01.16 Happiness 3 Mindfulness Is Here And Now

The Happiness series is a journey to discover inner happiness by understanding what is our real nature followed by simple, easy and effective practices , free from cult, dogma, belief and religion. Listen, Learn, practice and Enjoy.

Transcript

That is why everyone has a new experience. So we are taking the 20th verse. Ekam sarva-gatam vyoma bahirantaryatha ghate Nityam nirantaram brahma sarva-bhut ganetatha Literal translation. So we can do the literal translation as just one and the same all-pervading space exists within and without a jar. So the eternal everlasting real self exists in the totality of things. As the jar is pervaded inside and outside by the same space, So does my real self is pervading outside and inside in everything. That is the 20th verse. So what he is doing, What the master is doing, Master is saying, You see that that is one of the most striking thing in the Eastern wisdom. You ask something and master answers totally different. What the seeker was asking in the very first verse, Gatam jnana ma panoti, How the knowledge of the reality is attained, How the dispassion is achieved and how the freedom or awakening takes place. Now, These are the three questions. And if you find the answers. In all the 19 verses, They are totally as it appears. They are just he's answering totally a different thing. Why is that? So my master answered me one day that he says that I always answer you. I do not answer your questions. Your question comes from your mind and intellect because of the conflict and the confusion because of the ignorance. So the master used to say that I see your level, Mental state, Your level of awareness, And then I start answering you. And that is what he is answering. So in every verse you see that just even a very negligible reference to these questions. So this is what is striking and most important thing. So what happens if you are not a seeker? Then you reject the master. Oh, He is not answering my question. Where is the real self? Can you prove it by experiment? You see, That's the wrong question to ask. But still the master answers. So masters who does not want to come down when realized, That is another part. So this Jana, This master Ashtavakra does not want to come down at the level of the seeker. But fortunately the seeker, The king also is the highest level of seeker. So a perfect union takes place in this text. So great seeker, Second point, The great seeker always asks the big questions. Now I have an anxiety. Can you tell me something about meditation to manage my anxiety? You are still not a seeker. It will help. So you see the questions, How the knowledge of the real self is attained? How the dispassion, He knows, That we need dispassion in the mind, In the intellect to awaken to the real self. And then he is saying how the awakening takes place. Two things are required. Shraddha means the faith and intellectual inquiry. Holding in the mind, What you are holding in the mind, The knowledge of the real self that the king hold of is one. That is what is the faith. And second is the intellectual inquiry. So I can rephrase it. Belief, Pending inquiry. That is the right phrase to use in the entire journey of Eastern wisdom that prevents you to follow any cult, Dogma, Belief, Religion, Etc. So we don't talk about the God and religion and cult and spirit. It's a pure inquiry. So now the 20th verse, What he says, Ekam sarva gatham byo'ma. What a beautiful verse the master is saying. He is saying that what exactly is the real self? It is like all pervading space. Is your mind going there? I am the space means I am all pervading. Not only I am all pervading, I am pervading in my house, But I am pervading in your households. Just see that. Oh, I am inside this body, But I am also inside all the bodies that I am seeing. You see, Expand that. This is what the master is saying. Ekam sarva gatham byo'ma. Bahir antaryatha ghate. Ghate simply means any object. So which object? Whether it's the body or solar system. Everywhere. I am pervading everywhere. It is not the ego sense what the Sam is talking about. So it is beyond that I, Which is all pervading. Nityam nirantaram. Nityam. Nityam means eternal. Nirantaram, There is a continuity. Time space continuum in physics. Brahma, Real self. Sarva bhuta gani tatha tatha. So now he is giving an example of the jar. The space is outside and the space is inside. And if I am an all pervading space, It means I am not the body. I am not the breath. I am not the intellect. I am not the ego sense. I am none of these thoughts. There is a great master Shankaracharya who speaks a lot. What he says clearly what happens when you are in a deep meditative state. Mano buddhir ahankara chittaninaham. Nacha shrotra jivhai nacha grana netre. Nacha bhyoma bhumirna tejo na vayu chidananda rupa shivoham shivoham. So how Shankara explains the same thing. So you see, Did you remember that there are three words I use in the mode of practice in Eastern wisdom. One is sadhana. Sadhana means that first I do the discernment. Means I separate what is real and what is not real. And then I drop from my mind the knowledge of what is not desired. And I accept what is desired. So this is what this verse says. Mano buddhir ahankara chittaninaham. He says I am not