QUOTES AND PASSAGES FROM MY WRITINGS
ON ENLIGHTENMENT-
LIBERATION- AWAKENING
Liberation is not for the I but from the
I (that we think we are)!
Moksha is the awakening from the
delusion of personal karma
Enlightenment happens to ‘me’ only in the eyes of another for
enlightenment paradoxically implies no ‘me’! 'You' can never be enlightened! For
as long as there is a 'you' there is no awakening; and in awakening there is no
you -no personal self left ...to ‘get’ ...or know... of its enlightenment!
The
seeker does not gain
through his seeking but dissolves through the seeking
Moksha is liberation from the wheel of samsara - the cycle of
life death & rebirth . When we awaken to or
real-ize… that we are not the separate individuated
self we thought we are… there is no separate track of cause and effect … and in
that are we liberated from cause and effect itself and thus the cycle of
samsara!
No me
/personal self /ego = deathlessness! As we move beyond the personal self (and its cause and
effect and life and death known as the wheel of samsara) we move into impersonal
self and its deathlessness – there is no one or nothing to die. This is what
Moksha really implies = the birthing into deathlessness… the birthing into
eternal Self.
Enlightenment
= The Light of Universal
Self (Consciousness/Awareness/Authentic Self) automatically leads to dissolution
of the ‘darkness’ of personal consciousness-the ‘me-notion’!
On a visit to
a Buddhist temple as my
niece & I were turning the large wheel there, she asked me what it
symbolized & to keep it simple I told her it was the wheel of samsara- cause
& effect- good thoughts/actions leading to a better turn of the wheel. She
thought for a moment and then said: “But mausi/aunt, then how does one get off this wheel, is there some magic door?” I was
touched by her keen perception…..and explained to her the magic door of non
doership… moving beyond personal identity.... the cosmic play’s events and deeds
flowing through a you rather than by a you… the magic door being from a you
rather than for a you.!
Liberation is
likened to an orgasm – as
both happen only when there is no ‘me/mind’ left! Indeed the process of
enlightenment itself is orgasm-like, with each tiny realization building upon
itself and becoming a subtle but all-important shift from personal consciousness
unto universal consciousness. More so , just as in an orgasm, if our entire
focus while making love is on our personal consciousness – for example our hair
not being washed, our children not having done their home work, our stomach not
being flat - we all know the orgasm doesn’t happen! Likewise it is the shift of
focus from self to Self… from personal consciousness to
impersonal consciousness … that leads to liberation. However, paradoxically, if
our entire focus while making love is on the orgasm (liberation/awakening)
happening - in terms of “when will it happen”, “will it happen”, “how do I make
it happen”- we all know it doesn’t! Thus likewise, even as we shift our focus
from self to Self… if we make it a goal to achieve (then the ‘me/mind’ who
desires thus remains strongly entrenched)… but if instead enter deeply into
whatever makes up our current beingness and revel in the Now of love -
liberation - happens!
As we awaken, we switch our alliance
from personal self and its interests and desires, to the larger universal Self
that we truly are, and know that when I as Consciousness have finished doing
what I have chosen to fulfill through the ‘me’/ personal self… the me/personal
self will not need to exist in separation anymore, and its so called
enlightenment will ‘happen’. Indeed once the personal self is truly awakening-
there is no rush or anxiety or goal -
because being one with Consciousness I know that ‘divyaa’ is not awakened as I
Consciousness don’t choose it yet, and when I as Consciousness do so…then so
will i as divyaa! Obviously I consciousness still need i divyaa in the cosmic
play! But ah… there will be no ‘you’ to pat yourself on the back for it would be
an occurrence in Consciousness itself!
Ignorance
is the real bondage and
thus awareness of the illusion… and freedom from ignorance… is the process of
enlightenment, liberation and awakening
As we move
from ignorance of our true nature/beingness, as we bridge the seeming separation between self and
Self, as the personal identity expands or dissolves
into impersonal universal Self… enlightenment, liberation and awakening is
happening! There is liberation from what is not! There is realization of That which Is! The dream of f individuated self is being
dispelled by the light of awareness …
Awakening is
not a dramatic moment but a series of shifts… like we start to wake in the mornings… initially in
between our dream state and the waking… then almost fully awake but not quite
out of bed stage… waking up a little more every moment… which yes then leads to
the spontaneous final awakening!
