Tuesday, September 30, 2014

Maurice Frydman - His Life Story. - Your Heart will melt


From: Ramana Periya Puranam (Inner Journey of 75 Old Devotees)
by V. Ganesan, grand nephew of Sri Ramana Maharshi.


Maurice Frydman was a genius.
He was born in a Jewish ghetto in Poland.
He came from such a poor family, that he tasted white bread only at the age of thirteen.
He could read and write Russian, Hebrew and Cyrillic by the age of ten, and could speak fluent Russian, Polish, French, English and Hebrew.
He stood first in his class right from his school days to the time he was a student of electrical engineering.
An extraordinary genius, he had nearly a hundred patents for his engineering inventions by the time he was just twenty.
At the age of twenty five, Maurice had a strong inner urge to seek God.
In the process, he gave up Judaism and took to Russian Orthodoxy.
He became a monk, leading an austere life in a solitary monastery.
On one of the rare occasions he ventured out, he found himself on top of a mighty waterfall. Here, Satan tempted him by saying, “If you have real faith in Jesus Christ and if you really love the church, jump into this waterfall.”
Maurice, very characteristically, jumped immediately into the deep chasm, wearing his monk´s robe. Would Arunachala let anything happen to him? His robe got entangled in some of the shrubs on the precipice, and he was saved! Proof, that when there is earnestness, a thirst to know the truth, the truth will guide us.
All the orthodox dogmas he was practicing failed to lead him to the truth and he became vexed. He sought freedom from bondage of every kind.
This quest led him to the Theosophical Society and to Annie Besant.



The meeting with J. Krishnamurti impressed him the most.
All these meetings took place in 1926.
Krishnamurti declared, “Truth is a pathless land.” And that truth can be arrived at only by applying oneself diligently without being dependent on any kind of external authority.
This approach appealed to Maurice and he had lengthy dialogues on the subject with Krishnamurti. It is on record that Krishnamurti always obliged Maurice whenever he wanted to talk to him.
Maurice had a seething desire to see God and know the truth, but all the while, from 1928 to 1934, he continued working in the electrical industry. He became the general manager of a well known electrical goods manufacturing factory in France.
Yet, his aspiration to know the truth never left him and he started reading the French and German translations of Vedantic treatises like the Upanishads and the Bhagavad Gita.
1935 proved to be the turning point in his spiritual life.
This was when he started reading Paul Brunton‟s books.
The teaching „Who am I?‟ proved to be tremendously enlightening.
The teaching that truth exists within oneself, rather than outside of the Self made him turn within. Paul Brunton´s books kindled the burning desire to visit India and meet the living sage, Bhagavan Sri Ramana Maharshi.



In all these, providence guided him. The diwan of Mysore (a diwan is akin to the chief minister of a state or even, the prime minister of a country) wanted to modernize his state and was touring Europe and England to learn more about the facilities available in these countries. One day, he visited the factory that Maurice Frydman was in charge of. He was so impressed by Maurice‟s sincerity, application and hard work that he requested him, “Will you please come to our state and advise us on how to develop our state?”
In the 1930´s, India was in a very backward condition and technology had really not found a place here. Maurice shot back characteristically, “My bags are packed, sir. I am prepared to leave for India with you.” Such was the beauty of Maurice.



Maurice Frydman arrived in India, the country of his dreams in 1935. He was put in charge of setting up a big electrical goods manufacturing factory since he was an expert in the field. His aspiration, however, was to meet Bhagavan. Despite his busy work schedule, he went to meet him.
From the very first instance, he was prepared to surrender himself to Bhagavan. He would work day and night at the factory. So much so, he became very successful within a short time. On weekends, he would go to Arunachala, where people would greet him with, “Here comes our Maurice.”



During his sojourn, he would talk to his friends and to Bhagavan, questioning Bhagavan often, and Bhagavan would tolerate it all. Bhagavan was spontaneous and natural, reflecting you like a mirror. When someone was totally immersed in spirituality, he too responded by giving himself to them.
People in Ramanasramam commented on his frequent weekly visits, “Maurice, why do you not come once a month or maybe once in two months? You have to spend so much to come here.” Maurice would reply, “What can I do? My battery can take only so much. Within a week it dries up. I have to come here every week to be in Bhagavan´s presence and get it recharged!”



Maurice was extremely close to Bhagavan. He gathered as much as he could about Vedanta, had discussions with others and read up as much as possible about the Hindu scriptures. He read that if one wanted final emancipation, one had to take sanyas. He approached Bhagavan and enquired, “Bhagavan, this is what the Hindu scriptures say. Will you please give me sanyas?”
Bhagavan remained silent - but you know our dear Maurice.
He was persistent in his appeal.



One day, he approached Bhagavan on the hill and said, “Bhagavan, give me sanyas. I want to renounce the world and strive towards enlightenment.”
Bhagavan, in a very compassionate tone, answered,
“Sanyas is taken from within; not from without.”
Maurice‟s face fell at the response.
Bhagavan, like a mother, looked at Maurice and explained,
“You are already a sanyasin. Why do you want to take up ochre robes?”
Maurice did not give up. He kept asking Bhagavan for sanyas, and Bhagavan repeatedly answered, “There is no need for sanyas.”



So, what did Maurice with his ingenious, inventive brain do?
He went to Swami Ramdas - a realized soul - in Anandashram.
Somehow, he convinced Swami Ramdas to give him sanyas.
Swami Ramdas gave him the outward sanyas that he so desperately desired. Maurice was given a new name. He was called Swami Bharatananda, which means „one who delights staying in India.‟
Maurice became close to Swami Ramdas.
Once, Swami Ramdas told him, “Maurice, Swami Bharatananda, this is your last birth.” Being a great sage, he could understand the greatness of Maurice Frydman. 



One day, while Bhagavan was coming down the hill, Maurice came and stood in front of him, dressed in the ochre robes and beads of a Hindu monk. Maurice was rather anxious because he wanted his master to approve of what he had done. Seeing him, Bhagavan started laughing. Then, Bhagavan smilingly said to his attendant, “Hey, he looks like a buffoon in a circus.”