the mind. I am not the intellect. I am not the memory. I am none of these five elements that makes our body. Mano buddhir ahankara chittaninaham. Nacha shrotra jivhai nacha grana netre. He says I am none of these five sense organs. None of these five motor organs. Then who am I? He says chidananda rupa shivoham shivoham. I am one pure consciousness which is all pervading. That continues all the time. So there are two things again remember. One is a tremendous faith. And what does it mean by the faith in Eastern wisdom? I am holding on to the real self. I am holding the mind on to the real self. Just consider the mind is a dog and the leash is the real self. Mind, Real self. I want to know the real self. I want to know the real self. Non-verbal appreciation in the mind. And then you inquire. This is, You know, So both elements are together. So once we inquire with that faith, What happens? The mind reaches to the highest state of you can say the state of emptiness. The intellect reaches to the state of clarity and conviction. In that state the mind becomes the mirror. And that mirror reflects our real self. This is what the 20th verse. All the 20, I would say 19 verses. He is explaining the real self. The master is explaining the real self in a different way. And every time he is explaining means the seeker is listening. So when you listen by the ears, Then you practice by the mind with love. That is faith. So what happens? We reach to an awakening. Is the master answering the question? Yes. The master is answering the question indirectly. He is answering to him who is a seeker. And in the second chapter, It's the most beautiful. It's an aha moment. It's a wow moment. How that seeker after listening narrates his experiences. So I am not going into the second chapter. So I will take up one more verse from this Shankara. He says, Oh beautiful. It says, You know, I'm not taking care of any religion, Profession. I damn care all kinds of pleasure coming from outside. Why? Because I'm settled in permanent happiness within. That is the experience of the seeker. He gets the answer of all the three questions. That's another beautiful line. It's in Am I attached? So you check yourself with it. No, I'm not attached. Am I detached? No. Attachment and detachment is also not there in that state of the consciousness. Is the greed there? No. Greed comes from the attachment. Is the delusion there? No. What the Sam was saying is the ego senses there? No. I don't see that I-ness inside. That is the higher awakened meditative state. And then the master explains this is what the experience is. In that state of meditation means the highest state of meditation. Even the seeker does not want that awakening because he is already there. You are in your house and you ask, If I ask you how long it will take you to reach to your house? You're already there. So will you seek to reach to your house? No. So that is another highest point. You see the supra intellectual inquiry is required. But supra intellectual inquiry does not take place by IQ, By a simple intellect. You don't need to gain, You know. I don't know if you guys know that IQ score. You don't need any IQ score. So you see that what he's saying? Chidananda Rupa Shivoham Shivoham. Then who am I? I am absolute existence, Consciousness, Bliss. First he says what I am not. And then he says what is left. That is what I am. What is desired. That I am. But first let me take care what is not desired and throw it out of my system. From my consciousness, From the individual consciousness. And then we reach to that state. That is why the master is using the word Ekam Sarva Gatam Bhiyoma I am inside and outside this body. Body is like a jar. Body is like a jar. Yes, Na Sukham Na Dukham. Then the master says I am neither pain nor pleasure because I have seen. What I have seen? There is a constant vicious cycle of the pain and the pleasure. When there is a pleasure I forget the pain. But pain is hidden there. Why the pain is hidden there? The pleasure is short lived. After once the pleasure disappears my mind is either fearful or it tries to repeat the same pleasure. So there is a cycle of pain and pleasure. There is a cycle of sorrow and happiness. There is a cycle of ego and not ego. Where it happens in the mind. When the mind becomes the seeker it purified. And in that purified state of the mirror we reach to that state. This is what the 20th verse is. Be ready to go for the next. How the seeker, The highest level of the seeker explains what is his experience after listening to the teacher. I am not that Ashtavakra. You may be like Janaka the seeker. But I am conveying that message. So we will follow it next week. What should be our experiences? It's a kind of learning. So it is not that you should copy what he is saying. But I should find out whether I am living into that state all the time or not. So let us start our journey. Let us start our practice. Close your eyes. Close your eyes and you are the highest level of a seeker. The moment I say close your eyes you become aware of all the five sense organs one after the other. And the mind does not want to go through any of the sense organs outside. In that state you become aware of the body. You become aware of the body. You look at the body. You move the mind and the body from the