Amrut Laya: The Stateless State

by Siddharameshwar Maharaj

In our natural existence, there is neither "Awareness" nor "ignorance." There is neither space, nor any other concept in our natural state. The Pure Awareness, the knowledge "I Am," appears, and this is called the God. To know means to become God. When that awareness conceptualizes, all of manifestation becomes perceptible, and when

all concepts are given up, all of manifestation perishes.

Listen to the "Master Key." I shall tell you what Knowledge is in one sentence. One in whom conceptualization has ceased is the Jnani. It is wise to get gold or gems verified and appraised. Otherwise, you may run the risk of being cheated. In the same way, this human birth is wasted without the "experience" of the Self. Experience of the Self is the only proof. All the rest is delusion. There are many who have assumed different guises. There is no contentment or

peace in knowledge that is without experience.

"As one's conviction gets firmly fixed in the realization of Truth, one's Power increases on the path of Knowledge. Then one must take care that the state of Oneness is never disturbed." (Dasbodh - Chapter 10, Sub-chapter 7)

One should always have implicit faith in the Master, in the Self. Then one is automatically free. These are two powers. The Master is the father and the disciple is the child. When they become one, they become greater than the whole universe. After understanding the Knowledge of the Self, if one worships the Master, he is greater than the person of highest realization. My words will be as useful as the wish-fulfilling tree. For those disciples of the Master who absorb my sermons as nectar, fate will ensure their well-being. Upon them, fate will bestow auspiciousness. When the "Ocean of Knowledge" is churned, the nectar of immortality is imbibed by the true disciples of the Master who have complete faith in Him. (A reference to Hindu mythology, where it is said that when the Ocean of Knowledge is churned, the "nectar of immortality" is produced from it.) This Knowledge will bear fruit only for those who are faithful dedicated devotees

of the Master.

Living beings may possess different names, looks, and belong to the same or different castes, but still all have only one form. Had they been different, then the questions "Who are you"" or "Who am I?" would have been relevant. The Self, the very basic factor present in all, is only one, and there can be no distinction. The bodies of all beings from Lord Brahma to a mosquito are

composed of five elements, therefore you cannot address the question "Who are you?" even to the body. As far as the essence is concerned, it exists equally in everything, and the five elements are distributed equally in all. There is no discrimination. Therefore, asking someone "Who are you?" is like addressing the question to oneself. In this universe, the Self is the only entity. The one Self singularly pervades the entire universe. 19/06/1933

Just as darkness vanishes when one holds a lighted torch in one’s hand, so do Illusion, affection, ego and the concept "I am the body," vanish when one worships the Master. One should worship the Master with the pure feeling of taking the Master to be Paramatman. The Self which is present in all, and which gives pleasure to all, should be worshipped by renouncing ego, attachment, and Illusion. The Self is best worshipped by worshipping the Master.

After giving up everything, it is the one who renounces that remains, and that is your "Self."

Individuals (jivas) suffer from two basic feelings; 1) they find it impossible to believe that they are Paramatman, the Supreme Self, and 2) they believe themselves to be something other than Paramatman such as the body, or mind, personality, etc. If you regard your guest, friend, wife or any other person, as your Self, then this is the true sign of magnanimity, enabling one to approach all situations with calmness. 24/09/1933

The pure, or divine "sight" is acquired when one begins to feel that only the Self is present in everything and everyone. Living a merely worldly life then seems futile. The "discriminating sight" which makes distinctions, disappears only if you behave as though you exist in everyone. Mental peace is then achieved.

It is the mind itself, which is the cause of delusion. The mind means saying something. It is the arising of, or assertion of, a thought. When the mind comes into being, worldly life originates, and when the mind is destroyed, worldly life comes to

an end. When the mind arises, one's "True Nature" (Swaroopa) is forgotten. Destruction of the mind means the remembrance of one's True Nature.

The mind runs rampant in the company of desires. Although the mind may become steady, desire arouses it. How does desire arouse the steady mind? What is desire after all? The memory of all that which has been done, heard, seen, or experienced in the past with a wish to experience it again, is called desire. The mind is defined as the memory of this desire.

By constantly thinking of the Self, the passionate attachment for worldly life begins to fade, and one's True Nature comes into focus and is realized. The mind then gives up the ego and forgets the body.

Body-consciousness must be vanquished, and then the aspirant is left with no other motives or impulses. Such a person may carry out their daily routine, but their actions do not reveal bodily awareness. While going through their bodily actions and routines, they never consider themselves to be the doer.

Thoughts are adept at making something out of nothing and it is the creation of this "space," that leads to the appearance of the world. It is in this manner that one becomes awakened to, or aware of the non-existent world appearance. The generation of non-existent matter is the characteristic of thoughts. By close examination of this process one can see that the world appearance comes into being by way of thought, and that it is in its entirety only the product of the wild imaginings of straying thoughts. Paying heed to stray thoughts leads to a slight deviation from one's "True Nature," and gives rise to the world, which then proliferates and appears to go on for countless years.

Let the body live or die, it is in the Supreme Self that one should firmly be settled.

Illusion helps the world go on, as it veils the Self.

In the same way that fuel makes a fire burn vigorously, so does "wrong thought" give rise to

Illusion.

Joys and sorrows in this world do not actually depend on material objects, they depend upon one’s thoughts. All objects are constantly subject to innumerable changes and therefore untrue, whereas that which is true never changes or gets destroyed. The true is unaffected by the past, present, and the future, while Illusion can be destroyed by thought and is thereby proved to be untrue.