Maurice understood. All his life he had been a true sanyasin from within. Consequently, his attachment to wearing ochre robes continued only for a few more years. That is what Bhagavan meant when he said, “Sanyas is to give up attachment,” because Maurice never had any kind of attachment.


Even while working in the factory, Maurice led a very austere life. He refused to accept his monthly salary of three thousand rupees - an incredibly huge amount in those days. He declined the amount, saying, “I do not want it. Give it to the workers fund.”


As for sleeping, once the shops closed for the night, he slept on the porch of one of the shops. And what did this big boss, this top man working at the factory have for lunch? While all the other workers trooped into the dining hall to eat the lunch that they had brought from home, Maurice would stand at the dining hall´s entrance, clad in his ochre robes and with his begging bowl in his hands. This was in the spirit of a true sanyasin. The workers, who loved him very much, would first put something in the begging bowl before going into the dining room to eat. Not only that, Maurice stitched his own clothes. He wore only khadi pyjamas and kurtas made out of cloth from the yarn that he himself had spun on the charkha, a traditional, Indian spinning wheel. Even his footwear was stitched by him! He led a remarkably simple life, but he was happy and content. He didn´t gloat about his way of life or relent from it - he was just tremendously happy.


Maurice´s association with Bhagavan remained close and regular. Just like the child questions the mother, so too, Maurice put forth a lot of incisive questions to Bhagavan on the practical aspects of sadhana. It was not to satisfy his intellectual curiosity that he asked them. Bhagavan would patiently answer his questions. Maurice used to record these exchanges and then show the record to Bhagavan and get it corrected. This was later published as Maharshi‟s Gospel on the occasion of Bhagavan‟s sixtieth birthday in 1939. From that year onwards, this book has been guiding true seekers.
Even today it remains a beautiful guide for serious seekers. I always recommend three books to sincere seekers for study - The Maharshi and His Message, Words of Grace and Maharshi´s Gospel.



It was during such close interaction with Bhagavan, that Maurice wrote a series of moving verses. Bhagavan read them with great interest. In two of these verses Maurice says:
“So long I have been on this stage to please thee.
My eyes are blinded by the light of thy play.
My ears are deafened by the rolling thunder of thy laughter.
My heart is turned to ashes by the flame of real sorrow.
My lord, to please thee I have made a fool of myself.
And now I am unable to stop the agony of the play.
My lord, drag me down from this stage.


Master, I have forgotten the way in and the way out.”


Bhagavan was happy to read through the verses. He said that this was exactly what had been written by Appayya Dikshitar, a sage who lived several centuries ago. His verses in Sanskrit were written on palm leaves and many people were not aware of them. Bhagavan said that Appaya Dikshitar‟s verses describe the situation of the court dancer performing in the presence of the king. She cannot stop dancing unless it pleases the king to tell her to stop. The dancer´s limbs may ache but she cannot stop of her own accord. She cries, “Oh lord, I am weary of the many births and deaths that I have endured. One glance from you, oh lord, is sufficient to put an end to this dance of birth and death and grant me release.”


Bhagavan paused before saying,
“Maurice Frydman belongs here.
Somehow, he was born abroad but he has come here again.
Otherwise, how is it possible for him to compose verses similar to Appayya Dikshitar?”



Bhagavan made Maurice continue his dance by not asking him to come down.
As we are going to see, he had to continue performing on the world stage because he was a karma yogi who still had a lot of good deeds to perform. So, Maurice flowed along with the state of things and continued working busily in the factory. Apa Pant, the prince of Audh, who had studied in England, was sent to the Maharaja of Mysore for training in the art of governance. In the course of his training, he was asked to visit the factory in which Maurice was the managing director. When he went to the factory, Apa Pant, himself a calm and collected person, could not help being drawn to Maurice‟s brilliance and dedication. Likewise, Maurice too took a great liking to Apa Pant and started guiding him spiritually. He also impressed upon the young prince, the need to focus on development in the villages of his state and to take science and technology there so that life became easier and smoother for the peasants. Apa Pant then told Maurice, “Please come to our state and stay there for at least five or six months and guide us.”



One fine day soon after this, the prince found Maurice in his palace. Maurice told the prince, “I have come to you. I have resigned my job in Bangalore. I would like to serve the villages of the Audh state!” The poor prince (poor, not literally) did not know what to say. He could only say, “This state cannot afford to pay an engineer like you.” Maurice, in his very characteristic manner said, “I will sleep on the floor in that room. Just give me an Indian desk to work on. I have got legs to walk and I will take you on my walks. We will both work together in the villages of Audh. Now, if you could give me some food, I am hungry.”


Maurice was always telegraphic, but very, very clear!
Wherever he was, Maurice remained in correspondence with Bhagavan.
We have to understand that inside he was all the time in the presence of Bhagavan.
In one of his letters to Bhagavan, he wrote,
“The Maharshi is with me not only when I think of him, but also when I am not thinking of him. Otherwise, how do I live?”



Apa Pant and Maurice started working together. You will be surprised to know that Maurice´s office was under the shade of a huge tree in a village. He lived in the villages he visited and worked very hard for them. Maurice heard about Mahatma Gandhi´s deep interest in bringing decentralized democracy into the villages in order to empower them. He set out to meet Mahatma Gandhi to learn more about the process. Mahatma Gandhi took to Maurice immediately; he addressed Maurice only as Bharatananda; everyone in his Sevashram addressed him in the same manner. Gandhi found that Maurice was not only a hard worker but also an inventor who was using the Indian charkha. By way of blessing, Mahatma Gandhi asked Maurice, “Why do you not invent something by which we can produce yarn more quickly?” Maurice immediately invented a new charka called Dhanush Takli. The extraordinary thing about the new invention was that one could produce three times the yarn with the same energy that was spent on the traditional charka. Mahatma Gandhi was, needless to say, extremely pleased!


Whether Maurice was with Bhagavan, Mahatma Gandhi or J. Krishnamurti, his method of first questioning, experimenting and experiencing the truth at every level, and only then accepting and following it, remained the same. Such was his nature. This is exactly how he led the seventy five villages that he was reforming. He loved the poor, uneducated villagers and was so compassionate towards them that they felt purified in his presence; in fact, they addressed him as „Swami‟. Maurice was successful in his venture in the villages and very soon the whole of India became aware of the kind of life Maurice was leading. By this time, Bhagavan and Mahatma Gandhi had dropped their bodies. This was a great setback for Maurice but he decided to rededicate himself to the cause they had taken up because he felt he was still on stage and had to play the outward game.


