments when I'm knowing that I'm pure and free because I'm absorbed in nature or I'm in love with someone and at that moment experiencing a state of oneness,

That it has to be me that has that potential or that ability to experience the peace of my own being.

So one begins to now become aware that this is possible,

Because even when you're in the sunset watching the sun go down and experiencing all the beautiful colors and beauty all around you,

That you are there.

Without you there,

A dead body would not experience that.

So within you there is the potential to know that bliss or that joy of nature,

To know the joy of love when you're with somebody and you experience that love or unity or oneness for how short a time or how long a time,

It doesn't matter.

But without you there,

There's no one to experience it,

There's no one to know it.

So this is why the attention is brought to the knower,

Because the knower remains steady throughout all the experiences,

Throughout what we call deep sleep,

Dream state and waking state.

The knower,

The self,

Which is you,

Is always there and uninvolved,

Is always free.

So now,

Once you have a glimpse of that awareness in whatever way,

Then the possibility of living in that awareness is there all the time.

And when one begins to search or seek a spiritual teaching or path to know that oneness,

To know that peace all the time,

There are many practices that are suggested and often in many spiritual paths.

I remember when I was first seeking,

I went to one group and there was a whole list of don'ts or a whole list of things that you had to abide by in order to be initiated into this path.

You had to be vegetarian,

You had to be brahmachari or celibate,

And you had to abide by all their rules and regulations of practice,

Practicing at four or five in the morning for this amount of time.

So we can see how this structure is made,

Because one who is aware of their true self becomes aware of the things that are good for the system and what is not good for the system.

One who is aware of their true self becomes aware that if you overindulge in the senses,

Too much sensual experience,

Too much food,

Wrong foods,

Not enough practice or sadhana,

That you will live the mundane human existence.

But some of these paths are not effective,

Or some of these paths will be too restrictive,

And you can't get to freedom through bondage.

So let's analyze what happens.

If you bind yourself now and say,

Don't do this and don't do that,

And you have to be celibate and you have to be vegetarian or you're not going to realize the self,

Then you're stuck again in the same kind of individual waking state consciousness.

You're not seeing the whole.

And by suppressing the human existence,

You're not going to get to freedom.

And yet we know that overindulging in the senses and eating good foods is going to be the most effective in bringing you the ability to sit quietly in meditation.

So with this knowledge now,

We bring in higher knowledge rather than trying to renounce physical things and as if that will bring us to freedom.

There's a story that I like about a great sage who was walking a monk,

I think it was,

In the story,

And with a friend who was just a relative,

Regular person.

And this monk had devoted his whole life to knowledge of the self,

To God,

To freedom.

And there was this beautiful woman,

Very sparsely dressed,

Standing by the river,

Needing to cross the river.

And the monk picked up the woman and carried her across the river.

And the friend that was with him said to him,

How can you do that?

You're a celibate monk.

You're not supposed to be touching a beautiful woman like that,

That hardly has any clothing on.

And the monk said to him,

I left her on the other side of the river.

You're still carrying her with you.

So we can see then that the physical change is not going to bring you the renunciation.

It's going to possibly even make you think about it,

Desire it,

Or want it even more.

And we've seen this in those kinds of orders,

All the things that can happen where people fall from grace.

It's understandable because the human system is set up to go for its desires.

A man desires a woman.

A woman desires a man.

That's just how the system works.

And certainly in the younger years,

When the hormones are strong,

This is how the human consciousness functions.

But we're bringing in a higher knowledge.

Instead of making the change externally,

What we're doing in our sadhana is making the change internally because as you place your attention on your true self,

The knower,

The one who's there to watch the sunset,

The one who is there when you're carrying the woman across the river,

The one who's there when all of the emotions are raging.

Because we're putting our attention on that self,

Then that which the system requires will be known without your doership,

Just like you go to bed at night,

You sleep every night,

Your blood flows,

Your heart beats,

Your breathing,

Without your doership.

In the same way,

When you know and when you directly experience the bliss of your own self,

That bliss is the greatest.

So then,

Knowing that bliss,

You want to take the time to reside in that bliss.

Vasana,

Often defined as a desire,

Is really where you live.

So you live in duality,

Needing your satisfaction from external experiences,

People,

Eating good food,

Having luxurious times,

Or are you satisfied within?

The more you practice,

The more satisfaction that you become aware of that's within,

Then there's no division.

So the dream-like waking state continues,

And everything is that pure self,

You're not limited.

But what you've renounced now,

Rather than renouncing the situations,

The people,

The forms,

The senses,

You've turned your senses into yourself,

Where pure satisfaction is.

And from that satisfied state,

You'll naturally do that which supports the physical existence,

Because the physical existence is now not separate from you,

The self.

Doesn't mean that you'll be the perfect person or the perfect yogi and never do anything wrong,

Not at all.

It means your whole sense of what's right and wrong has changed now.

What's right is that you remember the self.

In fact,

The very term for celibacy in the yogic system is brahamacharya,

Which means moving in brahm,

Moving in that self,

Knowing the self that you are.

And then the satisfaction of the senses becomes a little,

Very little thing,

Almost like a glow worm in the bright sunlight.

You wouldn't even see it.

And whatever stage of your sadhana you're at,

This continues.

