Spiritual enlightenment cannot be verbalized so
easily. It is not pertaining to physical body or material
world, but of mind - purely of mind and the inner world of
oneself which is not a thing or one can be attained by way of
any practice. This is in a way, finding of truth – realizing the
truth - understanding the truth and experiencing, enjoying
the truth.
One must be very clear that the “Truth gives no
advantage. It gives no higher status, no power over others;
all you get is truth and the freedom from the false” as
expressed by shree Nisaga Datta Maharaj from his own
experience. We can have the exact expression of the
experience of truth only from the enlightened masters and
not from any other kind of teachers those who acquire
knowledge from scriptures etc. The expression of the
experience of truth by every enlightened masters need not
be one and the same. It may differ depending upon their own
way of enlightenment which is also needed since the mental
plane of each aspirant is different from that of others.
The Aurthor Sri Bagawath is an ardent seeker of truth
from his age of eighteen and he got his enlightenment at his
age of fifty eight. Even though he started his life in the
profession of Law, as a lawyer, he had spend his time
mostly in the spiritual field.
He has gone through many spiritual experiences and
by his own understanding he has also found out the
limitations of spiritual experiences. By this book, he is
trying to share his understanding with the sincere seekers,
about the psychological structure of enlightenment and the
obstacles on the way to enlightenment.
His work – this book, on the spiritual path is a mile
stone and this will definitely help for the spiritual evolution
of the real seekers if read - understood - in their heart’s
language.
Sri A.Arunachalam
Enlightenment is regarded as the highest state in
the spiritual field. Every spiritual aspirant longs for the
attainment of enlightenment. But…………
How long should one practice for the attainment
of enlightenment?
10 years?
12 years?
20 years?
- or lifelong?
There is a story of King Janaka in the spiritual field. It is
said that once King Janaka was listening to the lessons of
Vethanthic scriptures. It was said in a scripture that one can
get enlightenment within the time when one puts his first leg
on the saddle of a horse and puts the other leg on the another
saddle for mounting on the horse. In short it is said that one
can get enlightenment within seconds.
Is it true? Janaka also raised the same doubt to the
teacher who taught the Vethanthic scriptures. But
unfortunately the teacher was not an enlightened one. So he
was unable to clear the doubt of the King.
The King was very much eager to verify the truth of
the sayings of the scripture. He asked every such teachers to
explain the truth of the sayings. But nobody came forward
except one, by name Astavakrar. He was a saint. He taught
Janaka and made him realize the truth. Thereby Janaka knew
that one could attain enlightenment within seconds. He
understood the truth by attaining enlightenment within
seconds for himself.
So King Janaka proved that one can attain
enlightenment within seconds.
Is it possible for ourselves to attain it as in the case of
the King? – as it is described in the Vethanthic
scriptures?
J. Krishnamurthi used to say the samething during his
earlier talks.
“You are planting a seedling of a grape. You water it
; nurture it and maintain it. The grape plant grows and after
a certain period of time it produces grape fruits. It takes
time. You have to wait for the fruit. But I am telling you
something different. I ask you to come with the grape seeds
and after the end of my talk for an hour, you may return
home with grape fruits. It needs no time to produce fruits.
You may get enlightenment instantaneously.”
J.K used to talk like that during that period.
But later during his last talks he used to say
differently.
“I am talking you for more than 60 years. You are
also listening to my talks for years. But you have not
changed. Where is the mistake? Who is responsible?”
J.K. is sure that no time is required for the change for
the enlightenment and so he asks where does the mistake
lie?
We are practicing so many spiritual practices for years.
Nevertheless the enlightenment is evading. Why ?
We are sincere in our practice; we are very
earnest but still, the state of enlightenment is evading us.
Why?
If it is true that one can attain enlightenment
within seconds why we are not getting it so far? Infact the
Vethanthic statement is true and it is not false. We are
belating our enlightenment only because of our wrong
approach to it.
Why is our approach so wrong? Are we not practicing
it on the instructions of noble persons? Are they not reliable
persons? Are their instructions wrong?
The noble persons are correct to a certain extent.
Their instructions are powerful. The result of their
instructions are beneficiary. Those are very much useful to
the spiritual aspirants. It is no doubt that they provide great
progress to an aspirant in the spiritual field. But they help an
aspirant only to a certain extent. They prepare one fit for
enlightenment.
All practices give us some state of experiences. The
experiences may be heavenly and marvellous.
