Spirituality
I'm a "spiritual tough love" person, and I mean both giving it and receiving it.
Table of Contents
On the spiritual side, I gravitate toward the concept that consciousness itself is fundamental to the universe; that there is no dualism or that dualism of consciousness is the "grand cosmic dance and illusion".
This eventually led me to Advaita Vedanta or the non-dualism of Shankara, which expanded my spiritual horizons beyond the Christianity of my childhood. During that same period in my life, I did a little study of Buddhism and Taoism.
Rumi and Lalleshwari are two of my favorite mystical poets.
More recently, I've discovered the writings and transcriptions of Nisargadatta.
If I were to list my gurus in no particular order, I would say
- Jesus the Christ
- Adi Shankara
- Paramahansa Yogananda
- Lahiri Mahasaya
- Sri Yukteswar Giri
- Mahavatar Babaji
- Nisargadatta
- Lalleshwari
- Rumi
I think we live in an age of rampant materialism, and that includes me although I have been reducing it.
English translation of some mystical writings by Lalleshwari, also known as Lal Ded or just Lalla.
A web search says "Lalleshwari, also known as Lal Ded, was a 14th-century Kashmiri mystic poet and a revered figure in the Kashmiri Shaivite tradition. The quote "The Beloved woke, and the Lake is crystal clear" is attributed to her. It symbolizes the awakening of the divine within oneself, leading to clarity and purity of perception. The "Beloved" refers to the divine or the ultimate reality, and the "Lake" represents the mind or consciousness. When the Beloved awakens within, the mind becomes clear and serene, like a crystal-clear lake reflecting the beauty of the divine. This quote encapsulates Lal Ded's spiritual teachings, emphasizing the inner journey towards self-realization and union with the divine."
Below is a painting of her in deep meditation.
- Oh mind, how intoxicated you are with a foreign brand. How are you eluded by untruth for truth?
- Listen. Enthralled you have become by a foreign creed. About coming and going, birth and rebirth, about a cyclic movement through life and death.
- Forever we come, forever we go. Forever, day and night, we are on the move. Whence we come, thither we go, forever in the round of birth and death, from nothingness to nothingness. But sure, a mystery here abides: it cannot all be meaningless.
- Keep your mind intent on the path that leads to immortality. If it strays from the path, it will fall into evil ways. Be firm with it, and have no fear. For mind is like a suckling baby, which tosses restless in its mother's lap.
- Day will be erased in night. The ground's surface will extend outward. The new moon will be swallowed in eclipse. And the mind, in meditation, will be completely absorbed by the void inside it.
- To learn the scriptures is easy; to live them, hard. The search for the real is no simple matter. Should you in this body seek the Supreme Self that dwells within, greed and illusion soon removed, a halo of glory will surround this very body of yours.
- I treaded on the expanse of the void within me. I lost intellect, cognizance, and the sensations external. A detective of self, I became my Self; lo and behold. From which ear [has] my Lotus blossomed forth?
- Lalla will flee into the garden door of Self. There, I saw Shiva and Shakti, merged in one. Absorbed in that vision, I dissolved in Him alive, realized the essence, and tasted the sweetness of the Divine Secret. I would die while alive. How can He stop me?
- Now I saw a stream flowing. Now neither bank nor bridge was seen. Now I saw a bush in bloom. Now neither rose nor thorn was seen.
- I searched for myself until I grew weary. But no one, I know now, reaches the hidden Knowledge by means of effort. Then, absorbed in Thou Art This, I found the place of wine. There, all the jars are filled, but no one is left to drink.
- The soul, like the moon, is Now, and always New again. And I have seen the Ocean continuously created. Since I scoured my mind and my body, I too, Lalla, am new, each moment new.
- My teacher told me one thing: live in the soul. When that was so, I began to go naked, and dance.
- Just for a moment, flowers appear on the empty, nearly spring tree. Just for a second, wind through the wild thicket thorns. Self inside Self, you are nothing but Me. Self inside Self, I am only You. What we are together will never die. The why and how of this? What does it matter?