Maurice went to Varanasi to stay in the Krishnamurti institution there. He implemented the reform programmes in the surrounding villages. Krishnamurti‟s followers were also great admirers of Buddhism since the teachings of the Buddha and Krishnamurti were similar in many aspects. Senior followers of Krishnamurti like Achyut Patwardhan became very close to Maurice. This also happened to be during the Tibetan turmoil, when the communists in China were in the mood for seizing power. When Maurice heard about the tumult, he swung into action because at that time Apa Pant had just become the governor of Sikkim. Without wasting time, he immediately went to Sikkim and met Apa Pant.


He told Apa Pant, with gusto, “You are going to be of great use to me! We have an important mission to accomplish here because we have to save His Holiness the Dalai Lama, all the old Buddhist manuscripts and thousands of Tibetans.” Characteristic of him, Maurice immediately took Apa Pant to Delhi to meet Jawaharlal Nehru, the then Prime Minister of India. Maurice, the diligent worker, already had by this time the road map to successfully carry out the rescue plan. Both Maurice and Achyut Patwardhan related to me how they had worked a plan for the escape of His Holiness.


It was eventually the blueprint laid down by Maurice that Nehru followed in getting His Holiness out of Tibet. They fed the Chinese government with wrong information on the flight of His Holiness and ultimately the Indian government acted in a contrary manner. The day His Holiness escaped to India, so did hundreds of fellow Tibetans. His Holiness came with many old Buddhist manuscripts, now preserved in the museum in Sarnath. Thus, thousands of priceless manuscripts were saved from the destructive hands of communist China. When the Dalai Lama entered India, Maurice planned it in such a manner, that Achyut Patwardhan would meet the Dalai Lama and give him the details. Yet, there is no mention of Maurice in any of the books related to either the Dalai Lama‟s escape or the smuggling in of Buddhist manuscripts from Tibet.


I have never seen a person as self effacing as Maurice.
Similarly, there was no mention of Maurice‟s name in the Maharshi´s Gospel originally; only now is his name being mentioned.


At the time of the Tibetan struggle, Jawaharlal Nehru very bluntly said, “My hands are tied.” Maurice immediately travelled all over India, spending his own money, in order to find refuge for hundreds of Tibetan refugees. Maurice sought cooler places for the refugees and established five settlements. If the Tibetans enjoy a peaceful existence in India today, it is because of this Jewish mystic saint, whose name is not mentioned anywhere!

Discovering the capability of this man in bringing a semblance of order even in the most chaotic situations, Nehru requested Maurice to take over the khadi movement. It had initially been started by Gandhi, but was later in total disarray. This meant that Maurice had to go to Mumbai. Here, he stayed with an old friend of his, Miss Petite.

Bhagavan gave me the opportunity to meet Maurice in Mumbai.
I had earlier met him at the ashram in the 1960´s during the rare visits that he made. Again, I met him when I went to Mumbai in the 70´s to collect funds for the advertisements for Ramanasramam´s journal, The Mountain Path.


Maurice then told me, “While your body is engaged in running the ashram, your heart should be totally settled in that pure awareness of truth.
Never miss that, whatever you are doing.”


We used to have beautiful private conversations. Once, Maurice confessed to me in all seriousness, “The burning regret for us is that probably full advantage was not taken of those happy and precious days when Bhagavan was with us physically - eating, talking, laughing and openly available to us all. Reality was there in abundance in our midst for the taking, and anyone could take it. But, we enclosed ourselves in our false humility, in procrastination, and false excuses. We took therefore, a cupful, when the ocean was at our feet!”

On yet another occasion, he prodded me on, just to give me a push:
“See, Bhagavan is not the person. He is the teaching. As the teaching, he is fully available to you. In addition to whatever work you are doing, plunge within and taste awareness inwardly. That awareness is our Bhagavan.”


Maurice used to take me for long walks in Mumbai. He would tell me,
“I will not provide you with a car; I will not even take you by bus; you have to walk wherever you go, along with me. Are you prepared?” With hands folded in a namaste, I would answer, “Would I hesitate to be in the proximity of the truth of reality?”
Maurice was a spiritual giant, but physically he was less than five feet tall.
Surely no one would hesitate to walk next to him! 


On one of these walks, Maurice said, “Ganesan, today I am going to take you to the place where I met a simple man selling beedis.”
As we were walking towards the place, Maurice narrated,
“I saw a group of people smoking beedis; they were relating their woes of life. This simple man answered them exactly in the manner of Ramana Maharshi. Had Ramana Maharshi spoken in Marathi, it would have been the same! I stopped in my tracks and listened intently. It was astounding to see an ordinary man selling beedis talking so spontaneously! I started going to the place every day and noting down what he says. I would then go home and translate all the questions and answers into English.”


However, Maurice was ridden with guilt because he had not sought the permission of this person. He informed the man what he had been doing and read out all his writings, translating them into Marathi.
The man was delighted and told Maurice, “Go on recording, go ahead!”
This was later published as I am That -
a publication that shook the entire spiritual world.
This man was none other than Nisargadatta Maharaj. 


Later on, after I had met Maharaj, I told Maurice,
“Whatever you say is absolutely true. I can feel Bhagavan´s presence in his presence. The teaching of Bhagavan comes from him spontaneously.”


Maurice always used to encourage me, “Come on and narrate to me the dialogue that you had with Maharaj.” He would add, “Being a spiritual seeker, associating with sages and saints will deepen your understanding; it will help you go deeper and experience it. Reading improves only intellectual understanding. This experience oriented understanding will happen, whether you have understood it or not, only in the presence of realized masters.”
Saying this, he encouraged me to go to Maharaj. 


