PRAYER

Salutations to The One Supreme Reality, The Universal Concioousness that indwells all beings, The Great Light that is the common spiritual link Pervading all existence. Adorations to the Supreme, Called variously by various names and worshipped by Various means through the different faiths, Religions and churches. The One Whome the Christians adore as The Father in Heaven, The Jews as Jehovah, the Mohammadedans as Allah, The Hindus as Paramatma, The Parsis as Ahura Mazda, The Buddhists as Nirvana, And the followers of Taoism as the Supreme TaoThe One Reality, The Changeless Absolute, The indestructible, imperishable Light of Truth.
P.P.Arya

INTRODUCTION

http://saibabaadvaita.org/contact.html
Since the very earliest of times the ancient rishis, sages and saints of India have been instrumental in bringing us the philosophy of Advaita. The philosophy that teaches the most unifying way of experiencing life. It teaches that there is only One, allpervading, infinite Consciousness which is the Ultimate Reality and is the Truth of our own being. These ancient Ones were able to come upon this grand discovery by the means of inner sound (vibrational) transmissions; by the use of the inner senses while in deep meditation. They merged in conscious awareness with their object of focus and concentration. This brought about in them direct Knowledge through mergence with the Universal Consciousness or Abstract Intelligence. They gained in this way a direct insight into the nature of the Unity and Truth of all things. Adi Shankaracharya (788-820AD), being the foremost among Advaitans, brought together from many parts of ancient India various teachings compromising this ancient Wisdom of Hindu spirituality and culture. He compiled these teachings in a coherent and meaningful structure which was passed on to his followers and disciples. He took on this compilation to be his lifes mission and over a long period of time went on to synthesize the teachings of this ancient Wisdom. He also wrote commentaries on many of its sacred books which emphasized the Oneness of all life and taught that Pure Consciousness was the only reality in and beyond Manifestation. The founders of todays main religions such as Moses, Jesus, Buddha, Mohammed and Guru Nanak, amongst many others have as their basis the teachings of those ancient Masters. This Knowledge was transcribed into the Hindu texts known as the Vedas which were later summarized as the Upanishads. Buddha, for example, proclaimed the Oneness and Unity of all beings and taught that a Pure and unsullied Consciousness confers the highest knowledge. Jesus message of love, brotherhood and one Universal God was spread far and wide by His followers. Scholars have in fact established that Jesus spent the unrecorded missing years of His life in India, learning from Masters the spiritual principles found in the ancient Wisdom. Thus, when He had returned to the holy land, he was able to proclaim that God and man are One. The holy Koran, that is the teachings of Mohammed, also teaches the Unity of all beings within the reality of one God.

In time, this very basic truth of the Oneness of all beings was submerged and neglected by some of the main religious hierarchies. Superimposed upon the basic knowledge of Unity were concepts which portrayed man as separate from God; that man was inherently a sinner who was to be judged by a God who favoured one religion or another. Man was to be punished by eternal damnation in hell and its variations, or was to spend eternity in Heaven if he repented and accepted the teachings of his religion. There have always been seekers, though few in number, whos intellectual and spiritual requirements transcended those of the majority. Such few have kept the ancient Wisdom alive. They have held to the belief of the Oneness of all humankind and one infinite and eternal God for all beings. In spite of social upheavals, religious wars, ethnic cleansings, natural calamities and personal tragedies, these few have held to the teachings of the ancient Wisdom that all is one Unified Whole. Thus, their faith in and love for the Knowledge of the ancient Rishis, Masters and Saints, eventually brought the eternal Wisdom to the new world. In India, Advaita (the teachings of nonduality) flourished and so achieved an unbroken and nationally accepted standing within the social and cultural life of the people. Zen Buddhism in Japan and Tao in China were greatly influenced by the Wisdom found in the Vedas and are two other eastern philosophies that share the same religiouscultural premise as Advaitathat all of Creation is One and is bound together by Love; that all is merged in the Absolute (God) and is unable to be separated from That. Thus we find that in the east there was a much greater acceptance of ideas and concepts which compose the body of the ancient Wisdom that have survived from ancient times. These ancient Teachings are now increasingly being incorporated and included in western spiritual teachings as well. Western philosophies and concepts, in comparatively recent times, have been integrating the Knowledge that the Rishis transmitted thousands of years ago. For example some of the latest scientific discoveries, especially in the area of atomic and sub-atomic physics, show that all matter is energy in a condensed form and that this basic energy is indivisible and universal. This has brought the understanding and realization that the Universe is an interrelated and interdependent Whole, as was taught by the ancient Masters. As we examine in depth some recent scientific discoveries and compare them to the assertions of the ancient, Spiritual Masters it is becoming apparent that many of these discoveries mirror the teachings of the ancient Wisdom. This website has been created by taking into consideration the needs of modern day seekers who are seeking for Truth and Reality. The beauty of the ancient Wisdom is its simplicity in expounding the truth and the ever freshness of its Teachings. So what is hoped will take place within the earnest seeker is that a firm understanding of these teachings will reach down to the core of his being or heart centre. This may happen if the mind is emptied of preconceived erroneous concepts that it is usually burdened with. The truth of our reality is that we are not what we think we arethat is the body/mind entity. Rather, we are Universal and Absolute Consciousness itself (Abstract

Intelligence) that is using the body and mind as instruments for its functioning in the objective world of duality. Shakespeare had said, All the world is a stage. This is exactly so. As individuals, we play roles assigned to us by Divine Consciousness, or God Himself. Therefore, we are nothing more than actors or dream images acting out our roles in the Dream that Consciousness Dreams. We as illusory separate individuals have no say in the matter; we have no say in the outcome of any action or event. In truth, we have no choice of the roles we play or the actions we take. All of Creation and its functioning is directed, played and managed by Divine Will or Consciousness. There is no entity who controls this Universe from some distant place outside the Universe. God is Absolute Consciousness and the Universe and the billions of objects within It exist as reflections or mirror images within Absolute Consciousness. Verily the truth of our being is Abstract Intelligence or Universal Consciousness (Absolute Consciousness) and not the reflections or images within Consciousness. God is the Subjective Reality that Consciousness is, that makes Creation possible and we are His objective expressions which are also aspects of Him-Self. Truly speaking, all of manifestation and us included are reflections or mirror images within Absolute Consciousness. Ultimately the Divine Principle as Universal Consciousness is all there is. All that appears in the Manifestation is but some aspect of Consciousness and is only different regarding name and form. Reality can be intuited by the inner senses if one is able to quieten the mind and then turn it inwards. It may then be possible to Understand that the awesome reality of Universal Consciousness is ones true Self. The aim of the author of this website is to help those who may feel drawn to seek the truth of Reality, to discover That for themselves within themselves. Thus the sign posts found in these pages may be useful. It is advisable to read the pages found on this site slowly, with care and contemplation so that the words may sink down to the core of their being. Thus, the Understanding may suddenly and spontaneously flash into consciousness and may lead to the impersonal occurrence of Self-realization. It may be noted by spiritual seekers that many concepts and ideas are repeated quite often though with different words and expressions. The reason for this, just as it was with the ancient Spiritual Masters and their students, is that these pointers to the Truth have to be brought home again and again before they emerge in the individualized mind. Finally, it is with loving gratitude I thank my wife Marika for all the self-less help in the presentation and editing of this website. Should there be any questions regarding the content of these writings please contact the author at the e-mail address given below: Ronald Berdy, November 23, 2009

overmind333@yahoo.com

Sri Sathya Sai Baba's Sayings & Advaita

1. Abuse or praise, vilification or veneration, pertain to the body only and not to the Atma which is beyond all the pairs of opposites. The one supreme Paramatma alone dwells in all beings. That being the case, who is the reviler and who is the reviled? Who is a friend and who is a foe? All are the same. The blood that is saturated with the constant remembrance of God becomes an offering dedicated to God. Whether out of hatred or love, lust or envy, ego or surrender, whatever be the feelings, it is enough if the Lords name is remembered incessantly. 2. There is an intimate relationship between the external world and the internal world within oneself. Is it the body, or the senses or the Atma that experiences the pleasures of eating delicious food or seeing a beautiful sight or smelling a fragrant object? It is not the body, much less the sense organs. The real experience in all these cases is the Atma, which is the causeless cause of all that exists, and which fosters, sustains, presides and rules over all the things in the universe. Atma is the basis of the manifested world and the original source of motivation for the internal world. Only when we recognize the cardinal role of the Atma as the root cause of everything, the deceptive and transient sense organs will cease to have dominance over us. 3". To say that Hinduism, Buddhism, Christianity, Islam etc. are different religions, betrays not only narrow-mindedness but also the lack of understanding about the meaning of religion. Religion means realization. Since realization is one and the same, irrespective of whatever religion is professed by different men, it logically follows that basically all religions are one; or to be more accurate, there is only one religion. 4. Reality is the Atma, which is the Divine aspect of man. Thus doing, knowing, and being are the triune manifestations of the human personality. Although the body, mind and Atma have different names and characteristics, their harmonization and unification help man to raise himself from the human to the Divine level. On the contrary, their alienation from one another degrades him to the animal level. 5. In the same manner when the mind is engaged in wavering thought processes, it is called Manas. When it is busy in the process of enquiry and discrimination between right and wrong, it is named Buddhi-intellect. When it functions as a repository of memories, it is known as Chitta. When it identifies itself with the physical body, assuming the doer-ship for various activities it goes by the name of Ahamkara-ego. Thus it may be seen that the mind, although basically one, displays these varied forms

on account of the different roles assumed by it. In fact, the mind alone is the cause of all things. Manomoeliam idam Jagat say the scriptures. It means the whole cosmos is nothing but a projection of the mind. 6. I am not merit, nor sin neither Happiness nor sorrow neither mantra nor holy water neither Veda nor Yajna neither food nor the enjoyer of food. I am Sathyam, Sivam, Sundaram- Truth, Goodness, Beauty the embodiment of Sat- Chit- Ananda. BeingAwareness- Bliss. 7. The secret of creation is known only to the creator. Others cannot hope to fathom it. Scientists are engaged in exploring the secrets of creation. But none can plumb the depths of natures mystery. In scientific investigations, to -days discovery is superseded by tomorrows findings. That again becomes obsolete in its turn the day-after-tomorrow. Continual change is in the very nature of creation. It is not permanent or immutable. The creator is the only eternal, unchanging Reality. The spiritual path aims at investigating the nature of the Creator and ultimately becoming one with Him. 8. The entire Cosmos consisting of living and inanimate objects, is permeated by the three Gunas. Man should strive to understand the principle that transcends the three Gunas. God is the embodiment of Atma. The terms like Sathyam, Jnanam, Anantam, Brahama, Atma, Bhagavan and God are synonyms. 9. The five subtle elements of space, air, fire, water and earth emerged from the Atma. Each of the five subtle elements is constituted of the three Gunas. Under the influence of the three Gunas, the five subtle elements evolved into the five gross elements and the entire Cosmos, through the process of Pancheekritam-fusion by permutation and combination came into being. 10". Sai Baba quoting Krishna in the Bhagavad Gita I am the Atma- the Self residing in all beings; I am also the beginning, the middle and the end of all beings. That is to say that the entire Cosmos consisting of moving and non-moving objects is only the Atma. Nothing exists other than the Atma or the Self. What to-days man needs to do is to constantly contemplate on the Self, to realize the Self, to be firmly established in the Self and to experience the bliss of the self. 11. Atma is also known as Awareness. It is this awareness that is responsible for the I Consciousness in all beings, which is called Aham. When this Aham identifies itself with the body, it becomes Ahamkara. This is the false I, and not the real I. What hides the Atma always, is the mind. The clouds, which are formed due to the Suns heat, hide the Sun itself. Likewise the mind, which is the offspring of the Atma hides the Atma itself. As long as the mind is there, man cannot hope to understand anything about the Self, not to speak of realizing and experiencing the bliss of the Self. That state

in which one is established in the Self at all times and under all circumstances is called Sakshatkara- Self-realisation. 12. The first sound that emanated from the Self is I. The entire creation began only after the emanation of the I sound. If there is no I, there is no creation. The term I, Brahaman, Atma or Self are all synonymous. The I sans mind is the Atma or Self in its pristine purity. The I associated with the mind is the false self or Mithyatma. There is only one Atma or Self, and that is the I. 13. If man is practicing Sadhana, it is merely for mental satisfaction. Such practices, which are pursued for mental satisfaction, will only serve the purpose of strengthening the mind instead of destroying it, as recommended in the teachings of Vedanta. If at all you want to do Sadhana, the only right approach to it, is to dispel the Anantmabhava the false notion of the non-self. 14. It is important to recognize that as long as the mind is there, desires will not leave you. As long as you have desires, the false notion of I and Mine will not leave you. As long as the feeling of I and mine is there, Ahamkara - your wrong identification with the body- will not leave you. As long as Ahamkara does not leave you, Ajnanaignorance too will not leave you. In effect, it means that there is no way other than the annihilation of the mind to attain Atma- Jnana- Knowledge of the Self, or Atmadarshan- vision of the Self, or Atmananda- Bliss of the Self, whatever you may choose to call it. 15". The mind, the Buddhi or intellect, the Chitta or the memory, and ahamkara or the ego sense- what is the substratum from which these four have emerged, by which they are sustained, and into which they will merge back? That substratum is the Brahaman; that is the Atma of the Self. So, instead of recognizing the source of your origin and your own identity, what is the use of your trying to attain it by taking recourse to other pathways? 16". The right kind of Sadhana for seeking the Atma, are only those that are directed towards the destruction of the mind. Because of his identification with his body, man is being helplessly tossed hither and thither in various way by his ego. I am doing this; I am enjoying that; I have conquered this thus saying to himself man is lending strength day by day, to his sense of doer-ship. 17. You should have the firm conviction that nothing happens due to human effort. Proof for this assertion need not be sought for in some far-off place. It can be found right within your own body. For instance, what effort are you making of for the ceaseless beating of your heart or for the incessant breathing of your lungs? Does the digestion of the food eaten by you take place, because of your will? Are you able to live because you want to live, or to die? Does your birth take place according to when and where you

desire? If you ponder deeply along these lines of thought, you will discover that your feelings of I and mine- Ahamkara and Mamakara are being unduly fostered by your false sense of doer-ship and enjoyer-ship- Kartritva and Bhoktritva. 18. To-day we are preoccupied with various activities just for our own mental satisfaction. But the mind never knows any satisfaction, whatever we may do and for how long. Mind alone is Maya-illusion. Mind alone is desire. Mind itself is Avidyaignorance. Mind alone is Nature- Pakriti. And mind alone is delusion. 19. Reality is one- Ekam Sat. And that is Atma. Scholars describe God as the embodiment of Sat, Chit, Anandam- Existence- Awareness- Bliss. It is not correct. He is Sat itself, He is Chit itself, He is Ananda itself. These three are not different or separate from God. 20. As long as you think there is anything different from you, so long you are submerged in ignorance. There is nothing in the universe other than you, or higher than you. To think otherwise or to try to prove otherwise is nothing but your Manobhranti mental delusion, resembling a dream. In your dream, you see many sights and experience various things, but for how long are they real? Only as long as your dream lasts. When the dream ends, they are all unreal. Similarly, your hardships, losses, worry and sorrow etc are real, only as long as your mind is under delusion. Once the delusion leaves you, they will all be unreal. They will then turn out to be castles of myths created by your mind. Relying on the false I you are rejecting the real I. You are boostin g your Ahamkara by thinking continually that you are the body. 21. If only we can understand one small but subtle truth, we can expand the horizons of our thought and feelings to any extent. There is nothing other than the self in the universe. All the things you see as existing in the phenomenal world are but the reflections of the one Self. In the case of mundane affairs, the subject, the object and the predicate- all these three are present. But in spiritual matters relating to the Atma or Self, there is only the subject, but no separate object or predicate. In fact, all these three aspects get merged into one Atma-tatwa- the principle of the Self which pervades everywhere as Chaitanya- Consciousness. There is no place, where Consciousness does not exist. This very Chaitanya has been partitioned, so to say, into three aspects of Sat, Chit, Ananda for the satisfaction and understanding of the laity. These three aspects have been described by the Vedantins as mutual reflections of one another. They have used the terms Asthi, Bhathi and Prayam for Sat, Chit and Ananda respectively. But all these three refer to one and the same entity. 22. It is difficult to understand the nature of this principle of Consciousness. There are three aspects of this Consciousness, depending upon its association with specific aspects of human personality. When this Consciousness or Awareness is associated

with the senses, we use the term conscious. When it associated with the mind, we call it conscience, and when it is associated with the Self, it is pure Consciousness. 23. God is more taintless than the sky. The Sun , the Moon and the stars are His eyes. He is all-pervading like the air. It is only when we thoroughly recognize the nature of the Upadhis or vestures of man like the body, the senses, the mind and the Buddhi that we can understand the sacred, pure infinite Atma or Divine Principle. 24. One who has forgotten himself cannot recognize the truth proper. When you are yourself the Atma, how can you recognize it by praying to some other being or doing such other Sadhana? Because the One has become many = Ekoham bahusayam, you have developed a liking for the diversity, forgetting the unity. All these things that you see around you are your own reflections, as if in a mirror. Leaving the actual object, you are running after the reflected images. Your own bhrama- delusion is binding you hand and foot. One who is bound by bhrama cannot reach Brahman- God. All your Sadhana are futile, if you want to experience the Self. All these Sadhanas will only serve the purpose of quieting the mind. The quiet mind may again become agitated. What is important is to get rid of the mind, by understanding its true nature. 25. Remember that success and failure do not depend on your ef forts or Sadhana and such other activities. You are simply inflating your ego- Ahamkara, by deluding yourself that you have been able to achieve things by your own effort. Look around and see the many instances where the best of efforts have not been crowned with success, while with little or no effort victory had come unsought in the case of many others. Instead of getting frustrated due to failure by depending on your efforts had not been crowned with success. While with little or no effort only, you can surely win success by dedicating all your activities to the Divine. 26. The whole world is a combination of Kshetra and Kshetrajna - the fields and the knower of the Fields. The Kshetra of the human body is but a reflection of PrakritiNature. All the sentient and insentient aspects of the universe are in the human body. The entire universe is a reflection of the inner being of man. 27. Self-knowledge reveals itself after the annihilation of the mind. The still and peaceful silence that follows the destruction of the mind is itself true knowledge. This true knowledge is our very nature, and not something to be newly acquired. However, this knowledge is hidden by the mind and its aberrations, like the cinder covered by the ash, generated by the cinder itself, like the water shrouded by the moss produced by water itself and like the eye covered by the cataract arising from the eye itself. Remove the cataract and you get back your sight. Remove the mind and the self-knowledge stands revealed automatically.

28. This knowledge can neither be obtained from books, nor given by gurus - the spiritual teachers nor can it be conferred as a boon by the Paramatma- the supreme soul. Indeed you are yourself Paramatma, Atma or Jnana. Sitting in solitude, when you calmly enquire how this Jnana is present in all you will hear from within yourself a spontaneous voice that is eternal and changeless. All the things in this manifested world are subject to constant change due to the process of union and separation of atoms that goes on endlessly. However, this Divine voice within is not only the same in all beings, not only eternal but also it remains unchanged by anything. 29. People believe that every man has a free will. It is an entirely wrong belief. They imagine that it is because of mans will, determination, Sadhana and effort that he is able to achieve success. This is all due to the aberrations of their Ahamkara and the reflection of their false sense of doer-ship. 30. So, even for attaining success in the matter of attaining Self-Knowledge, is foolish to rely on ones physical, mental and intellectual abilities and resources. What is needed is to recognize and cultivate the spirit of oneness of all that exists. 31. What is meant by the heart? Not the physical hea rt full of flesh and blood. The real Heart is that which has no connection with any particular place, time, individual or country. It is the Divine Principle, which is equally present in all persons at all times, in all places and in all countries. This heart has no form. What we consider as the heart inside the human body comes in the middle and goes in the middle. But what we call as Heart in the spiritual parlance knows no coming or going. It is eternal and changeless. Therefore, true freedom consists in recognizing and realizing this Heart or Divine Principle, knowing which one becomes the knower of everything. 32. As is the microcosm, so is the macrocosm. Microcosm refers to the individual and macrocosm to the aggregate or sum total. One who knows his Self knows all. To-days man tries to know everything about the world. He feels proud that he knows everything. But he forgets that he does not know himself. 33. The Vedas have revealed that the mind is a reflection of the moon. Therefore we cherish the mind and nourish it by devoting more and more time and attention to it, as long as we do not engage ourselves in Atma vichara or Self- enquiry. It is only when you have the mind, that you see all such differences as spiritual and secular, sacred and mundane, freedom and bondage, man and woman, Prakriti and Paratatwam, Nature and absolute Reality, All the dualities are the creations of the mind. 34. It should be recognized that mans life is regulated by the laws of Nature on the one hand, and by the man-made rules and regulations on the other. Such being the case, there is no validity in everyone thinking for himself that he has freedom to act as he likes. It is only God that may be said to have freedom to act as he likes. Even this is a

relative truth, because in absolute terms, existence is only one, and hence the word freedom is out of place in this context. 35. As long as the mind is there, no one can claim to be enjoying freedom. In the worldly parlance, one may say, I have money. I am giving it t o him. This is my freedom etc. But truly speaking, this is neither freedom nor free will. The mind is a mixture of the three Gunas- Satva, Raja and Tamas. One or more of these three may become dominant at a given time in a given person. In the present instance, the mind of the man who is giving some money to another person is motivated by the Satva-Guna to give something in charity to the needy person. Hence when a man acts under the influence of the Gunas, how can he claim to have freedom of will? It is therefore impossible for anybody who is part of the creation to have freedom. 36. The highly talented persons in different walks of life have not acquired their skills from somewhere outside. All these are but manifestations of their own innate potentialities. It is sheer ignorance to think that any person can be developed by instruction by some other person. Everything is in you alone. All that you do by way of your effort is to manifest or give an outer expression to what is already inherent in you. So, even in the spiritual field, all the Sadhana (spiritual practice) that you need to do is to remove the obstruction, namely the ignorance that is preventing the manifestation of the Divinity already present in you. 37. What you find in this world is a hierarchy of controls, the one at a higher level controlling the one at a lower level. This results in lack of freedom for all except perhaps for the one top-most person in the hierarchy. But strictly speaking, even this one person occupying the top most rung of the hierarchical ladder cannot be said to have freedom, because the question of freedom does not arise when there is only one without a second. What we call individual freedom and fundamental rights may serve the purpose of enabling us to carry on our mundane affairs. But in the absolute sense, there is no true freedom involved in this matters. 38. From what ever angle we may consider the matter, there is no freedom for man and there can be no freedom for man. In fact, man does not know what true freedom means. One who has freedom does not take birth in this world. One who enters the world with a body, cannot have freedom. 39. Anything that is bound by any limitation whatsoever, cannot and should not be said to have freedom. This only shows that we are in the habit of using words without knowing their correct meaning. 40. If you understand the true meaning of the Heart, you will recognize that is beyond limitations. The same Heart that is within you is also within all others including even those who are hated by you or who hate you. You may have the doubt that if all have

the same heart, why should their thoughts, attitudes and actions be different. All these differences are created by the mind and they have nothing to do with the Heart. This is not the physical heart but the spiritual Heart, which is omnipresent. It has no form but it is the substratum for all forms, just as sugar is the common basis for all kinds of sugar dolls of different animals which are liked by different children. 41. All the differences you find in the world are only reflections of your mind. Whether you love someone, or hate some one, or ridicule somebody, they are all your reflections only. If you give up these reactions, resounds and reflections of your mind, which appear to you in the phenomenal world, and get hold of the Heart called Reality, then all these differences in thoughts, feelings, actions etc. would disappear. God does not have thoughts and feelings of any kind. But he appears to respond suitably according to the thoughts, feelings, attitudes, and actions like worship, prayer etc. of the devotees. He has no likes and dislikes. Nor is He angry with some and pleased with some others. He does not have moods that change from time to time in respect of the same person or different persons as is imagined by many of you. God does not differentiate or discriminate between high caste and low caste, between the young and the old, between men and women, between people of one country and another etc. These are all mundane differences pertaining to the phenomenal world but have nothing to do with Divinity. God will never have such differences. If one understands rightly the nature if the Divine Principle of the Atma, there will be no scope for such petty, narrow-minded differences and discriminations. 42. Spirituality means merger with God. You are not different from God. You are God, God is you. If you are firmly established in this faith, you need not undertake any other Sadhana or spiritual practices. Of course, some people repeat parrot -like I and you are one, but they do not live up to it. 43. The eye of wisdom is highly essential to every man. Jnana - Netram- (the eye of wisdom.) Divya- Netram-(the Divine eye,) Atma- Netram- (the eye of Self,) BrahamaNetram- the eye of Brahaman- all these names are synonymous. Only when you have the firm faith that all is Brahaman- Sarvam Brahaman,you will see the entire universe as Brahaman. That is why the scriptures have exhorted; Fill your vision-Dhiristi, with Jnana -wisdom, and you will see the Srishti- creation, filled with Brahaman- the supreme Absolute. The color of the entire Prakriti-Nature, depends upon the color of the glasses through which the physical eyes look at it? 44. According to one of the most important mantras in the Veda, immortality can be obtained only by Tyaga-renunciation but not by good actions, progeny or wealth etc. But what exactly is renunciation? It does not mean givin g up ones wife and children, or house and other properties. What actually is your bondage? It is the delusion of your identification with the body. You must give up the false idea that you are the body and

imbibe the truth that you are the Atma. Then alone can you achieve liberationMoksham. Deha- virakthi- detachment from the body consciousness will free you from the grief of bondage and Daiva Aasakathi- attachment to God will give you the bliss of Moksha- liberation and merger with God. How to get rid of Deha-bhaaranthi- body consciousness? Not by giving up food and drink, reducing the body to a skeleton and courting death, but by asserting with faith that I am not the body. The body, the senses, the mind and the intellect are all my instruments- Upadhis. You must give up your body - consciousness, just as you remove your soiled clothes. 45. All things happen according to the Divine will- Daiva Sankalpam. By your own effort you cannot achieve anything. It is only due to Ahamkara that you wrongly appropriate to yourself both doer-ship and enjoyer-ship- Kartritwa and Bhoktritwa. You are the very embodiment of bliss. Bliss is your very nature. But it is a tragedy that you are unable to recognize it and experience it. This bliss is veiled by likes and disl ikes, the sense of I and mine, hesitation and doubt, pleasure and displeasure etc. Raaga and Dwesha attachment and hatred, are the thick clothes, which shroud the bliss in you. When you get rid of attachment and hatred you can discover your own real nature. How strange and foolish it is that despite yourself being the very embodiment of bliss, you are searching for bliss elsewhere! Although everything is within you, you are unfortunately running after petty desires and silly sensual pleasures in the phenomenal world. What is the reason for this mad race? Ignorance of the truth, that you are yourself the source of all bliss. 46. Nityanandam- eternal Bliss, Brah-manandam- infinite Bliss and Advaitnandamnon- dual bliss is the very nature and form of man. But lured by the momentary sensuous worldly pleasures, man is unable to seek, to understand and to enjoy this supreme Divine bliss. Unlike the so- called bliss derived from material things, the bliss of the Atma is never tainted by sorrow. 47. It is sheer foolishness on the part of man to identify himself with a house while he is only a simple resident in it. It is as good as identifying oneself with a car that one is driving. As the body is a harmonious composition of eyes, ears, legs, hands, etc. and not a mere eye, ear, or hand, similarly the Atma is the harmonious entity embracing the entire universe. The Atma is the driver who operates the senses, the organs, etc. It is the Atma, that makes the eyes see, the ears hear, and the hands work. It only proves that Atma is the true master of the body. An earnest inquiry into the human system, reveals that the different organs in the body, are only instruments, the Atma is the master. The conglomeration of Mind, the Buddhi (intelligence) and Samskara (tendency) is Atma. 48. You think you are engaging in the action, but it is your body doing so, or your mind, or your intelligence. But God is working through them. It is only the Atma in you that is

the source of action. The Atma is God. God is using your intelligence, mind, and body as His instruments for doing that particular work. 49. Creation is from the Atma. The Atma, God, is the positive. Body is the negative. They join and action results. Otherwise, nothing---- Creation is not a projection from the Atma. The Atma, God, is permeating every fiber of creation. The form is just appearance--- it is energy, God, the Divine Energy which causes the form and which is the actuality or the form. 50. He who recognizes that the Atma in him and in all beings is o ne and the same dwells in the constant presence of God, whether he is a householder or follows a path of renunciation, whether he is alone or in a crowd. Everyone has to recognize the divinity that is inherent in all human beings. 51. Atma is permanent. No one can suppress this permanent Atma. No one can destroy this Atma. There is no death or destruction for Atma. As one changes a worn out garment for a new one, so also when the body is worn out, the Atma will get into another body. 52. Atma is eternal; it cannot die or decay, diminish or disintegrate. Only those that have not realized the Atma principle suffer from the delusion that the body is themselves; until then, even the most learned are led into that error. Being enamored of the body as if it is you is ignorance, being aware of the Atma, which you really are is wisdom. Getting the knowledge of the Atma is as precious a piece of good luck as getting a diamond in the dust. The Atma is the gemstone embedded in this mass of flash. 53. When one is merged in the Divine bliss he is the witness of his bliss. The person loses his limited awareness for Gods total awareness. Deep sleep is samadhi, where there is no world and no mind but only the experience of I. Freedom is that same experience in full awareness--- Happiness is temporary and given to us by others. Next comes joy. One is joyful when filling the stomach-it comes and goes. But bliss is ones rightful nature; it does not come and go. Bliss is not something that comes to one; it is ones real nature and is permanent. 54. Supreme Consciousness is the ocean, nature is just a wave of that vast ageless and boundless ocean- and the individual soul is just a drop of that wave. You cannot give up the wave or the sea. You can only merge, leaving the name and form to drop off. Once you enter the depths of the sea, it is all calm, it is all peace; agitation, noise, confusion all are only on the outer layers. 55. The different states of consciousness are mutually excusive. You cannot experience in one state what you have gone through in another. For instance, in a

dream you may weep over the death of a person. But when you wake up, you dont weep for the person who died in the dream. What happened in the dream is true only in the dream state. In the waking state, it is unreal. Likewise we do not lament in a dream over a person who died in the waking state. Each experience is real only in its state of consciousness. But the one principle that is common to all the states of consciousness, waking, dream and sleep- is the Atma. Atma is not bound by the limitations of time, space and circumstances. 56. What is creation? Creation means the expression of the will of God. It is called nature. Everything that has emerged from nature must necessarily have the quality of nature. Man is born to express the quality of nature. Creation refers to manifestation of thoughts. 57. Creation has to be viewed as a cosmic stage. God is the director and dramatis personae in this play. He assigns all the roles of the characters in this play. All creatures in the world are manifestations of the Divine. The good and evil in the world are expressions of the Divine Consciousness. Man should not be misled by these expressions. Behind all the various actions of the actors, the Divine director is at work. It should be realized that though names and form may vary, languages and nationalities may be different the human race is one in its Divine essence. All are sparks of the Divine- The Lord declared in the Gita: All beings in the world of the living are aspects of my Eternal Self. 58. People have become worshipers of that which is created. However, it is acceptable if they do not differentiate between the Creator and the creation, and if the accept creation as being a part of the Creator. In spite of doing spiritual practices for many years or for many life times, if people still think of creation and the Creator as two separate entities, they cannot realize their true nature. People should use their intelligence to realize their true nature. 59. The Vedas, the most ancient scripture of mankind proclaim the truth of creation as the projection of the Divine through its own Will, when it was disturbed by the desire to separate itself from itself, Ekoham Bahusyam- I am ONE: I shall become many. Being willed to Become, say the Vedas. Baba says that we are the many, which He became. Therefore, as truly as He is God, We too are Gods. He says, I am in you; you are in me. We cannot be separated. 60. There was no one to know who I am until I created the world at my pleasure, with one word! Immediately, mountains rose up; oceans, seas, lands and watersheds, sun, moon and the desert sands sprung out of nowhere to prove My existence. Came all forms of beings, men, beasts and birds-flying, speaking and hearing. All powers were

bestowed upon them under my orders. The first place was granted to mankind and my knowledge was placed in mans mind. 61. When I love Myself, I love you. When you love yourself, you love me. We are One. I only separated Myself from Myself so that I can love Myself. 62. Things which have to happen will always happen. Even if you hide yourself in the forest you can save yourself from diseases, death and old age. You are bound to go when the time comes, leaving behind everything. It is the Grace of God which alone is permanent. 63. No one is competent to determine where a certain thing should take place. Life may end in a town, in water, or in a forest. Each ones life will end in the place, the manner and the time prescribed for him. This is inescapable. This is according to the operation of Natures law based on the pairs of opposites in lifewhat ever has to happen, how, and what time and in what manner, has been predetermined and the mere fact that I am near by will not serve to alter them. 64. Your reality is the Atma (God viewed as the particular), a wave of the Paramatma (God viewed as the Universal). The one object of this human existence is to visualize that Reality, that Atma, that relationship between the wave and the Sea. All other activities are trivial; you share them with birds and beasts; but this is unique privilege of Man. He has clambered through all the levels of animalism, all the steps in the ladder of evolution in order to inherit this high destiny. 65. The Divinity present in man and God are one and the same, though the bulbs are many. The bulbs differ in their radiance due to the difference in the voltage of the bulbs. Some people complain that the Divine radiance in them is dim. In these people the Divine radiance is dimmed by narrowness of mind. The Divine radiance shines resplendently only in those who have broad mind. But many people today are selfish and narrow-minded and their concern is limited only to themselves and their family. Unless their concern envelops the society and the world, the Divine radiance can never burn resplendently in them. 66. The Divine is the core, the essence of your being. God is everywhere; when He is recognized and adored as the indweller of your body, it becomes a Temple, and it is no more a burden. God is shining, announcing Himself through you; He is expressing Himself through every thought, word and deed that emanates from you. In the Temple that is built and put together, we have an idol that is sculpted and molded by man. But, in this temple that is gifted by God, God shines in His own light, and manifests in His own Glory as Love, Power and Wisdom. He shines and manifests, thus not only in a single body, but in all bodies. He is the indweller in each.