- Oh Infinite Consciousness, brimming with elixir. You live within my body, and I worship only You. I do not care if I die, take birth, or pass into some other state. These things are so ordinary now.
- Dance, Lalla, with nothing on but air. Sing, Lalla, wearing the sky. Look at this glowing day. What clothes could be so beautiful, or more sacred?
- There is neither you, nor I. Neither the object of meditation, nor the process of meditation. The Father of all Action forgot Himself there. The blind do not see any relationship and support there. The devout merged within, the moment they saw the Lord.
- At the end of a crazy moon night, the love of God rose and said, "It's me, Lalla." The Beloved woke, we became That, and the Lake is crystal clear.
Ramakrishna -- The statement "God distinguishes the unreal from the unreal" is attributed to Sri Ramakrishna Paramahamsa (Paramahansa), a prominent Indian mystic and spiritual teacher of the 19th century. It reflects his teachings on the nature of reality and illusion. Sri Ramakrishna often emphasized the importance of discerning between what is transient and ultimately unreal, such as the material world, and what is eternally real, such as the divine essence or the soul. This statement highlights the idea that only through divine realization can one truly discern between the different levels of illusion and ultimately attain spiritual liberation.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ramana_Maharshi
Ramana Maharshi described his Self as a "force" or "current", which descended on him in his death-experience, and continued throughout his life:
" ... a force or current, a centre of energy playing on the body, continuing regardless of the rigidity or activity of the body, though existing in connection with it. It was that current, force or centre that constituted my Self, that kept me acting and moving, but this was the first time I came to know it [...] I had no idea at that time of the identity of that current with the personal God, or Iswara as I used to call him [...] I was only feeling that everything was being done by the current and not by me [...] This current, or avesam, now felt as if it was my Self, not a superimposition [...] That avesam continues right up to now."
Shankara
Nisargadatta
"Maya is difficult to grasp. She blocks the path to Self-realization, unless there is devotion to the Guru. Practice non-dual devotion. Catch hold of the knowledge ‘I am’. (Here, Guru is not a physical person; it is your pure consciousness. It is also called jnana. The common meaning of maya is delusion. The root-maya is your seed-consciousness.
"By adhering to the Guru’s word, you will grow spiritually and be happy in household life as well." -- Nisargadatta
However, do not forget that even when absorbed in the Self, the body should be well looked after. -Nisargadatta
Here is an AI query regarding his phrase "yogic illusion":
In the context of Nisargadatta Maharaj's teachings, the phrase "yogic illusion" refers to the misunderstanding or misconception that arises from spiritual practices (yoga) when they are pursued with an attachment to their results or with a misunderstanding of their ultimate purpose.
Nisargadatta often emphasized the direct realization of one's true nature, beyond the mind and beyond all concepts, including those introduced by spiritual practices. For him, the ultimate goal of spirituality is the realization of the Self, the pure awareness that is beyond all forms and identities.
"Yogic illusion" can be understood in a few key ways:
Attachment to Spiritual Practices: When practitioners become overly attached to the practices themselves, such as meditation, asanas, or breathing exercises, they may mistake these practices for the ultimate goal. This attachment can create a kind of illusion where the practice becomes an end in itself rather than a means to transcend the ego and realize the Self.
Misidentification with Experiences: Spiritual practices often lead to extraordinary experiences or states of consciousness, such as bliss, visions, or a sense of unity. While these experiences can be significant, Nisargadatta warned against mistaking these temporary states for the ultimate reality. This misidentification with experiences is another form of "yogic illusion."
Conceptualization of the Absolute: Spiritual seekers might create mental concepts about enlightenment, the Self, or the Absolute based on their practices. These concepts can become a subtle trap, where the mind holds onto an idea of what liberation should be, rather than directly realizing it. In this sense, "yogic illusion" refers to the mental constructs that veil the direct experience of truth.
In summary, "yogic illusion" in Nisargadatta's teachings points to the pitfalls on the spiritual path where practices, experiences, or concepts can become obstacles if they reinforce the ego or divert attention from the direct realization of one's true nature.
You can do your own search, of course. Here's one of many places to start.