I was unable to be with Maurice Frydman in his last days.
But I was happy to understand from a devotee of Bhagavan who was also Nisargadatta Maharaj´s devotee, that Bhagavan himself looked after him. The devotee told me about a nurse in Mumbai who normally charged a huge fee for her services. This nurse had a dream, in which a sadhu wearing only a loin cloth told her very clearly, “My devotee is suffering. Go and attend on him.” The sadhu also gave her precise directions to reach Maurice´s residence. The nurse went to the place described in the dream the next day and found Maurice Frydman in bed. Miss Petite was older than Maurice and she too was helpless and unattended. The nurse immediately offered her services. Maurice´s austere attitude would not allow him to accept her services and so he refused. Disappointed, the nurse was leaving the room when she saw a picture of Ramana Maharshi there. She turned to Maurice and exclaimed, “This is the sadhu who appeared in my dream.” Maurice, visibly moved, said, “So, my master has come to look after me.” The nurse served him till the end. Apa Pant, who looked upon Maurice as his guru, was present during Maurice‟s last days. I would like to quote Apa‟s own words: “The sage is dying,” whispered a soft voice over the phone from Mumbai. “The sage is asking for you. Apa, come as soon as you can.” When I arrived, Miss Petite, the doctor and the nurse complained to me that Maurice was refusing to eat and take medicine. They implored me to make Maurice eat and take medicine - as if anyone could make Maurice do anything that he did not want to! There he lay in his familiar room, with everything meticulously clean and in its proper place. As I approached him reverentially, he shouted, „Apa, who is dying?‟ The next day, he drove everyone out of the room, ordering them to leave him alone with me. Then, he said beautifully, „Apa, I hear music. I see the bright light. Who dies? No one is dying. This diseased body is keeping me away from that harmonious beauty. Do not let them keep me in this body. Go now in peace.‟ The next day, we were all at his bedside as he breathed his last. Three breaths, “Hari Om, Hari Om, Hari Om,” and he was gone.


Nisargadatta Maharaj was also at his bedside, so I asked him, „Maharaj, where is Maurice going? What is happening to him?‟ Maharaj replied, „Nothing is happening. No one is dying, for no one is born.‟ Then I asked him, „Then why this sorrow, this emptiness, this loss, Maharaj?‟ Maharaj graciously turned to me and said, „Who is feeling the sorrow? Who is feeling the emptiness? Who is feeling the loss?‟ I remained silent.

Within hours, in the presence of Nisargadatta Maharaj, the remains of what we called Maurice Frydman were consumed in the fire. The remains had returned to their original order. The great devotee, Maurice Frydman, had returned to the source, Arunachala. 

Once, I went to Nisargadatta Maharaj´s house because he had asked me to stay with him. I stayed there for eight days. In the morning, from eight to ten, he would ask me to be seated while he did pooja. There were photographs of saints such as Ramakrishna Paramahamsa, the Buddha, Jesus Christ, Ramana Maharshi, and yes, even Maurice Frydman, in his room. Maharaj would apply sandal, vermillion powder and perfume to the photographs and garland them. As he was doing this ritual one day, I was asking myself, “Why is he doing this?” He turned to me and said in a compassionate tone,
“Maurice Frydman was a jnani. He was a saint, a sage.”
This is undeniably true.


Maurice Frydman has blessed us all by bringing to us the essence of the teachings of Ramana Maharshi and Nisargadatta Maharaj.

How fortunate we are to be able to share the life of such a great person, a person who wanted to remain unnoticed and unseen.

So much so, that the first edition of The Maharshi‟s Gospel compiled by Maurice did not even bear his name!

We sincere seekers of truth must cling to him in our Heart.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Book: Maharshi´s Gospel:
http://selfdefinition.org/ramana/Maharshi%27s-Gospel.pdf
**********
Book: I Am That:
http://selfdefinition.org/nisargadatta/Nisargadatta_I_Am_That.pdf

Friday, September 26, 2014

Sadhguru explains on the significance of just being a housewife and working women.















 Juhi Chawla: Today, many women in our modern society are stepping out and having a career. What do you think about women having a career, managing a home and being financially independent?

Sadhguru: Every woman should do what she wants to do as an individual. It should not be made into a trend in society or be the only right thing to do in the world. I think that if a woman intends to have two children and raise them, it is a full time job. I am not saying she should not go out and work. If she wishes to, as an individual, she is free to do what she wants. But having two children is not about reproduction. You are manufacturing the next generation of people. How the world will be tomorrow will be determined by what kind of mothers you have today.

I have asked many ladies, “What are you doing?” They say, “Oh, I am just a housewife.” I say, “Why do you say, you are just a housewife?” They do not seem to understand the significance of being able to nurture two or three new lives. It is a very important job. My mother never went about telling me, “I love you” or anything of this kind. It is just that she simply lived; it never occurred to us whether she loved us or not. Such questions never came because her whole life was dedicated to us. We know she lived for us. And I cannot imagine that part of my life without her being around.

My mother never played an active role in what I am, but without the ambience that she set for me¸ I would never be what I am. She gave her life to set that ambience, knowing fully well it will play out somewhere. That has been the most important thing she did for me. Why would anybody think this is not an important job? In early life, we never had to think about anything. She simply made sure the background was always there. We lived unconcerned about what was happening around us; this is what gave me the possibility of sitting with my eyes closed for days on end.

Right now, we have made the whole world into economics. Money is just procurement of things that you need. Men were procuring and women were talking about the more beautiful aspects of life. Now, women also want to procure. If there is such an economic need in the family – fine, she must do it — but it must not be set up as something better to do. If she sings, plays music or cooks — or if she just loves her children — she lives beautifully, like a flower. It is good enough.

It should not be that a woman is only doing something valuable if she earns money. If there is an economic need, or if she has a passion for it, she can do it. But let us not set up such values in the world. Society would not be evolving; it would be regressing by making survival more important than the aesthetics of life.

Love & Grace,
Sadhguru.

Wednesday, September 24, 2014

MEDITATE WITH YOUR EYES OPEN - Sri Papaji









I will tell you the secret of sitting meditation, standing meditation, walking meditation, sleeping meditation, dreaming meditation and active meditation in the battle field as a soldier. Let me speak from my own experience, as I never speak from what I have heard or read. It is better first to experience, and then to speak.