The awake state is not so much an ecstatic “Bingo! Oh
wow!” But more a silent sense of
“Ah yes but ofcourse.” Awakening
is a bit like going the world over and coming back to the familiar uncomplicated
sense of “all is as it is at home”… and the restful “Ah yes” it brings
about! Awakening is not a shattering new experience with lightening and sound
effects that the ego expects… but... the Self’s ‘but ofcourse’ of home
coming!
Enlightenment
is the paradox of
‘finding’ that there is nothing to find… its ‘reaching’ the gnosis that there is
no where to reach… its ‘becoming’ aware that there is no one to become! It is
the all pervasive stillness and momentum of the dawning that all is perfect, as
it is, in every now and everything is happening as it must so really there is
nothing to do or not do towards it!
‘Enlightenment’ is not some perfected
end …not a finished state
with nothing else to do or be or experience… but indeed a dynamic state of
being… ever afresh like Consciousness itself… life doesn’t end but is truly
lived for the first time!
Imho it’s best not to bother with who is or
isn't enlightened...but to take from everyone you come across whatever
enables ones journey. It matters not to me if another is enlightened or not...i
believe fellow travelers can enable me richly too...i believe enlightened beings
speak through people on the path...! More so just as each journey is unique and
inviolate… Consciousness awakens in different ways through each of its selves...
and thus there need not be common signs...to look for! For example we don't all
have to leave home like Buddha... that was consciousness journey through Its
Buddha self! And as human consciousness evolves so does the manner in which '
they' may each awaken!
Awakening
= beyond
reincarnation: When we
play a game, say ludo or monopoly, we are bound to its rules... and circles
around the board... but once the game is over all that was part of the game ...
isn’t/never was/doesn’t follow us into our realities. In the same manner, as
long as we are part of the game of ignorance/separation /maya/... the cosmic
board game... concepts like karma and reincarnation etc are part of the illusory
experience... but they have no validity in the larger reality!
Consciousness wakes up to Itself! Consciousness chose to play this game of
forgetting and awakening for the sheer delight of the awakening to All That
Is.. .repeatedly ... thru each
‘one’!
We can’t all
get liberated together: If
everyone got liberated how would creation be! So like we don’t want a good book
to end...we as consciousness keep enough aspects of self within the cosmic
play... knowing full well that each of us will exit at the right time … like
cues actors get to exit the stage at the right time for the betterment of the
play. So the focus shifts from personal
consciousness and 'when will get liberation’ to becoming one with consciousness
and its cosmic play… and in that resting in whatever is good for
consciousness/the whole… rather than concern about an individuated me.
Enlightenment sounds an impossible
concept and one usually leaves it for another life time …or for those we
perceive as holier than thou! And yet if we could only become aware, that it is
our preconceived notions of the term that comes in the way, perhaps more of us
might make it our reality. Enlightenment is not something for the sages, it is
not an impossible dream and it does not imply a distancing of self from all that
we have held dear. Life, even our very contemporary life and enlightenment are
not mutually exclusive states. And this
to me is true spirituality- something that includes and not excludes my day-to-
day life! Something that blends with, and indeed optimizes my humanity and its
purposes and desires, rather than opposing, suffocating and suppressing them!
Thereby deeply fulfilled do we extend the same to ‘others’ around us and extend
from self to selves to the Godself within!
Enlightenment
happens in individual ways, tailor made to you!
Enlightenment does not need following a prescribed set of must do’s and
neither does it imply becoming the Gods and Masters we revere or resonate to,
for we have each individuated to be what only we could be for the whole, and
this awareness- embracing & playing our role in the cosmic play not fighting
to get out of it –is enlightenment! We do not lose self but indeed revel in
Self… in being what the whole chose to be through to
us; we do not lose self as much as find Self… in ways perhaps we were not even
aware of! And life becomes a beautiful Arabian night’s journey …!
Mindlessness -often considered a sign of
enlightenment- is not doing ‘nothing’, being ‘nothing’ or being indifferent
to everything! It is indeed the very opposite- it is entering more wholly into
whatever our now comprises of- allowing the play to flow through ‘you’! Nothingness yet another term connected with
enlightenment- is really not ‘nothing’- but ‘no thing other than I’! When there
is no thing other than I… we become all-thingness- All
That Is! Thus nothingness is not feeling empty… but full; it is not being devoid
of purpose…but devoid of concerns about them… devoid of concern about their
results! And so we don’t cease to exist or function in ‘normal’ ways but indeed
live our day to day life ...accepting enjoying doing whatever our now comprises
of ….blissfully. And Bliss is not some joyous orgasmic state as it is often
viewed to be - it is indeed beyond joy & pain - where the seeming ups and
downs don’t appear as opposites -and this paradoxically ‘neutral’ all accepting
state is the much spoken about unqualified bliss. And so… thoughtlessness is not
about no-thoughts....but about no thoughts about our thoughts!