top of the head to the toes. What is this body? Body is a jar, A tumbler. You see, That is what this master is saying. So look inside the forehead in the space. We want to see and check the tendency of the mind. Where you are going my friend? You make your mind your friend. In Eastern wisdom it says the mind, When the mind is enemy, It causes suffering. When the mind is a friend, It causes meditative state. So we will continue. We will settle down. We are not doing anything in Saturday's meditation practice. So pay attention to it. So you are simply looking at the neck joint. Being there. Feeling sensation, Comfortable, Steadiness. What is after that in the mind? It's the space where maybe darkness, Maybe emptiness. See that. Let the mind navigate gently without any attachment or detachment to the things and objects that enters into the mind. That is what is being carefree. So we are following two things at the same time. Being carefree and being comfortable. Look at the shoulder joints. Shoulder joints, Being there, Feeling sensation, Comfortable, Steadiness. Well, Any thought, Feeling sensation comes, Enters into the mind. Let it come and go. Watch them. Feel them. Know them that they are separate from you. In the intellect, As far as the information is concerned, It is very simple to grasp that information. What is that? I am not my body. But because of very deep attachment to the body, The mind does not leave its identification with the body. And that's why we are following these two non-practice, Non-steps. So looking at the hip joint, You are looking at the hip joint, You are there. So when you are there, It means consciousness is there, Mind is there. Then what? Then you feel, What do you feel? Sensation, Comfortable and steadiness. Don't remain satisfied with that relaxed, Comfortable and no. Then some thought enters and instantly you are carefree. Why? I cannot be any thought. Thought comes to the mind and I am not my mind. So whatever the contents in the mind is there, I am not. Why I am saying so? You simply become aware of it. How simple. Easy. Then look at all the joints of the body from the top to the toes. Looking at the neck joint and see, Can the mind navigate instantly to an experience of sensation, Comfortable, Steadiness, Space. Shoulder joint, Sensation, Comfortable, Steadiness, Space. It just knows it. How? The way I know you are all virtually present before me. So natural. Then hip joint, Sensation, Being comfortable, Steadiness, Then space. Entire body, All the joints, Sensation, Being comfortable and steadiness, Then space. Mind is so heavily conditioned. Who conditioned it? We. So if there is no thought at all, The mind feels as if, No, I am not doing anything. No. That is what it means that we have to become a seeker. We will again educate the mind and check the mind is ready or not. Even if it is not ready in the next step, It will become. Look at the head and the neck. I have been saying it. I have been giving you this step. So make it a little subtler. Move the mind on every cell of the skin of the head and the neck. What it means? You are changing the direction of the mind. The real self cannot be found outside in the beginning. First it has to be discovered within and from within we go out. So when the mind moves on each cell of the skin of the head and the neck, There is bound to be deepening of the sensation. Then we may find relaxation and we experience stillness. Understand. Many of you have understood it clearly. It is stillness in the body. It is not the stillness of the body. How the body can be still? Even if the body dies, It cannot be still. Why? In the world there is a continuous change. There is a continuous movement. Oh, It means body is a part of the world. Yes. It is not me. It is not mine. Is that so? Let me check it again. Look at the right arm. Move the mind on each cell of the skin of the right arm. From the shoulder to the fingertips. It helps your mind to stay there. And when it stays there, There is a natural focus. And in that you experience sensation, Relaxation and stillness. What a beautiful way. I appreciate you all. And then move the mind on the left arm. Mind moves on the left arm from the shoulder to the fingertips. Each cell is known by the mind. And that deepens your sensation, Experience of sensation, Relaxation and stillness, My friends. And what is behind sensation, Relaxation and stillness? It is that space. We experience, We know, We understand. Oh, And from that space the mind can enter into and merge into the real self. Move the mind on the ribcage, On the front and the back. Each cell of the skin of the ribcage, On the front and the back. Be there. Be there. Yes. Feel the sensation. You may experience the deepening of the sensation. Now two things happen. One is the mind starts withdrawing from the body. One. That deepens our sensation. And second, The mind starts going inside. It remains in the body at the minimum level. Then what happens? All the unconscious habit that entered into the body from the mind dissolves. And then what we experience? The stillness in the body. A lot of other stuff that is explained differently by our masters. So move the mind on the belly. The mind is on the belly, In the front. Be there. Each cell, Now you remember. So as if the mind is picking up