In 1953 I was loading a ship in Mangalore, at a time when I was dealing in Manganese Ore. I stayed there the whole day for the loading, and once the hatches were closed I got a bank draft from the captain to certify that the ship had been loaded with 10,000 tons of Manganese Ore for Rotterdam. I wanted to cash the draft immediately at the bank in Bangalore, which was about 500 miles away. It was already about 9pm, and I had to reach the bank by morning. I was exhausted as I had been working offshore for the whole day from early in the morning until late in the night. I was not near the wharf where I could easily get out of the ship, and it was very hot. I decided that I should rest before beginning my journey, and then start early in the morning. But then I realized that the banks would be closed, and it would be better to cross the mountain pass and have a coffee and a nap on the other side, and then go to Bangalore. The road over the hill climbed from the town at sea level up to five thousand feet making eleven hairpin bends.
I don’t know what happened. I could not stop on the mountain road because there were wild elephants which had lifted cars up in the air and thrown them in the valley, one mile below. It was better to keep going, and then to rest.

When I arrived on the other side of the hill, my head was resting on the steering wheel. I woke up from a deep sleep, feeling very fresh, no longer even needing a cup of coffee. I continued the journey to Bangalore, having had a complete, sound, deep sleep. My head was resting on the steering wheel, I was feeling so fresh that I no longer needed a rest or a coffee, as though I had slept for eight hours. Who drove the car? This is a problem I have never been able to solve. Even in the waking state drivers have accidents, but I was fast asleep. The road was narrow, no more than fifteen feet, on one side was a high mountain, on the other side was a very steep valley. And I cut eleven hairpin bends. Who drove the car? I have never been able to find the answer to this.


The other incident I want to describe to you happened in Lucknow. I was walking to the GPO, from Kaiserbagh, in front of what is now Janpath market. I always kept a very safe distance, walking on the left side of the road, because sometimes I could never get out of meditation at all! I was neither troubling anyone else, nor was I troubled by anyone. An old model Ford car came down the street, a 1934 or 36 model with footrests hanging on the side. These days cars no longer have footrests. The car hit me so hard that the footrest fell off, onto the ground. People gathered around me, saying they had noted down the number. The car had sped away, leaving only the footrest. They wanted to know if I was hurt, and to go to the police. My pants were torn, and when I pulled them up, the car had struck me from behind. There was a little bloodstain on th back of the knee, but nothing more. I told them i was perfectly alright.

When you are in meditation, you do not need to look after yourself. A power will rise, which is moving the earth, which is causing the sun to shine, which is giving the moon its brilliance, and which is allowing all these jivas to function as they want to. If you are attuned to that power, you will have nothing to do, everything will be beautiful. That power will look after you in a way which you cannot manage. A man operating from his senses gets into many accidents. But I did not fall into the valley, i slept. Who took care of me? This is the greatest mistake, to fall asleep at the steering wheel, one is advised to be well rested before driving. Who cared for me?

That power is there, but you are not looking at it. It is so compassionate that it will look after you. You have been denying it, and depending on your own ego. Even this ego is getting its power from somewhere else, to become ego, to become mind, to think, to become the senses and to allow you to function. When you turn your face towards it, it will arise to help you, otherwise you cannot save yourself. How long can you be aware and careful?
Meditation means no meditator, and no object of meditation, then you can do whatever you like. When the meditator is there, it is ego. This is not something to be decided intellectually, it has to be directly experienced. There is no end to argument and logic, that has nothing to do with it. This is your own mother, your own supreme power which is here and now.

If you close your eyes you will see who is responsible. you do not have to travel even a yard out of your own Self, you do not have to take one step, you do not need to think or even to meditate. You do not have to do anything, just keep quiet as you are, and you have got it, if you try to search you have lost it. There is nothing to search for, it is that through which the search is taking place. It is that which is found after searching has ceased. If you know this, it is enough, if you don’t you will never find rest in millions of years. You have already passed through 8.4 million species, if you are fatigued, then you will see this. If you want to hitchhike some more, the goal will not be attained, you can continue as you like, and it will never end. If you want to end, everything is ended now. If you want to continue, it will continue. As you think, so you become, this is a formula. You think ‘I am in trouble’ and you are in trouble, you think ‘I am free’ and you are free. If you are attached to any object you are in trouble, you are in suffering, there is manifestation. If you want to end this, it is seized immediately in the recognition “I am free”. That is all there is to it, what time do you need?

Papaji in Lucknow Satsang house, Dec. 5-6, 1991

Are you sure that you are awake during the day ?

 







Osho : It will take a little time to move into sleep with awareness because you are not even aware when you are awake. You move, in fact, in your waking also as if you are deep asleep, a somnambulist, a sleepwalker not very awake really. Just because the eyes are open don’t think that you are awake. Awakening means that whatsoever you are doing or whatsoever is happening moment to moment, you are doing it in full mindfulness. Even if I raise my hand to make a gesture to you, I am making it in full consciousness. It can be made in a robot-like way, mechanical; you are not aware of what is happening in the hand. In fact, you have not moved it at all; it has moved on its own, it is unconscious. That’s why it is so difficult to penetrate your own sleep.

But if one tries... The first effort to be made is: while you are awake be more awake, because from there the effort has to be started. Walking on the street, walk mindfully, as if you are doing something very important. It is very significant. Each step should be taken in full awareness. If you can do that, only then you can enter into sleep. Right now you have a very faint awareness. The moment your conscious mind goes off, that faint awareness disappears like a small ripple. It has no energy; it is very, very faint, just a flicker, just a zero-voltage phenomenon. You have to bring more energy to it, so much energy that when the conscious mind goes off, awareness continues on its own – and you fall asleep with awareness. This can happen if you do other activities with awareness – walking, eating, sleeping, taking your bath. 

The whole day, whatsoever you are doing, it becomes just an excuse for the inner training of mindfulness. So the activity becomes secondary; awareness through that activity becomes primary. 

When by the night you drop all activity and you go to sleep, that awareness continues. Even while you are falling asleep the awareness becomes a watcher that, yes, the body is falling asleep.
By and by, the body is relaxing.
Not that you verbalize, you simply watch.
By and by, thoughts are disappearing.
You watch the gaps.
By and by, the world is very, very distant.
You are moving into the basement of your being, the unconscious.