67. Man is not merely a creature thrown up by nature in the process of an evolutionary gamble. He has a special meaning, a special mission, and unique role. He is Divinity encased in the human frame! His mission is to merge in the God from whom he has emerged. 68. It is part of human nature that man desires to reach the presence of the Almighty, to see Him and be ever with Him, for deep within the human heart is the urge to reach the place from which he has come, to attain the joy he has lost, the glory which he has missed. Man is himself Divine and so it is a matter of the deep calling unto the deep, of the part calling for the whole. 69. Divinity is nearer than anything else in the world. If you consider it as far it will appear distant, but if you regard it as near, it will be near, as long as man is conscious of the body, he cannot comprehend a formless Divinity. Hence, he must adore the Divine in human form. If, for instance, a buffalo or a fish thinks of God, they can only conceive of God as a huge buffalo or a gigantic fish. Man also conceives the form of God only in terms of his own human form and attributes. As long as man is attached to the body, he cannot realize God. Only when he sheds his attachment, he can experience the Divine. 70. All the three worlds are contained in man. In this vast cosmos, among innumerable living beings the human being stands foremost. Although it has been proclaimed that in all living beings the Divine exists as the indwelling Spirit, not all living beings can recognize this truth. Only a human being has the capacity to recognize it. This unique ability invests human birth with its rare quality, as proclaimed by the Vedas. 71. When does man experience the pure Divine Self? It is in the Turya state or the fourth state of consciousness, (beyond the waking, dream and deep sleep states). This is the state of the Over-Mind. In that state man is one with the Divine. He has no attributes. Therefore he is all pervading. Nature is bound by the five qualities of sound, touch, form, taste and smell (these are the qualities of space or ether, air, fire, water, and earth, the five basic elements). With the loss of each quality, starting from smell, a process of expansion takes place. Finally we have Akasa (ether or space), which has only one quality (sound) and is all pervading. That being the case, how much more pervasive must be the Lord who has no attributes? 72. God takes on a human form and appears as a human being. But when the human being recognizes his basic nature he becomes the Divine. As long as one thinks he is a mere human, he remains a human. But when he considers himself as Divine with deep conviction, he will be transformed into the Divine. 73. All that you see, hear, think and do are due to the power of Brah man (the Absolute). The feeling that you are the doer and the possessor is the source of all

troubles. It is only when man. It is only when man realizes that everything is permeated by the Divine that he will be able to experience the Divine bliss. 74. To recognize Divinity there is no need to master the scriptures or study the Upanishads. A single visible experience is enough. The nature of Divinity cannot be described or defined. It is beyond description. What is needed is development of faith in the Divine, through weal and woe. In the pursuit of the Divine, perseverance is essential. The quest should not be given up in any circumstances. Either God should bless you, or you should forget yourself in thinking of Him. People today lack such determination and perseverance. 75. It is wrong to identify the I with the body. Over the ages, by identifying the I with the body, its true nature has been grossly underrated because of ignorance, perversion and false attachment. The truth is this I is subtle and incomparable. It is beyond change. This is the characteristic of Divinity. Men have to recognize their inherent divinity. 76. The primary reason you have acquired this body is to enable you to engage in activities which allow you to reap the rewards of the past actions your past karma. But why did you accumulate this karma in the first place? The reason of karma is desire or attachment you have for some things and dislike or repulsion you have for other things. Then what is the reason of this attraction and repulsion? The reason is duality. You believe that this world is real and is filled with objects and things, which are separated from yourself. Where did this duality come from? The reason for this duality is ignorance, the dark well, which covers the knowledge of your true reality. You have forgotten the fundamental unity of all beings you have become unaware of the Divine basis of all things. You have lost sight of Atma your real Self. It is on account of this ignorance that you experience so much grief and sorrow. If you want to be free of this darkness of ignorance, you must obtain the light of wisdom. 77. How can man realize the truth, only when he can experience non -dualism. As long as he is steeped in dualism (that he and the Divine are different), he is bound to be racked by the opposites: joy and sorrow, the real and the unreal. 78. You are not the body, a bundle of flesh, blood and bones. Neither are you the un manifested desires, nor the manifested mind. You are also not the infatuating delusion that thwarts your liberation. But you are the Eternal Paramatmam, if only you recognize your innate power. The body, the senses, the mind and the intellect are only the vestures put on by man. Only when we understand the nature and significance of these adjuncts, can we make proper use of them.

79. True surrender brings you closer and closer to God, for you are in constant communion with Him during each day. Also, you begin to see God in everyone and everything, all around you, all the time, everywhere, always. 80. The next higher stage is reached when a devotee experiences the truth, that all is God and there is only One God. It is a revelation that touches him deeply. To him is open the door to the inflowing of the God-force so that it reaches the innermost part of his being. It is there within, it is there without, and when he surrenders, he allows the two to join in perfect unison. From that moment onwards, he lives in perfect harmony with God. Such a devotee, soaked in the Love of God, lives and works only as the instrument of God for the welfare of humanity. 81. The highest level on the spiritual path is achieved when the devotee and God become one. His consciousness expands to the level of God consciousness or Superconsciousness and for him all distinctions between Sai, God, and himself, disappear and he becomes THAT. Having annihilated his ego completely and achieved total nondesire, he transcends body consciousness to achieve total equanimity and remain eternally immersed in God- consciousness- Sath- Chit- Ananda; I am Existence, I am Knowledge, I am Bliss. 82. The you who was present as pure consciousness in both the dream state and the waking state, that you who witnessed both these states, is the true reality. Life during the daytime is a daydream during the night it is a night dream. They are both illusions. They are filled with defects and flaws because they constantly change from one thing to another, so the cannot be real. Only you who remain unchanged in all these states are real, free of all change and illusion. 83. The Self is the Eternal; so establish yourself only in that and not in the transient non-Self illusion or objects. Life is a struggle to achieve victory over the illusion, which haunts; I am the Eternal Self in you and in all. So fix the mind on me and engage yourself in the struggle, confident of victory. Thus spoke Krishna exhorting Arjuna, with a great deal of affection. One must realize in this body itself the Eternal truth and the Relationship between man and that truth, before death takes its toll. 84. The self in man and the Divinity that dwells within him are one and the same. Add infinite onto yourself and you become the Divinity itself. Unfortunately having become embodied you have forgotten your Divinity, your unlimited infinity, you are aware only of your limited individuality. If you want to attain the infinity, you must make an inquiry into the Divinity which is inherent in you. 85. You are the infinite come in the finite, the formless infinite appe aring as the form-full infinitesimal, the Absolute pretending to be the relative; the Atma behaving as the body, the metaphysical masquerading as the merely physical.

86. Now we are developing superficial understanding and outer vision. But it is the inner vision that is important; it alone is true and sacred. We lose sight of the one reality, of our own Truth because we pay attention only to the impermanent outer vision and forget completely the permanent inner vision. Gods mission is to restore the sac red inner vision. That is what He does when He comes as Avatar. 87. The inner Voice, Antar Vani, is the voice of the Sadguru or the Divine Voice. It is incorporated in the Ajna Chakra, which has its focus point in the region of the third eye or the eyebrow center. When this chakra is awakened and the kundalini energy ascends to it, the Inner Voice or the Gurus Voice can be heard. In order to awaken the Kundalini shakti (power) and make it rise to the Ajna chakra you have to sharpen your concentration on this chakra. You have to sharpen your concentration to a very fine degree and shut out all other sensations, feelings, thoughts and emotions. Then, in the void can be heard the Inner Voice. It can be heard only in the state of mindlessness. It is not enough if you merely hear the Inner Voice. More importantly, you should listen to it- follow its advice and carry out its instructions implicitly and unquestioningly, because the advice and instructions are those of the Divine Sadguru. It is only when you listen to and obey the Voce that you will find peace and happiness. 88. Adi Sankara proclaimed the supremacy of the path of knowledge for the realization of the Self. In his Anandalahari he declared that Ananda (bliss) is mans goal and it can be secured only by Gods grace. He firmly asserted that Brahaman alone is real and there is no second. Even for such a staunch exponent of Monism, devotion became necessary. Without cultivating devotion, Jnana (knowledge of the Divine) cannot be secured. 89. Months come and go, but God neither comes nor goes. In this context you have to bear in mind three things. The first is that which goes, and after it goes will not come back. The second is that which after it comes, will never leave. The third is the one that neither comes nor goes. That which, when it comes, will not go is Jnana (the highest knowledge). When this sublime knowledge comes to us it should not leave us. The knowledge, which come and goes relates to the waking and sleeping states. But true knowledge when once it is acquired, will never go away. Knowledge which is lost is not true knowledge. 90. Ignorance is that which, once it is gone, will not return. If it returns, it is ignorance piled on ignorance. This has been described in Vedantic parlance as delusion within delusion. That which does not come and does not go is the Atmic principle. That which is omnipresent, where can it go? You set up a door to separate yourself from the outside. If there is no place outside, there will be no need for a door. There is no place, where the Divine is not present. Where can the Divine come or go? Such questions are the product of confused book knowledge.

91. The world presents a motley spectacle of people undergoing varying experience. There are some men who appear to be ever peaceful and there are also men that appear to be ever sorrowful. There are also men who appear to be experiencing joy as well as sorrow and there are also men, lost in the Divine intoxication, totally blissful. What is the cause for the different states of man? Mind is the cause for all this. The presence of the demon, the beast, the human and the Divine in man is the cause and but for all this, the mind is the main cause. It is only in man that we have the Human Divine, the Human Human, the Human Demon and Human Animal, all these are deeply rooted in the mind of man. 92. All living beings are actors on this stage. They take their exit when the curtain is rung down or when their part is over. On that stage, one may play the part of a thief; another may be cast as a king; a third may be a clown and another a beggar. For all these characters in the play, there is ONE who gives the cue! Here, some points have to be understood clearly. The prompter will not come upon the stage and give the cue, in full view of all. If he does so, the drama will lose interest. Therefore, standing behind a screen at the back of the stage, he gives the cue to all the actors, irrespective of the role; be it dialogue, speech, or song, just when each is in most need of help. In the same way, the Lord is behind the screen of the stage of Nature, giving the cue to all the actors for their various parts. So every actor must be conscious of His Presence behind the illusion screen; he must be anxious to catch the faintest suggestion. He might give, keeping a corner of the eye always on Him and having the ear pitched to catch His voice. Instead of this if a person forgets the plot and the story (that is to say, the work for which one has come and the duties that appertain there to), and neglects to watch the Presence behind the screen and simply stands dumb on the stage, the audience will laugh at his folly and charge him with spoiling the show. For these reasons, every actor who has to play the role of man on the world stage must first learn the lines well and then, remembering the Lord behind the screen, await His orders. The attention must be on both: The lines one has learned for the role and the directions one may get from the stage manager. 93. Before ones birth, one has no relationship with the world and its material objects. After death, they and all kith and kin disappear. This sojourn is just a game played in the interval. Getting fascinated with this three-day-fair is foolish, indeed There is no pleasure in being born again and again. There is no pleasure in being born only to die and in dying only to be born again. Why should we be born if it is only to undergo the repeated cycle of births and deaths? One should be born in such a way that he becomes immortal and is never born again. One who is after finding their path to arrive at such truth is the wise person. 94. We should ask if we existed before the body was born and if we would exist after the body dies. It is only in the interval between the birth and death that the human body

exists. What we have said applies to all that we see in the creation, including the hills, trees, animals and so on. These will all get merged with eternity in due course of time. The entire creation, which is the result of our own imagination, will merge with time. All matter that we see around us is subject to decadence with time. For us to recognize the Divinity in human beings, each individual should recognize his nature and true form. Before you are born, who are your parents, friends, relatives and enemies? To who does this wealth, gardens, homes and fields belong? Where from have we come and where are we going? Where will we go after the body dies? Where from has the body come? We do not know the address from which we have come and the address to which we go. We should realize that we have come from the Universal Absolute and that we will ultimately go to the Universal Absolute. 95. There is life throughout the Universe, for creation is endless. But within the whole universe there is no other planet that has human life or a similar life formRebirth can never be in other regions of the universe. All life may aspire to human birth but the human birth is the only opportunity to attain both full realization of the Divine and escape from the cycle of birth and death, and only on earth may this take place. In no other planet or region throughout the indescribable vastness of the universe does this opportunity exist. It is unique. 96. What is Maya? It means invisible, something, which is unseen. When you refer to maya in terms of illusion you understand is as something intangible. But Maya has a force, which is tangible. Otherwise how can it function? If you take the wind, for example you cannot see it but you feel its force, its power and energy when it blows. So, the wind, for example you feel its force, its power and energy when it blows. So, the wind is intangible but it has a force which is tangible. 97. It is Maya which gave rise to creation.It is Maya which is behi nd the entire created universe. Maya is the cause. Creation is the effect. All the things you see around you- the mineral, plant and animal kingdoms, man and everything else existent in the universe have their source in maya. From Maya they come and into Maya they go, for all created things are subject to decay, destruction and death. 98. Everything you see around you- the plants, birds, animals, earth, water, mountains, even human beings- seem to be real, do they not? You can see them, touch them,, feel them, smell them and hear them, so they all seem to be very real to you. But in actual fact, they are not real. They are only apparently and seemingly real. They are Mithya. Mithya means that which is transient, temporary, mutable not permanent. How is something, which does not last, real? So, the entire creation itself is unreal, Mithya, since it is bound by the laws of dissolution, decay and deathFor example, if you take a tree, it is subject to decay; so, it is not lasting and therefore it is Mithya. But the energy or force which gave life to the tree is lasting and this is Maya.

99. And now, we come to the third factor-Nithya. Nithya means, eternal, immutable, ever- permanent and ever- lasting. It is something that is even subtler than MayaWhile Maya is constantly moving and changing Nithya is ever still and motionlesstake the case of an actor on the stage. The actor puts on a disguise and adopts certain mannerisms and characteristics. With the help of these aids, he projects another and totally different personality to the audience. He creates a new person altogether. This new personality presented to the audience is Mithya. The disguise with all its appendages is Maya. The actor is Nithya. Once the disguise is removed, what happens? Everything crumbles, only Nithya remains. 100. What is Maya? It is the combined expression of the three gunas- Satva, Rajas and Thamas (the pure, the emotional and the lethargic). The Vedas have declared that it is only when man overcomes the three gunas that he would be able to get rid of Maya (the illusion), which makes one see the unreal as real. 101. Just as our shadow will always accompany us and can not be separated from us, so also Maya will always accompany God and will not separate from Him. 102. Now here we come to the question of duality and non-duality. It is true that there is ugliness of Nature and in all creation, but everything has its place and purpose. Nothing was created without a reason. What is ugliness, after all? It is the other side of beautyThus we have two sides to every aspect- good and bad, beauty and ugliness, truth and untruth, light and darkness, knowledge and ignorance, and so on. They are complementary; where one exists, the other also will. Can you appreciate beauty unless you know what ugliness is? Can you be good unless you know what is bad? You must learn to discriminate between Maya and Mithya and this will help you to perceive God in everything. In this way you will develop a feeling of closeness to Nature and to God and awareness of oneness. 103. To God all objects in the universe are alike because they are manifestations of the Divine. The scriptures declared about this Divine manifestation: Sarvam khalvidam Brahma- All this verily is Brahman. Hence, whoever worships the supreme Lord should also worship Prakriti (Nature of the phenomenal universe). He should love Nature and adore Nature. Nature is not different from the Supreme Self. Nature is the effect and God is the cause. Nature is the expression of the relationship between cause and effect. 104. In nature everything functions to its specific qualities declares the Upanishads. Everything behaves according to its specific nature. It cannot be altered or destroyed by anyone. This is the inherent attribute of Nature. It manifests the Divine Principle, which is eternal, immutable and unchanging. To bring out this Divine aspect in Nature and make it manifest,, all things have been endowed with certain qualities (gunas). To

endow nature with these qualities, certain media are necessary. These have been described as Brahma, Vishnu and Maheshwara. 105. Paramatma is present everywhere and is all knowing. He is present everywhere in His creation and by seeing Him everywhere, it will be possible for you to live in this world, getting correct knowledge of the nature around you. By atmic knowledge, you will be able to enjoy happiness on the spiritual side of the world. Paramatma is the embodiment of truth and wisdom, and is infinite. In that form, He is present in all the organs that make up your body. He is effulgent in the body in the form of Atma. 106. The I in you is Paramatma Himself. The I is the tiny wavelet that plays with the wind for a moment, over the deep waters of the sea. The wave gives you the impression that it is separate from the azure and timeless ocean below. But it is just an appearance, a creation of the two ideas- Name and Form. Get rid of the two ideas and the wave disappears in the sea; its reality flashes upon you and you know. 107. Divine vision is seeing through the ephemeral illusion and abiding in and with the reality Divine vision is the result of practice and of Gods grace. At times, Divine vision may appear to arise spontaneously, but it is because of work done by a person in a previous life The person of Divine vision is known as a raja yogi. He retains some body identification, and thus continues to live with the bodyIf one lives and keeps himself within the reality found within, with Godly thoughts, desires, and interests, if one keeps his life centered on the Godly side of consciousness, the consciousness becomes a mirror coated on its outer surface with the dust of the sensory world. On the pure inward surface of this mirror, on the pure mind and the pure heart, one may see the reality of himself reflected. This constitutes Self-Realization. 108. Listen! You whose real nature is the same as that of Supreme consciousness! Seek to discover your true Self, your genuine reality, attain the knowledge that you are Supreme Consciousness itself; exult in this alone; taste the undiluted, incomparable, unlimited bliss of the awareness of the real Self. Let time merge in Him whose form is Time. That is the highest task of man, as taught in the scriptures. With the amulet of wisdom around ones arm, one can escape the influences of negative starts called sensual attractions. 109. There is no need to retire into a forest or cave to know your inner reality and to conquer your lower nature. Win the battle of life by being in the world- but free from attachments. That is a victory for which you can be congratulated. 110. The Self is not visible from the outside. The Self is neither visible nor invisible. It has no special form that is attached to it and is all pervadingThe Self cannot be what we can hear with our ears; what we can feel with any of our sensory organs. These can only be a means or instruments in a limited sense for understanding the Self. As we can

experience the presence of matter with our sensory organs, the body is experiencing all the creation around it with its senses. Like a lamp that helps one to find out things, functioning as an ancillary instrument, so also all the organs help the body to experience the surroundings. It is not right to describe this body, which in that manner depends upon various ancillary instruments as Self. We now recognize that the mind the intelligence, the body, the consciousness and the inner consciousness are all distinct from the Self. Intelligence has been given a special position, a position which is higher then those of the sensesIn order that we may discover and understand the Self, this container, the human body, can become instrumental and can be helpful. 111. The first thing which we have to do is recognize the Self which is only a witness and is not subject to pain and pleasure which the body experiences. For experiencing the Self as our reality, control of the senses, removal of the physical attachment and truth are essential. Only by throwing off the attachment to the body, and purifying the mind and the intellect can you merge in your truth and earn the eternal bliss, highest Peace, the purest Wisdom. Thus only can man earn liberation from the bondage of birth and death. 112. That which has to be given up is the feeling of separateness a nd individuality. Who is the individual (jiva)? The true individual Self is GodGod and the individual Self are not separate. Because of ignorance, one gets the feeling of separateness When one realizes that the supreme God is everything, he or she will be free from the feeling of individuality and worldly- mindedness. One will be free from sorrow when one realizes that the individual Self is none other than God. Know that God resides in the universe and that, similarly, the universe resides in God. It is a unique and friendly relationship between God and the universe. This relationship is inseparable. 113. What is the goal? It is reaching your original home or source. What is this home? Knowing ones Self is reaching the original home. God has enabled hu mans to realize this truth. How can one search for ones Self? You cannot search for your Self in just any place; it can only be found within. It is madness to search for God outside. Gods eyes, feet, hands and ears are everywhere and all things, is pervaded by God. To know ones Self is to reach God. In Vedantic parlance this is described as the method that is nethi, nethi (not this, not this). By this method, you try to enforce the idea that you are not the body, mind, intellect or conscience. But realize that all these belong to you-they are your instruments, and you are the master. When you realize the truth that you are the master and pervade everything, then sorrow cannot touch you. 114. Every cell has got in its center a life-atom which is an embodied Soul. Each sperm also contains an embodied Soul. This may correspond to one of the numerous spices of living beings ranging from a virus to a man.

115. After experiencing the pleasures and pains in the other worlds the vital and mental bodies disintegrate. The Soul is still covered by the wisdom and causal bodies (the causal inside the wisdom body). These two constitute the reincarnating principle. These two bodies also may disintegrate to a certain extent. But as all actions and characters are represented in the causal body, everything will be reconstructed on the basis of the impressions present in the causal body. 116. Every little movement or incident results in sound; only you may not be able to hear because the range of your ear is limited. The closing of an eyelid over the eye makes a sound the dropping of dew on a petal makes sound. Any little agitation disturbing the calm is bound to produce sound. The sound caused by the primal movement that resulted in the enveloping of Brahman by the self-evolved Maya is the Pranavasabda or OM. The Gayathri is the elaboration of the Pranava and so, it is now held so venerable that initiation into the spiritual life is achieved by contemplation. 117. This moment is God. There is only God. Truth is the same in the past, in the present, and it will remain the same in the future. Therefore, the time sequence of past, present, future is just imagination. But I am timeless, beyond time. I look at past, present, future, and they are not Me, of course, past, present, and future must be taken into account in daily affairs. These two aspects of time must be mixed and in operation at the same time. The perception that the time sequence is only imagination, that I am timeless and beyond time; both should be there at the very moment that one is using the time sequence in his daily affairspast, present, future are unreal. 118. Because you are so much entangled with the aspects of the body, mind and intelligence, you feel that you are subordinate to time and that time will swallow you. However, if you can develop an aspect by which you can feel about the aspects of body, mind and intelligence, it will be possible for you to get control over death and regard it as part and parcel of the evolution of the immortal element in you. 119. The entire phenomenal universe is a manifestation of the atom. The water you drink, the air you breath, and the sound you hear are all composed of atoms. The five basic elements (space, air, water, fire, and earth) are all made of atoms and pervade the universe. The cosmos is the embodiment of the five elements. For this reason, the ancients regarded the universe as a manifestation of God. 120. People think that the world is separate from them. The entire universe is in the heart of each individual. The universe is but a manifestation of the Divine, which is within the heart of every individual. Vishnu is the cause and the universe is the effect. 121. As the body is for the jivi,(human being) the world is for the Lord. Whatever happens in any part of the body affects the jivi; so too, all that affects any part of the world moves the Lord; He becomes cognizant of it and He reacts to it.

122. The universe is the body of God; every particle in it is filled with God, His glory, His might, His inscrutabilityBelieve that God is the inner truth in everything and being. He is truth He is wisdom. He is Eternal. Be humble before the evidence of His Power and Majesty. 123. Puranas(ancient Hindu scriptures) say that this universe has a beginning and an end and that its life span is , multiplied by to the th power years. This duration is considered as years when counted in the units of time pertaining to the universe just as astronomers speak of light year in their astronomical units. According to this measure of time, one second of universal time is equivalent to one lakh (,) years of mans time. 124. After the previous universe disappeared, time was incomprehensible. In other words, there was no time. Time, space, objects and movement took birth simultaneously. Therefore the beginning of this universe is the beginning of time. 125. Vibhuti is the most precious object in a truly spiritual sense ---( It represents the burning of desires that agitate the mind and cause confusion.) When there is no desire to warp the mind, love will be true and full. What greater offering can you give to God to glorify Him than the ash signifying your triumph over desire? Ash or vebhuti is the ultimate condition of things, it cannot undergo any further changeIt should inspire you to give up desire and offer to God the ashes of destruction of tantalizing desires as the most valuable of all the articles you have earned. 126. What I materialize is a manifestation of Divinity with a potent significance as well as symbolism. It is symbolic of the cosmic, immortal and infinite nature of all forms of God. Atma or the spirit- that is, what is left when everything worldly, transient and changeable has burnt away. 127. In the first place, it is symbolic of the life-death cycle in which everything ultimately reduces itself to ash. For dust thou art, and to dust shall thou return. Ash or dust is the final condition of things. It cannot undergo any further changes. In he spiritual context in constitutes a warning to the receiver to give up desire, to burn all passions, attachments and temptations, and make one pure in thought, word and deed. It is in order to press home this lesson that I materialize ash for those who come to me with love and devotion. Like other materializations, it also acts as a talisman, healing the sick, and giving protection to those who need it. It is the symbol of Divinity, quite different from the magicians trickery mentioned to you. 128. Everything is the Will of God. For every small act, Gods command is the cause. Without His Will, not a blade of grass can move. Good and bad are projections of your feelings, but in the eyes of God, everything is the same.

129. Understand that there is no free will for individuals. They are constrained by various limitations. God alone has total free will. All others are bound in one way or another. Whatever ones efforts, the ultimate outcome is with Providence. Therefore, place your faith in God and do your duty, wherever you may be. 130. Bring the recurrent desires of your mind to me, every time they emerge. They cannot shock me for I willed them! Bring me your confusion, your fear, your craving, your anxiety, your inability to love the world, your hesitation to serve, your jealousy, all the deficiencies that defy your Sadhana. 131. Man must realize the immensity of the play of the Divine Will which manifests itself in such abundant variety. But what does science say of this Will? It only declares that we should not believe things that we do not see. The Divine Will is beyond our power to see and so it cannot be testified to be real! This attitude is not correct. Take this handkerchief, which I drop from my hand. It falls to the ground instead of going up in the air. We attribute this to the gravitational pull, even though we do not see the pull. Creation posits a Creator; nothing can happen without the will to make it happen. Before the beginning of things, there must be some Will that willed them to become. It can only be He that has become all this, whatever is the name or form that these have assumed. That Will is love. It is wisdom. It is power, it is bliss. 132. Think of the incomprehensible joy that will surge within you when you approach the shore of Liberation! Ride safe on the raging waters of Change; be a witness, do not crave for the fruit of action, leave the consequences of all the good acts to Gods will. He is the doer, you are but the instrument. 133. God decides and man has to adjust his plans according to Gods decisions. It is not right for him to stick to his own plan and make decisions whether you are in pain, or in sorrow or trouble, or in happiness all these have to be considered as the Grace of the Lord. 134. Nothing is wrong with you- where there is a will there is a way is eminently true. At first the will is your own which has to be strengthened by the thought of God until you convert it into the almighty will of God. You seem to be playing a particular game, which you do not really desire to throw up. You can change the game if you will. You are not weak and helpless. Every strength and power is within you. GOD- vision is yours that very instant when you will it with concentration. Why dont you? Simply, because you d o not choose to trust in the supreme will in all circumstances. The vision of truth means, vision of the root principle of all creation. If GOD wills means only if you assert your own all- powerful will. The solution therefore is to awaken the inherent power and splendor of your Soul. Do it. You are verily the immortal truth; the great deathless and changeless reality.

135. To see with clarity, that everything we are doing is being prompted by God, is suddenly to be free from all worry and anxiety. Then there is no sorrow, no disappointment, no fear of any kind, for then all is God. He is playing every role and whatever happens can be accepted as His Will, as the way that He, the consummate actor, is developing the destiny of the character being portraye d. Baba advises. Let God work through you and there will be no more duty. Let God shine forth. Let God show Himself. Eat God, drink God, breathe God, realize the truth and the other things will take care of themselves. 136. People think that wisdom can be obtained by bookish learning. But, bookish learning is only an artificial exercise, and true wisdom can never be obtained by artificial means. True wisdom, is harvested by the heart alone. First and foremost, man should erase the feeling that he is different from God. One day, man will realize that he and God are one if he persistently practices the faith that I am God. But mere lip service of such statements yields no result. 137. The attitudes of elation and dejection, happiness and unhappiness tow ards the fruit of action exist because you think you are the doer of actions and the enjoyer of fruits. As long as this idea exists, you will be bound by the cycle of birth and rebirth. But once you realize that you are only a silent witness and onlooker, you will be freed from the cycleyou think that you are the body, the mind, the intellect and so on. That is why you react emotionally to the consequences of action. You think that the body does and the body enjoys. But who are you really? You are not the body. You are something different and separate from the mere body, mind, intellect and ego. You are the Atma, untouched and unaffected by any action or result. You, the essential you, are the Atma. You are only a witness to what is going on around you, for the Atma does not engage in action. Whatever is taking place does not affect the real You. God is the only Doer of all acts and He is the only Enjoyer of all fruitsall acts are done by Him and all fruits go to Him. He is present everywhere and in everything as Atma. The Atma is the source of all action just as the current is the source of all light. You are only instruments in the hands of God God acts through you. And since He performs the actions, only He is entitled to enjoy the fruits of the actions. 138. Learn to let all conflicts spawned by the mind to play themselves out and cancel each other out, as the Yadavas did on the final battlefield. Be a witness to the holocaust. The ultimate solution to the conflict is not decision or even choice, but passive being. Dare to remain inconclusive. See the endless quandaries of the mind as Divine Leela, His sport, as the natural function of the bundle of desires called mind.; do not rally to its assertions and appetites. 139. For attachment, hatred and for all the differences that we entertain mind is the cause. The mind envelops all and encircles all. When there is no mind, there is no world

at all. Where the world does not exist, hatred and attachment cease to exist; where attachment and hatred do not exist, sorrow and joy cease to exist. Such a state free from sorrow and joy is the real state of man. For the sorrow and suffering of man, attachment and hatred are the cause. For hatred and attachment world is the cause and for the world, mind is the cause. Hence it is said: Mano moolan idam jagat. It is only by transcending the mind that man can ever hope to attain Divinity. Man is bound by the power of mind in the waking state, the dream state and the deep sleep state as well. Man can become God only by attaining the state that transcends these three states. 140. The Infinite Eternal Brahman can be cognized as having three attributes, for the convenience of awareness; Sath, Chith, Ananda. The minutest particle in the universe has these three characteristics, and the vastest too. Man too is the embodiment of Sath, Chith, Ananda (being, awareness, bliss); but since he is too attached to the body and its impulses he is unable to dive into his reality and benefit from the springs of Chith and Ananda that are there. 141. The basis for the acceptance of God as the Eternal Being and as the Cosmic Enrapture is His indestructibility. Indestructibility is the form of God and for the indestructible God, AUM is the name. AUM, the primordial word, contains the essence of all the Vedas and is the source of all scriptures. It provides the basis for the core of all religious teachings and eclectic knowledge. AUM is comprised of three syllables A U and M, each of which has profound connotations. AUM is the primordial Word, which gives life to all other words. It is not possible for anyone to fully cognize or even describe the integral form of the sacred word AUMIt is divinely precious and should be recognized as the name of God. 142. Bhagawan Sri Sathya Sai Baba is really Sathya Swaroopa. He is in reality Sathyam, Sivam and Sundaram. That is Sath, Chit and Ananda ( a supreme state of Existence, Knowledge and Bliss). His real nature is that He is Siva Sakthi Swaroopa and He has taken this human form in order to reform us and to re-establish our old Sanathana Dharma. He is an embodiment of Prema, Karuna and Shanti. The Leelas and miracles performed by Bhagawan Sri Sathya Baba clearly prove that He is the God in human form. He is the Lord of the nature, which is His own creation and agency and therefore though in a human body, He has supreme control over Nature, which is ever at His service for carrying out whatever may be His Sankalpa (Will), Leelas (Divine Play) and miracles with Him or what we normally call Siddhis. If used freely, these Siddhis (Powers), the power will be lost. But in the case of Bhagawan Leelas and Miracles are an innate part of Him, or His Swabhava- His nature. He was born with them as Lord and Master of nature, as the supreme Purshottama, and they were not acquired after birth through Yogic practices. That is why Bhagawan not only uses these powers freely, but extensively over a very wide range for the propagation of the objective for which He has incarnated Himself on this earth. He has all the qualities of

an Avatar. Bhagawan is Omnipresent, and Omnipotent. This is evident by His life itself. Bhagawan Babas Leelas show clearly well that He is not bound by time, qualities and nature. He is beyond everything. He is in everything and everywhere. He is the Indweller of all beings, and also is the external witness. Bhagawan Himself has declared this in His Divine discourses and has shown many forms of the Divine to His devotees and proved that He is a Divine Avatar. 143. The senses exist and function in relation to the objective world. They produce desires, impulses, feelings emotions, etc., which go collectively to form the mind. Based on the desires and impulses, the mind builds an image or a picture of oneself, which forms the ego. Thus the mind and the ego depend upon the senses for their existence. They feed continuously on the sensations produced by the senses. 144. Human life is not being depleted even though millions die and in addition, there is a constant transition from humanity to the Divine. Instead of depletion, the human population is growing, and this new supply comes from the rock, the insect and the animal. Even science testifies that the rock decomposes and becomes the tree; the vegetation is eaten and becomes the animal; and the animal in its various aspects is consumed and becomes the human. It is a constant process of passing from one grade to another. The human birth is the final birth and dependent on the virtue of the life, it ends in the Divine, or is reborn again. 145. If you really understand who you really are, your journey ends. By merely going on the wrong lines, chanting the mantras, etc., we are really wasting our life in the lower stage of evolution. But for how long can you be in the same state? We should divide our life into three stages; the first is the primary stage; then the higher secondary stage and the third the university stage. In the first instance you should take to the path of Karma. Then you should get promoted to the higher level of devotion. Once you have passed these, you move on to the stage of Jnana (universal wisdom), the university level. Some people wish to get to the university straightway without entering the earlier classes. You cannot get your graduate degree like that. Therefore, first enter into the path of Karma. We have got a right and authority to perform action. There is Dharma in Karma. We have this human life to understand this secret. 146. God is the supreme power and the soul is a limited (when identified with ma ya) power. He is first-cause, the soul is a reflection, appearing because of partial delusion. 147. The grace of God is as the ocean; vast limitless. You have seen a mango seed grow into a tree, which give forth thousands of fruits, each with a seed identical with the original seed that was first planted. So, too, God can be found in every being manifested by His Will.