But at the sametime the enlightenment does not occur
as an experience, because enlightenment is not an
experience.
All experiences last for a certain period. It is the
nature of all experiences. They come to a spiritual aspirant
and last for a certain period. Then they fade away as they
come.
But it is not the case of enlightenment.
Enlightenment, when it comes once, does not disappear. It
lasts forever.
If anyone gets enlightenment he needs no practice to
retain it.
It is the nature of enlightenment.
Is there any special practice for enlightenment then?
No practice will take one to enlightenment. All
practices result only in various gorgeous experiences. There
is no casual connection between enlightenment and spiritual
practices.
Then what is the way for enlightenment, if practice is
not the way?
It comes only by the way of understanding. We have
to understand what is enlightenment and what are the blocks
for enlightenment.
Mere understanding of what is enlightenment itself
brings enlightenment. Understanding the truth of
enlightenment itself acts and brings enlightenment
instantaneously.
If one understands what is enlightenment, the matter
is over. He does not need any practice on the idea obtained
through the understanding. The understanding itself is
action. We cannot separate action from understanding.
What is the nature of such understanding?
Is it possible only for a matured mind, and only for
wise people?
Does it need great intelligence ?
No.
Everyone can have the understanding. It is very
simple. The intelligence needed for understanding an
ordinary story book is enough for this understanding. Such
kind of ordinary intelligence is enough for this
understanding.
Now what is understanding? What is the nature of
this understanding which brings enlightenment ?
Is it intellectual, or practical?
For example I am asking about your house and the
way for your house. You explain the way to your house, the
street, the location and the appearance of your house.
Thereby I have an idea about your house and the way for it.
It is only an intellectual idea about your house. Then I
physically go to your house and I practically know your
house, the structure, the location and the way to it. In the
first instance, I have got intellectual idea about your house.
But later, after my personal visit to it, I have got practical
and actual knowledge about your house.
Intellectual knowledge is different from practical and
actual knowledge. Intellectual knowledge is imaginary but
practical knowledge is not imaginary.
Is it so in the case of understanding, the understanding
which brings enlightenment? But it is not so.
There is no such distinction between intellectual
understanding and practical understanding, in the matter of
understanding which brings enlightenment. In the case of
reaching the house, there is intellectual understanding of the
house. Thereafter we get practical and actual understanding.
Intellectual understanding comes first and afterwards comes
actual understanding. It is so in the case of worldly
activities.
But it is not so in the case of enlightenment. There is
no difference between intellectual and actual understanding.
It is only intellectual-- out and out intellectual. The
intellectual clarity is enough for enlightenment. We need not
try to make the intellectual clarity into actual clarity. There
is no such actual clarity apart from intellectual clarity. We
need not expect anything more than intellectual clarity.
We have a lot of false ideas about enlightenment. That
is why we are belating enlightenment. It is enough if we
have correct idea of what is enlightenment. The very
intellectual idea of what is enlightenment itself blossoms as
enlightenment.
Please take the example of a school boy who works out his
mathematical sum. The working out of his sum is totally
intellectual. He solves the sum only through intellectual
process. In the same way the understanding of the nature of
enlightenment is itself purely intellectual.
The enlightenment happened to Budha, is regarded as
a rare and great one.
But it happened in seconds, under the Bhothi tree. It is
not an ordinary enlightenment. Even today it is considered
to be extraordinary. Really it is extraordinary.
Because after that one does not have any doubt about
anything. He gets all his doubts cleared. One becomes light
for oneself.
But this extraordinary enlightenment is an ordinary
one. Because you and I can attain the same very easily
within seconds.
We need not confuse ourselves whether it is possible
for us to attain the state of Budha, in our life span or not.
It is possible and possible in seconds. If we know
what is meant by enlightenment and at the very knowledge
of what is enlightenment itself we can attain enlightenment.
We have read many things about enlightenment.
“We take ourselves to be this body and mind. But we
are not this body and mind. We are something more. We are
really the ‘Atman’ beyond body and mind. Atman is the
base of our body and mind. Since we are having our mind
functioning outwardly, we are thinking that we are mere
body and mind. Therefore we do not have any idea or
knowledge about Atman, that is ourselves.
If we are able to divert our attention inwardly
towards ourselves into the root of ourselves, we may be able
to know our real being – the Atman that is ourselves. It is
enlightenment, if one could know oneself as Atman. This is
‘Gnana’. So understanding our real nature is
enlightenment.”