Transcending
the mind can be viewed in many (seemingly contradictory but not really so)
ways: we can say it’s
about stilling the mind (unto pure consciousness); or expanding the mind beyond
itself (into pure consciousness); or dissolving the mind (into pure
consciousness)! And yet we must not make the mind out to be some enemy. Indeed
it is Pure Consciousness that creates/adopts 'the mind' to experience &
express Indeed it is Pure Consciousness that creates/adopts 'the mind' to
experience & express its infinite nuances. Thus, only in fulfilling its
purpose to be through an 'us'... in experiencing/exploring/adding whatever pure
consciousness chose through ‘our mind’….is our 'mind' effortlessly and
spontaneously ready to transcend! The much maligned mind is a beautiful
vehicle/tool pure consciousness creates…to explore All That It Is…somewhat like
a car/bridge which enables our journey/exploration - yes after that it is
automatically redundant-but was a vital l part of the
journey!
Enlightenment
is not divorced from your day to day life- whatever yours
may comprise of - whether seemingly grand or seemingly mundane for enlightenment
brings us squarely back to what always was…nothing changes while everything has!
This is what the Zen quote ‘chopping
wood and billing water means’
And the sacred permeates our day-to day life
in minute ways - awake, asleep, and playing, at rest or working …indeed the
sacred and mundane lose their demarcations.
Through
enlightenment individual
journeys spontaneously become spiritual service towards humanity for you are 24/
7 transmitter wherever you maybe placed in life,
through whatever tasks your day –to- day life may comprise of!
In more modern and scientific terms
enlightenment is a re-mapping of our neural pathways, a literal expansion of
our minds into Consciousness! With literally new brainwaves, our perceptions
begin to change, reflecting in enhanced ways of being. As Consciousness Itself we become Its qualities… and unconditional love, non-judgment,
forgiveness, oneness …happens!
Self-responsibility unravels:
we all begin by placing
responsibility outside self, feeling and saying: “You are responsible”. Then at
some point in life, this sense of responsibility expands to an acceptance that
we too play a part- that both the other and self are responsible and we move to
feeling or saying: “We are responsible.” Authentic spiritual growth however
begins from the turning point “I am responsible”! Once we have truly imbibed
this it expands to the deeper understanding that ‘No one is responsible’! And as
this becomes increasingly apparent- we take one more leap - to the eureka that there is nothing to be responsible for! Eastern and western concepts like Maya- the
play of creation, Shakespeare’s ‘the world is but a stage’ and even quantum
physics theory of the ‘Now moment’ have tried to ‘describe’ this deepest of
understandings but truly, can only point towards it. In analogy, it is like
getting up fro a dream of your house being burgled. Who would you hold
responsible for what? This is the awakening spoken about as
enlightenment!
We don’t exist
‘in’ a dimension; our consciousness is the dimension! As you expand your limited perspectives- as
personal consciousness merges with universal consciousness … enlightenment is
happening! And as enough of us make this
change within, it indeed reflects all around and hey presto- our planet indeed
progresses and we have a new dimension, an improved human experience to then
further explore and add to. And the world is getting enlightened too!! A new
dimension is not some mumbo jumbo mystical plane that will descend from the
skies- it only implies the critical mass of human consciousness - enough people
– moving into a new consciousness!
An awakened
consciousness integrates duality and non duality…
duality and unity consciousness. It is
simultaneously and totally present in the relative and totally liberated in the
absolute.
An awakened
consciousness straddles both aspects... humanity and divinity... the paradox of both
breathing and yet abiding beyond breath … of being beyond breath yet alive... of
living in physicality yet being spirit...
living in the day -to -day world and its actions and maintain bodies and
have seemingly ups and downs - yet living beyond it all as
consciousness!