148. There is no need to exhaust yourselves in the search for God. He is there like butter in milk, like the chicken in the egg, in every atom of creation. He does not come from somewhere or go elsewhere. He is here, there, everywhere. From the atom to the cosmos, from the microcosm to the macrocosm, He is everything. 149. If God is on your side, you have the world in your hold. This is the lesson driven home by the Hindu scriptures. Give up all bonds of right and duty; surrender unreservedly to Me; I shall guard you from sin and liberate you from the sad cycle of entrance and exit upon the stage of life. You can remain ever in your own reality of Eternal Calm. The Lord has assured. You have come to the place to see Sai Baba and to hear Him, is it not? Well, over and above these two aims, you must have a third one too. You must also see yourself; and hear your inner voice, urging you to discover your own truth. I am prompting you to discover your reality. That is My Mission. 150. Do not think that you are human and that you have to reach the state of Divine. Think rather that you are God, and from that state you have become a human being. As you think this way, all the attitudes of God will manifest in you. Know that you have descended from God as human beings and that eventually you will go back to your source. 151. The distance between you and God is the same as the distance between you and yourself. If a person is far removed from himself, then only God is removed from him. Therefore, you (should) become close to yourself. Then only you will understand and experience Divinity in the true sense. 152. God has no dislike of anyone. He envies no one. He has no ill will towards anyone. Nor does He have favorites. The grace one gets is the result of ones own feelings. The Divine is beyond feeling and attributes. He is the One, the Truth, the Pure and the Immovable. He is the Eternal Witness in all minds. 153. In the great drama of cosmic life, the cosmic director, God is also an actor. The cosmic play is governed by certain rules and regulations. Because He is the Almighty, God cannot behave in an arbitrary manner. His actions have to be in accordance with His role in the cosmic play. There are certain rules as to how one should act according to the time, the place and the circumstances. He cannot behave according to His whims just because He is all-powerful. For instance, the officer who lays down the rules for controlling traffic cannot disobey them on the ground that he is the author. Likewise the Creator has to conform to the rules laid down by Him for creation. 154. You need not search for God. God is nearer to you than you r mother and father. You yourself are divine. How can you go in search of yourself? This is the mistake you commit. When everything is permeated by the Divine, who is there as searcher of the

Divine? It is because the world has lacked men who could proclaim this Vedantic truth with authentic experience that it has sunk to such degrading levels. 155. All spiritual endeavor has as its aim the attraction of the Grace of God on ourselves. That is why when you go to a temple and stand before the main shrine, you strike the bell hung there; the sound will draw the attention of the Lord to the supplicant just arrived. The bell must be accompanied by a sincere prayer from the heart. 156. My Grace is ever with you; it is not something that is given or taken; it i s given always and accepted by the consciousness that is aware of its significance. Win the Grace of your own subconscious so that it may accept the Grace of God, which is ever available. God does not deny anyone; it is only you who deny God. When the gift is proffered you have to do only one little act, so that you may earn it- you have to extend your hands to receive it. That is the Grace of the subconscious; win it by teaching it the value of the Grace of God! 157. Everyone must learn the secret of happiness which consists of refusing to shed tears for anything less than God. You have won this human body, this human life, as the reward for many lives spent in acquiring merit. You have won this chance, this unique good fortune of being able to see a holy being, to have the Darshan of Sai. Plunging deep into the waters of this tumultuous ocean of time, you have heroically emerged from its depths with the rare pearl in your hands of Sais grace. Do not allow it to slip from your grasp and fall into the depths again. Hold on firmly to it. Pray that you may have it forever and be filled with the joy that it confers. That is the way that you can render this life fruitful. 158. Ask me when you need any help. Extend your hand only for Grace from God. Ask Grace as a right, not in a groveling style. Ask, as a child asks the father, feel that God is nearest and dearestGrace is showered on those who seek. Knock and the door shall be opened; ask and food will be served; search, and the treasure will be yours. 159. Like a lighted lamp, Gods grace spreads all around on all who approach Him and love to be near Him; but if you interpose a shade which shuts out the light from you, you have only yourself to blame if Grace does not shineTo get the program right and pleasantly, you have to switch on and tune in the receiver. That is an inescapable effort. Individual effort and Divine Grace are both interdependent; without effort, there will be no conferment of Grace; without Grace, there can be no taste in the effort. To win that Grace, you need only have faith and virtue. 160. God is all-powerful. But at the same time, human effort is also necessary. Without it, man cannot enjoy the benefit of Gods grace. It is only when you have both Divine grace and human endeavor that you can experience bliss, just as you can enjoy the breeze of a fan only when you have both a fan and the electrical energy to operate it.

161. God is in us. All the energies and all the powers are in us. We have to recognize this truth and conduct ourselves properly. There is no separate heaven or any other world elsewhere. The divine world is here itself. It is only love, which can bring about harmony and reconciliation. Develop love and give that love to everyone. 162. Do not be concerned with reaching heaven; set your sight on a much higher goal, beyond heaven. Heaven will last only as long as the merits of your actions last. Once these merits are exhausted, you will have to come back to earth. Therefore, give up your longing for heaven, which is temporary and impermanent. Cultivate nearness and dearness to the Lord. Become merged in Him; that is what is truly important. The principle of divinity is greater than heaven. 163. The concept of Hell is foreign to the spiritual thought of the Bharatiyas (Hindus). The idea of Hell and its various descriptions are all later additions in the Sastras and Puranas. The authors of these texts believed that religion would be incomplete if it did not contain Hell. They laid down diverse tortures as part of Hell. But they laid down one limit to the pain Hell inflicts. They declared that there was no death in Hell. The purpose for which Hell was created was only to create fear among the people in order to make them desist from sin. But non-duality does not contain Heaven or Hell. It is concerned with bondage and liberation, ignorance and illumination. It is known as Vedanta, there is no faith higher than what Vedanta stands for. 164. Do not be misled by the belief of two entities; this world and the next, here and hereafter. Realize the hereafter here in this world, since this world is interwoven with the next. There is no truth in the disparity between the secular and the spiritual, the godly and the materialistic, the heavenly and the earthly. In all the worlds, it is His Will that rules. Not even a blade of grass can quiver without His Will guiding the wind and agitating its position. The bulb of life is illuminated by the current coming from the power house. 165. There is the word God which cannot exist unless God exists. But people may argue that they are not able to see God. He is seen, but they deny it. God is seen in the form of creation. Thus, ignorant people, though they see God, dont realize that they are seeing God. The very world which they see is nothing but different forms of God. 166. When men get rid of the narrow egoistic feelings born out of ignorance, they will experience Divinity. The Vedas exhorted human beings to strive together for achieving the highest goals of life. The essence of the Vedas is summed up in one idea, namely the sense of the spiritual unity of all human beings. This is the realization of Divinity. 167. The you who was present as pure consciousness in both the dream state and in the waking state, that you who witnessed both these states, is the true reality. Life during the daytime is a daydream; during the night it is a night-dream. They are both

illusions. They are filled with defects and flaws because they constantly change from one thing to another; so they cannot be real. Only you who remain unchanged in all these states are real, free of all change and illusion. 168. The Self is the Eternal; so establish yourself only in that and not in the transient non-Self illusions or objects. Life is a struggle to achieve victory over the illusion, which haunts: I am the Eternal Self in you and in all. So fix the mind on Me and engage yourself in the struggle, confident of victory. One must realize in this body itself the Eternal Truth, before death takes its toll. 169. Man is the child of immortality swirling along helplessly towards Death! But the immortal in him is awaiting discovery to confer bliss and liberation from birth and death. Cross the ocean of Death and Birth and be children of immortality. 170. The journey of life has been going on ever since creation began and shall go on forever. Unlike other journeys, this journey can never be canceled or even postponed. It is inevitable for all men, be he prince or peasant, messiah or mendicant. Forgetting that this ultimate journey is unavoidable for all those who come into this world with a body, man is foolishly arrogating immortality unto himself. Engrossed in the transient matters of the world he is becoming a victim of misery and suffering. 171. The self in man and the divinity that dwells within him are one and the same. Add infinity unto yourself and you become the divinity itself. Unfortunately, having become embodied you have forgotten your divinity, your unlimited infinity; you are aware only of your limited individuality. If you want to attain the infinity, you must make an inquiry into the divinity which is inherent in you. 172. You are the infinite come in the finite, the formless infinite appearing as the form full infinitesimal, the Absolute pretending to be the relative; the Atma behaving as the body, the metaphysical masquerading as the merely physical. 173. Now we are developing superficial understanding and outer vision. But it is the inner vision that is important; it alone is true and sacred. We lose sight of the one reality, of our own Truth because we pay attention only to the impermanent outer vision and forget completely the permanent inner vision. Gods mission is to restore this sacred inner vision. That is what He does when He comes as Avatar. 174. The Inner Voice, Antar Vani, is the voice of the Sadguru or the Divine Voice. It is incorporated in the Ajna Chakra, which has its focus point in the region of the third eye or the eyebrow center. When this Chakra is awakened and the Kundalini energy ascends to it, the inner voice or the Gurus voice can be heard. In order to awaken the Kundalini shakti (power) and make it rise to the Ajna Chakra, you have to concentrate on this chakraYou have to sharpen your concentration to a very fine degree and shut

out all the other sensations, feelings, thoughts, and emotions. Then, in the void can be heard the Inner Voice. It can be heard only in the state of mindlessnessIt is not enough if you merely hear the Inner Voice. More importantly you should listen to itfollow its advice and carry out its instructions implicitly and unquestioningly, because the advice and instructions are those of the Divine Sadguru. It is only when you listen to and obey the Voice that you will find peace and happiness. 175. Those who have the inner urge to achieve the higher wisdom which confers liberation have, therefore, to reflect upon and investigate the phenomenon of death. Death should arouse no fear. It should not be regarded as inauspicious. You should not run away from the problem, imagining that death only happens only to others, and that it will not happen to you. Neither should you postpone reflections on death, judging that they are inappropriate now, and profitless. For inquiry into death is really inquiry into ones own reality. 176. Remember that you are but an instrument in the hand of the Lord. But, you are not inert. You have the intelligence, discrimination and the power to detach yourself from the world. The more you develop this, the better instruments you will be. Intelligence must be able to subdue the senses; discrimination must show the path to attain the Eternal and the Absolute; and you must attach yourself only to the higher goals. 177. Everyone should have this faith in the Divine. Faith is essential for anyone, whether he is a theist or an atheist. People may judge things as good or bad according to their own predilections. But for God all things are the same. In this world nothing will appear bad if one views it from the Divine point of view. Seen from the worldly point of view, there will be differences of good and bad. 178. People do not understand the ways of God. How can they know why a particular event takes place at a particular time in a particular manner? He alone can know but people try to sit in judgment and talk ill, when for example, someone dies of illness at this place! How can anyone escape that? Even Avataras cast off the physical form when the task for which they have come is over. It is the highest of foolishness to lose faith in God when someone you cared for dies. 179. Love should be considered as the very breath of life. The love that is manifest in all things equally: See that as the same Love that is Supreme Consciousness. Supreme Consciousness is in everyone, in the form of love. More than upon other forms of love, mans first effort should be to fix his love on God. Such love, directed towards God, is devotional worship; this is the fundamental characteristic of a devotee. 180. Love which is covered by the attributes in nature (the gunas) is another type of love. There is also love, which is colored by a desire for worldly comfort, the love of a

sincere aspirant and the love known by a wise person who is silent and content with the realization that everything is God. 181. All mankind and everything in the universe are bound together by the same bond and that is Love. The entire creation is a kinship of love. What is God? What is Energy? What is consciousness? They are nothing but Love. God is Love. It is the power of love alone that binds all humanity alike. It is this intangible force that forges the unity of all creation. If you are able to feel this love, then you have realized the highest Truth. 182. The sages have laid down three categories which comprise the knowable world: God, Nature and the I (Iswara, Prakrithi and Jiva). God when seen through the mirror of Nature appears as I. Remove the mirror, there is only God; the image merges in the Original. Man is but the image of God. Even nature is but an appearance of God; the reality is but He alone. The principle of appearance that deludes as multiple manifestations is Maya. It is not external to God; it is inherent in God just as all powers are inherent in Him. When the I image is conceived as distinct, we have dualism. When it is recognized as only an unreal image, but yet, when it is given some relevance as related to the original, then it is qualified monism. When both the I image and the mirror are recognized as illusions and dismissed as such, only one remains-this is the Vision of the One, without a second. The search for the One without a second is the search of India, since ages. The endeavor has always been to discover the One, which when known, all else can be known. 183. God is omnipresent. Be always and everywhere conscious of the presence. Be vigilant, even when engaged in little tasks. Maintain silence in the recesses of the heart, as well as outside. The Gita says Gods hands and feet are everywhere. You can hear His footfall only when no other sound hinders. God out of His infinite Grace He assumes the Form that the devotee yearns for. He is purity. He is the Supreme Wisdom. He is ever free, ever merciful. Develop the awareness of God, see Him and serve Him in every living being. 184. The only one who has complete mastery and proficiency in all areas is God. That is why He has been described as Omniscient. One who is Omniscient is also, Omnipotent and all pervading. Only God has these three qualities, Omniscience, Omnipotence and Omnipresence. 185. When you talk of karma in the context of birth and re -birth, you must know that the term karma does not mean only action. When there is an action, there is always a reaction. So, Karma with respect to birth and rebirth refers to the chain of action and reaction When I talk of reaction, I do not mean the result of action. What I mean is your reaction to the result; the response or the manner in which you receive the fruit of action. It is important for you to understand this because it is not action itself, which

causes rebirth, but the reaction So you feel happy and elated when the result is good; you feel unhappy and dejected when the result is bad. These emotional responses set off further desires and impulses, which inflate or deflate the ego. This in turn leads to more action, and action results in reaction and thus a never- ending chain of actionreaction- rebirth is produced. The desires and impulses remain with you even after death. They are so strong that you are born into this world again and again in order to fulfill them. As long as desires remain, rebirth is unavoidable. 186. The real and the unreal (that appears to the ignorant as real) are not two distinct things; one is the absence of the other, that is all. The absence of reality cannot be an unreal thing. The absence of light cannot be raised to the level of a distinct thing called darkness. There is only One; it appears as two. 187. The microcosm contains it it the macrocosm, for the micro are the manifestation of the One reality. The tree is contained in the seed and sees in the tree, for the seed and the tree are one and the same. While looking at the seed, you cannot see in it the tree. But in fact, the tree is contained in the seed. Similarly, the macrocosm is contained in the microcosm. It is the realization of this truth that enables man to envision his true form. Man becomes blind to the reality as long as he has outward vision. It is only by cultivating inner vision that he can attain realization of the inner Divinity. It is the realization of this inner Divinity that leads you to the realization of the cosmic Divine. 188. Become aware of your reality and you will lose the sense of identification with the body. That will make you disease-free. You will have perfect ease. This is quite easy, understand that you are not the body. For you are practicing this truth every day for at least six hours, ever since birth! Everyday when you sleep, where are you? Who are you? Your senses are inoperative, your intelligence is in abeyance: Your mind creates a world of its own and after playing in it for sometime, it lapses into inactivity. That is sleep, the nearest you reach in your journey to Samadhi. 189. In both the states the I is one. The experience in both the waking and dream states are of the same I, only the states are different. Hence, the reality or truth is that which remains in all the states. The I was present in the dream state. It is now present in the waking state. This continuity in the past and the present characterizes the Atma. It is wrong to identify the I with the body. 190. You are God in reality. It is the God in you that guides you and guards you. When you deny God, it is tantamount to your arguing I am born of a barren woman, or asserting very vociferously I am incurably dumb! It is as absurd as denying your very self. This great truth is explained in the scriptures of this land, and everyone of you has a right to know this heritage.

191. What is realization? The moment you see your own beauty and are so filled with it that you forget all else, you are free from all bonds. Know that you are all the beauty, all the glory, all the power, all the magnitude of the Universe. This nature is but an infinitesimal fraction of His Glory; yet you feel content with the pleasure it gives, the knowledge you gather about it, the wonder it reveals. The reflection of Siva in the mirror of Prakriti (nature) is Jiva (consciousness). Look in the mirror and see your own image; you assert, That image within is mine; but I am different. So also Jiva is Siva, but Siva is not Jiva. The image of the sun in the water shakes, though the sun is steady, up above; that is the nature of water, not the Sun; so too nature is changing, but Siva is steady, unchanging, ever the same. You do not believe that dreams indicate reality, because the dream is negated on waking. When you get Jnanam (the highest wisdom) the waking experience will be negated. Until then, you will take all this as real; after that, you will find that this has only relative value. 192. The puppeteer has the dolls attached to strings. He jerks and pulls the strings and makes the dolls move and dance according to his wishes. The puppets cannot move of their own accord and will. They are entirely in the hands of the puppeteer. If the show is good, the puppeteer earns credit and if the show is bad, he earns discredit. So you see, success and failure both belong to the puppeteer, He is the doer and He is the enjoyer. It is the same in the case of God also. He is the Divine Puppeteer. He is the Doer and the Enjoyer. You are merely His dolls and tools. 193. Do not think that you are human and that you have to reach the state of the Divine. Think rather that you are God, and from that state you have become a human being. As you think this way all the attributes of God will manifest in you. Know that you have descended from God as human beings and that eventually you will go back to your source. 194. The habit of thinking is long standing. Even if the habit is broken, there is a slow cessation. For example, a fan continues to revolve for a time after the switch is turned off. But the train of thought can be changed. One train of thought can stop another. The best way is to divert the train of thought to a spiritual topic. 195. The mind is formed by thoughts. The mind is a bundle of thoughts. Every decision the mind makes, whether to commit a thought to memory, to act upon it, or to reject it altogether, has a tremendous impact on the individual, for creation and all of its contents can be described as the consequences of thought. 196. Nature has many mysteries in its makeup. Man is able to unravel only those that are cognizable through his five senses; he does not realize that there is a vast beyond the purview of the five faulty instruments of perception that he has. For example, from every being and thing, constantly, without intermission, millions of minute particles and

millions of vibrations are issuing forth. Certain substances like camphor, emanates so much of these that a lump disappears in a few days. The bodies of others affect us by these emanations and we too affect them in the same way. For good or bad, we are interacting in this manner, inescapably.

DIVINE DIALOGUES
1. What is the significance of the Miracles performed by Sri Sathya Sai Baba? The Divine: Every Miracle has a Divine significance and is in no way trickery or a magical act. Nothing is impossible to accomplish by Divine Will. The main aim is to install faith in the Divine Reality that exists within and beyond this world of duality. Created objects by Swami may act as a protection against harm or injury, as has been experienced by countless devotees. It is also a means by which the Divine draws those destined to be in the presence of God - to Him-Self and his Divine Grace. His Miracles may strengthen the devotees faith and enhance the realization that the Divine is eminent in and also transcendental to our world of duality. The manifestation of Miracles also proves to us his total Divinity. Thus His decent into our world embodies that of the trinity Godhead in its Absolute fullness. His stated Mission is that of restoring the teachings of the ancient Wisdom to humanity and of ushering in a new Golden Age of love, unity, harmony and the Knowledge of the Oneness of all life amongst all people and nations. The transformation of humanity into a higher state of consciousness, through the awareness of who we really are is a major blessing being bestowed on man at present. It is indeed the teachings of the ancient Wisdom that is now spreading from both eastern and western philosophies into world consciousness. This is one of the greatest of all the Miracles that the present Avatar has bestowed on man. 2. If both good and evil come from the same source, then ultimately God is responsible for both good and evil that occurs in manifestation. Is that not so? The Divine: Yes that is true because all that exists is God or Universal Consciousness and there cannot be two sources from which events or concepts ultimately originate. It is the one Universal Consciousness that is responsible for all that takes place in Manifestation whether it is perceived as good or as evil by man. Both positive and negative energies can only originate from the same source without which the manifested Universe could not exist in space and time. Good and evil are the interrelated opposites of each other and cannot exist separately. So the un-Awakened persons life would continue according to Divine Will with both the positive and negative aspects being part of the Game of life. All that happens in Manifestation is but a Play of the Divine. Good and evil are only concepts that are necessary for the Play to be enacted and that has to follow the prescribed laws of karma or cause and effect. It is we ourselves as instruments of the Divine that determine our destiny according to Divine Will, but, it is the Energy of Universal Consciousness that creates the stage, the actors and the Universe.

The Awakened sage knows that all of Creation, both positive as well as negative, comes from the same Source and is therefore not perturbed by the ups and downs of life. There is indeed no separation between any conceivable thing and event. All is One. But, conceptually there are billions of separate parts, actions, interactions and events that take place in Manifestation, and therefore the world of duality is made viable. 3. Many people refuse to believe in the existence of a God who could allow the terrible atrocities that occur in the world to take place. How can these negative events be explained? The Divine: Every effect, positive or negative, has its birth in a preceding action. This in turn is itself the effect of a previous cause or action of which the first was the spontaneous thought I am. This process could be traced back to the beginning of time. This process that is the functioning of karmic law could not take place unless sanctioned by Divine Will. Yet the Divine Principle or Consciousness that God is, is not only the Initiator of this karmic law but is also the Witness to the consequences that takes place as events within it-Self. The spiritual laws that govern the Universe are Self-referring since Manifestation is the objective expression of the Subjective, Divine Principle itself. These laws could not be something that had been imposed upon the Universe from any outside agency. It should be remembered though that the whole of Manifestation is really a Dream dreamed by Consciousness within it-Self and bears the same reality as ones own personal dream. God is beyond Creation and is its Witness as well, and also, is eminent within it as its Cause. Most of us would refuse to believe that we ourselves are responsible for the events that take place in the world. But the truth is that as individuals we are creators of our own and world destiny. God is beyond the interrelated concepts of good and evil and all other opposites. Nevertheless, the occurrence of good and evil is part of the world Drama and so a world composed of only the positive to the exclusion of the negative is clearly impossible and unworkable. It would be of more benefit to man if he understood the Buddhist concept that states that it is best for man to find a balance between the interconnected opposites in life. He should not strive for the impossible attainment of only having the positive aspect and rejecting the negative. Both the positive and negative aspects are an integral and necessary part of life which ultimately is for our greater good. 4. Man has a conscience and so does that make him responsible for his actions and therefore does he have free will after all?

The Divine: The answer is both yes and no. The reason for this apparent contradiction depends on the awareness that the supposed individuals have of the true State regarding their Reality. When man takes himself to be the body-mind complex he also takes on the doership of his actions. This is erroneous. On the other hand, an Awakened sage knows fully what the true situation is regarding his supposed individuality. He knows that whatever action he takes and its outcome in any given circumstance would be Divine Will or his destiny and therefore he need not make a judgment on any action taken. 5. The Divine can take human form as in the case of an Avatar, but at the same time he is also the formless Divine Principle. Can both these truths exist at the same time? The Divine: All that exists is Consciousness and nothing else. Of course, the Divine Principle or Consciousness can take on a human form as in the case of past Avatars and the present Avatar Sri Sathya Sai Baba. This happens at specific times in world history and usually when morality, wickedness and many other evils are rampant in the world and when the forces of evil are on the ascendancy. The present Avatar has come with super human powers and on a specific Mission, which is to lead man back from the brink of disaster. It is when evil is on the ascendancy that His Mission to restore, tranquility, love and peace amongst men becomes evident by reintroducing the teachings of the ancient Wisdom. While the Avatar is present in human form at specific times in world history the Divine Principle is always present as Universal Consciousness. There never has been a time when the Divine Principle did not exist and there will never be a time when It will not exist. 6. Spiritual concepts that portray God as residing outside His Creation are untenable. The reality according to the ancient Wisdom seems to be otherwise. Can you clarify this more fully? The Divine: God is not separate from the Universe. God is the Universe itself, thus, He is the objective expression of pure Subjectivity, but as pure Consciousness. He is Abstract Intelligence. There can never be an outside entity controlling the Universe because if that was the case then God would be separate from His Creation and could not be God if there was anything other than Him. There cannot be an independent separate entity as God and another one that was the universe. Thus, God and the Universe must be One - and the same.

The Ancient Wisdom describes Creation as the objective expression of the Subjective Divine Principle. Thus, the objective Universe appears within Consciousness as a shadow, a mirror or dream image that has only a relative reality, and which exists only while the dream lasts. 7. Space and time are only concepts, not in themselves anything objective. Therefore they cannot have an objective reality. Is this assumption correct? The Divine: It is true that space and time are only concepts. However, they are very necessary concepts in duality to allow the proper functioning of the world order in which actions and interactions are continually taking place. It would be inconceivable to have a world where the concepts of space and time did not exist. Although nothing objective can be attached to space or time these concepts make the appearance of the universe possible. Space is the medium within which an object is located and time is the measure by which its duration in space can be observed. Both these concepts are purely subjective and do not exist as objective realities. It must therefore also be so regarding the Universe, the world and all the sentient beings within it. Thus the assertion by the ancient Masters that the Universe and all in it is illusory must hold true. 8. A profound fear of death for most people is that they will disappear into a total void and so the loss of individuality would mean also the total loss of all trace of that person. Could you say something about this? The Divine: It is the very strong attachment of the thinking mind to the body-complex it thinks it is and its impending loss that creates this fear. It is the sheer infinite immensity of the unknown void and the horrendous fear of disappearing into a fathomless void for all eternity that creates this problem for the entity we think we are. The truth of our Reality is that what we really are, as Universal Consciousness, has never been born and therefore can never die. We have always existed as Divine Consciousness and are therefore eternal. This is what we all are in our true Essence. So, when Awakening happens in the identified body-mind Consciousness that we think we are, death of the body will no more be regarded with dreaded fear. This is because an exchange is made from the tiny individuality of body consciousness to the universal Divine Consciousness that we truly are. There is indeed no need to fear the loss of such a temporary and tiny aspect of objective functioning as the body-mind-instrument. When it is finally recognized, that we have always been the infinite and eternal Consciousness that is God, then we will know that we are God him-Self.

9. The Buddha is reputed to have said, Actions take place, events happen, but there is no doer thereof." What exactly did he mean by those words? The Divine: What the Buddha meant is what the ancient Wisdom taught so long ago. That is, that there is no separate entity with free will and choice of action that can claim the doership of any action. All actions and events are happenings in Consciousness and no action or event is initiated by any illusory individual. According to eastern philosophy, karmic consequences will manifest as the cause for further events in due time. Thus an apparent body-mind individual may come to the understanding that he himself is only an instrument of the Divine and has come to fulfill events that are supposed to take place in the world according to Divine Will. Most individuals take on the responsibility of doer-ship and therefore also the burden of karmic consequences. But, life has to be lived as though we were the doers so that interactions and interrelationships can continue. However, at the same time, man should acknowledge that it is only God or Consciousness that is the Director of the Play and is also the scenery and stage. God or Consciousness plays all the roles and determines when and where individuals enter and exit. That it is God or Consciousness that fulfills Its own Script with world events from beginning to end and with roles it enacts endlessly. 10. The void of infinite Potential, has often been mentioned. Can you explain the meaning of this phrase in more detail? The Divine: As has been mentioned before, the Divine Principle is beyond the concepts of space, time and duality. These concepts can only point to the Atmic or fourth State. This State is beyond the understanding of the human mind from the point of duality, and remains forever unknowable while one has not mentally transcended the objective or dualistic world. It is only in the Whole-Mind State, or when the transcendental mind is merged in its own Whole-ness as in the deepest meditation that absolute Knowledge or Abstract Intelligence can be Known or attained. When this happens there is no individual entity or a separate me who remains to know this, but it is known to the Universal and impersonal Self. Concepts may consist of partial Truth but they can never portray the Whole Truth. They can only point to the Truth. Nevertheless, to the extent that there may be partial understanding, the phrase, The void of infinite Potential may indicate the sheer infinite immensity of the void and therefore its sheer infinite creative capacity throughout all eternity.

At first glance the phrase may seem contradictory since a void implies nothingness, and Potential implies that all Creative possibilities are inherent within it. But, for Creation to happen there must be a complete blankness or void which really is a screen on which Creation can take place. There is nothing that is impossible for Divinity to accomplish and therefore the phrase the void of infinite Potential reaffirms the concept of a void of absolute blankness throbbing with infinite Creation. Potential Creation in fact actualizes Itself on the background of the Absolute void as on a screen on which every conceivable thing or event could take place. When a new scene is enacted, when a new round of Creation begins, the Stage has to be empty to start with. Then all possibilities can take place on It and the world Drama played out on the screen of Pure Consciousness continues indefinitely. After the dissolution and destruction of the manifested Universe, the screen or void on which infinite Potential occurred, as a Dream within it-Self, remains as the eternal, Divine Principle. At some point thereafter the Big Bang occurs and the whole process starts again with a new Dream Creation. 11. Teachings of the ancient Wisdom often state that the whole of Manifestation is but an illusion. Can this point be explained more fully? The Divine: The individualized mind is the appearance in sentient beings of Consciousness that has identified with the body-mind complex and takes it-Self to be that separate entity. The truth is that all that appears in Manifestation is really movements of energy that solidify in certain areas to give the impression that objectivity is a reality. It is the identification by Universal Consciousness, with body-mind objects, namely the sentient beings, that has Created the illusion of independent beings with free will and choice of action. The reason why body identification happens is that Consciousness forgets its Universality and identifies with the body-mind instrument that It thinks it is. This identification fosters the subject object interrelationships and interactions that take place through the billions of apparently independent sentient beings. So now and in most cases, unknowingly, they play their roles according to Divine Will on the world stage. Concepts such as the interrelated opposites, karmic consequences, subject object relationships, doership and others appear to facilitate the actions and events that take place on the world stage according to destiny, karma or Divine Will. But in fact the whole of Manifestation is really a Dream that Consciousness dreams within it-Self. We are only dream figures playing roles that fulfill events that are bound to happen according to our destiny. As dream images that Consciousness Dreams we can only be

projections of Universal Mind and therefore the Manifestation too must be a projection of Mind. 12. There is nothing other than Consciousness and yet the tangible objective Universe is so very real in spite of the fact that many of the ancient Masters referred to it as illusory. How can both concepts be true at the same time? The Divine: Universal Consciousness is a true description of who or what God is and is perhaps the best way to point to what the Divine Principle represents to the human understanding. Of course the words used in world religions such as God, Allah, Jesus, Jehovah, Brahman and Buddha are but a few of the names of God amongst many others. However, all these names imply a God that is separate from His Creation; a glorified being with super human attributes, qualities and power that is also omnipotent, omnipresent and omniscient. While these descriptions fit the general concept or perception of God as the Creator of the universe, they fall far short of the grandeur and majesty of the Divine Reality, since any word in duality, however grand, can never portray the true Essence that God is. The ancient Wisdom teaches that this vast limitless Universe is but the objective expression of the Divine Principle. It is in fact infinite, Absolute Consciousness that has become all this. It is the Divine Principle that has, by means of Its own inherent Awareness, become Conscious of it-Self and thus has projected within it-Self the entire Universe. The reflected images within Consciousness can be compared to the images one sees in a mirror. Therefore it is not the images that appear within Consciousness that are the true reality but it is the mirror or screen of Consciousness itself that is the Absolute Reality. Nevertheless the images and characters that appear within Consciousness obtain a relative reality because that which brings them into awareness as separate entities is Divine Consciousness it-Self. 13. The phrase I Am" appears in many of the world scriptures. What significance does it hold in spiritual terms? The Divine: I Am according to the Bible and the most ancient of Hindu scriptures, the Vedas, was the first thought of Self-Awareness in Pure Consciousness unaware of Itself becoming aware of It-Self. This first thought of Awareness brought Manifestation into existence through the endlessly long process of creation and evolution. Before those movements occurred there was an absolute void, but, a void that eternally remains as infinite, Potential Creation. At the end of a cycle of limitless creation and then finally the dissolution of the Universe, everything is again absorbed into the fathomless infinite void. At some point thereafter the void of infinite Potential explodes into a new SelfAwareness and the Creating cycle lasting for unknown billions of years is set in motion.

Consciousness at rest, or the infinite void of Pure Potential, spontaneously reactivates Itself into Creation for no other reason than it is Its nature to do so. This Cycle occurs and reoccurs without end, reason or cause, but, only because it is the Nature of the Divine Principle at some point to manifest a new cycle of Creation after each cosmic cycle ends. This can only happen on a background of an absolute void that is throbbing with infinite Potential Creation. Thus the I Am thought that is awareness of Awareness brings forth manifestation in Consciousness as reflections within Itself. The transition from unawareness to infinite, impersonal Awareness and then to body awareness is due only to the very Nature of the Subjective Divine Principle. It eternally exists and creates infinite Universes and sentient body mind entities as the objective expressions of Its Subjective Reality. 14. It is said that the fourth State, the Overmind State is the Atmic State of Divinity. Is this so? The Divine: Sri Sathya Sai Baba, the Poorna Avatar of our present age and a decent of the triune Godhead or the total Force of the Divine Principle, described the fourth State in this way:- It is the highest state, beyond space and time - the state of Godhood. In the phenomenal, you have to discern the common element that underlies all experiences and unifies the physical, the mental and the causal worlds. You can associate these three universes with the states of consciousness. You can think of the waking state, as the physical, the dream state as the mental, and the deep-sleep state as the causal. Beyond these three states, interpenetrating them and common to all of them is a fourth State. This is the Super Conscious State, the transcendental State. The unconscious state of deep-sleep is associated with the causal. It has a very profound feeling of peace. However, by itself, the deep-sleep state will not provide you with a permanent experience of real Bliss. The Bliss is there, but you are not conscious of It. It is only after you come to the waking state from deep sleep that you remember the serene feeling of total rest you were enjoying. However in the Super-Conscious State, you will be able to enjoy eternal Peace and Bliss and be fully conscious of it always" In this extract taken from one of Swamis discourses, the you that is referred to towards the end of the passage is not the personal un-Awakened individual that functions in duality but the reference is to the Universal Absolute that one re-discovers oneself to be. This is symbolized by the Awakened consciousness in the individual entity that has rediscovered it-Self as the impersonal I Am Consciousness. 15. Much has been said and written about the meaning of the eternal present moment. Can it be explained more clearly?

The Divine: The present moment is not an objective measurable period of time but, from the highest spiritual point of view, is Pure Awareness that exists eternally as the ever present now. The present moment does not permit any time divisions such as past, present and future and therefore all that occurs as destiny, all conceivable events that take place on the world stage, already exist simultaneously in the ever present now. Physical time can be stretched out or shortened just like dream time, and also according to differing circumstances existing for different observers in different locations in space. Thus different space-time values for each observer are possible. As a result scientists now know that time and its interconnected concept space have no absolute reality. These concepts only exist as convenient frames of references so that we as the witnessing observers can occupy a visible, viable and measurable position in regard to all other objects in illusory space and time. Thus the objective universe too is made viable as occupying positions in space and also appearances in time. However, this is not the highest reality or truth. The eternal present moment has no relationship to the objective Universe, it is beyond space, time and duality, and it is purely subjective as the eternal now. The dualistic, projecting mind creates an illusory sense of a flow of time. It superimposes on its awareness countless time sequences or quanta in a linear horizontal framework that gives the impression that time flows from the present into the past. The truth is rather like the hologram that can superimpose on itself countless images in a vertical frame. It can then be seen as something other than a movement or a flow of time, but is seen rather as a vibrant stationary point pulsating with infinite creations. In truth, time does not move at all. It is the illusory Manifestation and its countless objects and sentient beings in particular that move and age and create the illusion of time passing. However the infinite Dream Universes produce limitless numbers of holograms or scenes and events that are all superimposed upon each other.