each point and that raises and deepens the sensation. It's because the mind is going inside. That energy is already there because the mind is in the habit of living outside. That's why we don't feel those sensations. Sensation, Relaxation and stillness. Right leg. The mind goes to the right leg. From the right side of the waist to the toes. Picking up. The mind picks up each and every cell of the skin of the right leg. You know, What is the message here? The hidden message is that the mind is moving, Becoming, Moving on the right leg as slow as possible. What happens then? Then the mind reaches to a natural one-pointedness. With one-pointedness it picks up one point and point and point. That leads to a deepening of sensation, Experience of relaxation and stillness. I appreciate you all. All are going there. Then comes the left leg. The mind is aware of the left leg. How? It is by awareness of each cell of the skin of the left leg. And we experience sensation, Relaxation and stillness. Entire body. As if you are under a shower. And the mind is like the water dropping from the top of your head to the toes, Touching every part of the, Every cell of the body. And as it touches, You experience sensation, Relaxation and stillness. And in that state, Just become aware of the world just outside your body. Just outside your body is the space. In that space many items and objects are present. Just become aware of it. And then become aware who is knowing this world just outside your body. Can we know without sense organ? No. So the mind going through the sense organ, Recognizing the objects. These five sense organs are the five rivers of knowledge of the world outside. So at that stage the mind is the physical mind. We normally use the word gross, But the gross word is not, Does not convey the masses in our country. So I say it's purely a physical mind. So the physical mind is the knower of the world outside. So now become aware of the body once again. From the top of the head to the toes. See, Here the mind puts us into delusion. When it perceives the world outside the body, The objects and the things, The mind says it is all matter, It's all physical thing. Then why not the body is also a physical thing? No, No, It is alive. I am the body. That is the problem, Body identification. So it is the same physical mind recognizes the body is different. Even though matter we say little different, Nothing is different. Matter is matter. So here the mind adds one point of delusion. The word is subtler than the body is the breath. Look at the breath. Who is looking at the breath? It is the subtle mind. It is not the physical mind. See that. Why it is not the physical mind? The mind does not need to see the shape and the size and the color and the language that you listen. It's just an awareness of the breath. You see, That is why in Buddhism mindfulness of the breath is given too much of importance. But if you are a seeker then mindfulness on the breath will work. Otherwise I have seen we teachers say that focus on the breath. No. Looking at the breath, Going in and out and also becoming aware who is the looker, Who is the knower of the breath. Our goal in meditation is always is the discovery of that knower of the thing. So you are looking at the breath. Very good. At the same time also look at the knower of the breath. So that knower of the breath is the mind that is watching the subtle movement of the breath. It is the subtle mind. We are not doing any. . . As far as doer, Why we are not doing? Doer is ego sense. So that is why from the very beginning in Saturday's journey we get rid of that doer. You know what happens when there is no doer? Oh, Without being a doer I can be in a meditative state. What he was explaining. It is not simply by saying meditation is a fertilised natural. No, We have to know it. We have to live into it. Now what is subtler than the breath? They are the thoughts, Feelings, Images that pops up in the mind. Who is watching? The subtler mind or the subtler knower. What should I do? Nothing. The moment any thought enters into the mind, Feeling or any experience is taking place in the mind. Instantly become aware of the knower also. The seer also. The knower, The seer. When we become aware of the knower and the seer, It is again at a higher level of being carefree. You are walking on the side and the traffic is moving. The traffic has nothing to do with you. Why? Because you have a dispassion in the mind. So what is that traffic? The thoughts, Feelings, Images, Memories. Anything that pops up in the mind, The next moment you have an awareness that I am none of them. Is that a practice? No, It is simply knowing what I am not. Na Sukham Na Dukham Na Punyam Na Papam Na Sukham Na Dukham Na Punyam Na Papam Even we reach to a state I am neither the pain nor the pleasure nor neither virtue nor the vice. And my friend, What is behind the thoughts, Feelings, Images, Experiences taking place in the mind? The mind cannot go deeper. When the mind wants to go deeper, It finds the space and emptiness. Nobody lives in that emptiness. This is what normally Masters speak of emptiness. But understand, It is an emptiness projected by the mind. When we continue to live into that state, By regular practice, The time comes. Then the mind continues to live into that