An awakened consciousness abides in the gap
between breaths… where Masters abide simultaneously as both Consciousness
and the human roles they play. The breath becomes minimalistic enough to
maintain the physical-corporeal body (duality) and yet the gap enables us to be
beyond as the awakened Consciousness (non dual
The simplest
path to liberation = is acceptance! Yes, how much simpler can it be! Acceptance of whatever
the universe wills through a ‘me’ … Acceptance of whatever choices happen
through a ‘me’… Acceptance of whatever actions happen or not towards them…
Acceptance of wherever it leads or not… Acceptance of the Now…
thus no desires for some future. Indeed acceptance subtly leads to
desirelessness…and desirelessness leaves the mind with nothing to chew on and
nothing to be reborn for = which leads to liberation. All through the simple
path of acceptance! And Beloveds, what a simple, practical, day to day ‘path’!
No exotic practice…no complex texts … no future oriented spiritual will do’s …
nothing to give up… only here & now , day- to- day, moment –to- moment ….
Acceptance!
Acceptance leads to Non resistance and non
resistance leaves the mind with nothing to chew on. With nothing to do the mind is deprived of
its reason to exist and starts to subside, bow out and dissolve! No mind = No
‘me’
= Liberation/Enlightenment!
Enlightenment
is not for the me but from the me (that we think we
are)! Thus trying to
fight, suppress, over come the ‘me/ego’ grants something that doesn’t exist-
life! But the light of awareness works like the two pronged effect of light
being shone into our inner mansions…removing non existing shadows &
silhouettes (dissolution of me/ego notion) and bringing to life That which is
truly within (Consciousness/Universal Self/ No self/ Source call it what you
may). At some point as we increasingly become aware of and abide as That I Am... all that i am not ...further and effortlessly
dissolves... this is also known as the path of tantra, awareness of our true
nature spontaneously dissolves what’s not...rather than trying to fight what’s
not and in that...give it life!! I call this path seducing the ego! As the ego
is seduced with the light of awareness it begins to divest its many layers and
ultimately willingly surrenders unto the embrace of authentic Self… knowing that
in this embrace is not non existence but becoming All That
Is…
The
dissolution of the 'me' notion – is the one single
step to all those states
we speak about ... thoughtlessness, detachment, witnessing, love, equanimity,
deathlessness, renunciation … what we call enlightenment, liberation and
awakening. ‘Me' is paradoxically a term to describe all that we are not! We are
not the body not the mind not its thoughts, actions, concerns, joys etc etc.. indeed we are not all that makes up this seeming ‘me’! The
increasing awareness of all that I am not (Know thyself) with the increasing
awareness all That I Am (Know Thyself)-is the ‘journey/process’ of a
spontaneously dissolving me/ego!
-No ‘me’/ ego
self/personal identity = no doer = no one to suffer = no thing like suffering!
-No me/ego
self/personal id = a state of witnessing! as long as there is a ‘me’ there is
some degree of labeling/judgment/coveting/rejecting going on….but as the ‘me’
dissolves…we spontaneously begin to move from judgment/labeling to
witnessing…and as there is no me = no one to judge/label= a state of pure
witnessing..
-No
(personal/separate) self/id = no thoughts! Thoughtlessness is not a state
without thoughts- but a state where one doesn't identify with the thoughts- so
as we drop identification with the me, we don’t claim
its thoughts!!
-No me/
personal identity/ego self = Universal consciousness = Love! Love is not an
emotion but a state of being devoid of the separation that i (and it’s me, mine,
you & yours) brings about.
-No me/ ego
self/personal identity = a state of detachment rather than a ‘me’ trying to
detach
-No ' me'/ego
self/personal identity = living in a state of renunciation rather than trying to
renounce this that or the other.. As the notion of the
false self dissolves = true renunciation is!
-No me/ ego
self/personal identity = a state of Grace. Grace is the presence of 'your'
absence.
-No me/ego
self/personal id = Dharma = being in sync with our true (divine) nature, living
as Authentic Self and all that flows from this state of being. Adharma = being
out of sync with our true (divine) nature/authentic Self, living the duality
experiences of individuated/ ego self and thus experiencing the thoughts,
feelings & actions that arise from this sense of separate
self
-No personal
self/ego = no doer= seva, the flow of service. Seva can be the path back home.
Seva is self-less sharing... and over time... no self =
Liberation
-As our ‘me’-
ego notion dissolves, so do our attachments, and thus lessening of interest.....
thus no memory! No memory no bondage!
-No personal
self /ego = deathlessness! Who is left to die?
- No me/ ego
self/personal identity = beyond destiny, cause and effect and reincarnation!
There is no ‘one’s cause and effect to track, thus no personal destiny and no
one to be reborn.
Divyaa kummar