What is the philosophy of Advaita?

From ancient times the concept of Oneness, the realization that Atma (Divine Consciousness) is all there is, that it is both the cause of and the manifestation itself, forms the basic teachings of Advaita. The philosophy of Advaita based on the Ancient Wisdom also teaches that the Divine is formless but can also manifest with form and is of an infinite, unbroken unity. The philosophy of Advaita also stresses the illusory nature of the manifestation likening it to a dream or mirage that only seems to exist in certain circumstances, but that in reality has no substance. It could be regarded has having only a relative reality, since nothing in manifestation has an absolute permanency. Something that is not eternal and infinite cannot be the absolute reality. It is only Consciousness that is eternal and infinite and therefore is the only reality. How does an understanding of this ancient philosophy benefit us today? The benefit of this understanding for the individual, if it has sunk in deep enough, may be that now he does not bear the weight of sin and guilt; he may also come to the conclusion that indeed he is not the doer, that the Divine Itself uses the body-mind complex as Its tool and means of expression in the world of duality. In fact when the understanding is deeply embedded in the mind of the supposed individual he will probably find that he does not get involved projecting imagined problems into an unknown future. If he truly understands the truths taught in the Ancient Wisdom; he will rediscover his true identity, which is absolute Consciousness, he will know that what happens to the body-mind complex is part of the grand design, that all is predetermined, that free will and choice of action are illusory. He would know that we are only instruments for Divine Consciousness to function through and understand that manifestation from the highest spiritual view is illusory, though necessary as a relative reality for re-discovering our truth. Then perhaps it would be easier to acknowledge that we are only playing roles as though we were on a stage. All events that happen, or actions taken, are due to Divine Will or destiny. In other words, whatever happens can be taken as part of the functioning of universal life and that Destiny and Karma apply only to the body-mind instruments. The reality that you really are is not in the least affected by the consequences of personal or universal Karma, or by anything that happens in manifestation. The concept that Karma affects the body-mind complex infused with consciousness and taken to be one's self, that which causes personal suffering, is due to the belief that one is the body-mind complex and is a reality. Of course there is Karma, but it does not and cannot affect the Divine essence, which you really are. Until this truth becomes part of your unbroken awareness, you may continue to suffer the consequences of what you think are your actions.

What is the difference between Awareness and Consciousness? Awareness is always present. It exists before manifestation and after manifestation. Consciousness is the result of Awareness becoming aware of Its Self and becoming active as the "I Am" Consciousness. For instance, this happens concurrently when the "I am" Awareness appears as Universal Consciousness with the manifestation as a reflection within it. Awareness exists eternally and can exist without being conscious that it exists. In that state it exists as infinite potential. It becomes aware of itself as the impersonal "I AM" Consciousness, boundless and limitless, when that thought comes upon it without cause or reason but because it is its nature to do so. When that first thought, "I AM" arises all of manifestation appears concurrently. Mountains, rivers, seas, forests, animals and all of humanity come into being at that very instant. The whole world and universe with its long history and destiny from start to end comes into being in instantaneity. Sentient beings only perceive a minute section of this vast manifestation, only that part which individualized Consciousness limited to a finite body-mind complex with a relatively short time span within a specific time and space frame allows. That being the case we can only observe a tiny area of space and duration as time through the confines of the body-mind instrument, which we apparently think moves forward from moment to moment giving the impression that time is flowing from future to present and into the past. Consciousness being infinite and without any restrictions or qualities except that its nature is infinite awareness, can have no time divisions and is aware of the whole manifestation in its entirety from beginning to end. The whole manifestation with everything that is contained in it is already there in the ever-present now. It is only the split mind that stretches out the present moment endlessly to give the impression that time flows. The fact is that time moves nowhere. Space and the interrelated concept of time are conceptual constructs of the mind and illusory, but a necessary condition for giving manifestation and its functioning a relative reality. If one were able to expand one's own consciousness, understanding concepts that perhaps give one a greater perception of the existence and manner of the functioning of Universal Absolute Consciousness, this might open the way for true awakening. If one can raise one's own consciousness, it would affect others in the world we live in thus lifting world consciousness. Consciousness is all there is, infinite, and eternal. There is nothing but, or beyond it. One has the capacity to merge or exchange the insignificant ego consciousness with Universal Consciousness, which has also been termed "Over

Mind." Then, however, the individual is no more. The limited ego has been exchanged for the totality of Universal Consciousness that which one has always been. The "I Am" Consciousness is simply "I Am." The fact I am "Now Here", that "I" exist, without limitations or boundary just conscious awareness of it but not as a separate entity, but as an impersonal reality. It is the Awareness of infinite impersonal awareness. "I Am" comes into existence as the first universal spontaneous thought and cause, which manifests the appearance of the universe. Awareness always exists whether Consciousness is active or inactive.

Does Destiny mean that everything is pre-destined to happen?

From the highest spiritual viewpoint, all that happened, is happening and will happen is taking place in the present moment. Indeed, it is pre-destined whether it is events affecting the world, a country, society, or the individual. All is Destiny. When manifestation appeared, the complete destiny of the universe, the world and mankind from beginning to end was already there. In other words, the complete picture had already been painted. The script had already been written. In spiritual terms space and time are only relevant in duality, but from the highest point of view, the spiritual view, the only reality is the eternal present moment, which is beyond time and space. There is no such thing as past, present and future. All happens in the present moment, and thus everything is already here as the present moment. The time sequence that we experience is only a projection of the mind, which stretches out time as one would stretch out a rubber band, giving the impression that time flows. The mind experiences time as a linear occurrence creating the concept of a past, present and future. In fact, what really happens is that mind-created time divisions are projected from what is a unified whole by the split mind. The world is like a hologram on which mind superimposes each subsequent time division as a vertical occurrence, but is then interpreted by the individualized human mind as a separate horizontal movement creating time and its interrelated concept space. Like all objects we progress in our own individual time sequence from birth to death, with our minds projecting endless successions of time divisions. Within this process of divisions into time frames, a constant renewing of each frame takes place through unimaginable high vibrations. Everything that exists and that can be observed through our senses is constantly reinforced and remains integrated because of these vibrations. Thus objects as condensed energy attain an apparent solidity.

If Divinity is everything, evil must also be part of the Divine. Is that so?

It is only the mind that interprets and divides the interrelated opposites into unconnected separate parts. In fact, everything has its opposite. For example, good could not be known if evil was not its opposite. Darkness could not be known if light was not its opposite. Sweetness could not be tasted as sweetness if bitterness did not exist as its opposite. If we accept that everything in manifestation comes from the same source, then, what we think is evil too must come from the same source as good. Both the negative and positive of all things have their proper functioning in manifestation, and are only two sides of the same coin. The Divine play according to Karmic consequences, of cause and effect proceeds ever onwards, creating new roles and events to be fulfilled by incarnating beings. The interrelated opposites function so that there is a constant movement from one pole to the other, from negative to positive and back again, as is represented by the wheel of life of Buddhism. If there were no adversities, tragedies, calamities, wars, and such like events, the individualistic consciousness with only the positive functioning would have no means by which it could learn the lessons which eventually bring it to a re-discovery of its own truth. Thus, what may seem as evil is only the absence of good; both evil and good are part of life. The interrelated opposites in duality can never be separate; they can only be separate as concepts in duality but forever and eternally united if un-conceived. Who is the doer of all actions?

We may think we, as individuals, are the doers of all actions, that we have free will and choice of action, thus bearing the karmic consequences of our actions in this life or in future lives. As long as we identify ourselves as individual body-mind complexes, this assertion appears to be true. All experience, including those of the senses good or bad, are experienced in a body-mind complex because Universal Consciousness becomes identified with the body and thinks that is just that. It forgets its universality and has now become identified consciousness restricted to the body-mind consciousness of an individual entity. It seems as though we suffer or reap the rewards of good or bad actions, that we do have free will and choice of action. But, it is not the truth. The bodymind complex is only an instrument or object by which consciousness functions in duality. And, it only appears as though we experience life as independent entities. In fact, it is identified consciousness, an aspect of Universal Consciousness, which creates in the body-mind complex the illusory feeling of doer-ship, the feeling that we have choice of action, or that decisions are made through our own volition. The truth of

the matter is that it is Divine Consciousness that is the doer and decider of all actions and events in the manifestation through the billions of instruments it functions with. If we are not the doers, why bother taking any action at all?

All actions, all roles, all events are only the result of Universal will. No one can avoid doing what his Destiny dictates; no one can initiate any event that was not pre-destined according to Divine will. If you examine thoroughly the question of free will, you will see that in one way or another you have absolutely no choice in the actions you take, or the events that happen. When a devotee asked the enlightened Master Sri Ramana Maha Rishi whether lifting his hand fan at that moment was also pre-destined the answer from the Master was simply, "Yes". You had no choice, regarding your parents, or where and when you were born. Your inherited genes predetermine your character, body and mental characteristics and predispositions. Childhood and ongoing conditioning, such as moral, religious, social and cultural norms, determine your behavior in society. All these influences are due to Universal will, which produces the actions and responses by which you conduct your life. Thus, ultimately, all is Divine will; and we, the instruments, only follow the prescribed will of Absolute Consciousness. There is no question of having any choice in doing or not doing something. All actions or non-actions take place according to one's destiny. Nevertheless in the world of duality we still have to function and live our lives as though we had free will, as though we had free choice of action so that life as we know it can proceed in the way we experience it. Of course the awakened one knows that all is the Divine play and takes life as it comes, without worry or concern for the outcome of any event. Why can there not be a world of good without evil, or a world of only positive tendencies? The Divine Principle is beyond space and time. It is on Its own without a second. It is beyond the interrelated opposites of good and evil and all other opposites. It can only be defined in abstract terms as an unbroken unity or wholeness of pure subjectivity. Manifestation occurs within It as a shadow because It is the nature of the Absolute to express Itself in this way. Manifestation could not happen unless the objectifying process was based on the interrelated opposites. A world with only one pole (positive or negative) would be like a magnet without its opposite pole, clearly impossible. How could anything be known if its interrelated conceptual opposite did not exist in duality?

Is it possible to live life without being identified as a separate ego in one's own mind? If the mind or ego does not get caught up with its own involvement in problems, if it does not involve itself with worry about the present or project unnecessary concerns into an unknown future, there will be no loss of energy. If it does not constantly delve into the dead past, of which a past memory is often brought to the mind and mixed with a current action then the mind does not get caught up with involved thinking. If it is not then projected outward as fear, worry, envy, hate, jealousy or some other negative emotion then the human being takes life as it comes, without worry or concern about the past, present or future. Then life becomes a joyful, spontaneous experience. Living in the present moment, accepting the good and the bad, not trying to choose the positive while excluding the negative, when we do all this we then live spontaneously. Such living can create a sense of freedom from the burdens of life, because the mind becomes like a mirror that reflects all and retains nothing. In fact, this is a mental stage reached by many Masters, a stage where the mind is alert and functions spontaneously and is unburdened by the thinking, involved mind. It is in such conditions in which awakening may happen for a seeker on the path of wisdom. The ego is a useful instrument and is an extension of the mind in each one of us. Defined and enclosed by the boundaries of the body, it allows for the psychic integrity of each individual. The unique immune system that each body-mind complex possesses also gives the impression of physical separateness. In this respect, our individuality is guaranteed and makes interrelations and interactions possible. This should not stop us, however, from realizing that underlying all separate tendencies is the Absolute Consciousness, which in its aspect as the life force is the unifying aspect of all life. If there is no free will, then nothing can be changed, everything is already predestined-is that so?

Yes. The whole script has been written. All roles played in the past, being played in the present and will be played in the future really take place in the present moment. All are pre-destined to happen because they are already present in the now as the present moment. It is only the mind that produces an illusory flow of time creating a time sequence. In fact, time does not flow; it exists only as the present moment. According to this concept, there can be no divisions of time. Everything exists in the present moment. The instant manifestation comes into being, everything, every event, every action and every conceivable object in the manifestation appears at the same moment. There has

never been a past, present or future. It is only the mind that has stretched out the present moment into a succession of separate divisions of time each succeeding the other giving the impression of a past, present and future. This means, in effect, that all seems to happen in a successive time sequence, but the truth is that all is already here and now and it is only the mind that gives the impression that everything happens sequentially. When the first thought, "I Am" came upon Consciousness, unaware of its awareness, it became aware of its awareness and took on the form of the manifested universe. Concurrently, everything came into being, everything that was, is, and will be, became manifest in that one instant. Our split mind sees only sections of this vast manifestation, at certain points in time, but the Divine Principle being the manifestation itself, knows the whole manifestation as a unity. There are no parts or sections; there are no divisions of time or space. All is one. Thus, the question of free will for any illusory, independent being cannot arise. How can this manifestation be an illusion when it seems obviously to exist?

The objective universe is something that appears to exist, but this is not really so. A mirage is often believed to exist until it is recognized as a mirage. A dream while being dreamed is believed to be real until one wakes up from the dream state. Illusion is something mistakenly thought to be real. Visions seen by some have no reality except to the person who thinks he sees them. Thus a reliance on our senses as the only proof of something existing is really not a sound basis on which to decide that something exists or not. Though we can observe the Universe as an objective reality, its composition made of solid matter is as illusory as a mirage. Indeed, solid matter at the atomic level, according to the scientist, is only energy as vibrating atoms arranged in certain combinations that produces solid matter in specific areas of a unified infinite energy field. The ancient Masters have often described the manifestation as being real and unreal at the same time. In certain circumstances the observable Universe seems to exist because Consciousness is present and therefore it attains a relative reality, so the Universe too is observable and exists. When Consciousness is absent there can be no objective Universe. When this truth is recognized the objective Universe is seen to be as real as a shadow, a dream or mirage, none of which has an independent existence.

Who or what am I? You certainly are not the one you think you are, the body-mind entity. The body-mind complex is only an instrument whereby Absolute Consciousness identifies Itself with that particular entity so as to function in duality. We as the Absolute Consciousness have never been born and therefore can never die. Absolute Consciousness has always existed and will always be. The world cycles come and go eternally and it is the way in which Absolute Consciousness expresses itself objectively. The objective manifestation is like a reflection in a mirror, or a shadow, which occurs within Consciousness. We the apparent entities are illusory in the sense that we only exist because Consciousness is present. No entities can have any independent existence apart from it, so ultimately at the very core of our being we are the Absolute Consciousness Itself, since none other then It exists. Is the Self-realized one God? Yes, but not as the separate entity he had previously identified himself with but as the Universal Absolute itself. In effect, Self-realization means the complete abolition of any separate entity that can claim to be Self-realized. In a case of awakening the deepest understanding is that one is not the body-mind complex, but is only an instrument for Consciousness to function through. This understanding eventually becomes so totally integrated into the Consciousness of the illusory separate being so as to bring on a total reuniting with Universal Consciousness. It is in this sense that the Self-realized man is said to know, without doubt, that all there is, is Consciousness, that indeed he is God Himself. What is your final word on absolute truth or reality? Absolute truth can never be known in duality for it is beyond space and time. We, the illusory separate beings, can only function in duality with the split mind that can think and reason but cannot know our own wholeness.

All that has been said or thought about regarding absolute truth can only be conceptual and can have only elements of the truth but never the whole truth; at best these concepts may point to the ultimate reality, but it would be quite impossible for anyone to know truth itself because we, and everything else in manifestation, the totality of manifestation, are but the objective expression of Absolute Consciousness. So as separate individuals we are only illusory constructs of the mind that have no substance at all. How can a shadow know its source? Since in reality we are the Absolute Consciousness itself we as individuals cannot and indeed need not know more than that. The eye that sees everything cannot see itself-except as a reflection in a mirror.

Likewise, Consciousness can only know itself as a reflection, as objective existence in duality through the billions of sentient beings.

QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS ON ADVAITA

AVATAR 1. What is an Avatar? In past centuries there have been great divine Masters who came to fulfill specific Missions for the benefit of humanity. For example Avatars such as Rama, Krishna, Moses, Zarathustra (Zoroaster), Jesus, Mohammed, Buddha, Mahavira, Guru Nanak, Ramakrishna, Ramana Maharishi, Aurobindo and many others have come for the benefit of mankind in some specific way and for a purpose. These great embodiments of Divinity, transcended human consciousness (individualized Consciousness), and were merged in their Divine State, in which they remained. A full Avatar is born with all Divine Powers and does not have to acquire them through long years of spiritual endeavors. Though He possesses a human body like ours, His is only for functioning in duality so as to fulfill a specific Mission. His Consciousness transcends human consciousness and He is the Universal, Divine Consciousness in human form. He knows this from birth. Three such full (poorna) Avatars are regarded to be Krishna, Shirdi Sai Baba, and at the present time Sri Sathya Sai Baba. It was predicted by the ancient spiritual Masters that about this time (20th century) a full Avatar would appear again. The advent of an Avatar is a direct and full expression of Divinity in the form of a human being with powers such as Omnipotence, Omnipresence and Omniscience so as to cater for the upliftment of humanity (the masses). This is a brief classification of an Avatar. Today such a Being is living in the form of Sri Sathya Sai Baba. He lives at His ashram named Prashanthi Nilayam (abode of the highest peace) which is situated beside the town of Puttaparthi in the state of Andhra Pradesh, south India. According to ancient Hindu philosophy an Avatar is the Divine Principle that incarnates on earth in a human body and at specific times. That is, when the need is the greatest and there is a swing away from morality, spirituality, love, righteousness and therefore harmony; when negative forces are in ascendancy as expressions of hate, anger and greed and evilness. The Hindu godhead (one God only) comprises of three aspects, namely Brahma, Vishnu and Shiva. Brahma represents the Creative Energy, Vishnu the Sustainer or Preserving Energy and Shiva the Transforming Energy. An Avatar is regarded as predominantly the incarnation of the Vishnu aspect but the other two aspects are also inseparable - just as all these forms of Energy can be seen manifesting in Nature. He is considered as a redeemer of humanity.

Bhagavan Sri Sathya Sai Baba of our era says of himself that he is a full (poorna) Avatar possessing all the attributes that mark him as the complete force of Divinity. He has also explained that the divine God-head, in human form, has manifested in a country and of a religion that would accept this occurrence as natural (India). This is why nearly all of the Avatars up to the present time have incarnated in India. An Avatars qualities include the ability to be Omnipotent (to control and to transcend the laws of Nature), to be Omnipresent (present everywhere at all times) and to be Omniscient (all knowing). Also that He would have total knowledge of the past, present and future of all beings and events. He also would have the ability to heal the sick and raise men from the dead. An avatar has full control over the forces of Nature and thus has the power to transmute energy into matter and matter into energy. Because of this he can also appear at any number of places at the same time. He also has complete Mastery over time and space. There is no problem that He cannot solve. What He wills has to happen and takes place in an instant. This author has been blessed to have witnessed the above events in one form or another. Bhagavan Sri Sathya Sai Baba of our present time has simply and openly announced to the world that these Miracles are only his calling cards. It is plain to many that through these he has been introducing him-Self in giving living Experiences to many millions today and that he (as man) is the full incarnation of the Divine Principle itself. But above all, he is also revealing this through his (human) actions. An Avatar is also seen to be the total embodiment of Pure (self-less) Love. These attributes are the very nature of the present Avatar Sri Sathya Sai Baba, as has been experienced by millions of people. 2. Why is the poorna Avatar, Sri Sathya Sai Baba, on earth at this time? It is said in the scriptures of the ancient Wisdom that an incarnation of God appears at such a time when the negative forces of evil bring the world to a state of crisis. Wars, acts of terrorism, hate, jealousies, anger, and a host of other negative tendencies pervade the world to a large and increasing degree in our present times. Under such circumstances, from time immemorial, holy men, holy women, saints and sadhus (spiritual men and women) incarnate in greater numbers, preparing the way for the advent of a full Avatar. Such was the condition of the world prior to the birth of Shirdi Sai Baba of the late 1800-s, the first of the trinity of avatars of our modern times. The other two being Sri Sathya Sai Baba, born in 1926, and Prema Sai who is to be born eight years after Sri Sathya Sai Baba leaves his body, as foretold by him. Sri Sathya Sai Baba, known by his devotees as Bhagavan (God), says that the next Avatar, Prema Sai Baba, will preside over a world at peace and harmony. He has also

said that his next Incarnation will be born in Mysore district of South India. Sri Sathya Sai Baba is now in the process of creating the conditions that will usher in world peace and harmony over which the following Avatar will preside. This future period has been referred to as the Golden Age. BODY 1. What do you mean when you say body-mind complex? Universal Consciousness identifies with seemingly individualized consciousnesses and takes it-Self to be the body mind complex. So It uses the brain and body as Its instrument to move from place to place so that mental and physical interactions can take place with other supposed individuals. The ego, a projection of the mind, creates the concept of a body-mind complex that appears to be a separate entity, but in fact, the body-mind complex is only an instrument by which Divine Consciousness functions in the world of duality. You may think that all the actions you take, all the decisions you make and all the events that occur in your life are due to the body-mind functioning with free will and free choice of action. In fact it is Universal Consciousness that is the doer. It is Universal Consciousness considering Itself the body-mind entity that forgets its Universality and functions in Manifestation as though it was an independent entity. It is Universal Consciousness through the billions of body-mind complexes that is responsible for the enactment of the Divine Play on the world stage. Before Awakening to this truth the individual thinks that he is the doer of all actions, the thinker of all thoughts, the feeler of all emotions and the creator of all his plans. It is Universal Consciousness as the Life Force that is Master of the body-mind complex and not the other way around. It is Universal Consciousness that is the doer of all actions and motivator of all thoughts. Of course this only becomes apparent when there has been an Awakening in Consciousness by one supposedly independent entity or another. 2. Does this mean that we are simply individualized parts of God? We can never be parts of God because we can never be separate from God. We are in truth God, as Universal Consciousness. In order for Universal Consciousness to experience or to know it-Self, It has, through its own universal, infinite Love, separated Itself from Itself so as to become independent beings with apparent free will and choice of action. All this so that It can Love Itself eternally. This can only happen through never ending cycles of Creation whereby Universal Consciousness is the only Subject and all else are mirror images within that Subjectivity. Therefore all of existence is God and so

there are no individual parts of God. There is only one, infinite, Universal and eternal Consciousness. CONSCIOUSNESS 1. How does Awareness become aware of It-Self? Awareness at rest, or in Its aspect of non-Creation, remains as infinite Potential. At some point It activates It-Self spontaneously without cause or reason. But only because it is Its nature to do so. It becomes aware of Its Awareness through the Self awakening thought I AM of impersonal existence. Prior to this activating movement there was nothing except Pure Awareness unaware of Itself. Pure Awareness was referred to by some spiritual Masters as the void of infinite Potential or pure, infinite Consciousness and was said to be That from which everything manifests and ultimately returns to. Some scientists and spiritual thinkers believe that there is a fourth State existing beyond space and time and duality. This state they believe is an infinite field throbbing with infinite, Creative Potential, where all is one unbroken Whole. It is here where everything, in the form of energy, is Created and to which everything ultimately returns. To the ancient Masters the universe consisted of vibrating energy emerging from and returning to the void of infinite Potential. They understood that all life was Universal Consciousness or the Divine Principle itself and they incorporated it into the teachings of the ancient Wisdom. There is no cause or reason why activation happens except that it is the nature of pure Awareness to spontaneously become aware of Itself. This Self-Awareness does not have any boundaries or limitations. It is the infinite, boundless, impersonal Awareness of Existence. When Awareness in Its active mode, forgets its Universality and it seemingly becomes associated with a body-mind complex. So now It becomes a separate entity constrained and confined by the boundaries of a particular body-mind entity. The sole purpose of our existence, from the spiritual point of view, is ultimately to rediscover this truth of our Reality. The truth that all is One, that One is all and that we are That as Consciousness. 2. Sri Sathya Sai Baba has referred to the fourth State. How can it be expressed? The present avatar, Sri Sathya Sai Baba, defines this state as follows: It is the highest statebeyond space and timethe state of Godhood. In the phenomenal also, you have to discern the common element that underlies all experience and unifies the physical, the mental, and the causal worlds. You can associate these three universes with the states of consciousness. You can think of the

waking state as the physical, the dream state as the mental, and the deep-sleep state as the causal. Beyond these three states, interpenetrating them and common to all of them is a fourth state. That is the super-conscious statethe transcendental state. The unconscious state of deep-sleep is associated with the causal. It has a very profound feeling of peace. But by itself, the deep-sleep state will not provide you with a permanent experience of real bliss. The bliss is there, but you are not conscious of it. It is only after you come to the waking state from deep sleep that you remember the serene feeling of total rest you were enjoying. However, in the super-conscious state, you will be able to enjoy eternal peace and bliss and be fully conscious of it always. This is the Atmic State which is beyond space and time, the State of the Over - mind. CREATION 1. Masters often speak of the universe being an illusion. How is this possible when everything seems so real? The spiritual Masters have often said that indeed the universe is illusory but what they meant was that it is illusory because it cannot exist without Consciousness being present and thus has no substance or support of its own. It also has a beginning and an end, like everything else in the objective universe, and is therefore time bound and not eternal. Just like the shadow that cannot exist without something being its cause, or just as the image in the mirror that only appears to exist because there is something other than the image which causes its reflection so it is with the manifested universe. It has no substance or independent reality of its own and therefore cannot exist without the support of Consciousness. It is only something that can exist independently and without any other support that can be said to be absolute reality. This can only be Consciousness. Without Universal Consciousness there could be no Manifestation. Without personal or individualized consciousness the objective universe could not be seen, known or experienced. There would be no one to know of its existence. Consciousness is the cause of Manifestation, taking place within Itself, but, It also transcends duality and is therefore the only reality. It needs nothing other than Itself to exist. Manifestation is only an image reflection within Consciousness and is not eternal. Thus, what has a limited existence can only have a relative or temporary reality. A shadow, a mirror image or a mirage can also be seen but that does not make them real as independent entities. So too it is with the Universe. 2. Consciousness cannot be felt or seen and is also only a concept. Ultimately is it not also illusory?

The only reality is Consciousness. It is all there is. But, Consciousness is not an object. It does not have finite boundaries. It does not have any limitations or attributes. It remains as pure Awareness unaware of Itself after the dissolution of the Universe and, as Universal Consciousness, is aware of Itself when a new cycle of Creation occurs. Awareness and Consciousness are like the two sides of the same coin. Consciousness is not illusory because it always exists in one form or another. It never ceases to Exist. Since you know you are, and cannot deny the fact that you exist, you may understand that at the deepest level, eternal, Divine Consciousness is what you really are in essence. Though Consciousness cannot be felt or seen it can never be illusory since sentient beings will always be present somewhere to prove its presence in its active State. 3. But what is the real purpose of Creation? According to Bhagavan Sri Sathya Sai Baba and the ancient spiritual Masters, it would be to realize our true Nature. To find that all along we have been the Divine itself and not the separate individual bobbing up and down as though in a storm at sea. It is quite an elevating and inspiring discovery when this truth is finally realized and is deeply embedded as our true identity. A sense of unimaginable freedom may result the feeling of the One-ness of all life, and the realization and knowledge of our true Divine Nature. This is the real purpose of Life and Creation. DESTINY 1. Does destiny mean that everything is pre-destined to happen? From the highest spiritual viewpoint the past, present and future are all rolled up into the ever-present moment. Thus all events objects and even thoughts manifest from a point from where they already exist, beyond space and time in the ever present now. Indeed, everything is pre-destined whether it is events affecting the world, a country, a society, or the individual. All is destiny since every possible event action and mental thought arises from the ever present moment. When Manifestation appeared the complete destiny of the Universe, the world and mankind, from the beginning to end, was already there in the ever present moment. In other words, the complete Picture had already been painted, the Script had already been written. In spiritual terms, space and time are only relevant in duality, but from the highest point of view, the spiritual view, the only reality is the eternal present moment, which is beyond time and space. There is no such thing as past, present or future. All originates in the present moment. The time sequence that we experience is only a projection of the mind which stretches

out time as one would stretch out a rubber band. Thus giving the impression that time flows. The human mind experiences time as a linear event and thus creates the concept of a past present and future. In fact these are only its projections. In objectivity the world appearance is like a hologram in which the vertical superimposition of infinite holograms with events and actions attached have been turned round from the vertical to the horizontal by the individualized mind. Now a linear progression creating a past present and future seems to come into force because it is the nature of individualized mind to create this illusion. So, all events and actions will happen as their destiny dictates. 2. Does this mean that a murderer is only following his destiny or that a tyrant ruling a country carries no responsibility for his actions? A mother Teresa, a murderer, a tyrant or a philanthropist follows his or her destiny and reaps the consequences of his or her actions. Mental impressions caused by actions and thoughts affect only the supposed individual but that is not the real Self. Nevertheless, the consequences of mental impressions can manifest in the present life or a future life of another re-incarnated being. These consequences form the basis of karma and may be said to be the destiny of such individuals. The Liberated one knows that the karmic consequences only affect the body-mind complex and never the Reality the Divine Consciousness. The Truth that one truly is. In most cases the karmic consequences of a tyrant, murderer, or for that matter a saintly person, identified with his body-mind complex, will take on the consequences of those actions and will be held accountable for them by society. At some point in the future the remaining karmic consequences will materialize in a different body (reincarnation). It is not the individual that is transferred from one life to another but the predispositions or vasanas. Every action has a reaction, thus in spiritual terms, the results of actions have to manifest at some point in the present or future. A future mindbody complex may carry some predispositions of a past individual so as to fulfill karmic events due to take place at that time. It is these mental impressions carried forward to new body-mind complexes that create the concept of a series of lives belonging to one entity but of course the truth is that Universal Consciousness, it-Self, is the doer of all actions. Thus, past present and future lives of one separate individual are only apparently so and not really so. This process allows the individualized consciousness the opportunity at some point to be awakened to the truth of its Universality and to rediscover its Reality; that it is indeed the Absolute Consciousness and not the insignificant little ego it takes itself to be. 3. Is it possible to transcend destiny?

So long as one remains identified with the body-mind complex and thinks of himself as an individual with free will and choice of action, so long will he be under the influence of karma or destiny. It is only when the understanding has sunk deep enough that the individual realizes that he never was the separate individualized consciousness but always has been the Universal, boundless, infinite Consciousness or Awareness. Then he is able to make the transition from individuality to Universality, from separateness to Wholeness, from the dualistic mind to the Whole Mind. Then he is able to transcend destiny because he is destiny it-Self. DOERSHIP 1. Who is the doer and experiencer of all actions and events? We may think that as individuals we ourselves are the doers of all actions and that we have free will and choice of action. As long as we identify ourselves as being separate individual body-mind entities this assertion will seem to be true. All experiences, including those of the senses, good or bad, are experienced through a body-mind complex because Universal Consciousness becomes identified with the body and thinks Itself as just that. It forgets Its Universality and has now become individualized Consciousness restricted to the body and mind as an individual entity. It seems as though we suffer or reap the rewards of good or bad actions that we do, and it also seems that we have free will and choice of action. But this is not the truth. The body-mind complex is only an instrument by which Consciousness functions within duality. It is individualized Consciousness, an aspect of Universal (Absolute) Consciousness that creates the illusory feeling of doer-ship done by a separate entity. It also creates the feeling that we have free will and choice of action and that those decisions are made through our own volition. The truth of the matter is that it is Divine or Absolute Consciousness that is the doer and experiencer of all actions and events through the billions of sentient beings. 2. Do you mean to say that it is Gods Will that we sufferthat there are wars, murderers and despots creating havoc? Its Gods Will that we should eventually discover our Self and know our Reality. Gods Will functions through the law of karma which affects only the supposedly independent separate beings. It is we, thinking that we are independent beings that take onto ourselves the responsibility and effect of our actions. But, only so long as we take ourselves to be separate body-mind complexes.

The law of karma or cause and effect, as a necessary functioning law in duality, could not function without the Will of God. The interrelated opposites, being a necessary precondition for the functioning of Manifestation, must include the positive and negative of all things. Thus good and evil and all the other opposites are part and parcel of life and exist together as the very nature of objective living. From the spiritual point of view, individuals are the actors in this world Drama. But, they are actors who play either positive or negative roles at one time or another. At the core of our being there is only the reality of Divine Consciousness and it is That which gives life to the inert body. It is That which sustains all life by means of the five elements. When mind transcends the world of duality, like in those who have Awakened, the Drama becomes apparent. Also, when the Whole-Mind functions, when Self-realization has happened, the Liberated one knows that all actions and events are part of the vast cosmic Play. Then He will probably join the Game playing his role without concern for the outcome of any action since it will be known to him, that all this is only a Play on the world stage. 3. Why should Divine Consciousness manifest Itself as the objective Universe? Divine Consciousness has no need to manifest Itself. But, just as it is the nature of the sun to shine, or the mirror to reflect, it is also the nature of Divine Consciousness to manifest Itself objectively at certain points in Self created illusory time. From this point onward, when time and space have an illusory birth, Creation also takes place and so, in time, all possibilities manifest as creation. It is the nature of the dualistic human mind always to seek a reason and a why or what to be answered. But Divine Consciousness has no need to prove Its existence. It has always Been and always will Be. But in human terms, Manifestation can be said to be an expression of Its Love. My Guru Sri Sathya Sai Baba once asked me, What is God? Then He answered the question him-Self by saying, God is Love. Divine Love or boundless Unity is what the Universe is. It must be remembered, according to the ancient Wisdom, that the Universe is but an image or a reflection within Divine Consciousness. The Universe has no substance or independence of Its own but appears within Absolute Consciousness as Its objective expression of Love. Everything that appears in Manifestation is only the Divine Essence itself and therefore, all sentient beings are appearances of the Divine playing roles assigned to them according to the Script of Divine Will. It can also be said that if the Divine did not appear to objectify at one point or another it would forever remain Potential and therefore incomplete in Itself. 4. If we are not the doers why bother taking any action at all?