-- the spiritual texts are saying like this.
“ We are dreaming in our sleep. In the dream, for
example, we are caught in a danger along with our friends.
We have to escape from the danger. At this instance
somebody is knocking the door. At once we wake up from
sleep and the dream also ends there. We come to realize
that we are not in danger and we do not find any necessity
to do any thing to bring our friends to our state. We know
that we are safely lying in the bed of a protected room. In
the same way the Atman is always safe and pure. It is only
in a dreamlike state we feel that we are in danger” – This is
how the spiritual books describe the role and place of
Atman.
It is obvious from these books that the Atman is
pure, and self illumining, without ignorance. By these
description we may know something about Atman and its
purity. But it does not give us enlightenment. Because
enlightenment is different. One can get enlightenment if one
knows what is enlightenment. The very knowledge of what
is enlightenment itself brings enlightenment. So please for
the time being ,do not rely upon the descriptions of the
scriptures about what is enlightment.
We feel that we are ordinary human beings with all
our bad and good qualities of mind. So naturally we feel that
cannot attain enlightenment until we are free from such
bad quality of mind. So we are trying to struggle for the
purification of our mind. Thereby we think we can get
enlightenment after purification of our heart and mind.
It is said Budha himself had done so many
meditational practices, undertook so many penances and
followed so many austerities. Only after that and after the
purification of heart and mind, it is said, he attained
enlightenment.
But in truth,neither the quality of the mind nor the
quality of the heart blocks our enlightenment. It is our
conclusions that are blocking our enlightenment.
Conclusions?
Our conclusions are the only obstacles for our
enlightenment.
How?
We already have some idea about what is
enlightenment. Not only that, we are having so many ideas
about various things – for example, we are having idea
about what is good and what is bad. We are having idea
about various meditations and its effect and idea about life,
death, life after death, sin, karma, and so on. In the same
way we have various ideas,told by many spiritual heads
and enlightened persons.
Our ideas about all of them jointly formulated our
conclusions, and we feel that our conclusions are correct.
Unless we are free from our conclusions, we cannot
take any new step.
But all our conclusions are only intellectual. So it is
not difficult for us to free ourselves from such conclusions.
If we clutch our conclusions adamantly we can never
extricate ourselves from them.
If we are not so much adament with our conclusions,
there are possibilities for the liquidation and the
rearrangement of conclusions.
We must be somewhat liberal, lenient and open in
our conclusions, so that we can entertain and understand
new ideas.
Enlightenment itself is an intellectual process. This
fact itself also cannot be accepted by many people, because
they have some other idea about enlightenment. So it will be
difficult for them to accept the fact that enlightenment itself
comes within the intellectual field. At present we need not
confuse ourselves with this statement. We are going to deal
with this fact in detail later.
Now let us ask about our basic needs.
Is there any prerequisites for the understanding
which brings enlightenment?
Yes, there are some prerequisites for the
understanding of enlightenment.
Those are:
1. The spiritual aspirant must have some
interest and earnestness in the spiritual
life. ( It is not necessary that he must have
done so many hard meditational
practices.)
2. He must have some familiarity with the
ordinary books available in the spiritual
field. (It is not necessary he must have
mastered all the spiritual literatures. It
means that he must have some basic
knowledge in this field)
3. He must have an open mind to accept
reasonable ideas. He should not be
adamant with his conclusions and ideas
that he already has in his mind.
4. He should not entertain the pessimistic
idea that he cannot attain enlightenment in
this span of his life.
If one has the above said ordinary, simple
and reasonable requisites, he can easily get the
enlightenment and liberation even in seconds.
Since such enlightenment involves no practice,
the question of time does not arise. Time is necessary
only for practice and effort. Practice and effort will
give us some experiences alone. The experiences
may be noble and marvellous. But they will not give
us enlightenment.
Here we do not require to do or have anything
for enlightenment. What is required is to have an
intellectual understanding of what is enlightenment.
So we need not delay ourselves for our
enlightenment. We can have the enlightenment
within seconds, if we are open.
Regards,
Pravaagam Publications
Address : 31, Ramalingasamy Street, Ammapet
Salem - 636003,
Tamil Nadu, India
Cell : Jeevamani +91- 97891-65555
V.A.P Sharavanan +91- 99942-05880
Web : www.pravaagam.org | www.sribagavath.org
Email : jeevamani@pravaagam.org , saravanan@pravaagam.org
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