So you can't do anything wrong,

Because any time you overindulge in the senses or you go for your desires,

Again,

Through awareness of the knower,

You see where it brings you.

You see that you,

The bliss of the self,

Was there and enjoying.

And if it doesn't bring you closer to your own being,

It doesn't allow you to move in brahm,

In that self,

Then by renouncing your ignorance,

That those things will bring your satisfaction.

Your attention now moves with brahm,

Moves with that self,

Moves with that space,

More and more.

And you don't have to force it.

Freedom doesn't come from bondage.

You don't have to bind yourself.

You just observe and notice.

The human system reacts,

Has all the emotions,

Anger,

Fear,

Worry,

Doubt,

Desire,

Lust.

And that's how the human system is.

But now you're becoming free from your human system.

In fact,

The human system no longer exists for you as anything but your true self.

So the true self,

Now identifying as a human system,

Does things sometimes that will not bring you what you truly want.

And if it does not bring you what you want,

Then you make changes naturally.

You can see you no longer choose to go to noisy,

Smoky bars because that company is not conducive for knowledge of the self.

Instead,

You go somewhere where you can be quiet and meditate.

And if you do go to such a situation,

Again,

It's not separate from you.

So you can enjoy it for what it is.

But know it's not your choice next time to put yourself in that situation.

You can be with your family members who don't have knowledge of the self.

And you can enjoy their conversation.

But you know that it doesn't lead them to knowledge of the self.

So you see it for what it is.

You see the ignorance of the self.

But you love the being because the being is forever present.

So your vision is on the being that they are,

That all this is.

And if their company is not suitable for knowledge of the self,

You minimize your time with that company.

And you place yourself with the company that knows pure,

Free,

Forever,

That knows the knower.

But first,

That company is your own company,

Which is good company when you close the eyes and watch the space and know space I am.

And then everything is that space.

And remain the non-doer.

Let that space move you to what is the best for your own body to take care of it,

Because the human incarnation is the highest.

You need your physical body to be healthy and strong in order to realize yourself.

So it's the ignorance of the self that is renounced,

Ultimately.

At first,

You might want to physically remove yourself from situations that are not conducive,

Even if you might like that situation because of past memory of fulfilling your desire of having a joyful time.

But you know the consequences.

So now you make the decision not to go for that experience where you're going to wear out your body and become exhausted and not be able to meditate,

Because the meditation now becomes crucial,

Becomes the most important thing in your life.

And this is how you work with the human waking state existence,

Always knowing that it's all the self and nothing exists separate from the self.

And when you keep placing your attention on that self,

Amaram Ham Madhuram Ham,

You watch the miracle.

You don't have to make the decisions with the mind,

Should I do this or should I do that,

And is this good for me and is that bad for me?

Your attention being on that self,

Braham,

On that being,

That being knows what's the highest for you,

What's the best for your body,

Where to take it.

And flowing or moving in Braham,

Moving in that awareness,

There is no male,

There is no female.

It's all self.

It's all pure,

Free,

Forever.

And then from knowing that,

The best play of human existence continues.

But for you,

It's not human existence,

It's self-existence,

Because you've renounced that human existence as being the ultimate reality.

And now you know self is the reality.

You know pure,

Free,

Forever is the reality.

And when the forgetfulness comes,

Which can't be helped because that's the nature of the human existence,

Is you forget.

You never really forget,

Because as soon as you forget,

Forgetfulness is really remembering.

Any time you feel bound,

Make the wrong decisions to wear out the system,

To keep the wrong company,

It's just a time to remember and to again strengthen your practice,

Strengthen your commitment.

Because as you practice continually for a long time with that great respect or appreciation for your efforts,

Then the fruits of your efforts will come to you,

That prasad,

That blessing of your own self will shine and you'll be a great light,

Not only for yourself,

For your family,

For the whole world.

Because someone living the vision of oneness,

Living in peace,

Emanates that peace wherever they go and anyone who's interested or who has that atom to go beyond the normal waking state existence and to know something higher,

To reside in that pure state of consciousness,

Will come to you and will ask you.

They don't come to you and ask you,

That's fine,

You can enjoy everyone for who they are and what they are because you know that ultimately they are that same self.

But for those who inquire and want to know,

Then from your own experience,

That direct sat-chat-kar of your own self,

You can share that which you've come to know and help those who are ready on this path.

There's often the expression that the pearl has to have a hole in it in order to be strung into a mala,

Into a string of beads.

So you have that hole in your pearl and that's why you can listen to this.

Others that may not have that,

No problem,

You accept them,

You love them as they are.

But when that pearl begins to open and a hole is there and they begin to ask,

Then you know the solution state,

You know the solution to all problems because it's not based on just the mind solving something,

It's based on knowledge of your true self and turning the attention to that.

Then the solution state is there and you know that for yourself and you can share that with whoever is ready and comes to you.

So the first key is to renounce the ignorance that says I'm separate from the whole,

That says I need this or I need to stop this and then I'll be happy and then I'll be free.

And instead direct the attention to Amaram Ham Madhuram Ham,

I am already pure,

Free,

Forever.

Amaram Ham Madhuram Ham.

Om Shanti,

Om Peace.

His peace is there forever with you.