March 2022 - Non-Duality 101
Non-Duality is Simple, Happy MahaShivratri, Blog post about Lord Shiva; Poetry; Quotes; Spiritual Text - verse of the month; support the podcast; podcast episodes of February 2022
Non-Duality 101
The essence of the Non-Dual path is very simple. Yet, within it there are a few complexities that maybe one day we will go into.
What is Non-Duality? In the simplest expression, it simply means that Reality or Consciousness that simply is. There is only Consciousness or as the Advaitins will term as Nirguna Brahman. There are no two realities at the fundamental level.
Now the question here goes, well what about this world? In my own podcasts, I have spoken about the Transactional Reality or the Relative Reality. Everything that my senses perceive is absolutely real to my body and mind. If I hurt myself, I feel that pain. If the pain constantly plays in my mind as a thought, it becomes suffering. What about when I receive some great things like a new house, a new car, a new promotion at work or our business is booming, I feel happy. If this happiness continues to play as a thought in my mind mind, it becomes pleasure. So this world and it’s seeming duality is very real. So how can you claim there is only Consciousness?
This is a great question and the answer again is very simple. Maya or the whole of the perceivable existence is real at an empirical level. Meaning, with the body and mind that you are in, this world and it’s multiplicity is absolutely real. However, without consciousness, how would you be aware of it? How would you be aware of your enjoyment of it or your suffering of it? What we know, the world is changing and subject to modification. Once our physical body dies then what? What happens to this Transactional Reality? It will also die with us. Therefore, what lasts beyond the body and mind.
This is where the Sages come in and they say that the Ultimate Reality, Pure Consciousness or Nirguna Brahman is what You really are. The whole world that was once real for you, is simply an appearance.
For example, when you wake up from the dream avatar, you allow that dream avatar and the universe created in the dream to die. You don’t make a hue and cry about the dream world. You get on with your day because the awareness that you had a dream avatar with a dream universe remains untouched. Likewise, you are that Pure Awareness in this Transactional Reality. Your body and mind is simply contents of Consciousness but it is not the Formless, it is not Brahman Itself. Therefore, there is only Oneness here, once you see that the body and mind is a content of Your Consciousness.
There is another way of looking at this and this is more aligned with Kashmir Shaivism and that is that everything is Pure Consciousness. Again, everything appears to be different and separate but actually it is all one because it has appeared from Pure Consciousness.
The ultimate experience of non-duality is oneness. Whichever way you look at it, you will have deep reverence and respect for creation because it is beautiful in all its expressions - pleasure or pain. What seems contradictory is actually complementary. It is all one and only one.
Therefore, once you receive that Knowledge of what Nirguna Brahman is, of what the Formless is and you realize that there is only Formless Consciousness or a Formless Reality and that is what you are, then you will no longer be trapped in the world of duality. You continue see the appearance and you enjoy it as the Formless Reality, through the appearance of the body and mind.
If you have any questions about this, get in touch!
Happy MahaShivratri
I would like to wish you all a very Happy MahaShivratri. This is a great day where we celebrate the glory of Lord Shiva by singing His praises.
If there is a deity that is fit to be expressed as the Formless, or as Pure Consciousness or Brahman Itself then it is Lord Shiva. He encapsulates the beauty of living in the world, yet was a renunciate. He had a family, wife and kids, yet was a renunciate. He had a sangha, a following, yet was a renunciate. Being free from social customs and norms, yet when required he embraced the way of the world. This really highlights the importance of such a divine figure in our lives that we can live in this world with all it’s attraction and aversion and focus on our spiritual journey.
Lord Shiva has always been my favourite divine figure from the Puranas and I have felt a close affinity always. When my brother was in hospital, the Mahāmrityunjaya Mantra was something I would listen to constantly for peace of mind.
oṃ tryambakaṃ yajāmahe
sugandhiṃ puṣṭivardhanam।
urvārukamiva bandhanān
mṛtyormukṣīya māmṛtāt ॥
I worship that fragrant Shiva of three eyes, the one who nourishes all living entities.
May he help us destroy our bondage with samsara by making us realise that we are never separated from our immortal nature.
This is a wonderful interpretation of the mantra that goes to the heart of what it means. Just to explain, the third eye mentioned here is the eye of wisdom, of viveka, of discernment. Only with intellect can we truly embrace our immortal nature.
People normally recite this during a difficult time and for me, it was the same. I remember the 40 minute drive to the hospital everyday and our family would listen to this mantra again and again. It wasn’t just so my brother would survive, but it was the reverence in the fact that when my brother leaves his body, then he would be immortal, he will attain moksha.
Along with this, the Guru Gita which is from the Skanda Purana, is an amazing text that discusses how to approach a Guru, how to respect a Guru, how to treat the Guru and it was very beneficial for me during the time my Guru was alive. It is a text that is a wonderful conversation between Lord Shiva and Mata Parvati about who did Lord Shiva worship and His reply was that He worships the Guru. The secrets within this text showed me the power of not just my Guru but the power behind the words of Lord Shiva. They are not to be treated lightly.
So on this wonderful occasion, I pray to Lord Shiva that He blesses this whole world with peace, wisdom and contentment.
A Beautiful Blog Post on Lord Shiva
One of my spiritual mentors Rajan Sachdeva ji shared a beautiful blog post on Lord Shiva and how he was the AdiYogi aswell as AdiGuru.