If you can fall down asleep with awareness, only then the continuity will be there in the night. That is what Patanjali means, ”Meditate on the knowledge that sleep brings.”

What is the state of your mind when you listen ?

Is it logical ?
Is it heart-to-heart communion ?
Is it in the State of Emptiness ?


Osho : Mind has three dimensions. Just as matter has three dimensions, mind also has three dimensions. Only one dimension is conscious, another dimension is unconscious, and still another dimension is there which is superconscious. These three dimensions are of the mind – just like the matter, because deep down mind is also matter. Or, you can say it otherwise, that matter is also mind. It has to be so, because only one exists.

Mind is subtle matter; matter is gross mind. But ordinarily man lives only in one dimension, the conscious. Sleep belongs to the unconscious; dreaming belongs to the unconscious. Meditation,  ecstasy, belong to the superconscious, just like waking and thinking belong to the conscious. So, we have to go slowly into this phenomenon of mind.

The first thing about mind to be remembered is, it is just like an iceberg – the topmost part is on the surface; you can see it, but it is only one-tenth of the whole. Nine-tenths is hidden underneath. You  cannot see it ordinarily unless you move in the depth. But these are only two dimensions. There is a third dimension – as if a part of the iceberg has evaporated and has become a small cloud and  hovers in the sky. It is difficult to reach to the unconscious; it is almost impossible to reach to that cloud – of course, part of the same iceberg, but evaporated.

That’s why meditation is so difficult, samadhi so arduous. It takes one’s total energy. It demands one’s total devotion. Only then does the vertical movement into the cloud-like phenomenon of the superconscious become possible. The conscious is there; you are listening to me from the conscious. If you are thinking what I am saying, if you are inside making a sort of dialogue with whatsoever I am saying, a sort of commentary goes on inside, this is the conscious mind.

But you can listen to me without thinking – in deep love, heart-to-heart, not in any way verbalizing what I am saying, judging what I am saying, right or wrong, no. No valuation – you simply listen in deep love, as if the mind has passed, and the heart listens and beats with joy. Then the unconscious is listening. Then whatsoever I say will go very deep to your roots.

But the third possibility is also there, that you can listen through the superconscious. Then even love is a disturbance – very subtle, but even love is a disturbance. Then there is nothing, no thought, no feeling. You simply become a void, an emptiness, end to end. And into that emptiness falls whatsoever I say and whatsoever I am. Then you are listening from the super-conscious.

Source : The alpha and omega : volume 3

Saturday, September 20, 2014

U.Shrinivas (Srinivas)- Hidden trails



The Ecstasy of experiencing the "I Am"

Once, I asked Chadwick, “Are you realized?” I have put this question to all of the old devotees like Muruganar, Cohen, Osborne, Sadhu Natanananda, Devaraja Mudaliar and others. None of them either said yes or no - all smiled. When I asked him whether he was realized, he did not say yes or no.
Instead, he told me, “I will tell you what happened. After many years of my stay with Bhagavan - four or five years, I committed the mistake of trying to evaluate how much I have progressed spiritually. This is a thing any seeker should not do. I felt that I have not progressed. Many who saw me in Ramanasramam, looked at me like I was a sage or a saint saying, „Oh! He is so fortunate. He is so close to Bhagavan. He meditates so much. He is already in that state.‟ 


This created a contradiction in me as I personally felt that I was not progressing spiritually. However, having left the material life I could not go back to a worldly life either. I felt caught between the devil and the deep sea. I was sorrow stricken. I ran to Bhagavan‟s hall. He was alone. I told him, „Bhagavan, this is my plight. I am neither here nor there and this causes much sorrow in me.‟ Bhagavan looked at me compassionately and said, „Chadwick, who says all this?‟

Immediately, there was a current like shock in my body and I literally ran to my room, shut the doors and went into a neutral state. I was not bothered whether I was spiritually maturing or whether I would be able to stay in the world. I was in a neutral state of silence. A few days passed like that wherein I was neither happy nor worried.”


The only luxury that Chadwick allowed himself was taking his bath in a bath tub which he had in the verandah of his cottage. One day, shortly after the above incident, something happened unexpectedly. As Chadwick told me later, “I was taking my bath and very honestly Ganesan, I was not in a spiritual state or in a prayerful mood when it suddenly dawned - the „I AM‟!” He experienced it - not just as words. He was so ecstatic that he did not even dry himself. He just wrapped a towel around his waist and ran to the Old Hall from where a few days back he had run away.

Fortunately, this time too, Bhagavan was alone. In this spiritual ecstasy of experiencing the „I AM‟, where there was no Chadwick, just the „I AM‟, he asked Bhagavan, “Bhagavan, is THIS it?” Chadwick recounted, “Bhagavan gave me the most glorious smile, and then confirmed, „Yes, Chadwick, THIS is THAT!‟ I then asked him, „Bhagavan, is it so simple?‟ Bhagavan replied, „Yes it is that simple.‟ Since then, I‟ve never had any doubt.”
Ramana Periya Puranam

Thursday, September 18, 2014

This is truly Self-help - Papaji.

When you are out walking and you become tired you stop, you sit down, you relax. So when you get tired of trying to find solutions to your problems, when you find no solution, sit down. By sit down I mean, don’t try to solve the problem at all - the problem is in the past, it is not now. Don't think about past problems, just leave them alone and sit down. This is the moment of relaxation. You only have to allow this, listen to it, do not do anything. Just listen: Don't go to the past. The past is a problem, the past is mind. When you go to the past all will be problems so don't go to the past. The mind is the past and the past is a graveyard. Don't go to the graveyard. All problems are dead, so return to this moment without trying to solve the problem. Trying has put you in trouble, so don't touch this trying any more.

Simply sit down, keep quiet. Keep quiet for one moment. This is the moment you need, this is the moment of rest. Keep quiet for a moment without going to the past and you will find relaxation. There is no other way - simply do not think of the past. First help yourself - which means to not think - and then if you still need to you can ask me for help.