All actions, all roles and all events are only the result of the Universal Will. No one can avoid doing what his or her destiny dictates and no one can initiate any event that was not pre-destined according to Divine Will. If you examine thoroughly the question of free will you will see that in one way or another you have absolutely no choice in the actions you take, or the events that happen. When a devotee asked the enlightened Master Sri Ramana Maharishi whether lifting his hand-fan at that moment was also pre-destined the answer from the Master was simply, Yes. You had no choice regarding your parents or where and when you were born. Your inherited genes predetermine your character, body, mental characteristics and predispositions. Childhood and ongoing conditioning such as moral, religious, social and cultural norms, determine to a large extent your behavior in society. All these influences are due to Universal Will that produces the actions and responses by which you conduct your life. Thus, ultimately all is Divine Will, and we, as instruments, can only follow the prescribed Will of Absolute Consciousness. There is no question of having any choice in doing or not doing something. All actions or non-actions take place according to ones destiny. Nevertheless, in the world of duality, we, as seemingly separate individuals, still have to function and live our lives as though we had free will; as though we had free choice of action so that life as we know it can proceed in the way we experience it. Of course the Awakened one knows that all is the Divine Play and takes life as it comes, without worry or concern for the outcome of any event. DUALITY 1. Can duality be explained? It could be describe as the interrelated and interconnected opposites of all things, or the dual nature of everything we can see, hear, touch, smell and feel. In fact duality is Manifestation itself. Every conceivable thing in manifestation has this dual nature. Were it not for this then the objective Universe could not appear or be observable. I AM is the boundless infinite expression of Existence. So, when Consciousness at rest activates It-Self and becomes aware of Its Awareness, all of Creation arises in one instance and concurrently. It is the dualistic mind that seemingly creates successive moments endlessly and so creating the illusion of time and space. It is the mind that separates events in illusory space and time by means of conceptualization. In this way the interrelated opposites become conceptually apparent and separated into seeming realities. Duality is a meaningful concept that is necessary for defining the appearance of Manifestation. Because of it the mind can think, reason and function, but unfortunately, cannot experience its own Whole-ness. Consciousness, in its functional mode, is the

only Universal Subject. Thus it reflects the objective Creation within Itself because of its own Absolute Subjective Reality. 2. Why can there not be a world of good without evil or a world of positive tendencies only? The divine Principle is beyond space and time. It is on Its own and without a second. It is beyond the interrelated opposites of good and evil and all other kinds of opposites. It can only be defined as an unbroken Unity or Whole-ness of Pure Subjectivity. Manifestation occurs within It as a shadow because it is the Nature of the Absolute to express it-Self in this way. Manifestation could not happen unless the objectifying process was based on the interrelated opposites. A world with only one pole (positive or negative) would be like a magnet without its opposite pole. This would be clearly impossible. How could anything be known if its interrelated conceptual opposite did not exist in duality? Thus in the objective world what is considered bad or hate is only the opposite pole of good or love. Both have to exist and express themselves at some time or other in the objective world for it to be viable. 3. Is dualism also the Will of God? Yes. The fact that it is part of the functioning in Manifestation must mean that it serves a purpose. When positive as well as negative events such as wars, natural calamities, murders and cruelties perpetuated by human beings take place, they do so as the karmic consequences of past and present actions. The law of karma or cause and effect and the principle of the interrelated opposites are basic laws functioning in our world of duality which make life, as we know it, viable. A world without the karmic law operating would be impossible or indeed would make for a chaotic and unjust world. It should always be remembered though that the karmic law affects only body-mind complexes with individualized Consciousnesses that believe that they are separate entities and not the supreme Reality that they really are. Individualized Consciousness could hardly re-discover its Source without the events that comprise both the negative and the positive aspects of life or what is termed as the interrelated opposites. It is self-evident that the world based only on the positive would never give individualized Consciousness the opportunity of learning the lessons that adversity sometimes brings. It is only because everything has its opposite such as joy and sorrow, love and hate and all the other opposites that one aspect or its opposite can be understood and be ultimately seen as contributing to the Divine Play. It is for this reason that the ancient Wisdom teaches that it is only in the physical world of duality that a being can aspire to and reach Divinity while still in the body.

Nevertheless, when the balance shifts too far towards the negative, as is the case in the world today, then there is an active intervention by Absolute Consciousness or God in the form of incarnating saints, holy men and women and people of wisdom. In extreme cases of world-threatening crises an Avatar may also incarnate to restore the balance. The millions today believe that the world is now witnessing such an Incarnation in the form of Bhagavan Sri Sathya Sai Baba. FREE WILL 1. Do we as individuals have free will? Nothing that happens in ones life, however important or insignificant, is due to the individuals free will. A simple analysis would disclose the fact that nothing one says or does as an action, or as a response, is due to ones volition. If we would examine our day-to-day behavior whether physical, mental or emotional, we would then realize that we respond to others in a particular way because of our predispositions. Our inherited genes and childhood conditioning that determine how we respond in various situations, social and environmental determinants at a particular time, also have an influence on our behavior. In fact not unlike a computer we are programmed to act in specific ways by Universal Consciousness so as to follow the Divine Script, thereby fulfilling Divine Will. In fact it is Divine Consciousness, by means of the Life Force (an aspect of Consciousness) that is the doer of all actions. Without the Divine Force sustaining all life nothing could exist and no Manifestation could take place. We, as supposedly independent beings, may feel that indeed we are the doers and have free choice of action, but if this was so, God (Divine Consciousness) could not then be the doer or be in control of Manifestation. If we had free will that was not also sanctioned and controlled by Gods Will at all times we would live in a chaotic world where billions of human beings were exercising what they thought was their own free will. If human free will was a reality it would certainly be an untenable situation causing catastrophic conditions in the world. When actions turn out to be in accordance with ones will the individual regards this as a personal achievement. But, if the result turns out to be opposite to expectations, one thinks it may just be bad luck or he may feel disappointed. So, whose will was in operation when the results of actions turn out to be contrary to ones own expecta tions? If we accept that ultimately everything is Divine Will, concerning both positive as well as the negative, then life would be so much simpler and happier. One would be able to flow with life and its events accepting all that happens as Gods Will. Th en Manifestation could be recognized and enjoyed as a Divine Play.

In a practical sense, living for most human beings is based on supposed free will. But for the Enlightened one the Script would have already been written, the Movie would have already been made and he would only be fulfilling the events and actions that are pr-destined to take place as the destiny of that particular entity. 2. Why does the Divine Play contain such horrific events that have been witnessed throughout history? One cannot really be insensitive to the suffering that is also part of this Divine Play. But of course, the objective universe can only function if the concepts of duality and the interrelated opposites are recognized as normal functioning concepts in the objective world. Good and evil, up and down, black and white and all the other opposites. Everything must have a conceptual opposite so that karmic consequences can be generated through actions and interactions. Thus, life as we know it can proceed according to this Divine Law. This means that calamities, tragedies and all other conceivable negativities occur at some time or other, along with the joys, beauty, love, harmony and other positive aspects of life. It is well to remember that from the highest spiritual point of view there is only One Reality and that is Absolute Consciousness. All else is illusory (not permanent), including the joys and sorrows of life. It is important to recognize that Creation is one singular event and that life cannot consist of only the positive to the exclusion of the negative. It has to be a mixture of both so as to retain its wholeness or singularity, and with this understanding deeply engrained in the mind, Awakening may happen spontaneously. Then life can be accepted for what it is. A grand Play that Absolute Consciousness enacts within It-Self. If full understanding occurs then no judgments need be made regarding the events that take place. We can play our allotted roles to the best of our ability and leave the consequences to manifest according to Divine Will. 3. If there is no free will then nothing can be changed. Is that not so? Yes, the whole Script has already been written. All roles played in the past, being played now and those to be enacted in the future, really take place in the present moment. All events and actions are destined to happen because they are already present in the eternal moment. It is only the mind that produces an illusory flow of time in which all events and actions happen sequentially. In fact, time does not flow. It exists only as the eternal now where every conceivable thing, object, or thought is concentrated in that eternal present moment. When Manifestation came into being everything at once appeared all together in the ever present now. Every event, every action and every conceivable object in manifestation appeared concurrently in the present moment. But it is the individualized

Mind that creates a linear flow of time and creates the illusion that time flows, that things come and go and are here and there. There has never been a past, present or future. It is only the mind (thinking aspect of Consciousness) that has extended out the present moment into a succession of separate moments. Therefore, the concept of free will cannot be true since there is no actual movement in time in which human free will could express itself. So all is predestined since everything exists in the eternal present moment as one singular event When the first thought of awareness I AM came upon Consciousness there was awareness of Awareness and the sequence of evolutionary Creation began. But everything already existed in its abstract form. Everything that was, is and will be is manifest in that one eternal ever present moment. If this was not so, manifestation could not take place. Our dualistic aspect (mind) sees only sections of this vast manifestation only at certain points in apparent time, but, the Divine Principle that manifests as Creation Itself knows the whole Manifestation as a singular Unity existing in the eternal now. There are no parts or sections; there are no divisions of time and space. Thus, the question of free will for any illusory, independent being, living in an illusory progressive time frame, cannot arise. 4. Can life really proceed without the concept of free will? Whether the concept of free will is accepted or not it must be evident to many that there is an over-riding Will that acts as a self-controlling Force in the Universe. The Universe, according to the ancient Wisdom, is the body of Divine Consciousness or God. Its Creation is the objective expression of the Subjective Reality and could never have an imposed will from outside it-Self. The journey of discovery to the Source of our being is through the trials and tribulations we experience through eons of time when as individualized Consciousness we identified with our body-mind complexes and became illusory individuals. Nevertheless, nothing that happens in the vast Manifestation is a result of any individual or separate entity; it must only be Divine Will itself that is responsible for the functioning of manifestation. It is Divine Will or Abstract Intelligence itself that becomes the process of Creation. It has been inferred by many, including some scientists, that the Universe, Nature and living beings, appeared as a local accident and evolved without reason or purpose; just a chance happening in a vast incomprehensible void. If that were true then the Universe would be a mass of meaningless energy moving to and fro; matter floating about aimlessly without purpose with no one to ever know about it. In fact what we see is a precise order in the functioning of the Universe and with laws that unify everything to everything else. Without doubt Manifestation not only functions according to precise

natural laws but also possesses infinite, Abstract Intelligence. This is evident within all sentient beings. Their intelligence is a reflection of the infinite, Abstract Intelligence or Divine Consciousness. Free will of individuals is only a concept that helps them to define and express themselves as apparently separate independent body-mind entities functioning in duality. Beyond the narrow conceptual confines of human free will is that of the total, Universal Will of the Divine that is not separate from Manifestation but is Manifestation itself and its functioning. In other words, the Universe is a dynamic, Self-referring Creation. The objective expression of the Subjective Reality that has no outside force presiding over Its functioning, and therefore can only have one supreme Will presiding from within. ILLUSION 1. How can this manifestation be an illusion when it seems so obviously to exist? The objective Universe is something that appears to exist but this is not really so. A mirage is often believed to exist until it is recognized as a mirage caused by the suns rays. A dream while being dreamed is believed to be real until one wakes up from the sleeping dream state. Visions seen by some have no reality except to the person who experiences them. Just like these examples an illusion is something mistakenly thought to be real. Thus, reliance on our senses as proof of something existing is really not a sound basis on which to decide whether something really exists or not. Though we can observe the Universe as an apparent objective reality its composition made of solid matter is as illusory as a mirage or dream image. Indeed, solid matter at the atomic level, according to the scientist, is only energy vibrating at an incredibly high rate. When atoms get arranged in certain combinations they create molecules from which various degrees of condensed matter come into being. Thus creating a universe that seems to exist. This happens because what we regard as solid material is really energy vibrating at incredibly high rates. The ancient Masters have often described the manifested Universe as being real and unreal both at the same time. In certain circumstances the observable Universe seems to exist. This is because consciousness is present and therefore it attains a relative reality. But, the objective Universe can also be said to be only as real as a shadow or dream mirage because it depends on consciousness for its existence. It cannot exist without consciousness being present. 2. The word illusion cannot mean that the world and Universe does not exist even as a relative reality. So why use the word illusion at all?

The word illusion comes closest to defining the world and Universe as a relative truth or relative reality. An example of this would be the dream state we all experience while asleep. In the dream state all that is experienced has its own reality. Dream hunger makes one hungry and dream thirst makes one thirsty in the dream. A fall is felt and dream pain results. All this is the same as one would experience similar events in the waking state. Each state has its own reality while that particular state is being experienced. Thus the sleeping dream is as much a reality as the waking dream when viewed from its own relevant state. It is in this sense that the word illusion is used when describing the relative reality of the waking dream state. It is experienced as real as long as one is un-Awakened. When Awakening happens the waking dream can be known to be just as unreal as the sleeping dream. When Awakening happens, the reality of the world and Universe can be realized as being a projection of the mind, and so, the dream of the sleeping state as well as the waking state is also understood to be like that. So, manifestation can be regarded as having no independent existence of its own and is experienced in the mind only, because of consciousness being present. All is a play of Energy which is condensed in certain areas to give the impression of solidity. In fact all that is seen, felt or experienced attains its relative reality from consciousness only and appears in Consciousness as the objective reflection of the Subjective Reality. 3. If Consciousness is all there is why should manifestation occur at all? The ancient Masters have answered this question by saying simply that it is the nature of Absolute Consciousness to manifest objectively. If one was asked why the sun shines, the answer would be, because it is the nature of the sun to shine and in so doing all life is made possible. It is exactly the same with Consciousness. With the first thought I AM or awareness of Awareness all manifestation came into being spontaneously in one instance, including illusory space and time. It is the mind that stretches out time into a progression of endless moments and therefore it seems that time flows. Thus it is the nature of Consciousness to create body-mind complexes in order to reflect it-Self as apparent separate entities. If Consciousness did not express itSelf objectively in duality It would never be aware of its-Self. It is only in this way that It experiences Its own Existence. 4. If time and space are a projection of the mind then Manifestation is also a projection of the mind. Is that so? Yes, that is so. When one is in deep sleep or unconscious, then time and space do not exist for that one until he awakens or regains consciousness. Mind being an aspect of Consciousness projects the Manifestation as a reflection within itself. Space and time are therefore interrelated concepts that allow Manifestation to be recognized as

extended objectively in apparent space with an extension in the apparent duration of time. Since time and space are concepts that have no substance or objective reality, they too must be regarded as illusory, but, necessary concepts giving Manifestation only a relative reality in duality. The objective Universe only seems to exist because consciousness in the individualistic mind erroneously registers the Universes existence as an absolute reality and not as a relative reality. It follows therefore that Manifestation, including our own selves as independent entities, are only relative realities and not absolute realities. We really are nothing more substantial then images in our minds and those of others. This should lead us to conclude that that which does the witnessing of the functioning is not a mere object like our own body-mind complex. Rather it can only be pure Consciousness that does the witnessing and observing. Each sentient being erroneously takes on subjectivity in relation to all others and forgets that all body complexes, including him are just objects like any other objects. The only true subject is Universal Consciousness that functions through all sentient beings. All else are objects to the one Universal, Subject Consciousness. KARMA 1. How does the karmic law function in the Creation? It must be understood that karma only affects that which we think we are and not that which we really are. Until Awakening happens our identification with the body, in most cases, is so complete that every action and every event, which we initiate as individuals, binds us increasingly to the body-mind complex and to the objective world in which we function. Thus we take on the responsibility for our actions and therefore also the responsibility for whatever outcome of those actions. This in effect is what karma is. The karmic consequences of the actions of an individual may manifest at any point in the present life. Others may manifest at some future point in time in a new body-mind complex of a future individual so as to fulfill events that are destined to happen. The karmic law is the means by which the Divine Play continues endlessly since new scenes and new acts are continuously being created according to the principle of cause and effect or karma. Of course, the main purpose of the Divine Play is for an individual to finally realize that he never was the separate body-mind complex but that he has always been Universal Consciousness or the Divine itself. 2. Are the concepts of karma and reincarnation linked? After the death of the body strong mental predispositions, unfulfilled desires and great impressionable events that have had a profound effect on the mind of the supposed

individual, remain as a bundle of thought forms in a vast pool of Consciousness. At a future point, in whole or in part, some or all of these thought forms may become the basis for the functioning of a new body-mind complex. It is for this reason that some individuals claim to remember past lives. The truth is that strong thought forms may leave some memories or impressions that may surface in an entirely new body-mind of a future individual. It is in this way that karma and reincarnation could be said to have a link, but, when viewed from the purely spiritual plane, these concepts would not apply since the recognition of true Reality brings the realization that ones truth is beyond duality, time and space. 3. Does Awakening mean that karma no longer affects the Awakened One? Awakening or Self-realization does not mean that karma stops operating as a spiritual law in duality. Of course the realization that one is not the body-mind complex implies that one also realizes that karma only affects the body-mind instrument which is not ones absolute reality. Nevertheless, all supposed individuals, including the Awakened one, must live out their allotted time in this world of duality and be subjected to the law of karma. The Self-realized one will also continue to play out the role assigned to him, knowing exactly what the truth is until the body is dropped. The Self-realized being knows that all this is a Divine Play and does not identify anymore with the role that he, as the illusory individual, plays in this Drama. He therefore usually lives life with the freedom and spontaneity of a Liberated soul and accepts life and its interrelated opposites with a joyful accepting attitude. ADVAITA 1. What is the philosophy of Advaita? From ancient times the concept of One-ness forms the basic teachings of Advaita. The realization that Atma (Divine Consciousness) is all there is. That It is both the cause of and is also Manifestation itself. Advaita also teaches that the Divine is formless, but, can also manifest with form, and is Itself of an infinite and unbroken Unity. The philosophy of Advaita also stresses the illusory nature of Manifestation and likens it to a dream or mirage which in truth has no substance. Thus, Creation could be regarded as having only a relative reality since nothing in Manifestation has an absolute permanency. Something that is not eternal and infinite cannot be the Absolute Reality. It is only Consciousness that is eternal and infinite and therefore is the only absolute truth. 3. How does an understanding of this ancient philosophy benefit us today? The benefit of this understanding for the individual may be that now he does not bear the weight of sin and guilt. He may also come to the conclusion that indeed he is not the

doer; that the Divine Itself uses the body-mind complex as Its tool and means of expression in the world of duality. In fact when the understanding is deeply embedded in the mind of the supposed individual, he will probably find that he does not get involved in projecting imagined problems into an unknown future. If he truly understands the truths taught in the ancient Wisdom he will discover his true Identity, which is pure Consciousness. He will know that what happens to the body-mind complex is part of the grand Design that all is pre determined; that free will and choice of action are illusory. He would know that as body mind complexes we are only instruments for Divine Consciousness to function through in the objective world. Then perhaps it would be easier to acknowledge that we are only playing roles as though we were on a stage. All events that happen, or actions taken, are due to Divine Will or destiny. In other words whatever happens can be taken as part of the functioning of Universal Life and that destiny and karma apply only to the body-mind instruments. The reality, that you really Are, is not in the least affected by the consequences of personal or Universal karma, or by anything that happens in manifestation. Karmic accountability only affects the body-mind complex which is erroneously taken to be the self. It is this misapprehension which causes personal suffering. Of course there are karmic consequences but it does not and cannot affect the Divine Essence that one really is. Until this realization becomes part of ones unbroken awareness one may continue to suffer the consequences of what one thinks are his actions as the doer. REINCARNATION 1. Does the same entity migrate from one body to another? No, that is not possible. Once the body is dead the various ingredients that make up the body return to their respective elements such as space, air, fire, water, and earth. The confusion regarding reincarnation arises because what is transferred to another body is mistakenly taken to be the ego or personality that occupied a previous body. In fact what happens is that some or possibly a combination of mental impressions and predispositions are reintroduced into a future entity and worked out as karmic consequences, positive or negative, as the case may be. In this way results from past actions get balanced out and fulfilled as karmic future events which are the destinies of future incarnations. These events have to take place according to the Script already written and assigned, so that the Drama may continue indefinitely. It can never be the same entity that migrates from one body to another. From the spiritual point of view there is a movement towards a widening consciousness in an evolutionary progression that takes individualized consciousness from its state of ignorance to one of Awakening. It may take thousands of lives for this process to effectively reach a point where Awakening may happen in a body-mind complex, but, it

is always individualized Consciousness which Awakens to its Universality and not the supposedly independent entity that is nothing more than a concept, a projection of the mind. 2. It seems that only eastern philosophies accept the concept of reincarnation. Why is this? Originally both Christianity and Judaism accepted reincarnation as part of their religious doctrines. Now, however, this concept is mainly accepted as part of the eastern spiritual philosophies. But the highest teachings of the eastern Masters make a distinction between the illusory individual being and the Divine Reality that we really are. The ancient Wisdom of the east has always taught that the individual, as a separate being, does not really exist, but is in essence Divine Consciousness itself. If the highest truth is realized as our reality then reincarnation would be recognized as a concept that cannot apply to the Reality that we truly are. Nor can it, in fact, apply to the body-mind complex that we think we are. It is not the personality of a past body-mind complex that migrates to a new body-mind complex but only certain predispositions and mental thought forms that are transferred. So the true reason for the movement of thought forms and predispositions to form new entities or incarnations is to fulfill events that have to happen according to karmic consequences or Divine Will. On the other hand, new incarnations are created in this way so as to facilitate the eventual Awakening of individualized Consciousness to its Universality and thus to Its infinite and eternal Glory. 3. The concept of reincarnation gives people a sense of security together with the possibility of avoiding the horror of sinking into a fathomless void. Is this the reason that it is popular as a concept? Yes, very much so, since this concept perpetuates the feeling that death is not the end of the personality; that in spite of the demise of the body we shall return again and again and so acquire some kind of immortality. This concept does give one the hope of avoiding the terrifying thought of sinking into an infinite and fathomless void after the body is discarded. It is a fear that seems to afflict so many people s thinking on this subject. The identification with the body-mind complex is so complete and overpowering that it leaves little room in most cases for the individual to question the authenticity and validity of such thinking. Most spiritual Masters, of the highest Wisdom, have stressed the fact that their devotees should try and avoid identifying themselves with the individual thinking mind and ego as being a separate entity, so as to allow the Whole-Mind to function. Thus when individualized Consciousness Awakens to its Reality, that of Universality, then the concept of individuality is replaced with the reality of Universal Consciousness.

The concept of reincarnation can be seen for what it really is. This concept has been created by the ego to avoid the fear of its own demise, and so, Reincarnation of a specific identity or personality only applies to those who are not ready to go beyond that concept. We, as individuals, are only instruments that Consciousness uses for functioning in duality, but, our true Nature is in fact the Absolute itself. We are That. SCIENCE AND SPIRITUALITY 1. Are science and spirituality compatible? Yes, increasingly so. Many modern scientists are realizing that modern scientific discoveries often parallel eastern philosophy. Such a discovery is the unified field theory that pictures the Universe as an interrelated and interacting, dynamic Entity. The void of infinite Potential, expounded by the ancient Masters, is another concept that is similar to the theories and discoveries of modern-day science which explains the Universe as a mass of dynamic energy. This energy is what is ultimately responsible for Creation. In recent times, at the beginning of the 20th Century, Einsteins relativity theories and gravitational field theories proved that space and time were not uniformly equal but could be measured differently at different locations in the universe. And so it was shown that the presence of massive bodies in space actually altered conceptual space and time round them. This discovery brought about a radically new way of understanding the universe. Gone was the Newtonian idea of separate independent parts that could be analyzed and by which the whole could be known. Gone was the old belief that time and space were absolutely real and in came the realization that the whole Universe was interdependent and interconnected. It was realized that time and space was indeed relative to each observer and was also not anything objective in themselves. They were necessary, though illusory concepts or projections of the mind that allowed manifestation to be observable in space and have a continuing appearance in the flow of time. It is remarkable how close eastern mystical thinking and modern scientific ideas are. The ancient spiritual Masters for example, in their highest teachings, taught of the interconnectedness of the Universe, and that of Absolute Consciousness, as being the only reality. They taught of the illusory or relative reality of Manifestation and therefore also of the individual. They disclosed that the screen of Universal Consciousness was indeed the infinite Void from which limitless Creation takes place. In this way many modern day scientific discoveries seem to find an echo from the past in the form of the ancient Wisdom. Perhaps one day this will culminate in a philosophy that would unite both spirituality and science in one common belief system.

2. Does spirituality, like science evolve, bringing in new ideas and concepts that fit our modern times? Like all other movements spirituality evolves in its form of expressing the one Eternal Truth so as to fit the time and conditions of the people and societies of a particular place. The great spiritual founders of our present-day religions such as Jesus, Mohammed, Buddha and the ancient Masters, sages and saints of the Hindu religion all appeared at an appropriate time to fulfill the spiritual needs of the time. Over the centuries these religions evolved with changing attitudes, cultures and societies, thus sustaining the concept of the one Eternal Truth (God). Eastern religions, in particular such as Hinduism, Buddhism, Taoism and Zen have always been in the forefront of change and innovation of expressions based on the ancient Wisdom. In the modern world of evolving ideas and concepts the perception that we all live in an interdependent, unified and interconnected Universe is supported by experiments carried out in the fields of atomic and sub-atomic particles. Here everything is dependent on everything else for its existence and therefore all is ultimately a unified Whole. This is not only borne out in the microscopic world of sub atomic particles and waves (matter and energy) but is also increasingly being accepted on the much larger scale of the macroscopic world and Universe where all events and experiences are interconnected and interrelated in various ways. The modern-day scientists, just like their counterparts the ancient Masters of eastern mysticism, are very often responsible for the evolution and creation of new thoughts, ideas and concepts. Present day scientific thinking is also beginning to explore and understand eastern mystical philosophy and concepts in rational scientific language. This increasingly suggests that science and spirituality have come to similar conclusions in their own respective ways and are drawing ever closer formulating concepts that explain the universe and its functioning. 3. What view does science take on the reality of space and time? Science, like the teachings of the ancient Masters, also states that space and time have only a relative reality. Recent discoveries such as Einsteins theory of relativity show that depending on the circumstances, space and time are not uniform. Todays scientists now say that observers in different locations experience different space-time measurements due to their locations being relative to all other observers and that which they observe. It is also quite obvious that on a personal basis, when one is in deep sleep or unconscious, then, space and time and the world do not exist for that one at that time. Space and time only exists when consciousness appears as in the waking state, therefore, they can only be regarded as concepts which only have a functional use, but are without any objective reality.

Space and time are only projections of the mind which gives the illusory Universe a relative reality and therefore makes it observable. In other words something does not exist if there is no conscious observer to register the fact of its existence. Therefore, the whole Universe, including us, only have a relative reality. Every one of us is only an image in our own and other peoples minds, and therefore, we are only as real as a dream or mirror image. It is only when consciousness is present that images of ourselves and others can appear. These images are much like the reality of a mirror or dream image. Here is what D.T Suzuki, the great Japanese philosopher and scholar, has written on the concept of time. In this spiritual world there are no time divisions such as the past, present and future, for they have concentrated themselves into a single moment of the present where life quivers in its true senseThe past and the future both exist in this present moment and this present moment is not standing still with all its contents for it ceaselessly moves on. SELF KNOWLEDGE 1. Why is Awakening so rare an occurrence? If Realization or Awakening was a common occurrence then the Divine Play could not proceed as we experience daily life. The Play would probably come to an end. The billions of interactions between sentient beings are based on the assumption that we are independent beings with free will and therefore create the conditions on which life in our world proceeds. All events that take place on the world stage are the results of actions taken at one time or another in the past or present and are the cause for future events. The law of cause and effect or karma creates the conditions that allow Manifestation to continue indefinitely. Karma cannot affect the Realized being because he is no more identified with his body-mind complex. Though he still plays his role as if he were a separate entity, he knows full well that he is Divine Consciousness and is now only acting out a part in Its Play. So, living as though we had free will and free choice of action and not realizing that we are only instruments of the Divine, limits Self-realization to only a relatively few seekers. 2. Why does Divine Consciousness manifest Itself objectively in endless cycles? There is no need for it to do so except that it is the nature of Divine Consciousness to objectify and reflect Itself in this way. Perhaps it could be defined as an expression of universal Love. It also can be said that when the One becomes the many It is able to see Itself, know Itself, love Itself. Thus it proves Itself to Itself by means of the billions of sentient beings that are reflections within Itself. This process is the very nature of

Consciousness. Consciousness at rest must at some point become active otherwise It would always remain as infinite Potential and unknown to Itself for ever. 3. Many seekers believe in an after-world. Do heavens and hells exist? Yes, they do exist but only as projections of mind. They only have a relative reality and are as real as our own world or as real as a world created in ones dream. The only thing that can be said to be real or to be absolute truth is something that is infinite and eternal, something that is not bound by space and time, and that is, Absolute Consciousness. Our true Nature.

THE ANCIENT WISDOM

Ancient Masters and Modern Scientists 1. One is led to a new notion of unbroken wholeness, which denies the classical idea of analyzability of the world into separately and independently existing parts. We have reversed the usual classical notion that the elementary parts of the world are the fundamental reality, and that the various systems are merely particular contingent forms and arrangements of these parts. Rather we say that inseparable quantum interconnectedness of the whole universe is the fundamental reality, and that relatively independently behaving parts are merely particular and contingent forms within this whole. David Bohm 2. At the end of the night of time all things return to my nature; and when the new day of time begins I bring them again into light. Thus through my nature I bring forth all creation and this rolls around in the circle of time. But I am not bound by this vast work of creation. I am and I watch the drama of works. I watch and in its work of creation nature brings forth all that moves and moves not. And thus the revolutions of the world go round. Bhagavad Gita 3. Present day developments in cosmology are coming to suggest rather insistently that everyday conditions could not persist but for the distant parts of the universe, that all our ideas of space and geometry would become entirely invalid if the distant parts of the universe were taken away. Our everyday experience even down to the smallest details seems to be so closely integrated to the grand-scale features of the universe that it is well-nigh impossible to contemplate the two being separated. Fred Hoyle 4. Modern theoretical physics has put over thinking about the essence of matter in a different context. It has taken our gaze from the visiblethe particlesto the underlying entity, the field. The presence of matter is merely a disturbance of the perfect state of the field at that place; something accidental, one could almost say, merely a blemish. Accordingly, there are no simple laws describing the forces between elementary particles. Order and symmetry must be sought in the underlying field. Walter Thirring

5. The relationship of form and emptiness cannot be conceived as a state of mutually exclusive opposites, but only as two aspects of the same reality, which co-exist and are in continual co-operation. Lama Govinda 6. For a parallel to the lessons of atomic theory (we must turn) to those kinds of epistemological problems with which already thinkers like the Buddha and Lao Tzu have been confronted, when trying to harmonize our position as spectators and actors in the great drama of existence. Niels Bohr 7. Quantum theory has thus demolished the classical concepts of solid objects and of strictly deterministic laws of nature. At the sub-atomic level the solid material objects of classical physics dissolve into wave-like patterns of probabilities, and these patterns, ultimately, do not represent probabilities of things, but rather probabilities of interconnections. A careful analysis of the process of observation in atomic physics has isolated entities, but can only be understood as interconnections between the preparation of an experiment and the subsequent measurement. Quantum theory thus reveals a basic oneness of the universe. It shows that we cannot decompose the world into independently existing smallest units. As we penetrate into matter, nature does not show us any isolated basic building blocks, but rather appears as a complicated web of relations between the various parts of the whole. These relations always include the observer in an essential way. The human observer constitutes the final link in the chain of observational processes, and the properties of any atomic object can only be understood in terms of the objects interaction with the observer. This means that the classical ideal of an objective description of nature is no longer valid. The Cartesian partition between the I and the world, between the observer and the observed cannot be made when dealing with atomic matter. In atomic physics, we can never speak about nature without, at the same time, speaking about ourselves. Fritjof Capra 8. False imagination teaches that such things as light and shade, long and short, black and white are to be discriminated, but they are not independent of each other; they are only different aspects of the same thing; they are terms of relation, not reality. Conditions of existence are not of a mutually exclusive character; in essence things are not two but one. Lankavatara Sutra

9. You are neither earth nor any of the other elements. You are the self which is the witness of all these, the universal consciousness. If you do not identify yourself with the body and remain in the consciousnessI AMyou will be free from bondage here and now, this instant; you are neither of Brahmana nor of any other caste. You are not perceivable by the senses. Be happy in the knowledge that, unattached and formless, you are the witness of everything. Virtue and vice, pleasure and pain (and all other interrelated opposites) are of the mind. Being neither the doer nor the sufferer, you are forever free. This alone is your bondage that you see yourself not as the witness that you truly are, but as something else. You are the consciousness bliss in and upon which appears superimposed this apparent universe. You are immanent in this apparent universe and this universe has no other existence. Your very nature is pure consciousness. Do not let your petty mind convince you otherwise. Sage Ashtavakara 10. I am the self, omni-present, the very source of all thought and experience, the inner light of consciousness because of which the entire manifestation arises and becomes perceivable and cognizable. I am this Self, the experiencing, the sole experiencer of everything, with a thousand hands and a thousand eyes. This universe exists in me, the infinite consciousness, like a reflection in a mirror. As the basic energy of consciousness, I exist in all things that exist as their very essence. I am the fragrance in flowers, the sentience in sentient beings. I am the noumenal (subjective) transcendental and the phenomenal immanence in the entire manifestation. I am consciousness without the slightest touch of objectivity or the slightest taint of any modification. What a joke! I who have never been bound seek liberation! There is neither bondage nor liberation. There is nothing for me to acquire or to abandon. For me, who has neither happiness nor misery, where is the question of meditation or non- meditation? There is nothing that I should do or not do. Let the spontaneous action take place, whatever it be. I am the witness of it. King Janaka 11. O, the wonder that I AM!who know no decay and who survives the destruction of the entire universe from Brahma, the creator, down to the lowly blade of grass. O, the wonder that I AM!who though with a body am one who neither goes anywhere, nor comes from anywhere, but ever abide pervading the universe. O, the wonder that I AM!the one with incomparable competence to hold and bear the entire universe for all time without even touching it with my body. O, the wonder that I AM!who have nothing or all that is conceivable in thought and in speech. King Janaka

12. Neither with bondage nor with liberation am I concerned. The illusion has lost its support and it has ceased to function. O, the universe, though emanated from me, does not in reality exist, a conviction has arisen that the body and the universe are illusory, and that whatI AMis pure consciousness. So now that the ignorance has been demolished, how can any conceptualizing take place? King Janaka Commentary by Ronald Berdy Modern scientific discoveries have shown that at the atomic and sub-atomic levels there is a unity that connects all things. It is because of these discoveries that scientists now recognize that there must be an infinite unified field as the substratum on which creation takes place. The void of infinite Potential was known to the ancient Masters as Universal Consciousness from which ultimately everything arose as particles or matter and again subsided into as waves or energy. This is another example of how scientific discoveries of relatively recent times have confirmed concepts that were already known to the ancient spiritual Masters as Universal Consciousness. Thus the ancient Masters knew that the Whole is not made up of separate distinguishable parts but that the parts of the Whole comprise one singularity. It only becomes separated by the concepts and assumptions that individualized mind makes in assuming that each event, action or object is separate and enclosed in its own spacetime sequence. It is increasingly recognized by scientists everywhere that the unity of all things is the truth in the microscopic world of atomic and sub-atomic physics as well as in the macroscopic world of every day life. Modern spiritual scholars of all faiths seem to agree that man as a whole can serve only one God because the energy of Universal Consciousness, that is God, is the same for all beings. The ancient Masters have always stressed the basic One-ness of the Universe. Things and events have meaning only in relation to something else. In Mahayana Buddhism, for example, the Universe is described as a carpet of interconnecting energy patterns. These relationships, concepts, events and actions are not separate but are all connected in very subtle ways, and surely apply as much to the family of man. Both the mystic and modern physicists agree that the consciousness of the observer and the observed are linked. Thus the observing human consciousness in the one allpervasive Universal Consciousness has a central and fundamental importance in determining the result of an experiment. This reinforces the ancient Wisdoms assertion that subject and object are irrevocably linked and are ultimately the same. Scientific experiments have quite clearly shown that the observers consciousness does in effect

change the outcome of an experiment in subtle ways. In Newtonian physics the individual object or event had prime importance in explaining the world and how it worked. It is only relatively recently that the separation of the experimenter, the experimental observation and the analysis was replaced by the concept of full involvement. Now it is realized that the experimenters con sciousness has a direct and significant bearing on the outcome of the result. This concept was known by the ancient Masters as the unity of all things and is essential in understanding the Universe as a unified Whole. In Newtonian physics the demarcation and separation of physical and mental events was believed to be how the working of the Universe could be explained. However, most physicists now accept that there can be no separation but that all is a unified and interconnected Whole. It is recognized by many in the scientific community that the consciousness of the conductor of the experiment is very much involved in the outcome of the experiment and is thus an indispensable component of it. His participation actually determines in some ways its outcome. Thus a Buddhist lama, Anagarika Govinda had stated, The Buddhist does not believe in a separately existing external world into whose dynamic forces he could insert himself. The external world and his inner world are for him only two sides of the same fabric in which the threads of all forces and all events, of all forms of consciousness and their objects are woven into an inseparable net of endless and mutually-conditioned relations. ATMA Quotations of Bhagavan Sri Sathya Sai Baba 1. Atma is also known as Awareness. It is this Awareness that is responsible for the I consciousness in all beings, and is called Aham. When Aham identifies Itself with the body it becomes ahamkara (ego). This is the false I and not the real I. What hides the Atma always is the mind. 2. All these things that you see around you are your own reflections, as if in a mirror. Leaving the actual objects, you are running after the reflected images--your own delusions are binding you hand and foot. 3. All things that are visible are subject to change. However, the substratum of all this changing phenomena is the changeless, divine Principle Brahman, just as the stationary road supports the movement of the fast running buses and cars. Only if you recognize the changeless divine principle that supports the changing universe can you easily understand the entire secret of the universe. Your mind is the cause of your inability to understand the real nature of the world.