Please give this blog post some love and absorb the deep wisdom shared in this post and do subscribe to this blog: http://rajansachdev.blogspot.com/2022/03/happy-maha-shiv-ratri-and-symbolism-in.html
The Bearded Mystic Poetry
As the month of March begins with MahaShivratri, I would like to present a poem praising this great divine figure.
He arrives into life with His matted hair and blue skin, After taking the poison of materialism, he smiles gracefully. While the world dives in for nectar with no thought towards balance, Shiva enters to ensure that balance is always restored. Liberation and contentment is found at Shiva's door, Only a few enter to know the Reality beyond the entrance. Ghosts, spirits and other worldly beings roam around Mahadeva, And yet, life itself is vibrant when the third eye is open. With Mata Parvati is absolute other half with Him at all times, Unconditional love is experienced and shared with others infinitely. Beyond Kailasa, Devon ke Dev appears to have disappeared, Yet, as Pure Consciousness, Shiva is in everything. His nature is one of eternity and infinity, remember this Lord of Lords and find Him residing within your own Heart. Sing with all your might and may every pore of your being sing this, Shivoham Shivoham, Shivoham Shivoham.
Tell me what were you reading last month
What I share below is a beautiful story by Swami Vivekananda.
Two birds of beautiful plumage, inseparable companions, sat upon the same tree, one on the top and one below. The beautiful bird below was eating the fruits of the tree, sweet and bitter, one moment a sweet one and another a bitter. The moment he ate a bitter fruit, he was sorry, but after a while he ate another and when it too was bitter, he looked up and saw the other bird who ate neither the sweet nor the bitter, but was calm and majestic, immersed in his own glory. And then the poor lower bird forgot and went on eating the sweet and bitter fruits again, until at last he ate one that was extremely bitter; and then he stopped again and once more looked up at the glorious bird above. Then he came nearer and nearer to the other bird; and when he had come near enough, rays of light shone upon him and enveloped him, and he saw he was transformed into the higher bird. He became calm, majestic, free, and found that there had been but one bird all the time on the tree. The lower bird was but the reflection of the one above. So we are in reality one with the Lord, but the reflection makes us seem many, as when the one sun reflects in a million dew-drops and seems a million tiny suns. The reflection must vanish if we are to identify ourselves with our real nature which is divine. The universe itself can never be the limit of our satisfaction. That is why the miser gathers more and more money, that is why the robber robs, the sinner sins, that is why you are learning philosophy. All have one purpose. There is no other purpose in life, save to reach this freedom. Consciously or unconsciously, we are all striving for perfection. Every being must attain to it.
Swami Vivekananda. Complete Works of Swami Vivekananda
Spiritual Text - Verse of the Month with commentary
Verse 65. Remember the Light of the Guru’s soul through the four means: the Vedas, empirical experience, history and reasoning.
Ancient Vedic Indian Tradition. Guru Gita The Song of the Guru (Sanatan Dharma)
This is a great verse from the Guru Gita as we were talking about before. Here Lord Shiva gives us an interesting line that we must think about more deeply.
First of all, what is the Light of the Guru’s soul? Isn’t Guru and Brahman the same? Absolutely but here, the soul of the Guru is the wisdom. Once we understand the wisdom, we understand our true nature by seeing that even our soul is self-illumined. We do not need to illuminate it, it shines forth all by Itself. So how do we remember the Guru’s wisdom?
The Vedas - the Upanishads contain the Highest Truths through revelation and meditation. The Rishis spent so much time on the contemplation of their own Self and then shared this revealed wisdom to others. So it is important that we read the Upanishads, we read knowledge so we can enhance our spiritual life.
Empirical evidence - there is nothing more important than you experimenting and observing the teaching. If you do not find that the Guru’s teaching and wisdom is true then there can be no worship of the Guru. Many people praise the Guru but how many practice the teachings? How many implement the wisdom? How many check if what the Guru says is true or not? Only when we observe the teaching, experiment with it can we know if it is true or not. If we don’t do this then basically we either have blind faith or we are lazy to practice and rather stay in a particular group of people.
History - through the teachings of our history like the Ramayana and Mahabharata, we learn about how this wisdom was practiced and lived by. They give us clues and pointers on how to live a spiritual life. Also, along with that, we can see if a teaching actually works by looking at the history? Has that wisdom been practiced by others and lived by and did it work for them. If it has, then you know the historical value of the Supreme Teaching. This wisdom has to be one that has remained unchanged.
Reasoning - whatever wisdom is given, it has to be logical, rational and practical. If it doesn’t sound logical and your being says something is wrong then you must experiment to check. Is it rational? Does the teaching go with rational thinking and doesn’t go through any means of blind faith or blind obedience. Is it practical? Can you hold this wisdom and practice it in your life. Can the teaching be practiced in today’s day and age? Have others practiced this and succeeded that you know about personally? Not people who just say it but those that have truly experienced it? Whatever wisdom is shared, you should find it fairly easy to explain and should make sense to others.
Weekly Meditation Class
I am holding a weekly meditation class via zoom every Saturday. Please see the image below that has the times. To get the zoom link, join the TBMP Weekly Meditation Whatsapp group to receive it:
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Listen To The Podcast - February 2022
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Thank you for reading!
Take care and do share this with others!
Aum Shantih Shantih Shantih. Aum Peace Peace Peace
Lots of love
Rahul