Just for this moment do not think, but direct your mind to its Source. Bring the mind which is thinking - which is going to the past - to face this present moment, and this will give you eternal rest. Help yourself not to look to past moments and do you find any problems? In this moment, without going to the past, where is the problem? Has it gone away? Then you have helped yourself. This is truly Self help.

~ Papaji

Wednesday, September 17, 2014

"Vivaha" - Launching of Consecrated Marriages using Bhuta Shuddhi Process


We will be launching Vivaha — a certain form of consecration for marriages. This is a very ancient form, probably not in vogue for quite some time. Its origin is in the yogic system, where the fundamental process is Bhuta Shuddhi, which means having knowledge and mastery over the magic of the five elements. The whole system of yoga is focused on this.






When one wants to transcend, he takes to sanyas and uses the methods of Bhuta Shuddhi to bypass life. But for those who have succumbed to the ways of life, or have fallen in love with the process of life and are not just focused on the ultimate goal, there is another system. The same process of Bhuta Shuddhi can be used to bring a maximum sense of involvement and merger between two people, with minimum sense of entanglement.


What Bhuta Shuddhi means on one level is purification of the five elements. The refinement of the elements will determine what type of life anyone or anything becomes. In its grossest form, a life form will be inanimate. As it refines, it becomes many things; a human being is supposed to be the highest level of refinement. If a human being refines further, the possibility of touching divinity is there, and this is what the whole system of yoga is about. This refinement of elements also brings a certain union. The separation of each individual form is actually determined by the grossness of the elements in every human being.


At times, you feel trapped in the limitations of your physical boundaries. There are other moments when you feel like you are part of everything else. This is essentially determined by how the elements are functioning within you. With just these five, what a magnificent mischief has been created in the form of the Cosmos and in the form of life.





With Radhe and Sandeep’s marriage, we set this process. We are now making it available to the world. We will be training people of a certain integrity and devotion to make this process available to everyone. For those of you who are interested in offering this to others, you may contact us, particularly if you are a married couple.

Offering this service to the bride, groom and their families can be the most valued and important process in their lives. The nature of Vivaha is such that the benefit is not only for the bride and the groom, but for everyone who witnesses and engages in it.

Love & Grace,
Sadhguru.

Source Link : http://www.ishafoundation.org/blog/sadhguru/spot/launching-vivaha/

Friday, September 5, 2014

Win or Lose. Its all the same.

Robert Adams : When you awaken something happens that is unexplainable. There are no human words to explain. When you awaken you just understand, not even understand, you know, you feel, and those words are inadequate, you become… divine harmony. You are no longer fooled by person, place or thing. You no longer react. 

As an example, someone tells you, "Oh, you won the lotto, you won fifty billion dollars." It's OK. You do not become a slave to that. Someone tells you, "You lost fifty billion dollars." Same thing, same reaction. You do not become a slave to that. 

When Ramana Maharshi was being robbed by robbers his devotees wanted to attack the robbers, and he said, "No, no, no. It's our dharma to be what we are, and it's their dharma to be what they are. We should not interfere in their dharma. Therefore give them what they want." And that's very profound. We are spiritual people. The world is not. Therefore we act in accordance with spiritual principles. What this really means is we, as human beings, become last, not first. That's what Jesus meant when he said, "Those who go first will be last, and those who are last will be 
first." 

You have to develop a great humility. Do not long for anything. Do not long to be famous, or rich, or great. And do not say, "I want to be poor and have nothing," either. They're both wrong. Just be yourself. When you are yourself you will be amazed how the universe takes care of you. It'slike the body with vitaminsand medicines. Your body, you know, is a natural healing factory. It really knows how to heal itself. But when we start taking too many vitamins and not enough sugar (he laughs), when we start taking medicines too much, the body says, "Well, you have made that into your god, so now you've got to depend on it." And then you have to keep gulping vitamins for the rest of your life or you get sick. Really, think about that.Robert Adams : When you awaken something happens that is unexplainable. There are no human words to explain. When you awaken you just understand, not even understand, you know, you feel, and those words are inadequate, you become… divine harmony. You are no longer fooled by person, place or thing. You no longer react.

As an example, someone tells you, "Oh, you won the lotto, you won fifty billion dollars." It's OK. You do not become a slave to that. Someone tells you, "You lost fifty billion dollars." Same thing, same reaction. You do not become a slave to that. 

When Ramana Maharshi was being robbed by robbers his devotees wanted to attack the robbers, and he said, "No, no, no. It's our dharma to be what we are, and it's their dharma to be what they are. We should not interfere in their dharma. Therefore give them what they want." And that's very profound. We are spiritual people. The world is not. Therefore we act in accordance with spiritual principles. What this really means is we, as human beings, become last, not first. That's what Jesus meant when he said, "Those who go first will be last, and those who are last will be first."

You have to develop a great humility. Do not long for anything. Do not long to be famous, or rich, or great. And do not say, "I want to be poor and have nothing," either. They're both wrong. Just be yourself. When you are yourself you will be amazed how the universe takes care of you. It'slike the body with vitaminsand medicines. Your body, you know, is a natural healing factory. It really knows how to heal itself. But when we start taking too many vitamins and not enough sugar (he laughs), when we start taking medicines too much, the body says, "Well, you have made that into your god, so now you've got to depend on it." And then you have to keep gulping vitamins for the rest of your life or you get sick. Really, think about that.

Osho defines on five categories of Teacher. Happy Teacher's Day

in India we have five categories of teachers.

Arihanta
The first category is called the ‪#‎Arihanta‬; he’s a teacher and also a master. Being a master means that he has realized what he says. For example, Jesus will be called an Arihanta because whatsoever he says is his own realization. He says, “It is on my own authority.”

Siddha
The second category is called the ‪#‎Siddha‬. The Siddha is only a master. He has realized but he’s incapable of communicating it. He cannot say what he has realized; in a way he is dumb. And there have been many saints in the world who have not spoken because they cannot manage to bring the beyond within the words. That too is called a Buddha, a teacher.

Acharya
The third category is called an ‪#‎Acharya‬ – who is only a teacher but not a master. He knows exactly what he’s teaching, but not on his own authority. The Pope is an Acharya. If Jesus is an Arihanta, then the Pope is an Acharya. He is speaking on the authority of the Bible, not on his own authority.