state all the time inside with thought, Speech and action outside. Both work simultaneously. So just you are aware of that. Now what happens? There is no object, Means it is the space. So where the awareness will go? To the seer, To the knower. Is there any difference between awareness and the knower? No. When I don't see that difference, The mind merges into the consciousness. There is one way to explain. We are in a state of doing nothing. But the mind says, I had a lot of thoughts. But you are not your mind. It is like, You know, Because you know, If we are not a seeker, The mind will go outside. Now are you sitting in your home with calm? Yes, But there are a lot of traffic. What do I have to do with the traffic? I am totally separate. You see? That is why discernment, Vivek. My master always used to say, Vivek, Vichar. And Viragya, Dispassion. You are doing nothing. Here comes the subtle ego sense. And with that ego sense, The mind says, You see that? Why are you sitting idle? The mind has a particular thought or image. The ego sense says, Let us move. And you are disturbed. That state of meditation. In that state of doing nothing, What the mind is knowing, The mind is knowing the body has its own intelligence. We need not to be attached. It can work on its own. We have an automated survival mechanism and it will work at its best when the mind is kept free. And that mind lives deep inside, Merges into the knower and the seer. Shanti, Shanti, Shanti. We'll share our experiences once we return. We return in a specific way. Bring your mind on the right hand. We don't rub our hands. Bring your mind on the left hand. Raise both your palms. Place it on your eyes. Open the eyes inside. Know your experiences. And bring the hands down. Bring the hands down. How are you, Sam? I'm really good. It was deep, Quiet, No thoughts almost immediately. And I think if I could just go back to what I was mentioning earlier, You know, It's a lot easier for me now to get into this space with the eyes closed and only worrying about getting rid of the thoughts than being outside with, You know, Physical cues and people and sounds. But it's still, You know, I feel like I'm able to make the connection still, But obviously harder with physical space and eyes open and people around and speaking and thinking, All of that at once. But this has been very easy and it happens very quickly now. Beautiful. As soon as I close my eyes. Beautiful. We have to continue until that state in the mind becomes permanent. How are you, Vivek? I'm good. It was totally quiet, Peaceful and I felt that auto healing kind of. My body was tired in the beginning and then I felt that auto healing. And now I'm feeling good. Good. Good. You return again. How are you, Vivek? It was very quiet. It feels like I'm sitting in the night. Like there's all dark and light and I'm sitting over there and I can listen to the light. Good. Yeah, That's another good expression. How are you, Kate? Unmute. Otherwise, I will listen to you in silence. You see my lips, My mind is ready to speak. But these virtual machines. It's been hard to kind of grasp the words I would say expansive, Maybe quiet. How are you, Terry? You're not listening to Terry. She unmuted it, But there is something with the speaker. We are not listening to you. How are you, Jerry? And in the meantime, You fix it and we will listen to that. For me, It was interesting that the two things I noticed, One is focusing on the skin and the cells. And the other is that the temperature on the various parts of my body created this warm bath in those parts. So temperature was noticed. And then I really enjoyed the space behind the mind. And I was able to stay in there for the majority of the time. It slipped out a few times, But I really observed being in that space behind the mind. It was wonderful. That's a beautiful, Deeper experience. How are you, Jerry? It was a very deep meditation for me to quiet from the time I closed my eyes. And then I didn't want to come out. I was very slow to come out of the meditation. Yeah, One of the great indications of success in meditation. We are maintaining our awareness. And that awareness in the mind says, No, No, No, No, Don't go outside. One thing is sure, Everything outside is garbage. The essence is always inside. How are you, Anne? Oh, Stephen, I think his connection got disconnected. Yes. How are you, Anne? Yes, I feel fine. I still have tried to keep the mind out and try to stay within. Yeah, Yeah, Yeah. Trying to keep the awareness and remind me myself during the day, Stay in awareness. Yes, Yes, Yes. What Sam was saying in the beginning. So if we stay in that state 24 by. . . And even in the waking state, It deepens the practice. And we are progressing. How are you, Shobha, Stephen? We missed Stephen. Okay. Hmm. Yeah, She was able to be with the space intermittently. Yes, Terry, Are you. . . Can I. . . Can you say something? No, We don't hear you. No worries. No worries. We will get your experiences next week. So this is it, 20 verses and then we will have an aha moment. From the next week, We will pick up. What we will pick up? We will pick up the second chapter where the seeker is explaining its own experience. That is all for today. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. You are much best. Thank you.