The long forgotten "Self Nature" (Swaroopa) and the consequent ever increasing body-consciousness have made spiritual advice absolutely necessary. The moment that you realize that the praise of your body makes you angry, it indicates that you have understood Brahman. When dissolved in water, salt no longer maintains its identity and it becomes a part of the solution. Similarly, those who have understood Brahman exist in the form of "Life-Energy" (Chaitanya). The rope, which is mistaken for a snake is not aware of the existence of a snake. In a similar way, a true devotee is no longer conscious of the body. He stops

making distinctions such as "you" and "I," and is no longer inflicted with ego.

Though we are not in the shape of a body, we assume that we exist in that shape, and perceive everything in relation to that shape. This is because we use the body as the medium through which to perceive everything.

"Pridelessness" together with "Timelessness" is called "Uninterrupted Eternal Absorption."

That which remains after all of the "me" and "mine" is left behind, when the obstructed and obstruction are both cleared away, is called "spontaneous samadhi," unrestrained samadhi. He who attains such a samadhi remains unattached even as he undergoes various experiences, and remains untouched even though he does everything.

We are bound only by our very own concepts, otherwise, we are absolutely free.

Illusion is called the five-streamed flow. It veils the individual consciousness (jiva), and envelops the Self with its five-streamed flow. Some call it the five afflictions. The five-streamed flow is ignorance, egotism, anger, hatred, and greed (insatiable desire), and is only the sentiments of our inner-mind. Ignorance is amnesia. It is being oblivious to one's True Nature. It is the condition wherein we forget our Self, and concentrate elsewhere. It is the delusion which makes one forget the Self, our own existence. One forgets the Self due to this Ignorance, yet nonetheless remains only that Self.

The idea that "I am the body" is itself pride. It is because of this feeling that one is oblivious of the true "Self," and possessed by body awareness.

When the seer, the seeing and the seen merge into one, the trio vanish, and the stateless state, Parabrahman, is acquired.

When notions of separateness such as "reverence,"

and "the revered," exist no longer for one, the worship of the Master becomes even more important as a gesture of gratitude. This is because without worshipping the Master, a disciple cannot be rid of the pride for the body. It is because of the pride for the body, that one harbors thoughts such as "that which is mine, will always remain mine," and "that which belongs to others, will always remain theirs."

The Self is omnipresent. All have forgotten the Self and have identified with the body. The body is taken to be "I," and this is Illusion. Illusion induces the oblivion of the Self.

The Self is the only Truth, yet people have cultivated the habit of looking at it in completely the wrong way. All have conceived an incorrect perspective on it. Accepting the existence of Illusion forces us to deny the existence of Brahman which is eternal, and compels us to treat the ephemeral "I," as the only truth. Under the influence of this Illusion, we treat whatever is untrue as the "truth." If you want this delusion to vanish, be thoroughly acquainted with the fact that whatever is seen, conceived, or felt through the senses, is untrue, a mere appearance.

The meanderings of the

thoughts vanish in the "Bliss of the Self." In the pleasure stimulated by objects and in the fulfillment of desires, arise the numerous meanderings of thought. In this world, all material pleasures are enjoyed only through the medium of thought and its meanderings. The Bliss of the Self is attained only after the meanderings of thought are given up and consequently left off without a trace to be found.

Renunciation is the only true source of happiness. Considering the world to be untrue, the one who calms the thoughts attains the Bliss of the Self.

Understand that the fulfillment of worldly desires can never provide as much happiness as their renunciation.

The more that one renounces appearances, the greater is the "Bliss of the Self."

No other bliss, or joy, is as great as the "Bliss of the Self." The Bliss of the Self is also known as the "Bliss devoid of desires."

A lamp is not lit in order to set the house on fire, but if the lamp flares up and catches something on fire, it burns down not only the house, but even the entire village. Similarly, when the fire of Knowledge lights up one's heart full of faith, it flares up and burns down all desires, and detachment is born. Many people may listen to discourses, but without faith in the Saints, it does nothing but provide them with expertise in debate. They may become unyielding like a tree, or bloated with conceit and pride like a bull, but their faith in the Master is not firm. If there is humility, modesty and equanimity in one's behavior, and if one invests tremendous faith in the Master, then the residue of former concepts is washed away, and one becomes detached from desires.

Any object that appears to exist, but vanishes with the application of "right thought," (inquiry into the true and untrue), is untrue. All visible objects possessing names and forms are untrue. All that is visible and conceivable is perishable. All that is perceivable through the senses is perishable. When the cause is perishable, its effect is also perishable. As the sensory organs themselves are untrue, accordingly, the experiences derived through them are untrue. This magnificent spectacle called Illusion, is the magic of the eye. It is plain trickery. All of this Illusion is the product of the combination of the sense organs and thoughts.

Thought can bring the Self to life, and also lends to it the quality of "Truth." Not only this, but proper use of thought can bring one to the experience that "I Am He."

When you say that the Lord is watching, it means that it is the Lord alone, who is Conscious of everything. Herein lies the whole trick. One who discerns this is a Jnani.

No one is aware of the One who is aware of all. He who lights up the world is infinitely superior to the light, as He possesses consciousness.

that He becomes apparent. He is Self-luminous. He possesses light. Light means being conscious. With the help of His own light, He is aware of Himself, and is aware of others too. He is beyond everything and everyone. He can be experienced but cannot be seen or felt. He cannot be discerned without the help of the Master. He is in the form of Knowledge (Jnana). He subtly but completely pervades the sky.

Consciousness is knowledge and what you are conscious of, is the object. The knowledge in which objects and consciousness both exist, is known as "objective knowledge." The knowledge in which you can exist, but due to the hollow mortal eye, you are not conscious of the space that extends between you and the Sun, is known as