4. All the names and forms that fill up this universe and constitute its nature are but creations of the mind. Therefore, the mind has to be calmed in order to see the truth. The ever-flickering waves of the lake have to be stilled so that you can see the bottom clearly. 5. You think you are engaging in the action, but it is your body doing so, or your mind, or your intelligence. But God is working through them. It is only the Atma in you which is the source of action, the Atma is God. God is using your intelligence, mind and body as his instrument for doing that particular work. 6. Atma is permanent. No one can suppress this permanent Atma. No one can destroy this Atma. There is no death or destruction for Atma. As one changes a worn out garment for a new one, so also when the body is worn out the Atma will get into another body. 7. The Atma alone has to be loved; all other things are loved for the sake of the Atma. When the Atma is understood, everything else is understood. All effects are determined by the cause. Quotations of Ramana 8 We talk of attaining the Self, of reaching God with time. There is nothing to attain. We are already self-existent. Nor will there ever be a time when we shall be nearer to God than now. We are now ever blissful, self existent, the infinite. Our consciousness is unbroken continuous and eternal. It is all maya, self-hypnotism to imagine that now we are otherwise. De-hypnotize yourself. It is ego (ahamkara), which deludes itself that there are two selves, one of which we are conscious now (the person) and one the higher, the Divine, of which we shall one day become conscious. This is false. There is only one self and it is fully conscious now and ever. There is neither past nor present nor future for it, since it is out of time. Commentary by Ronald Berdy Atma, the Universal and infinite Consciousness, is pure Awareness unaware of it-Self in Its restful state. It is awareness of sentience, intellect and thinking mind manifesting in the human being that gives the human entity the sense of aliveness and independence; the feelingI am now here. Absolute Consciousness, through this process, becomes so identified with the body-mind complex that it forgets Its Universality and regards Itself as a separate entity with free will and choice of action. Thus the individualized mind egoconsciousness appears and functions in manifestation as the separate me concept.

It is because of our inherited programming through genes acquired from our parents and the persistent conditioning from childhood that also continues throughout life that makes us forget our Reality. In fact, we have been so persistently conditioned to think of ourselves as separate beings that everything in life seems to direct us towards such thinking. On the spiritual level a whole structure of religious beliefs, practices, cultures and customs, have come into being based on the separation of God and man. This concept is continuously reinforced by some of our present-day religions and their teachings. Unfortunately the knowledge of our Reality, which is found in the scriptures of the ancient Wisdom, regarding the Divine Nature of man is often totally unknown, forgotten or ignored. Thus, according to the ancient Wisdom, only while we are still in a state of ignorance or are un-Awakened do we take on the karmic responsibility of our circumstances in present or future lives. But, as the true Reality we are beyond duality and the law of karma. It is the forgetfulness of our true State, primarily by the individualized mind, that enforces our separateness and clouds the knowledge of our Reality which is that in our very essence we are God him-Self. In spite of this misidentification we can never be anything other than the Atma (Divine Consciousness) since That is the only permanent Reality. If we would but turn our mind inwards and use our inner eye of Wisdom, then our delusions regarding the Absolute Reality would become obvious and we would understand that the whole creation is but the Play of Divine Consciousness. Everything ultimately is the infinite and eternal Absolute Consciousness. This world and its multitude of objects and living beings are reflections within Consciousness of it-Self as the objective expression of the Subjective Reality that It really is. It is Consciousness that is the Subject and also the object; it is Consciousness that is the living being and it is Consciousness that is the Mirror. Whatever one sees, knows, thinks, or feels is only another aspect of Absolute Consciousness. So, why does one not recognize this obvious truth? Perhaps the answer is that the Divine, Absolute Consciousness wills it so in order that life can proceed with all the human interrelationships and interactions. If everyone knew or could accept this concept of Absolute Reality then maybe life would not function in the way we experience it in the world of duality. Cosmic Unity or Love has been defined by the ancient Wisdom as Atma, Universal Consciousness, Absolute Consciousness, I Am, God, Love, Brahman, Jehovah, Allah, Buddha and a host of other names. This is the changeless and infin ite

substratum on which the entire universe is reflected. This is the void of infinite Potential or Pure and infinite Awareness. Manifestation is forever changing and is in constant movement from creation to dissolution. All this happens because of the one eternal and infinite Source Consciousness (or God). This is the eternal, unmovable, ever constant and unifying Screen on which everything appears as Creation in infinite and eternal Cycles We are that Absolute and Pure Consciousness on which this Universe has apparently been superimposed. This Universe is an appearance and only as real as a dream; a shadow or mirror image. When Consciousness identifies Iself with the separate ego or the body-mind complex we apparently take ourselves to be just that; we lose our Universality and think we are the individualized body-mind entity that can reason and think but cannot know our own Wholeness. The ancient Wisdom calls this maya (illusion), due to the fact that our truth is obscured. The Awakened one knows that life is a living dream and at once realizes that he is the Universal Consciousness. He is everything and not only the little separate ego. The deepest understanding of this truth can bring about Awakening. Remembering ones Reality needs no effort. What effort is needed if you are already That? It is only the deepest conviction that goes beyond the dualistic mind that finally breaks the chains of the bondage of a mistaken identity. Of course when Awakening happens there is no separate entity to take note of this happening. The Understanding happens within Universal Consciousness itself, whereby identified Consciousness regains its Universal identity. Just as the eye sees everything but cannot see itself so the Atma which is what we are is a Mirror reflecting manifestation within it-Self without any effort. Atma cannot be seen with the physical eye nor experienced by any of the outer senses, but, it can be intuited with certainty by the inner eye when the Whole-Mind functions as in the Awakened One. This happens when the mind has turned inward and the objective world of duality is transcended. Every object, event or thought we experience is reflecting the presence of the Atmic truth because without It nothing could exist. So it is also a reflection of our own Reality because Consciousness is the only absolute truth that Exists. As the Universal and Absolute Consciousness, We are the only subjective Reality. Absolute Consciousness is a Mirror reflecting all of manifestation including all sentient beings as images within ItSelf. It is without attributes or qualities whatsoever and therefore It is eternal and infinite. It is Pure and unattached It is on Its own without another. AWAKENING

Quotations of Bhagavan Sri Sathya Sai Baba 1. Man is steeped in illusionand he cannot free himself from this illusion. He forgets his origin. And he does not understand the universal absolute. However, if this situation did not exist, there is no reason why the over self should come as an Avatar (Divine incarnation) at all. What exists as a reality is only one but what we see is manifold. What is real is the Supreme-Light in the splendour of the Self. 2. The first thing, which we have to do, is to recognize the Self that is only a witness and is not subject to the pain and pleasure which the body experiences. For experiencing the Self as the Reality, control of the senses, removal of physical attachments, and truthfulness are essential. Only by throwing off the attachments to the body and purifying the mind and the intellect can you merge with your Truth. Thus earning eternal Bliss, the highest Peace and purest Wisdom. Like this man earns liberation from the bondage of birth and death. 3. Search for the consciousnessthe state of consciousness which is unaffected by gusts of passion, which is pure, which is free form egoism or the desire to possess. Then alone can you experience the Light and illumine the path for others. 4. Moksha (liberation) is not a specific place. Nor is it something that can be got from any preceptor or other persons. To realize ones own true Self is liberation. Obsessed with the external world, preoccupied with the acquisition of external objects, mans life is becoming more and more burdensome everyday. Only by getting rid of these burdens can one hope to ascend spiritual heights. Quotations of Sri Ashtavakara 5. Because of the realization of the eternal, ever-free and ever-blissful Atman, a man of Self-realization transcends all consciousness of bondage and freedom. It is only the ignorant man who wants to shake off bondage and attain emancipation. 6. To a man of Self-knowledge liberation in life is a contradiction and is as much a creation of ignorance as bondage. He denies life itself and he denies liberation altogether. Liberation pre-supposes bondage, but the Self is ever existent, ever unborn and ever free; it has never been born; it has never been in bondage. The idea even of liberation is consequently a serious limitation to the seeker of wisdom, for it screens him from the true nature of the Self. The same truth applies to liberation at death, in which state the Self is permanently dissociated from the body. But the idea of such emancipation also presupposes the truth of body and of bondage and therefore goes directly against the true nature of the Self.

7. The desire to become Brahman grows out of a sense of separateness from It. It is a denial of our true nature. We are always Brahman. Therefore, as long as this desire remains, the consummation is not possible. One has to eradicate even the desire for freedom in order to attain Freedom. Freedom has not to be attained. It is ever attained. We are bound simply because we think ourselves bound. Quotations of Bhagavan Sri Ramana Maharishi 8. Forgetfulness of your real nature is the real death; remembrance of It is the true birth. It puts an end to successive births. Yours is then eternal Life. How does the desire for eternal Life arise? It is because the present state is unbearable. Why? Because it is not your true Nature. Had it been your real Nature there would be no desire to agitate you. How does the present state differ from your real Nature? You are Spirit, in truth Commentary on Awakening by Ronald Berdy It may seem paradoxical for the seeker on the path of Wisdom that in attaining Liberation there finally would be no separate seeker identity to experience it as such. The individualized me, as a separate being, vanishes altogether when the occurrence of Self-realization happens. What in fact takes place within the illusory individual is the deepest understanding of the truth of ones Reality. That is, that there never was an individual, a separate ego, or a body-mind complex functioning as an independent entity; that the body, which one was associated with, was only an instrument in which (Divine) Consciousness in manifestation functioned. Therefore, the inescapable conclusion would be that we are not that which we thought we were but are That which we never imagined the Divine Absolute. The mind is a powerful instrument for functioning in the world but it cannot know its own Wholeness. The consciousness of the part can only know itself as the part, but can never know itself as the Consciousness of Totality. When Total Consciousness functions as the dualistic mind it can reason and make judgments; it can dip into the past by the use of memory; it can also project into the present and future with all kinds of thoughts which may include worries, jealousies, angers hates and other negative tendencies that may cause disharmony and upheaval in ones life. The mind makes use of the senses and often over stimulates them to the point that they often exceed normal desires. This also can cause jealousies, anger, hate, fear and selfishness. Of course when the understanding of our true Nature takes place the mind can become a powerful instrument for the possibility of spiritual advancement or even Awakening. Awakening, of course, means that the dualistic mind regains its Wholeness by transcending duality and becomes the Universal Mind.

It has been said by many of the ancient Masters that it is mind alone that is responsible for bondage or Liberation. So, when the mind is turned inward towards the inner senses, according to the Masters, a higher level of awareness can be discovered and Awakening may take place. When the mind turns inward it is more than likely to be at peace and tranquil because it does not invest its energy in the outer world of duality. Then there can be a wonderful feeling of spontaneity in life. The agitations of an individualistic mind identified with a separate ego may create many of the problems in life but the mind of an Awakened one is often alert and ready to partake of life without judgments or condemnations. Such a One accepts life as it comesthe good and the evil, joys and sorrows knowing all along that all is the play of Consciousness. Liberation is the complete annihilation of the separated ego or the involved thinking mind. What remains, when Liberation or Awakening happens, is the Knowledge, with the deepest conviction, that one is the Universal Absolute itself. At this point, individualized consciousness, which had for so long thought itself to be separate as an independent ego and had identified with the body-mind complex, now finally realizes its Universality. The thinking mind becomes spontaneous and does not lose energy in useless negative involvement in past memories or unnecessary projections into an unknown future. CREATION Quotations of Sri Sathya Sai Baba 1. The Vedas (ancient spiritual scriptures), the most ancient scriptures of mankind, proclaim the truth of creation as the projection of the divine through its own will, when It was disturbed by the desire to separate itself from itself. Ekoham BahusgamI am One; I shall become many: Being willed to become, say the Vedas. 2. The cosmos is a projection of the eternal infinite reality (Brahman), and is not separate from the Brahman. The universe is permeated by the divine. When this truth is recognized it will be obvious that all that one perceives or experiences is a manifestation of the divine. 3. The formula that nothing can be created out of nothing is appropriate to the limited field and dimensions of science. It does not at all apply to the transcendental field and dimensions of spirituality. In the latter field, anything can be created by the supreme will. All that exists can be made to disappear and what does not exist can be made to appear.

4. The mystery of creation is sought to be discovered by man but it is something unique and undecipherable. Mans talents can never fathom it. The how and why of Gods sport is known only to God. Mans task is to enjoy it and benefit by it. Quotations of Astavaraka 5. Just as waves when they arise do not add to the ocean, or subtract from it when they subside, so the creation of the universe does not add anything to the Self, nor does it take anything away from it, when it is dissolved. It is endlessly going through creation and dissolution, but that does not affect the Self. The Self is beyond time and position. Creation and dissolution are in time. They are only superimpositions. The Self is infinite. In reality nothing else exists. Commentary by Ronald Berdy What or who is responsible for the arising of Creation; for all the diversity; all the changes that we see around us; the movement of planets in the solar system; the birth of new stars suns and planets and the accumulation of condensed matter that forms the objective universe? How have the vast galaxies come into being and finally how did life itself spring up on our planet? Is it not the Universal Energy of Consciousness or the Abstract Intelligence that pervades the whole universe that is responsible for this? Where does it all originate from and where does it all return to when the universe dissolves at the end of a cycle? This infinite Energy emerges from the Source of all things, the void of infinite Potential and returns to It when dissolution occurs. This cycle of activity and non-activity, of manifestation and non-manifestation is the very nature of Pure Consciousness. The ancient Masters knew about these Energies and some were able to attain supernatural Powers due to this Knowledge. Their methods of investigation were different from those used today; nevertheless, they understood that Pure Consciousness was the basic Energy of Creation that brought the universe into being. One great scientist of ancient times was Hiranyakasipu who could manipulate this Energy and use it to travel to distant parts of the universe. He was able to create matter out of Energy and to return matter to Energy and understood how to manipulate the five basic elements. The secrets of Nature was investigated by many of those ancient Masters and used for the well being of all. From within Its own Self and as a reflection within It-Self, Consciousness brought into being all the pairs of opposites. So Consciousness and Nature were symbolized in the Hindu religion by the God Shiva holding his consort Goddess Parvathi in a tight embrace. In most eastern spiritual philosophies God and Nature are not seen as

separate but as two aspects of the same Reality, which is what the creation in its totality is, both in its gross and subtle forms. Body-mind complexes are infused with Consciousness and Intelligence as well as with the Divine Life Force. In addition, the human being has been gifted with the thinking, higher intuitional and Illuminated Mind. Modern science has shown that everything contains Vital Energy or the Life Force. Both animate and inanimate objects, regarding their atomic structure, vibrate at unimaginably high speeds which can be detected at ultramicroscopic levels. These vibrations create an infinite energy field connecting all atomic and sub-atomic particles. So, not only is there unity and interconnection at the macroscopic level but also at the atomic and sub-atomic levels. The Life Force, sentience, and in the case of humans, the thinking mind and intellect are all aspects of Divine Consciousness. The link between Divine Consciousness and manifestation is established in a dynamic way. Consciousness is the base that sustains everything. The Life Force is not separate from Divine Consciousness. It is an aspect of It and unifies spirit and matter into an inseparable Wholeness. DESTINY Quotations of Bhagavan Sri Sathya Sai Baba 1. Things, which have to happen, will always happen. Even if you hide yourself in the forest you cannot save yourself from disease, death and old age. You are bound to go when the time comes leaving behind everything. It is the grace of God, which alone is permanent. 2. No one is competent to determine where a certain thing should take place. Life may end in a town, in water, or in a forest. Each ones life will end in the place, the manner and the time prescribed for him. This is inescapable. This is according to the operation of Natures law based on the pairs of opposites in life. Whatever has to happen, how, at what time and in what manner has been predetermined and the mere fact that I am near by will not serve to alter them. The appropriate time has to come. Only when the cause, the time and the necessary action are in fruitful combination will the event happen. 3. It is the destiny of man to journey from humanness to Divinity as he has already journeyed from animal-ness. In this pilgrimage he is bound to encounter various obstacles and trials. In order to smooth his path and help him overcome these troubles, sages, seers, realized souls, divine personalities and incarnations of God appear among men and illumine the path. They move among the afflicted, the seekers who have lost their way or strayed into the desert and they lead them into confidence and courage. Certain personalities are born and live out their days for this very purpose. They assume birth for a cause. Such Guides, Exemplars and Leaders appear among all

people and in all lands. They inspire faith in higher ideals and teach, as if their voice is the voice of God, counseling from the Heart. They teach that multiplicity is a delusion, that unity is the Reality. 4. We sow the seeds of thought and reap the fruit of action. We sow the seeds of action and reap the fruit of nature; we sow the seeds of nature and reap the fruit of character; we sow the seeds of character and reap the fruit of destiny. It is evident from this that our destiny rests on our thoughts. For m ans rise and for mans fall, the thoughts are the cause. Thoughts can lead us into dungeons of darkness and also into illuminated halls. The thoughts are the very vital breath of man. Commentary by Ronald Berdy Destiny is Gods Will. Though we seem to have an individual free will and choice of action this in fact is not true. Nothing happens because of our individual free will or choice of action. From the moment of conception to the time we drop the body, all events, thoughts and actions are due to the Divine Will of Absolute Consciousness. Our apparent free will appears to be so because our choices and decisions often run parallel to the Divine Will and we therefore mistakenly take this to be our own free will. When an event or result turns out to be in concurrence with ones wishes it would be almost inevitable that one claims it as his or her action and takes credit for it as the doer. But, what about an event or result that turns out contrary to ones wishes? Whose will produced that result? A negative event cannot but come from the same Source from which a positive event comes, that is, from within the one Universal Consciousness. Logically we would have to assume that both events originated from the same Source. That Source then can only be from the Divine itself. If we acknowledge that Universal Consciousness is our true Nature, then, we the illusory body-mind individuals cannot be the doers, or for that matter, have free will of any kind. Therefore, the only conclusion that could be valid is that all is Divine Will since Consciousness and God are one and the same. Eastern Wisdom states that all is Consciousness and that the whole of manifestation is but a reflection in Consciousness. Modern scientists now accept that the universe is one whole indivisible inter-linked unity with everything depending on everything else for its being. So, Eastern Wisdom and modern science both point to the same conclusion that one overall Destiny or Will functions within the universe. The ancient Wisdom has always taught that this Universal Will is not an outside force but that the Divine Will functions as a self-referring Universe that is the body of God Itself. In other words God is not separate from the Manifestation but He is the Manifestation itself as Absolute Consciousness within it, and therefore Creation and all within it is only by His Will.

The mind strings out every moment as separate and successive to the last one, thus, giving the impression that time flows. But nothing could be further from the truth. Time does not flow. Rather, time is always now as the present moment. It is we, identified in our minds as the independent body-mind entities, that have the mistaken idea that time is moving. However, our immortal, infinite Self is outside time - therefore, time for the Self does not exist. If the concepts of time and space are accepted as illusory and that only the present moment exists, then it must follow that past, present and future are all concentrated in the present moment and therefore what we call destiny must already exist in the present moment. DIVINITY Quotations of Bhagavan Sri Sathya Sai Baba 1. The Divine is the core, the essence of your being. God is everywhere; when He is recognized as the indweller of your body, it becomes a temple and it is no more a burden. God is shining, announcing himself through you. He is expressing himself through every thought, word and deed that emanates from you. In the temple that is built and put together, we have an image that is sculpted and molded by man. But in this temple that is gifted by God, God shines in his own light and manifests in his own glory as love, power, and wisdom. He shines and manifests thus, not only in a single body but in all bodies. He is the indweller in each. 2. It is part of human nature that man desires to reach the presence of the Almighty, to see Him, and be ever with Him, for deep within the human heart is the urge to reach the place from which he has come, to attain the joy he has lost, the glory which he has missed. Man is himself Divine and so it is a matter of the deep calling unto the deep, of the part calling for the whole. 3. All the three worlds are contained in man. In this vast cosmos, among innumerable living beings the human being stands foremost. Although it has been proclaimed that in all living beings the Divine exists as the indwelling spirit, not all beings can recognize this truth. Only the human being has the capacity to recognize it. This unique ability invests human birth with its rare quality, as proclaimed by the Vedas. 4. As long as man sees only with his external vision, he can experience only the external. When man develops the internal vision and experiences the Divinity within, the cosmos will appear as a reflection of the Divine. This is called realization of the cosmic Divine. What is the difference between the cosmic Divine and the inner Divine? There is no difference between the two. But, when experienced by the individual, it is described as the inner Divine. When the individual experience is extended to the entire universe, it is called cosmic Divine. The individual self and the omni-self (Paramatma) are one like the rind of the fruit and the juice inside.

5. When does man experience the pure Divine self? It is in the Turiya state, the fourth state of consciousness (beyond the waking, dream and deep-sleep states). This is the state of the over mind. In that state man is one with the Divine. He has no attributes. Therefore, he is all pervading. Nature is bound by the five qualities of sound, touch, form, taste and smell (these are the qualities of space or ether, air, fire, water and earth, the five basic elements). With the loss of each quality, starting from smell, a process of expansion takes place. Finally we have Akasa (ether or space) that has only one quality (sound) and is all-pervading. That being the case, how much more pervasive must be the Lord who has no attributes? 6. God takes on a human form and appears as a human being. But when the human being recognizes his basic nature, he becomes the Divine. As long as one thinks he is a mere human, he remains a human. But when he considers himself as Divine with deep conviction, he will be transformed into the Divine. 7. The entire cosmos consisting of animate and inanimate objects is dependent on God. The Divine is governed by truth. That truth is governed by noble beings. The noblest being is Divine. Every human being is inherently noble. It is this nobility that constitutes his Divinity. The Divine manifests himself in human form. There is no need to search for the Divine as a distinct entity somewhere else. Man must strive to realize the Divinity within him. DOERSHIP Quotations of Sri Sathya Sai Baba 1. God is the only doer of all acts and Hes the only enjoyer of all fruits. All acts are done by Him; and all fruits go to Him. He is present everywhere and in every thing as Atma (divine Consciousness) The Atma is the source of all action. Just as the current is the source of light, you are only instruments in the hands of God. God acts through you. And since He performs the actions only He is entitled to enjoy the fruits of the actions. 2. The puppeteer has the dolls attached to strings. He jerks and pulls the strings and makes the dolls move and dance according to his wishes. The puppets cannot move of their own accord and will. They are entirely in the hands of the puppeteer. If the show is good, the puppeteer earns credit and if the show is bad he earns discredit. So, you see, success or failure both belong to the puppeteer. He is the doer and he is the enjoyer. It is the same in the case of God also. He is the divine Puppeteer. He is the Doer and the Enjoyer. You are merely His dolls and tools. 3. Once you realize that you are not the doer, but only the witness and surrender all acts to the feet of the Lord you have nothing to fear. All acts will be carried out by you for the sake of God, and so you will automatically do only what is good and what is right.

Do your best and leave the rest. He will take care of everything. That is the correct attitude. 4. The play is His, the role is His gift; the lines are written by Him, He directs. He decides the dress and decoration, the gesture and the tone, the entrance and exit. You have to act the part well and receive His approbation when the curtain falls. Earn the right to play higher and higher roles by your efficiency and enthusiasm that is the meaning and purpose of life. 5. Move about in the world like an actor, but be conscious all the time that you are on the way Home, to be with the Lord from Whom you have come. Whenever the feeling that the drama is real enters the mind, deny it firmly. Do not identify yourself with the role you play. Such identification will retard your progress. Commentary by Ronald Berdy We live in a world of duality that is functional and relatively real, so we have to live as if we are the doers in order that actions and interactions can take place. But the truth is that we are not the doers and if we are not the doers then who is it that is performing the actions, who really is the doer? All actions and events occur according to Divine Will. As individual entities we are only instruments for the functioning of Divine Consciousness; we are not the actual doers of any action and in reality we have no free will or choice of action. We were born with the inherited genes of our parents that give us certain unique predisposition and we are also continually being conditioned throughout life by environmental, cultural and moral constraints. So in fact the only doer is Absolute Consciousness since that is the only reality that Exists and does not depend on anything for its Existence. Society with its social, moral and legal laws places further conditions on our behaviour. So, mostly we act and think according to these constraints. But we are under the false impression that it is we who initiate events to suit our desires and needs. We believe that we choose the outcome of any action taken. But this assumption is wrong because of the erroneous way that we perceive lifes purpose and its functioning. No apparent independent action and its results whatsoever can be attributed to an independent being since no such being exists. Nevertheless taking on the doership mistakenly gives the body-mind entity the sense of being independent with free will and choice of action. The law of cause and effect or karma is one of the working principles governing the universe. It means that we should recognize those events and actions and their outcomes, whether past or present, negative or positive, as being responsible for present or future events. So these events must take place, and their outcome manifest as per karmic law. All effects would already be known to Consciousness and would be based on the karmic principle of cause and effect. For example, wars take place;

millions of people participate and create universal karmic effects that have to result as specific outcomes of those wars. This applies to all events, good or bad, happy or sad, life or death. The Awakened one knows that all that happens in life is as it should be and therefore accepts the interrelated opposites and their outcomes as part of life. The Awakened one takes life as it comes, and regards it as the Divine Play it is meant to be. As individuals we are only characters or images in the Dream that Consciousness Dreams and so our freedom is completely illusory, just like dream characters that have no volition of their own. All that happens in a dream is spontaneous. No dream character can affirm its independence or have free will. All dream characters can do is to play spontaneously roles dictated by Consciousness, which will disappear when Awakening happens. No dream character has any substance or independence but is only an image created in the mind of the dreamer. So it is with our living dream, and remains so until Awakening happens. Awakening, Self-realization and Liberation all indicate that it is possible to transcend and go beyond the illusory dream world characters, or images in our own imaginations. It is mind that projects and gives an apparent reality to our false selves and to those of others. In fact, what we are is beyond time and space and is that which can never be known in duality. It is ultimately only the deepest conviction that goes beyond the realms of duality that brings in the state of Understanding and Awakening. DUALITY Quotations of Bhagavan Sri Sathya Sai Baba 1. We have to start this eternal journey from the point of dualism. You have to proceed from dualism to non-dualism. We should have this fundamental faith that everyone is the form of God. There are many critics of the spiritual path. It is easy to criticize, to know is difficult. 2. The joys and sorrows man experiences in daily life, his attachments and aversions, his pursuit of sensory pleasures, are all due to the vagaries of the mind. As long as man is subject to the feeling of duality, he can not be free from attachments and hatred. There can be no escape from dualism as along as man does not recognize his inherent Divinity. 3. The reason for karma is desire or attachment you have for some things and dislike or repulsion you have for other things. Then what is the reason for this attraction and repulsion? The reason is duality. You believe that this world is real and is filled with objects and things which are separate from yourself. Where did this duality come from? The reason for this duality is ignorance, the dark well which covers the knowledge of your true reality. You have forgotten the fundamental unity of all beings; you have

become unaware of the Divine basis of all things. You have lost sight of the Atma, (divine Consciousness) your real self. It is on account of this ignorance that you experience so much grief and sorrow. If you want to be free of this darkness of ignorance, you must obtain the Light of wisdom. 4. All that you find in this world, mobile and immobile, are nothing but the cosmic dance of Shiva. This is wonderful, blissful and beyond human comprehension. The dualities of night and day, pleasure and pain, birth and death are natural, so also is the existence of dharma and adharma (righteousness and unrighteousness). When dharma is on the rise, adharma is on the decline and vice versa. Men and women are responsible for the rise or decline of dharma and adharma. Man, unable to realize the Divinity within, is under the delusion that Divinity is different from him. Quotations of Bhagavan Sri Ramana Maharishi 5. There has been evil and sorrow since the beginning of creation. You ask why the Rishis (sages) do not put matters right. The Vedas (ancient Holy Scriptures) tell of the Asuras (demons) who existed since earliest times. There is a force of opposition in the world which produces strife and suffering but it works to make man grow and evolve. It is a force in nature which co-exists along with the good. Commentary by Ronald Berdy The body is only a mechanism, an object like any other object, albeit with intelligence, so that absolute Consciousness can use it as an instrument for functioning in manifestation. This occurs because in duality the body-mind mechanism is the only means by which Consciousness can express it-Self objectively. It is the mechanism whereby individualized mind functions so as to make the experience of human interactions and interrelationships possible. Consciousness identifying with the body mind mechanism by the age of three or four becomes so complete that it seems a separate independent being functions in duality as an independent viable entity with apparent free will and choice of action. Universal Consciousness becomes so identified with the body that it now regards the body as its true self and completely forgets its reality as Absolute Consciousness. Consciousness, sentience, intellect and mind can be regarded as the subjective aspects of objective functioning. But in truth subject and object are not really separate from each other but are the interrelated opposites that allow the objective functioning of the Manifestation to take place. In fact the primary pair of interrelated opposites is the subject object relationship that is the mechanism by which the objective Universe becomes visible. It also is a means by which sentient objects, intentionally but erroneously, while still identified as a separate entity, take on themselves subjectivity while all else in Creation are their objects, so allowing limitless interactions and

interrelationships to take place. They forget completely that they too, while identified as body mind entities, are really only objects like all others. Awakening means awakening to the reality that there is only one Universal Consciousness, the only true Subject and that is what we all are in our true reality as That. The body you think you are is an object like all other bodies. The individual me or the separate self is illusory and not at all the supposed subject it thinks it is. The me is only a creation of the thinking mind and is only a bundle of thought forms, thus it is Consciousness itself that is the Pure Witnessing Subject without a hint of objectivity. When mind regains its Wholeness as Pure Subjectivity it transcends its own limitations and regains its Universality without a trace of separateness. For functioning to take place in Manifestation, the separate subject-object concept is necessary. Thus interrelationships and interactions between individuals and the rest of the objective world can proceed according to destiny or cause and effect. FREE WILL Quotations of Bhagavan Sri Sathya Sai Baba 1. You should have the firm conviction that nothing happens due to human effort. For instance, what effort are you making for the ceaseless beating of your heart or for the incessant breathing of your lungs? Does the digestion of the food eaten by you take place because of your will? Are you able to live because you want to live or die? Does your birth take place according to when and where your desire? 2. People believe that every man has a free will. It is an entirely wrong belief. They imagine that it is because of mans will, determination, sadha na and effort that he is able to achieve success. This is all due to the aberrations of their ahamkara (ego) and the reflection of their false sense of doer-ship. 3. It should be recognized, that mans life is regulated by the laws of nature on the one hand and by man-made rules and regulations on the other. Such being the case there is no validity in everyone thinking for himself that he has freedom to act as he likes. It is only God that may be said to have freedom. Even this is a relative truth because, in absolute terms, existence is only one and hence the word freedom is out of place in this context. 4. Hence, when a man acts under the influence of the gunas (action-equilibrium inaction) how can he claim to have freedom of will? It is therefore impossible for anybody who is part of creation to have freedom.