Ubadhyay
The fourth category is called ‪#‎Ubadhyay‬ – one who is not even certain of what he says. Perhaps fragments are true. P.D. Ouspensky has written a book on Gurdjieff: In Search of the Miraculous. Its subtitle is “Fragments of an Unknown Teaching”, and he’s very true in writing the subtitle – only fragments, because he could understand only parts of it; parts were beyond him. He’s also called a teacher.

Sadhu
And the fifth is called a ‪#‎Sadhu‬. A Sadhu is one who has not achieved but is trying sincerely to achieve. He may be just one foot ahead of you, but he can teach that much. He cannot claim the achievement; he cannot say with certainty that this is so.

English is poor in that way, it has only two words. English is poor in many ways, particularly as far as religion is concerned, but is bound to be so. Eastern languages are poor in scientific terms. So you have only one word, teacher, for everything. You can call me a teacher but to us it means a very lower category.

I am an Arihanta. You can call me a super teacher, because I speak on my own authority. I don’t have to rely on Jesus, or Buddha, or Krishna. What I say, I know. If I don’t know, I don’t say it.

‪#‎Osho‬

Thursday, September 4, 2014

Shanti Mantra, Vedic Mysticism, Divine Music, Pandit Jasraj



Choose your own deity.



“Look at the sky and try to visualise the form of your beloved deity there. Try to imagine that He or She is moving with you. Try to see your beloved deity’s face in the moon or imagine that the moon is the face of the Divine Mother or of Krishna or Rama. As the wind blows, try to feel that it is the gentle caress of your beloved deity. Look into the water and visualise the smiling face of your beloved deity there. You can imagine that your beloved deity is calling you near, hugging you, kissing you, caressing you, blessing you, and then hiding in the clouds and coming out again a little later. By this kind of imagination you go deeper and deeper into your own consciousness. You enshrine His or Her form within your heart. You open up more and more, and you get closer and closer to your own Self.” ~ Amma

Wednesday, September 3, 2014

Heaven - Music by Talvin Singh & Rakesh Chaurasia

Make sure its your own house on fire.












“Put everything into this house and set it on fire. All your tastes, the past, the future, identity, desires, attachments, your sorrows and your joys - put all in this house and set it on fire. You bring the matches. I bring the gasoline. I am serious about it. And finally, you also go into the fire. You understand? There is a path for everybody, and this is perhaps the swiftest path: Leave everything aside or burn the lot. Try it and see. All the great sages, they set fire to this house of ego - this house of suffering. 

If self-inquiry is too much work, or you have arthritis and can do no pilgrimage, if you bite your tongue while chanting mantras, or if you have no faith to believe in a God, then set your house on fire. This will be your religion - the desperate or lazy man’s religion. Only one thing: Make sure it’s your own house.” ~ Mooji

Golden Quote from Papaji


Tuesday, September 2, 2014

Shiva Doesn't Need Your Devotion | Sadhguru



Get out of maya and be free

One of the students of Swami Turiyananda was psychic. One day Swami Turiyananda found her practising automatic writing. Making her mind passive, she sat with a pencil in her hand, and automatic writing would begin. The hand would begin to move and write, and our friend would see afterwards what was written. In that way beautiful things would be written on the paper. But when Swami Turiyananda saw her thus engaged, he rebuked her severely. "What is this foolishness?" he called out. "Do you want to be controlled by spooks? Give up that nonsense. We want mukti, liberation. We want to go beyond this world and all worlds. Why should you want to communicate with the departed? Leave them in peace. It is all maya. Get out of maya and be free!"

Monday, September 1, 2014

When conflicts happen anywhere, we are collectively responsible for it. Subtle is the Law.

Osho : When Godase murdered Gandhi, I never said that Godase is responsible. He was the weakest link; that is true. But the whole Hindu mind was responsible, deep currents of Hindu antagonism against Gandhi. The feeling that he is for Moslems, Mohammedans, was accumulating. This is an actual
phenomenon: antagonism becomes accumulated. Just like a cloud, it hovers, and then somewhere
a weak heart, a very unprotected man, becomes the victim. The cloud gets roots into him and then
the explosion. And then everybody is freed: Godase is responsible – murdering Gandhi – so you
can kill Godase and be finished. Then the whole country moves in the same way, and the Hindu
mind remains the same: no change. Subtle is the law!

A beautiful story between Guru Ashtavakra and King Janaka on how sitting at the Master's feet is considered to be the Ultimate. Narrated by Sadhguru.

Note : Please open each image in a new window, to have a clear viewing of wordings. Sorry for the inconvenience.

The Pain of Ignorance - Sadhguru.


Osho's father narrates events that led to take sannyas from his son

“What to say about me, that I have been the last member of the family to ask for sannyas from my son. He never invited me to take sannyas, as he also never invited anybody of our family, and I think nobody in the world; he was just waiting in silence for each one of us to become ready, with our own timing and inclination.
My wife had invited me many times to take sannyas from him, but I always used to answer that I wasn’t mentally ready for it, even if sometimes I would go to listen his discourses, but nothing else! I even participated in some of his Meditation Camps, but it took me over two years to decide for this adventure, until one day in 1975…

I was here in this room, there was a full moon in the sky, and at dawn I was sitting in meditation as usual, when suddenly my body started trembling and shaking on it’s own, and it went on for a couple of hours. Finally when I came back to my senses my sons asked me what was going on, and I told them that what I’d been waiting for years had just started happening to me; somebody decided to inform Osho, and even though it was only four in the morning, they woke him up to tell him about the latest events.

After a few minutes he appeared in my room, and I bowed to him and I touched his feet… and Osho bowed himself and touched my feet, so I bowed again and I touched his feet once more, starting to cry with no control, and at this point he asked Laxmi, his secretary in those years, to give him her mala, and once he had the mala in his hands he placed it around my neck like a garland of love…and this is how I became a sannyasin.

The next day Osho sent me some orange robes through my daughter Niklam, and my new name, ‘Devateerth Bharti’.
Now there is no more father and no more son. Now I am a disciple and he is my Master…” ~ Swami Devateerth Bharti (Osho's Father)
 
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