5. All things happen according to the divine Will. By your own effort you cannot achieve anything. It is only due to ahamkara (ego) that you wrongly appropriate to yourself both doer-ship and enjoyer-ship. 6. Existence is One, when there is no second how can the question of freedom or bondage arise? So the concepts of freedom and bondage are the concoctions of your own mind. Quotations of Ramana No motive can be attributed to That power, no desire, no goal to achieve can be asserted to That all-wise, all-powerful Being. God, like the sun, is untouched by the activities which take place in His presence. If the mind is unsatisfied or restless on account of events, it is a good solution to accept G ods will as the solution; it is wise to drop the sense of responsibility and free will by regarding ourselves as the instruments of God to do and suffer as He pleases. Commentary by Ronald Berdy It is incorrect to assume that man has free will. A child is born to parents and had no choice in the matter at all. He had no choice where and in which environment he grew up, whether it be in a rich or poor a family, or which particular society or country. These are factors that play an important role in the conditioning he receives during his childhood years. The genes from his parents determine his mental and physical dispositions, and this also is not his choice. In fact, the very functioning of his body is on a subconscious level. Nothing that one does or says or thinks can be attributed to a separate individual since it is the life Force (Absolute Consciousness) that alone activates the body and is responsible for its functioning. It is almost impossible to accept that these concepts have such a determining influence on our life, but there is really no basis for believing that one has free will and choice of actions whatsoever. So who or what is it that creates the illusion that one is the doer, that one has free will? It is the individualized mind or ego alone that creates the belief that one is an independent being with free will and choice of actionthat, one is the doer. The mind or ego identifies with the body. Because of this it assumes the sense of a separate me, and acts according to that assumption. A s long as one lives with the assumption that one is an independent being it is inevitable that he will think he has free will and choice of action as well. Of course, in a practical sense, the sense of doer-ship fulfills the purpose of living in a dualistic world comfortably where interactions and interrelationships are the way of life.

It is very difficult to come to the realization or accept the fact that we really have as much free will as the illusory characters in a dream. It really is Consciousness that functions through the body-mind complex. It is Universal Consciousness that uses the body-mind complex as Its instrument so that functioning in the objective world can proceed according to Divine Will. It therefore follows that if we the apparently independent beings as body-mind complexesare not the doers then we cannot have free will. All events, actions and outcomes, positive as well as negative, can only be attributed to Divine Will or Absolute Consciousness. Therefore regarding all living beings, all happens according to their destiny. In a dream one sees characters and objects of all types, including ones own self, but, no dream characters seen in the dream have any objective substance, reality or free will and choice of action of their own. All happens spontaneously without cause or reason. So, like the sleeping dream, we as individuals in this waking dream also live our lives as if it were in a dream. The content and outcome can only be the result of Divine Will or Consciousness because it is in fact Consciousness it-Self that is the dreamer. When Awakening happens we realize our true Reality and know ourselves to be something other than the insubstantial dream characters of this living dream. Indeed, when Awakening happens we discover that we ourselves are the Universal Consciousness itself as the Dreamer as well as the dream characters in both the sleeping dream and waking dream states. How then does one live ones life if this is so? One then lives as if the world were a stage; playing ones role to the best of ones ability; knowing that in truth it is only a leela (play of the Divine). Therefore, joining the game and fulfilling ones role may be the best course of action. Awakening and Self-realization is the recognition that our true State is not the illusory characters we take on in the phenomenal world, but is Universal Consciousness itself. ILLUSION Quotations of Bhagavan Sri Sathya Sai Baba 1. There is nothing in the universe other than You, or higher than You. To think otherwise or to try to prove otherwise is nothing but your mental delusion, resembling a dream. In your dream you may see sights and experiences various things, but how long are they real? They are real just as long as your dream lasts. When the dream ends, they are all unreal. Similarly, your hardship, losses, worry and sorrows etc. are real, only as a long as your mind is under delusion. Once the delusion leaves you, they will all be unreal.

2. Everything is illusion in the waking state. When you sleep you are immersed in a dream. You believe only in the dream and you believe it as true. How long will this dream last? This will last till you wake up and ignore this dream. But which is true, the dream or the waking state? This is a daydream and that a night dream. So, both are dreams. 3. A volcano throws up its lava on the screen of the movie picture house; a dam bursts and floodwaters it has impounded roar along towards the sea. But the screen does not get wet in the least. The screen is the Truth; the film is an illusion, however realistic it was and so directs your life that this knowledge is the background of all your actions. Thus, you will have great peace and great joy. 4. Man is stooped in illusion and he cannot free himself from this illusion. He forgets his origin and does not understand the universal Absolute. However, if this situation did not exist then there is no reason why the Overself should come as an Avatar at all. What exists is a reality as only One, but what we see is manifold. What is real is the supreme Light. This supreme Light is the splendour of the Self. Quotations of Sri Ashtavakara Just as the space inside the jar is the same as the infinite space outside it so the universe exists in and through the one, infinite Self. The universe has no separate existence of its own. It is a mere illusion. Its existence is only in name and form. To a man of Realization the universe appears unsubstantial and illusory. He cannot therefore be said to be seeing the universe as we understand it, as something real and substantial. Commentary on illusion by Ronald Berdy The Oxford Dictionarys description of the word illusion is, a false belief; a thing wrongly supposed to exist. Can we apply this meaning to the Universe and to the billions of living beings in manifestation? The answer is yes, and not only from the spiritual point of view but also from the scientific point of view. Many modern scientists and spiritual scholars agree that indeed what we observe as the Universe, what we experience as dualistic life in the objective Universe and who we think we are, can only be concepts that are only partial truths and not absolute truths. In other words, we have a totally false belief regarding something we believe exists absolutely. The modern scientist tells us that at the very fundamental level matter is condensed energy that sinks into a void and then re-emerges again to form waves and particles once more. In certain circumstances this energy becomes condensed energy

(matter). Thus, what we observe as Manifestation is really energy coalescing in certain areas of space to form matter. The ancient Masters have always asserted that the Universe was only a relative reality because it was not permanent and was forever changing; a chain of energy patterns which at some point return to the void of infinite Potential. They asserted that only what was infinite, eternal and unchanging could be Absolute Reality and that was Absolute Consciousness or the Atma. As body-mind entities we are made up of the very same matter that exists throughout the Universe; comprised of the five basic elements of space, air, fire, water and earth. So as objective beings we too are really only energy patternsa combination of atoms that make up these five elements and are also the constituents that make up our physical bodies. As individual body-mind entities we are energy patterns arranged in certain unique ways, so as to allow us to function individually in the objective world. Therefore we give the impression that we are individual beings with free will, choice of action and volition. In fact, what we truly are is not the physical body and brain made up of matter, but the Indweller or Absolute Consciousness itself. Universal Consciousness is the only true Subject. Everything else is Its objects. In deep sleep or when one is unconscious; when the mind does not function on a conscious level, where is the illusory individual, or the objective Universe? How can anything exist when Consciousness is not present? If this is true for the individual it must also apply to all sentient beings everywhere. If all beings were unconscious at the same time, how then could anything be known to exist? The Universe has the same degree of reality as a shadow or a dream and exists only because it can be cognized somewhere, sometime by someone with one of the five senses. But it is unreal because it has no substance or existence without Consciousness being present. The Universe appears in Consciousness only as a reflection. Likewise the image one sees of oneself in a mirror is only a reflection in the mirror. The image has no substance and exists only as a reflection. It depends for its appearance on that which causes the reflection, the mirror. Thus Consciousness is the only Reality because It is the mirror on which absolutely everything else is reflected into objectivity. Therefore all conceivable things objects and even thoughts obtain a relative reality by being reflections in Consciousness. LOVE Quotations of Bhagavan Sri Sathya Sai Baba 1. There is one principle that is without attribute, formless, eternal and beyond thought, word and deed. That is the principle of Love. The Upanishads call this Love the Atma. How can man understand this Love, which is attribute-less and formless? This Love is

not an intellectual exercise, nor is it a psychological phenomenon, nor is it a reflection in the dreaming state. It is the Life principle of all living creatures. 2. Love should be considered as the very breath of Life. The Love that is manifest in all things equally: see that as the same Love that is supreme Consciousness. Sureme Consciousness is in everyone in the form of Love. 3. All mankind and everything in the universe are bound together by the same bond and that is Love. The entire creation is a kinship of Love. What is God? What is Energy? What is Consciousness? They are nothing but Love. God is Love. It is the power of Love alone that binds all humanity alike. It is this intangible Force that forges the unity of all creation. If you are able to feel this Love, then you have realized the highest truth. 4. Every man should seek to acquire this divine Love. The body, however, is an impediment in the way. The entire world is caught up in the vast net of attachment. This attachment is an amazing delusory phenomenon. There is no connection between the body composed of the five basic elements and the transcendental Self (Atma). But the delusory power of maya in the form of attachments brings about a link between the two. If this were not the case, what is the relationship between one person and another? Who is wife and who is husband? Who is a mother and who is a son? All these relationships have been brought about by attachment born of desire and not by love. There is no attachment between mother and son before the child is born. But after birth, maternal affection arises. The affection is based on bodily relationship and is by its nature temporary. 5. Truth issues from Love (Prema). In this world there is nothing greater than Love. The more you love, the more blissful you become. Divinity is the embodiment of Love. Love shines as the eternal Truth in everyones heart. However, it will be dormant in the heart of the selfish. Love shines only in the heart of the person who is selfless. Love cannot co-exist with ego and pomp. Love is the royal path that can take you to the highest state of the Divine. 6. This Love has to be experienced and shared with all. When love is directed towards the ephemeral world it is anuraaga or attachment. When it is directed towards God it is true Love. Worldly experiences confer only temporary happiness. Love towards the supreme Self who is eternal and changeless will confer eternal Bliss. Every individual should know the difference between Prema (Love) and anuraaga (attachment). Many people profess that they love God. But, in reality, not even one in a million loves God in the true sense of the term. They may love God for securing some selfish material benefits. 7. The motive behind the formation and propagation of all the different faiths was the same. The founders were all persons filled with love and wisdom. Their goal was the

same. None had the design to divide, disturb or destroy. They sought to train the passions and the emotions, to educate the impulses and direct the faculty of reason to paths beneficial to the individual and society. OVERMIND Quotations of Bhagavan Sri Sathya Sai Baba 1. When does man experience the pure, divine Self? It is in the fourth state the fourth State of consciousness that is beyond the waking, dream and deep-sleep states. This is the state of the over-mind. In that state man is one with the Divine. He has no attributes. Therefore, He is all pervading. 2. There is a fourth state; it may be described as the super-conscious state. In the super-conscious state you are able to see everything, everywhere and enjoy bliss Supreme. What is the Light that illuminates this Bliss state and permits you to experience this unmitigated Joy? That Light is the effulgence that emanates from the Atma. It is this Light that illuminates all the other states as well, and enables you to see them. In the Vedas, the sages have spoken of this super-conscious state. They declared, We are able to see a state which transcends the others, including the darkness of the dreamless state, beyond the waking, the dream, and the deep-sleep states. 3. In the phenomenal world also, you have to discern the common element that underlies all experience and unifies the physical, the mental and the causal worlds. You can associate these three universes with the states of consciousness. You can think of the waking state as the physical, the dream state as the mental, and the deep-sleep state as the causal. Beyond these three states, interpenetrating them and common to all of them is a fourth state. That is the super-conscious state, the transcendental state. The unconscious state of deep sleep is associated with the causal. It has a very profound feeling of peace. But by itself the deep-sleep state will not provide you with a permanent experience of real Bliss. The Bliss is there, but you are not conscious of it. It is only after you come to the waking state from deep sleep that you remember the serene feeling of total rest you were enjoying. However, in the super-conscious state, you will be able to enjoy eternal Peace and Bliss, and be fully conscious of It always. 4. In every man, there is mind, super mind, higher mind, illuminated mind, and Overmind. All these are in man. 5. It is the subtle body that experiences the trials and tribulations, joys and sorrows of the world. Hence, the subtle body is also known as yathana deha, the suffering body. The causal body (karana deha) is made of the two principles of chitta (reflective mind) and pragna (constant integrated awareness) as this body is suffused with pragna it is

called pragnudu. The super-causal body (Mahakarana shareera) that is also known as the Overmind is Self-Resplendent, Self-Luminous and Self-Radiant. This super-causal body is also known as Uniki (existence). Uniki is nothing but the knowledge of ones Self. REINCARNATION Quotations of Bhagavan Sri Sathya Sai Baba 1. Until the individualized soul gets liberated from the individualization and merges in the Universal, thus attaining Moksha or Liberation, it has to encase itself in one body after another, and go through the process called living. This is the samsara idea (wheel of birth and death) that the ancient texts or Sastras of India reveal and propagate. Samsara means the movement into one form after another. All the different schools and sects among the Bharatians (Indians) accept this fact that the Atma (apparently individualized) is eternal and incapable of being affected by the change. 2. The attitude of elation and dejection, happiness and unhappiness towards the fruit of action exists because you think you are the doer of actions and the enjoyer of fruits. As long as this idea exists, you will be bound by the cycle of birth and rebirth. But once you realize that you are only a silent Witness and an onlooker, you will be freed from the cycle. You think you are the body, the mind, the intellect and so on. That is why you react emotionally to the consequences of action. You think that the body does and the body enjoys. But who are you really? You are not the body. You are something different and separate from the mere body, mind, intellect and ego. You are the Atma, untouched and unaffected by any action or result. You, the essential you, are the Atma. You are only a Witness to what is going on around you, for the Atma does not engage in action. Whatever is taking place does not affect the real you. God is the only doer of all acts and is the only enjoyer of all fruits. All acts are done by God and all fruits go to Him. He is present everywhere and in everything as Atma. The Atma is the source of all actions just as the current is the source of light. You are only instruments in the hands of God. God acts through you. And since He performs the actions only He is entitled to enjoy the fruits of the actions. Commentary on reincarnation by Ronald Berdy Hindu tradition and culture has, from ancient times, incorporated the doctrine of reincarnation of the individual soul. Time and again it is reborn on earth to work out past karma. It is taught in the ancient Wisdom that mental predispositions together with impressionable thought forms survive the death of the body. That all the accumulated thought forms of humanity comprise a vast pool of mental energy in Consciousness. It is from this pool that mental thought forms, desires, needs and predispositions are linked

to karmic consequences. It is these that are infused into a new body-mind complex to form a completely new personality and ego. The link between a past life and a new one is not in the continuation of the same individual personality, ego, or entity into a new body, but are the mental predispositions that are transferred to a new body. Thus many of these tendencies have a chance of being neutralized in the life time of the new entity. Therefore world events also take place according to universal karma. Thus present and future events, based on universal karma, can also be fulfilled. So they are linked to individual body-mind karma without involving the same entity in a series of incarnations. This process is also the means by which individualized consciousness eventually rediscovers its own Truth and awakens to the fact that it is the Universal Consciousness itself. When This happens in a particular body-mind complex it is known as Awakening or Liberation. It is of course not the individual body-mind complex that Awakens, but rather, it is the individualized consciousness that realizes its universality as Pure Consciousness. As individualized Consciousness in each body evolves towards the realization of its own Universality, the Divine Leela (Play) goes on endlessly with new incarnations being created so as to fulfill events according to the Divine Script. Accordingly in this process some body-mind entities will discover their own Truth and will no longer identify with the body-mind instrument. They will then be able to transcend duality and regain their Universality. If a body-mind entity is to proceed with interrelationships and interactions, while it evolves towards its grand destiny of Self-discovery, it would at first need to be identified with that which is to carry out the Divine Plan of Self-discovery, the body-mind entity itself. Of course in reality there is only Divine Will and we only play the roles that Consciousness has assigned to each one of us. But it is only in a human body, that individualized Consciousness enacting a specific role rediscovers its Truth and finally knows itself as Absolute Consciousness. SCIENCE AND SPIRITUALITY Quotations of Bhagavan Sri Sathya Sai Baba 1. This Energy in man is a primordial power. It is termed Om(Sound). This Power permeates the physical world of matter. This is known as Bhu. There is another power which animates this material substance. This is the Power of vibration. It is termed Praana Sakti, the Life force. It is this Life force that activates every part of this human body. This is termed Bhuvah. 2. There is infinite Power within man, power that is beyond comprehension and which is Divine. But he makes no effort to recognize it. If man did not have this Power, how could

he have gone to the moon? What is the Power that makes the Earth revolve around itself? It is not any machine or mantra. The Power is within the earth itself. This Energy, present in man and in other objects, has been characterized as cosmic Energy. What is this cosmic Power? The sun derives its energy and effulgence from This cosmic source. It is the same cosmic source that accounts for the Power of the human mind and the marvelous Power of the eye to see the most distant stars. 3. The Divine is omnipresent. All of you are forms of the Divine. All of you are endowed with electro-magnetic energy, atomic power, heat and other forms of Energy. The magnetic energy is the most important power in man. From this magnetic energy comes electrical energy. The strength of the electrical energy is related to the strength of the magnetic energy. When the electrical energy and the magnetic energy come together, the divine Power operates. This divine Power does not come from outside. It is within human beings. Our very form is Divine. 4. Space contains cosmic Energy. Sound waves and thought waves are the manifestations of cosmic Energy. As Energy cannot be seen, space appears empty. Forces of attraction, e.g. gravity, magnetism, psychological attraction, etc., are also manifestations of cosmic Energy. As energy is invisible, at the outset one doubts its existence. Therefore, sound, thought, emptiness, attraction and doubt are said to be the five characters of space. 5. Scientists experiment today; tomorrow their findings are outmoded. The world goes on overriding itself. That which science knows is microscopic compared to the immensity of that which is to be known. The atom; without this, nothing is made. With atoms all things are produced. Atoms together also make the moon. Atoms are active and alert, never inert. How, therefore, can the moon be called inert? The entire universe is active because of atoms. From where does this Energy come? Electrons, Neutrons, Protonsfrom where does this science arise? Scientists ask how is it that these things go on. But do not ask why. The answer to why leads you to the divine basic Energy that is Sakthi (cosmic universal Energy). From this basic Energy, all is derived. Wherefrom this atom power? It is divine Power. 6. With the progress of science, man imagines that he is the lord of the universe and he tends to forget the Divine. Although man today has gone to the moon and is exploring outer space, if he will consider the innumerable mysteries and wonders in creation yet to be known, he will realize that these are far beyond the limited capacity of mind and intelligence. The more man discovers the secrets and mysteries of the cosmos, the more he will realize that God is the Creator and Motivator of all creation. All religions are agreed upon this truth. All that man can do is to strive through his limited intelligence and knowledge to understand the invisible and infinite Divine and learn to worship and adore God.

7. Vedanta (Hindu ancient scriptures) does not shackle itself as modern science does. It accepts experience in all the three statesthe waking state, the dream state, and the deep-sleep state and recognizes also the existence of a fourth transcendental state. Thus physical reality with which science is solely preoccupied relates only to the lowest of the various possible realities, the ultimate being the Absolute Reality that is also variously called Atman, Brahman, pure Consciousness, etc. A physical reality issues from the absolute One and science, as we understand it is but a mere subject of Vedantic knowledge. 8. To deny what is not perceptible by the senses as non-existent is foolish. Equally, to consider the apparent as the only reality is foolish. For example, you see a tree full of branches, the scientist sees it and says, that is the truth. But the spiritual jnani (man of wisdom) looks at the roots, without which the tree cannot exist. The one who looks at the branches will not see the roots; the one who looks at the roots will not bother about the branches. The question arises: Which are more important, roots or branches? If the roots are there, the tree will remain even if the branches are cut. But if the roots are gone, the tree will not survive. It is the unseen roots, which enable us to see the branches. Likewise, there is an invisible divine Power, which underlies all that is seen in the phenomenal universe. It is because of that Power that we are able to perceive the universe. 9. The Energy with which the most elementary and subtle particles are bound with each other is Divine. The individual separation of these individual particles is absolutely precise and cannot be altered by anyone. Any separation or merger would mean nonexistence of creation. This divine Energy is God. 10. The primary requisite for man is to realize the divine Potency in him that is the source of all the faculties and talents in him. This is true whether one is an atheist, a theist, or an agnostic. No one in the world can get on without this Energy. It may be called by different names. Names are not important. The energy is One. It is this divine Energy, which directs mankind on the right path. Men should strive to recognize the presence of the Divine even in small things. 11. The magnetic power (or the power of attraction) is present in all objects in the world. All the thoughts in a mans mind have this magnetic power. From magnetic energy is derived electrical energy. Electrical energy is the source for the power of light and for atomic power. Atomic energy is present in thoughts and speech. Thus magnetic energy is the basis for all forms of energy. It is the energy that accounts for speech, for singing, and all other activities. The power of this energy was recognized from ancient times. Commentary on modern science by Ronald Berdy

The fact that many scientists recognize that there must be a unified field connecting everything to everything else corresponds closely to that which was revealed by the ancient Masters. That is, the concept of the void of infinite Potential from which everything arises and again subsides into. This is just another example of how scientific thinking of recent times is confirming concepts known to the ancient Masters since time immemorial. This discovery together with others is similar to also the assertions of the ancient Masters; that all is One and One is all. In other words, the Whole is not made of separate distinguishable parts but the parts of the Whole comprise one singularity or event. It becomes separated by the assumption which individualized or thinking mind makes in assuming that each event is separate and enclosed in its own space-time sequence. If it could be recognized that unity is the Truth in the microscopic as well as in the macroscopic world then Awakening may happen to one that realizes this truth. The ancient Masters have always stressed the basic One-ness of the universe. Now also the modern scientists, with the help of scientific experiments in the field of atomic and sub-atomic particles, are saying the same thing. Quantum mechanics has shown that the universe is not made up of separate objects and events but that it is a whole whose parts are interconnected. Events have meaning only in relation to other events. In Mahayana Buddhism, for example, the world and universe is explained as a carpet of connecting relationships where objects and events are not separate but are connected in many subtle ways. Both the mystic and modern physicist agree that the interrelationship of observer and observed in the One, all-pervasive Consciousness has a central and fundamental importance in determining the nature and outcome of that relationship. In Newtonian physics the individual part had prime importance in explaining the world and the Universe. It is only relatively recently that pure observation has been replaced by the concept of full participation and is part of the experiment a concept known by the ancient Masters. This concept is essential in understanding the universe because in Newtonian physics the demarcation and separation of physical and mental events was believed to be a fact. However, many physicists now accept that there is no separation, but that all is a unified, interconnected whole in which everything in some way affects everything else. It is now increasingly recognized by scientists that in conducting any experiment the consciousness of the experimenter is very much involved in the outcome of the result of the experiment and is an indispensable component of it. His participation actually determines to some extent the outcome, which would not be the same if he were not conducting or present as a witness to that experiment.

We do not live in a separately existing external world into whose dynamic forces we could insert ourselves. The external world and our inner world are for us only two sides of the same coin in which all forces and all events and forms of consciousness and their objects are woven into an inseparable web of endlessly interconnecting relationships. Just like the eastern mystics, modern scientists are acknowledging that the universe is comprised of an infinite number of interrelated interactions that form inseparable relationships. This is not a result of fixed mechanical laws but is a living dynamic expression of an organic and evolving Universe which is continuously in a state of change and activity. SELF KNOWLEDGE Quotations of Bhagavan Sri Sathya Sai Baba 1. Self-knowledge reveals it-Self after the annihilation of the mind. The still and peaceful silence that follows the distraction of the mind is itself true Knowledge. This true Knowledge is our very nature and not something to be newly acquired. 2. Engage yourself in any activity, but always keep in view your true nature as the Self or Atma. If you do so, you will surely enjoy real freedom. Quotations of Sri Ashtavakara 1. The liberated person realizes at all times and under all conditions that whatever exists in the universe is nothing but his own Self on which the awareness of body, mind and universe has been superimposed. The man of Self-knowledge lives, moves and has been in fullness of this Self consciousness. He ever remains unidentified with the actions performed by his body, mind and senses, and is completely free from the sense of egoism. All his actions are therefore merely apparent and do not in any way detract from the supreme State. 2. The Self is eternal, birth-less, and death-less. Birth and death are really illusory phenomena. A knower of the Self, therefore, has no reason to be afraid of the dissolution of the body, by which the Self is not affected in the least. 3. The Self alone is existent. Everything else is really non-existent and is but an illusory superimposition on the Self. Hence the wise become unattached to the objects of the world, and neither hanker after those objects which give pleasure nor shun those which give pain. 4. A wave is no other than the water of the ocean itself; only name and form have been added; there is no increase in substance. Exactly so in the world, its reality is the Self

itself. So when the world appears name and form are superimposed on the reality of the Self; and when it disappears name and form vanish. The Reality is ever the same. 5. The word turiya literally means fourth. So long as ignorance prevails, the self is conditioned by three stateswakefulness, dreaming and deep sleep. With the dawn of Knowledge it attains the fourth State, the fourth only with reference to the three previous states, otherwise the Absolute is beyond any relational determination. 6. True Knowledge does not necessarily lie in the cessation of action but in the absence of attachment. The knower of the Self, therefore even if he acts does not in reality act. He is ever free, though his behaviour may seem the same as that of others. He is above action and inaction. Quotations of Ramana 1. All creeds are but preliminaries for the masses, leading up to the Self. The religions are not necessarily the highest expression or the highest wisdom of their founders who had to consider the time in which they lived and the mental capacities of the people. The highest wisdom is too subtle for most minds, and so a whole scheme of worlds, gods, bodies, evolution etc. had to be given out because people seem to find it easier to believe the simple truth of the one realitySelf. Thus reincarnation, astral planes, survival after death, etc. are true but only from a lower standpoint. It is all a matter of a stand point. From the highest, that of the real Self, all else disappears as illusory and only the reality remains. It is true that subtle astral bodies exist, because in order to function in the dream world a body is necessary for that world, but it too is real only on its own plane, whereas the one Self is always real, always and eternally existent, whether we are aware of it or not. Hence it is better to seek That, because the other self-bodies are only conditionally real. 2. What is that which is born? Not the true Self. Once we are born into That it is final; that is the true and only birththe spiritual birth. The others are but fleeting incarnations of the vasanas (predispositions). If it were not for the body, we would not talk of the spirit being within us; we would be the true Self. 3. You are yourself the source of all your happiness whatsoever it be, and not external things. Even when you imagine that some external object has given you the happiness, you are mistaken. What happens really is that unconsciously the object brought you back for a flash to your-Self, borrowed the happiness and thus presented it to you. The happiness came as a shadow to you, why not look at the source, to the Self, and realize it?

4. The universe exists within the Self. Therefore, it is real, but only because it obtains reality from the Self. We call it unreal, however, to indicate its changing appearance and transient forms whereas we call the Self real because it is changeless. Commentary on Self knowledge by Ronald Berdy The false identification of oneself with the body-mind complex creates strong attachments to people, objects and possessions that often completely clouds over our Realitythe Absolute, Universal Consciousness. Because of the forgetting of his supreme State, man struggles, grieves, and suffers in a never-ending cycle. Unfortunately he exchanges the vastness and grandeur of his real Self as the truth, for the apparent illusory individualized ego. As a consequence he totally enmeshes himself in unnecessary suffering and pain in the objective world. What is needed for Awakening is the deepest understanding that Consciousness itself functions within all the billions of body-mind complexes and uses them as its instruments for functioning in manifestation. Life is then lived as though each body-mind complex was an independent entity with free will and choice of action, but, alongside this there is the deepest understanding that the illusory individual ego is only a means by which Consciousness functions in the world of duality. What we are universally is the functioning of Consciousness through all the body-mind complexes. This understanding may bring spontaneous Enlightenment but it would be an impersonal occurrence in Universal Consciousness. Upon Awakening the ego or the individualized mind realizes that the ego it took itself to be was only an illusion. That the individual mind or ego did not really exist. That he, as individualized consciousness was only an illusion and had never been separated from Absolute Consciousness. His real Nature all along. The infinite, Universal Self that we truly are is eternal and is without birth and without death. It is Self-Existent and there is no other. Everything conceivable in the Universe is but a reflection within it-Self. It is the individualized mind (the thinking aspect of Self) that infuses these objects and events with a relative reality. When cosmic Self is at rest, when nothing is and when space and time are not, then infinite Consciousness (cosmic Self) remains as infinite, Potential. In Its state of activity, Consciousness is infinite Creation. Both are one and the same Consciousness. SPACE AND TIME Quotations of Bhagavan Sri Sathya Sai Baba

1. This moment is God. There is only God. Truth is the same in the past, in the present, and it will remain the same in the future. Therefore, the time sequence of past, present, and future is just imagination. But I Am is timeless, beyond time. I look at past, present, future; they are not me. Of course, past, present, and future must be taken into account in daily affairs. These two aspects of time must be mixed and in operation at the same time. The perception that the time sequence is only imagination that I am timeless and beyond time, both should be there at the very moment that one is using the time sequence in his daily affairs. Past, present and future are unreal. 2. If time does not exist, there is neither good nor bad. It is by the change in time that good and bad appear. There do not exist two separate things called good or bad. Good is simply the opposite of bad. Absence of good may appear as bad. 3. Because you are so much entangled with the aspects of the body, mind and intelligence, you feel that you are subordinate to time and that time will swallow you. However, if you can develop an aspect by which you can feel above the aspects of body, mind and intelligence, it will be possible for you to get control over death and regard it as part and parcel of the evolution of the immortal element in you. Quotation by other enlightened Masters 1. The significance of the Avatamska and its philosophy is unintelligible unless we once experience a state of complete dissolution where time is no more a distinction between mind and body, subject and object. We look around and perceive that every object is related to every other object, not only spatially, but also temporally, as a fact of pure experience. There is no space without time, no time without space; they are interpenetrating. In this spiritual world there are no time divisions, such as the past, present and future, for they have contracted themselves into a single moment of the present where life quivers in its true sense. The past and the future are both rolled up in the present moment of illumination, and the present moment is not something standing still with all its contents, for it ceaselessly moves on. D. T. Suzuki 2. In space-time everything, which for each of us constitutes the past, the present and the future is given en block. Each observer as his time passes discovers, so to speak, new slices of space-time that appear to him as successive aspects of the material world, though in reality the ensemble of events constituting space-time is prior to his knowledge of them. Louis De Brogile

3. If we speak of the space-experience in meditation, we are dealing with an entirely different dimension. In this space-experience the temporal sequence is converted into a simultaneous co-existence, the side-by-side existence of things. And this again does not remain static but becomes a living continuum in which time and space are integrated. Lama Govinda 4. It is believed by most that time passes. In actual fact, it stays where it is. The idea of passing may be called time, but it is an incorrect idea. For, since one sees it only as passing, one cannot understand that it stays just where it is. Zen Master Dogen 5. Time, space and causation are like the glass through which the Absolute is seen. In the Absolute, there is neither time space nor causation. Swami Vivekananda Commentary on space and time by Ronald Berdy A concept, being a construct of the dualistic mind (thinking mind), can never be the whole truth and is only a partial truth. A concept may point to the truth, or at best be a relative truth. Thus definitions or concepts regarding space and time can have no objective reality attached to them since in themselves space and time can have no objectivity attached to them. Therefore such concepts, describes conditions in which the mind can perceive and give meaning to the objective world we live in. The concept of space allows the objective Universe to appear in its three dimensional objective aspect and the concept of time gives it permanency as duration through a quanta of successive sequences or moments. But both space and time have no substance of their own and are projections of the Mind. They are illusory in as much as they are totally subjective without any objective quality to them. This being the case, the Universe is an appearance or projection of the Mind and only has an apparent objective reality and only for a limited time. Since the sentient beings in the world are part of that appearance we too are also projections of the thinking mind that have no actual reality as separate independent beings with free will and choice of action. Every object including the human body is nothing but energy vibrating at an incredibly high rate. Manifestation in truth is an inter-play of these energies in a unified field that only condenses under certain conditions in certain areas to form sub-atomic particles and atoms, and then combine to form the molecular structure of the five elements. These also combine in varying degrees to form solid objects of infinite variety.

The eastern mystics have always affirmed that the Universe is only an illusion or a play of the Divine. Life and living are only the functioning of Absolute Consciousness within Creation by the use of billions of body-mind entities infused with Universal Consciousness. We the characters in this Leela (Play of the Divine) are only playing our roles just as much as actors play a role in a drama or as characters that appear spontaneously in dreams. Just as there is a relative reality to dream space and dream time and dream characters, which are only seemingly true, in the sleeping dream state, so it is with this waking dream we call life. Scientific discoveries that resulted from Einsteins theories of relativity and gravitational field theories have now opened the way to a new view of the Universe. The Newtonian concept that gave absolute reality to a fixed and objective Universe, with separate independent parts, has now been overturned and the Universe is now recognized to be one unified Whole. Its birth, in the form of limitless Energy, has come from the void of infinite Potential. A void from where all Creation starts and to which everything ultimately returns. WHO AM I ? Quotations of Bhagavan Sri Sathya Sai Baba 1. The I in a dream is taken to be the body. The I in the waking state is taken to be the mind. And the I in the transcendental state is God. 2. People keep on asking others, who are you? What is your name? Where are you from? Where are you bound? But they seldom ask these questions of themselves or try to discover answers to these mysteries! When you get that thirst, you are in the koham stage. Koham means who am I? I am a highly evolved ape, say some; I am a conglomerate of chemicals, say others; I am a contraption with a limited life; I begin at birth and end at death say some; I am an eternal entity and this is but one sojourn of mine here on earth, say others. I is a false limitation imposed by ignorance . I am a wave of the ocean and so I am the ocean itself declare others! These latter ones announce that the I is Soham, I am He. He means the eternal, universal Absolute, the Brahman, the boundless, beginning-less, endless Entity. When the axiom is meditated upon and made ones own deepest experience, man has the highest bliss. The Bliss of merging into the Atman from which he felt long he had been displaced. 3. The I will persist so long as we are embodied, but one has to minimize its hold on thought, word and deed. So long as man is bound to the body, his God, too, has to be in a body like his own. Everyone in the world says I, I, I. If you ask a question, you get the answer, I did, I came, I saw, I experienced. Who is this I? If you recognize the Divinity common in the crores (millions) of people, then you will understand the real I in you. So you have to know your own true Self.

4. Every one should first seek to know the answer to the question, Who am I? Without knowing who you are, what is the use of trying to know everything about others? Soham (I am HE) is the name with which you are born. That alone is your natural permanent name. That indeed is your reality or truth. You should understand the nature of that I. That I is nothing other than the Hiradayam (Consciousness) or the Heart. That I is the Atma or Self. That I is Brahman or the supreme Reality. This Heart is all pervasive or omnipresent. 5. The present population of the world is six billion. But the principle of I is one and the same in everyone. Each one refers to himself or herself as I. How can you know these billions of people? Once you recognize the principle of I you would have recognized all. 6. You cannot see Me, but I am the Light you see by; you cannot hear Me, but I am the Sound you hear by; you cannot know Me, but I am the Truth by which you live. I am the invisible in the stellar cross roads, where innumerable planets fly round and round and I am the Adi Purusha(the first man) in control and ensuring that th ey do not clash with one another. 7. Everything is held together by Gods strength. God is present everywhere. You are only a means through which God is seeing everyone in the world. You are only imagining that you are seeing with your eyes, but you are in fact seeing with Gods eyes. First thing to do is to find out who you are. Commentary by Ronald Berdy Everything one possesses or owns, including ones own body and mind, are merely objects which are used by the true Self for functioning in duality. When we refer to them (including our body) they are described as mine. This implies that the owner is other than the body-mind complex that he thinks he is. In truth, unconsciously what he is referring to is really Absolute Consciousness as himself. The Atma (Divine Consciousness) is the only reality that exists in Manifestation. Therefore, the real owner of the body-mind instrument is not the illusory me or ego but Consciousness itself. From time immemorial, the ancient Masters and indeed the teachings of the ancient Wisdom have stressed again and again that we are not the body or the mind but are Divinity itself. It is Absolute Consciousness that inhabits the body. The belief that we are separate from each other often produces the feeling of insecurity or a fear of the other. As long as we identify with the body-mind complex there will often be the feeling of being adrift in a boundless ocean and this will effectively stop the realization of our true Nature.

Sri Bhagawan Ramana Maharishi, an enlightened Master of recent times, advised his followers to practice self inquiry. To inquire into the nature of the me conceptby asking ones self the question, Who am I? He taught that inquiry into the self should lead the seeker to the Source of the I (me). The source of the I that you thought you were would be discovered to be totally fictitious and then the real I would become apparent.

SPIRITUAL CONTRADICTIONS RESOLVED

Q1. You often say that before Manifestation, Consciousness was unaware of Itself. Then who was there to observe this and report on it? Pure infinite Consciousness exists without having to be encased in a body-mind complex and is that by which everything else comes into being. It is the background or screen on which every conceivable thing or event appears on. At the highest spiritual level it is Pure, Abstract Intelligence, but, in duality, It becomes individualized Consciousness encased in a body-mind complex. In this way It experiences Itself in the objective world through all sentient beings as Its objective expressions. This is proof of its eternal existence as pure Subjectivity. Scientists are now beginning to realize that manifestation arises from a unified field of infinite Potential that seems to be a fathomless void. In fact this void is not an empty nothingness but throbs with infinite Potential Creation and is infused with Abstract Intelligence. It manifests in the human entity as intelligence and wisdom. Q2. You have written about the void of infinite Potential referring to the unbounded infinite from which Manifestation arises and returns in a cyclical pattern. What scientific or spiritual proof can you give that such a void exists? Many scientists believe that there exists a unified field that connects everything to everything else. In fact, the great scientist Albert Einstein formulated his gravitational field theory on this assumption. It is interesting to note that the scientists search for a unified field theory can be found in the concept of an infinite, Universal Consciousness as the source of all Manifestation. The eastern Masters attained their Understanding and Knowledge of the Nature of Reality with the aid of the inner senses. Thus they were able to ascertain by this inner exploration the true Nature of Consciousness. This gave them an insight into the Overmind State, which transcends and also interpenetrates the other three states deep-sleep, dreaming and the waking states. The Overmind or Atmic State, according to the Masters, is pure Subjectivity and has no attributes. It is Pure awareness of Awareness. The concept of the void of infinite Potential can truly be said to be the only viable answer to the question of Creation. Manifestation can only come about on an absolutely blank screen or background and so the definition of a void seems appropriate. That would allow infinite Creation to take place and so the definition that suggests an infinite Potential Creation is also appropriate. Q3. If everything is One, but something separate observes the One-ness, doesnt this suggest duality is not virtual, but absolute?

If everything is One then there cannot be another to observe that One-ness. Unity or One-ness does not imply that there cannot be unity with an infinity of separate parts. Thus, the unity that is spoken about is of the one Energy of Consciousness that animates the billions of separate sentient entities. Manifestation with its billions of separate parts can only be image reflections in the one Universal Energy of Consciousness. Since the only reality is Consciousness and reflections are only images with no substance to them how then can apparent reflections which seem to exist in duality have any absolute reality to them? Does this not imply that all that exists is Consciousness and that the objective universe itself is only a reflection or image within It? If the objective Universe is only an appearance or illusion in Consciousness then we too as individuals within that Universe are only mirror images without any substance. The difficulty for most people who are unaware of this illusion is simply the inability to let go of the concept of a separate individuality. Not realizing that we are in truth the Universal, Pure Consciousness itself. Thus remaining in our self-imposed tiny individualised consciousnesses we become obsessed with its impending loss and the fear of sinking into the absolute nothingness of the fathomless void. It would be well to remember what some of the ancient and present Masters say about this feared void. It is not at all an absolute nothingness as portrayed by some, but is infinite, Potential Creation that actualizes it-Self periodically in eternal cycles. It is what we are in our essence as the objective expression of the Subjective Reality. When the One-ness of all things is finally realized there would be no room left for believing that duality was not really only a Divine Play. That it only existed as a relative reality for the purpose of rediscovering our own truth. Q4. Oneness indicates a dependent nature of phenomenathe totality is dependent on the sum of its parts and the sum of its parts is dependent on its wholeness. Therefore doesnt the Advaitians idea of One-ness also indicate dependence on others? There is really no contradiction here as it only appears that there is a dependence of Totality on the sum of its parts and the sum of its parts on its Wholeness. Thus separateness and dependence of objects and events are only concepts to facilitate the functioning of the objective Universe as we know it to be. A diversity of separately functioning parts is only a condition that allows the objective Universe to exist and function with limitless interrelationships and interactions. At the root of everything is the basic cause for all of Creation, and that is Absolute Consciousness. It is the one Universal, infinite Energy in which everything exists and is a concept pointing to the Absolute Truth.

In the case of dependency of something on something else there is always a need for another or others to lend support to achieve unity, but, oneness expresses indivisible unity. Diversity within Unity in no way infringes on the Wholeness that One-ness implies because all the various parts are linked or interconnected in mutually beneficial and interrelated ways. How can One-ness indicate a dependent nature of phenomena or dependence on others? If anything, One-ness is an indication of Whole-ness with no separation possible even though multiple parts comprise the Whole. It is true that the Totality of Manifestation is made up by the sum of its parts but that does not mean there is dependency, rather, it indicates a Unity from which infinite diversity is possible. Q5. The word destiny implies a specific outcome of events, but if there is no absolute time, no future or past for example, how can there be something predestined? Time and its interconnected concept of space indeed do not really exist because they are totally subjective. In duality they are only concepts that take on a relative reality so as to facilitate the appearance of the objective Universe. It is the mind that projects apparent time and space as realities and therefore also the three periods of time, the past, present and the future. These are illusory or only have a relative realityas many of the ancient and modern Masters have claimed. The only absolute reality is the transcendental State or the eternal present moment. This ever present moment contains within it everything that was, is and will be. The eternal present moment is projected by the dualistic mind as duration and therefore all that manifests already exists within this eternal moment. Destiny is only the continuing expression of actions and events in duality and therefore in mind projected sequential time. Thus, what appears in duality as events and actions taking place within a time sequence has to already exist in their entirety in the eternal present now. Time and space are concepts in duality that give meaning to the objective Universe and to the sequence of events that make up our lives. Destiny, on the other hand is the relative reality that is experienced as the illusory movement of events and actions in time. Past, present and future are really all rolled up into the present moment. Q6. If the Absolute has infinite Potential, then how can destiny be immutable? Of course, the Absolute has infinite Potential and if It chose It could dissolve the whole of manifestation in an instant. But why might the Absolute, after manifesting the Universe, not keep to Its own Self-referring laws set in motion when the Universe came into being? Since the Absolute is all-Knowing, even a change in ones destiny can only happen as the Will of the Absolute. This should be seen in the light of an overall cosmic destiny that also takes into account specific changes regarding the destiny of individuals. From the position of the Absolute all that was, is and will be is already

intrinsic in the absolute truth of the ever present now. Any apparent change in ones destiny would only be part of the overall plan or destiny of that individual. If it were otherwise, we then would have to conclude that God is not omniscient and therefore not God. It is well to remember that since time immemorial the ancient, spiritual Masters have taught that God is not separate from the Universe; that the Universe is in fact the body of God. The implication of this is that the Universe is self-referring and impregnated with infinite Abstract Intelligence. In fact the whole of Manifestation is but a shadow or image within Consciousness and therefore it is Pure Consciousness that is the sole Energy; the sole Will that is the activator of all events and actions in the Universe. Q7. We experience time as a movement from the present into the past. Yet you say there is only the eternal present moment. How can you explain this? The apparent contradiction only seems to be so because of the powerful conditioning we receive throughout life which makes us believe that time flows. In fact it is us, the human entities as sentient objects that are constantly moving in self-projected time frames, giving the illusion that time passes when in fact there is only the present moment and nothing else. The illusory movement of time is a necessary concept without which sentient beings could not function in an orderly manner. But that should not be an excuse for regarding time and the interconnected concept of space, as something with substance or reality. A close examination of these concepts would reveal that they only describe certain conditions in manifestation so as to give meaning and purpose to our lives and the universe. The fact of the matter is that it is we who, as supposedly separate independent entities, experience supposed movements in time from birth to death. As objects we are, as well as everything else in the Universe, subject to the dual forces of integration and disintegration. These processes are portrayed in Hindu mythology; by the god Vishnu, representing the preserving Force of integration; by the god Shiva representing the disintegrating Force of destruction and by the god Brahma representing the divine Force of Creation. These Forces occur at practically the same instance over long or short periods of time. Thus as sentient beings we experience the world as a stable and well ordered creation in which the divine Drama takes place on the world stage. So when eventually the disintegrating Force gains supremacy over the integrating Force it puts an end, amongst other objects, to the body-mind objects and thus to their sentience and apparent experience as separate entities in the flow of time. Of course, the illusory experience of the flow of time will continue to occur in other sentient beings as long as they exist in Creation and are un-Awakened.

The concept of time and its interrelated counterpart space have nothing objective about them. In duality they only have a functional reality and are self-limiting because they do not exist in all situations for all sentient beings at all times. When one is in deep sleep or is unconscious, consciousness is not present and therefore in those conditions time and space are also absent. This being the case we can conclude that the conceptual existence of time and space only occur under certain conditions and circumstances. Since these concepts have been shown to be limited they cannot exhibit absolute Reality. Therefore they can only exist as partial realities for a limited period only, bearing no objective truth whatsoever. So Manifestation that can only occur within the bounds of space and time must have the same quality of reality as those concepts themselves. Thus manifested objects must also be only a relative reality and illusory since it depends on these concepts for its appearance. This then brings us to the inescapable conclusion that all within Manifestation has only a relative reality and that includes the supposed entities we think we are. The only reality or truth then, is the Stillness, Bliss and supreme Peace of the ever present eternal moment beyond space and time, or that which is God Himself. Q8. Some say that there is life after death. Others say individual Consciousness merges with Absolute Consciousness. Which of these concepts is true? Both are true, but Absolute Consciousness is our reality at the highest level and is Universal Life itself. This is the supreme truth. Life after death, up to the fourth State or Atmic state, in various levels of Consciousness, is only a relative truth. But Universal Consciousness is infinite and eternal and therefore exists equally everywhere and is unchangeable. In truth there is no such thing as an individual Consciousness. It only seems as though it is so because of the constant conditioning of our minds in the objective world. This gives us the impression that each supposed individual has free will and choice of action. In fact Absolute Consciousness in its aspect as the Life Force subsequently identifies with the body-mind-complex as the doer of all action and gives the impression of an independent entity. Individualized consciousness within an entity is an erroneous concept because Consciousness can never be separate but is always universal. Nevertheless, the illusion of separateness allows interactions and interrelationships to take place on the world stage making life as we experience it viable. The Self-realized Master Bhagavan Sri Ramana Maharishi was asked by a devotee if there was life after death. His answer indicated that indeed there was life after death in other worlds but he also went on to say that these after-death worlds or states were only as real as our own world. It was where bundles of thought forms clothed in bodies of finer material remained within their own creations until they emerged again into the

objective world with new body-mind instruments. Of course he had said more than once that our own world and all within it was only a relative reality and was dependent on Consciousness for its objective Manifestation. Man has created a concept of a separate all powerful God who is in mans own likeness and projected this concept as a relative reality rather than accept that the Universe itself is the body of God, or God itself. So it must be with the minds projection of life after death and the mental creation of worlds that we supposedly inhabit after death. It has been stated by many Spiritual Masters that the thought forms we create manifest at different levels of conscious reality. Therefore, the collective thought forms of a great number of people must indeed produce illusory worlds or heavens and hells that we are supposed to inhabit after death. It should of course be realized that all these worlds only exist as mind projections and have no real existence beyond the various levels of duality. Q9. You have used the phrase Consciousness is the only doer and Consciousness is the only witness. These statements seem to be contradictory since doer-ship and witnessing are opposite functions, can you explain what you mean? Consciousness as the doer and Consciousness as the witness seem to be contradictory when expressed separately. In fact both these concepts and many others can function in parallel and in complementary ways without any hindrance. They are not functional contradictions but are apparently only verbal contradictions. Consciousness appears to have many functions. In fact, it is the Motivator of all actions. But, some aspects of Consciousness like the mind and ego, which function from within the supposed entity, create the feeling of separation and independence with free will and choice of action. Thus the sentient body-mind complex takes on an independence of its own, giving the impression that it is a separate doer. But Consciousness cannot be restricted to only one particular function or another since ultimately everything is just another aspect of Consciousness. While Consciousness is the only Universal Doer as the Life Force in all beings, it is also the Universal Witness as the subjective Absolute Consciousness. The objective Universe is but a reflection or mirror image within Consciousness. Therefore, Consciousness is not only the Doer of all actions but at the same time is the Witness of all that apparently takes place within itSelf as Manifestation. So, it is because of Consciousness that all happens. It is because of Consciousness that all life exists and comes into being. Consciousness is not only the Cause of manifestation, but also sustains it because of Its perpetual and eternal presence. At the

same time It also is the silent Universal Witnesses of all events and actions in Creation. When Awakening takes place within a separate individual entity it is of an impersonal nature. Thus individualized Consciousness, which religionists call the individual soul, Awakens to the knowledge that in fact it has never been separate from the Universal Over-Soul. Q10. Religions such as Christianity, Judaism and Islam talk of an individualized human soul. Buddhism sees all as a universal Energy that may sometimes take form and return to earth. Hinduism states that the soul incarnates again and again until it gets liberated from the cycle of birth and death. Which of these concepts are true and are they not ultimately contradictory? It is not necessary to reject out of hand any of these concepts. Neither is it necessary to accept them as more than concepts that satisfy the aspirations of those who propagate these beliefs. Whatever concept is used to explain Reality it can only point to the truth, or at best be asign post showing the way , but it can never be the Absolute Truth since That is beyond duality, beyond time and space. Nevertheless it would be wise to look at the reasons for these contradictions. All the major religions seem to have two sides to their philosophies or belief systems. The exoteric that caters for the mass of their followers and the esoteric which is followed by a relatively few seekers interested in the deeper truths of the esoteric teachings of their respective religions. The great majority of people, of whatever belief or religion they actively follow, would seem to be content to accept, amongst other positive aspects, the doctrine of love, good will, compassion, generosity and kindness and an adherence to a good positive moral code. Of course most of these religions also stress the supposed reality of an eternal Heaven for those whose lives have been free from evil and eternal damnation in hell for sinners and evil ones. It would be far better if man were able to transcend the narrow confines of the concept of the separate entity he believes himself to be and exchange this erroneous concept for the awesome reality of what man really is the Divine itself. The truth is that all sentient beings in essence are indeed God him-Self. All living beings are the objective expressions of the One, Infinite, Universal and Pure Consciousness. It is only in the ancient Wisdom and in the teachings of the ancient Masters that this direct message of immortality is given to us. At the present time when the vibrations of a higher consciousness increasingly pervades the world, it is those with the courage to speak with utter conviction and belief in the teachings of the ancient Wisdom, that could bring back to humanity the lost knowledge and truth found in the ancient Wisdom.

Q11. God is portrayed as a loving God of infinite compassion who is always present and ready to answer our prayers. Yet our world is full of suffering, poverty, disease, hunger and cruelty. How then can God be a loving God when so much suffering exists? The un-Awakened man can indeed be forgiven when subjected to intense suffering himself or when he witnesses the suffering of others questions the compassionate loving nature of God. The ancient Wisdom teaches that everything in the objective universe has its interconnected opposite. Therefore, in its functioning in duality, the opposites of all things or events have to be present so that manifestation can appear visibly in its objective form. We, the incarnating body-mind instruments incarnate to fulfil various events that have to take place according to the Divine Script or Will. It is also the result of karmic consequences of all individuals, past and present, which determine the roles that will be played in future incarnations by individuals. At one time or another we fulfil positive or negative rolls, as the case may be. But, as long as we think in terms of independent separate beings we take on the doership of our actions. Therefore it is our own actions that create our destiny in the objective world. Thus the supposedly good and evil acts committed by humanity that are attributed to God are really part of a grand play created by ourselves as apparent individual entities identified with the body. It is Gods Will that the Drama played on the world stage follows the law of karma and its consequences or cause and effect. Therefore we are the constructors of our own destines while we are still un-Awakened and so no blame can be attributed to God who is the witness to this drama. While one is immersed and involved in the coils of the objective world the human being erroneously takes on the doer-ship of all his actions. He therefore suffers the consequences, or reaps the rewards of those actions in this life or a future one. The identity with the body-mind complex also brings the destiny of the supposed individual forged by past actions into fruition as the events that are bound to take place as destiny in the individuals life. It is not the actions of a cruel and despotic God that create the conditions that become our destiny in life, but it is our very own actions now and those of the past that creates destinies for future entities. All this happens in duality within the objective universe of self-referring universal laws. The objective Universe exists in Consciousness as a dream or mirror image within Itself and only attains a relative reality because Consciousness infuses our world with conscious dynamic energy. The Universe has no substance of its own. It really is only a vast pattern of energy waves that exists due to the presence of Consciousness and solidifies in certain areas

causing the visible Universe to become apparent. Therefore from the highest spiritual point of view all that has manifested is only an appearance in Consciousness. Everything, including the sentient beings, is really no more than dream objects or images dreamed by Consciousness. If these concepts are taken into consideration and the understanding has gone deep enough then there should be no reason to grieve over imagined losses that one may incur, or gloat over perceived gains that come ones way, or speculate about the joys and injustices in the world which can only be the functioning of the interrelated opposites. The Awakened man knows exactly what the truth is and plays his role to the best of his ability. He has realized that he himself, in essence, is the Divine itself. Q12. The ancient Wisdom teaches that Manifestation is comparable to a dream. If this is so then why do we experience it as reality? Is it not a contradiction to describe it as a dream? Manifestation can indeed be compared to a dream, as is taught in the ancient Wisdom. When we are asleep and experience the dream state we are not aware of any other reality other than the dream itself. The characters, scenery and objects in the dream take on a reality that cannot be denied, and moreover, the dreamer not only experiences the dream within his individualized consciousness but often plays a central role in it. It is only after the dreamer awakens that the dream is recognized as a dream and is regarded as such. Accordingly, manifestation too is dreamed by Universal Consciousness and takes on a relative reality as perceived through its instruments which are the body-mind complexes that Consciousness identifies with. It is almost impossible for the individual to accept that as an objective appearance he is only a dream image. Just as the sleeper of a sleeping night dream awakens at some point and realizes that his experiences in the dream were only the result of the dream itself, so it is with the waking dream that he experiences while in the waking state. At some point, in one life or another according to Divine Will or destiny, some individual Consciousnesses encased in body-mind complexes Awaken to their true State and realize that this waking dream is only a dream that they themselves are dreaming as and within Consciousness. So, all the joys and sorrows, all the good and evil, gains and losses, the heavens and hells and the totality of life, as well as death, is a dream in which Consciousness witnesses everything and imagines it to be real. Q13. The concepts of infinity and eternity seem difficult to comprehend since Manifestation and everything contained within It is time bound and finite. How would you incorporate these concepts into one comprehensive whole?

Human beings can think and solve problems in duality but they cannot experience their own Whole-ness from within it. The human mind cannot go beyond the confines of the dualistic world, unless of course it has become Awakened or Enlightened. For Enlightened beings the concepts of time and space do not exist as realities. These concepts make possible the appearance of manifestation in space and time. Space and time are concepts that can have no absolute reality. Our truth lies beyond duality and can never be found in the objective Universe because all that appears in duality is time bound and is only relatively true. The truth of our being lies in the Atmic or fourth State, the Godly State, the Totality that incorporates infinity and eternity themselves. It is only the Divine Principle, the Atmic Reality or Universal Consciousness that has neither birth nor death and exists eternally. While immersed in the state of duality we can never know or experience Absolute Reality. The eye can see everything else but cannot see itself. Thus, when the Liberated or Awakened one has transcended duality with the aid of the inner senses and the mirror of Consciousness, he remains what he has always been, the eternal, Divine Principle itself. Q14. It is said that karmic consequences manifest in ones life, but you have said quite often that the concept of karma has been misinterpreted by spiritual scholars, and if that is the case does it not conflict with established beliefs regarding karmic accountability? A logical analysis regarding karmic accountability would show quite clearly that by no stretch of the imagination could the same entity, ego or personality reincarnate and face karmic consequences. This is because when death occurs the entity is irrevocably gone for ever. After death what remains are thought forms consisting of unfulfilled desires, needs and mental impressions that survive the death of the physical body. At some point in the future they will be transferred to another incarnating body-mind complex. So, it is specific mental impressions and qualities and predispositions that are infused into new body-mind complexes and not the personality of a previous entity. This process happens in order to fulfil future karmic events that may take place on universal and personal levels. It is not the individual mind, ego or personality of a past entity that inhabits a new body, but it is a completely different entity that experiences the consequences of past actions in a new incarnation. On the other hand, individualized Consciousness, or dualistic mind, creates the illusory independent entity, but, in reality is it-Self the Universal Consciousness having forgotten

Its true Nature. Finally, at some point the individual awakens to the truth that it is not the individualized entity it thought itself to be and realizes the awesome truth of its own true Nature. That he is in fact absolute Consciousness it-Self. As long as an individualized Consciousness remains un-Awakened to its own true Nature it does not lose the vale of illusory conditions and qualities with which it functions in duality. After the death of the body the individualized mind continues to evolve towards mergence with the Over-mind or Universal Spirit and clothes itself in a mental body of a higher consciousness. Now the vale hiding its true Nature is of a much finer material and this allows a much greater expansion of consciousness into higher conscious States. The body and environment it creates for itself is a projection of mind and lasts as long as karmic consequences allow before it again incarnates on the earth plane. The truth is that all these movements in Consciousness are but mind projections and only have a relative reality. This must be borne in mind when trying to define the accountability of present and past karmic actions and their consequences. It seems from the dualistic point of view that there is an apparent mental link from one life to another but this link should not include that which has no absolute reality. That is the illusory natures or personalities of separate entities and egos. There are absolutely no grounds for assuming that there is a series of entities all linked together because of the transferences of mental qualities and dispositions to other body-mind complexes. So in reality there is no one specifically who can be held responsible for past or present karma. Ultimately a definitive answer as to the very precise laws controlling the functioning of manifestation, and therefore the law of karma, is impossible. The Absolute truth is beyond time and space and duality, so all that can be done is to follow pointers to the truth that has come to us from the ancient Masters and Enlightened beings. Relative realities are open to investigation because even though their space-time frames are different from ours in this world they still fall within duality and can be accessed to in deep meditation. They carry the same degree of reality as our world but they are usually experienced with increased purity and a widened consciousness. Our world is as much a dream creation or projection as are all other levels of Consciousness, until individualized Consciousness rediscovers the Overmind State. Then it crosses the boarder into pure Subjectivity and into Absolute Consciousness itself. But, we can never experience Truth while still in the grip of duality. Of course as our true Reality we have always been That. Karmic accountability is a spiritual working principle that affects the supposed individual at the ground level, at the level where the mind takes itself to be an independent entity with free will and choice of action.

Therefore the supposed individuals mind assumes the do er-ship of all actions and also the consequences of all actions. Thus a future entity will be burdened by projections of the mind of a previous entity. What can be more illusory than the illusion that mind is an object of Reality rather than a bundle of energized thought forms? In fact individualized mind is temporarily only an aspect of Universal Consciousness. Finally the question of accountability, from the non-dualistic point of view, should be answered. The ancient Masters, when faced with the many spiritual contradictions that were encountered by their students, often used examples taken from life to explain spiritual truths. One such example is the word Lila. This is a Sanskrit word which describes manifestation as the cosmic Dream of The Divine. The dream analogy is a good example in helping to understand the Cosmic Play. In fact the dream world of the sleeping dream is in no way different to the waking dream of our daily experiences. Both worlds are relatively real from their own prospective containing similar objective phenomenon and experiences. Of course the time scale of the sleeping dream seems shorter but this is only so from the waking stand point. In both cases when Awakening happens each dream state respectively is recognized as being unreal, or as having only a relative reality and not an absolute reality. Nevertheless, in duality there must be a solution of continuity so that the functioning of Manifestation can proceed according to the Will God. The Buddha, when confronted with the question of accountability, was reputed to have said, A sound is made here and an echo returns from somewhere else. In other words the echo of accountability returns in an unknown and un-connected entity, willed by Consciousness. No one holds the personal dreamer responsible for the atrocities or joys that take place in his personal dream. Similarly Absolute Consciousness or God should not be blamed or praised for what happens in its own Universal Dream. The fact of the matter is that the only thing that exists is Consciousness and everything else is some aspect of It. Life is a means by which individualized Consciousness that had forgotten its true Nature can rediscover it-Self. Karmic accountability in duality is not a means of punishment or reward which is meted out to a specific entity for past or present actions, but is a positive spiritual principle that applies to the un-awakened. It provides a possibility of attaining that which is called Liberation or Self-realization. Q15. Spiritual scholars often refer to pre-destiny as a fact. If everything is already mapped out and destined to happen then why are we told to do our best, to try harder, to achieve our highest potential? Does that not bring out the contradiction of who is the doer? There would indeed be a contradiction if doer-ship had been the real issue of contention. In fact there is no contradiction because there is no dispute from the non-

dualistic point of view that Consciousness is the real doer. Since we dont know the outcome of any of our actions in duality the fact that many of us strive to fulfil our highest potential is quite in order. In fact it is the basis on which progress in all fields of human endeavour is based. On the other hand taking on doer-ship often precipitates the slide into dualism and all the ills that come due to greed, selfishness, hate, pride and other egotistical traits. Consciousness is all there is, and therefore the apparent individual entities infused with the Life Force, an aspect of Consciousness, can only be instruments with which Consciousness functions within duality. Pure Consciousness being without qualities or attributes and being pure Subjectivity is a Witness to all that happens within it-Self as Universal Consciousness. But in Its aspect as the Life Force is responsible for all the activity that takes place in duality. It should be remembered of course that the world is a stage in which the Divine plays endless scenes throughout eternity. Even though our destiny and the world destiny is already mapped out and known to Divinity or Absolute Consciousness we have to live our lives as though we have free will and choice of action, so that the Divine Play of interactions and interrelationships can take place and continue indefinitely. The fact that all already exists in the present moment, that the Script from start to finish has already been written, does not in any way change the way in which sentient beings act and react in the world of duality. The predispositions, attributes and qualities that one is born with, and the conditioning one receives throughout life, ensures that all the supposed individual beings will follow a certain pattern of behaviour and will react in the manner that destiny or the Will of God has ordained. Since it is not possible to know the future outcome of any event it would hardly matter to an individual if the outcome of an event was regarded as the result of destiny or free will.

SPIRITUAL CONTRADICTIONS RESOLVED

Q1. You often say that before Manifestation, Consciousness was unaware of Itself. Then who was there to observe this and report on it?
Pure infinite Consciousness exists without having to be encased in a body-mind complex and is that by which everything else comes into being. It is the background or screen on which every conceivable thing or event appears on. At the highest spiritual level it is Pure, Abstract Intelligence, but, in duality, It becomes individualized Consciousness encased in a body-mind complex. In this way It experiences Itself in the objective world through all sentient beings as Its objective expressions. This is proof of its eternal existence as pure Subjectivity. Scientists are now beginning to realize that manifestation arises from a unified field of infinite Potential that seems to be a fathomless void. In fact this void is not an empty nothingness but throbs with infinite Potential Creation and is infused with Abstract Intelligence. It manifests in the human entity as intelligence and wisdom.

Q2. You have written about the void of infinite Potential referring to the unbounded infinite from which Manifestation arises and returns in a cyclical pattern. What scientific or spiritual proof can you give that such a void exists?
Many scientists believe that there exists a unified field that connects everything to everything else. In fact, the great scientist Albert Einstein formulated his gravitational field theory on this assumption. It is interesting to note that the scientists search for a unified field theory can be found in the concept of an infinite, Universal Consciousness as the source of all Manifestation. The eastern Masters attained their Understanding and Knowledge of the Nature of Reality with the aid of the inner senses. Thus they were able to ascertain by this inner exploration the true Nature of Consciousness. This gave them an insight into the Overmind State, which transcends and also interpenetrates the other three states deep-sleep, dreaming and the waking states. The Overmind or Atmic State, according to the Masters, is pure Subjectivity and has no attributes. It is Pure awareness of Awareness. The concept of the void of infinite Potential can truly be said to be the only viable answer to the question of Creation. Manifestation can only come about on an absolutely blank screen or background and so the definition of a void seems appropriate. That would allow infinite Creation to take place and so the definition that suggests an infinite Potential Creation is also appropriate.

Q3. If everything is One, but something separate observes the One-ness, doesnt this suggest duality is not virtual, but absolute?

If everything is One then there cannot be another to observe that One-ness. Unity or One-ness does not imply that there cannot be unity with an infinity of separate parts. Thus, the unity that is spoken about is of the one Energy of Consciousness that animates the billions of separate sentient entities. Manifestation with its billions of separate parts can only be image reflections in the one Universal Energy of Consciousness. Since the only reality is Consciousness and reflections are only images with no substance to them how then can apparent reflections which seem to exist in duality have any absolute reality to them? Does this not imply that all that exists is Consciousness and that the objective universe itself is only a reflection or image within It? If the objective Universe is only an appearance or illusion in Consciousness then we too as individuals within that Universe are only mirror images without any substance. The difficulty for most people who are unaware of this illusion is simply the inability to let go of the concept of a separate individuality. Not realizing that we are in truth the Universal, Pure Consciousness itself. Thus remaining in our self-imposed tiny individualised consciousnesses we become obsessed with its impending loss and the fear of sinking into the absolute nothingness of the fathomless void. It would be well to remember what some of the ancient and present Masters say about this feared void. It is not at all an absolute nothingness as portrayed by some, but is infinite, Potential Creation that actualizes it-Self periodically in eternal cycles. It is what we are in our essence as the objective expression of the Subjective Reality. When the One-ness of all things is finally realized there would be no room left for believing that duality was not really only a Divine Play. That it only existed as a relative reality for the purpose of rediscovering our own truth.

Q4. Oneness indicates a dependent nature of phenomenathe totality is dependent on the sum of its parts and the sum of its parts is dependent on its wholeness. Therefore doesnt the Advaitians idea of One-ness also indicate dependence on others?
There is really no contradiction here as it only appears that there is a dependence of Totality on the sum of its parts and the sum of its parts on its Wholeness. Thus separateness and dependence of objects and events are only concepts to facilitate the functioning of the objective Universe as we know it to be. A diversity of separately functioning parts is only a condition that allows the objective Universe to exist and function with limitless interrelationships and interactions. At the root of everything is the basic cause for all of Creation, and that is Absolute Consciousness. It is the one Universal, infinite Energy in which everything exists and is a concept pointing to the Absolute Truth. In the case of dependency of something on something else there is always a need for another or others to lend support to achieve unity, but, oneness expresses indivisible unity. Diversity within Unity in no way infringes on the Wholeness that One-ness implies because all the various parts are linked or interconnected in mutually beneficial and interrelated ways. How can One-ness indicate a dependent nature of phenomena or dependence on others? If anything, One-ness is an indication of Whole-ness with no

separation possible even though multiple parts comprise the Whole. It is true that the Totality of Manifestation is made up by the sum of its parts but that does not mean there is dependency, rather, it indicates a Unity from which infinite diversity is possible.

Q5. The word destiny implies a specific outcome of events, but if there is no absolute time, no future or past for example, how can there be something predestined?
Time and its interconnected concept of space indeed do not really exist because they are totally subjective. In duality they are only concepts that take on a relative reality so as to facilitate the appearance of the objective Universe. It is the mind that projects apparent time and space as realities and therefore also the three periods of time, the past, present and the future. These are illusory or only have a relative realityas many of the ancient and modern Masters have claimed. The only absolute reality is the transcendental State or the eternal present moment. This ever present moment contains within it everything that was, is and will be. The eternal present moment is projected by the dualistic mind as duration and therefore all that manifests already exists within this eternal moment. Destiny is only the continuing expression of actions and events in duality and therefore in mind projected sequential time. Thus, what appears in duality as events and actions taking place within a time sequence has to already exist in their entirety in the eternal present now. Time and space are concepts in duality that give meaning to the objective Universe and to the sequence of events that make up our lives. Destiny, on the other hand is the relative reality that is experienced as the illusory movement of events and actions in time. Past, present and future are really all rolled up into the present moment.

Q6. If the Absolute has infinite Potential, then how can destiny be immutable?
Of course, the Absolute has infinite Potential and if It chose It could dissolve the whole of manifestation in an instant. But why might the Absolute, after manifesting the Universe, not keep to Its own Self-referring laws set in motion when the Universe came into being? Since the Absolute is all-Knowing, even a change in ones destiny can only happen as the Will of the Absolute. This should be seen in the light of an overall cosmic destiny that also takes into account specific changes regarding the destiny of individuals. From the position of the Absolute all that was, is and will be is already intrinsic in the absolute truth of the ever present now. Any apparent change in ones destiny would only be part of the overall plan or destiny of that individual. If it were otherwise, we then would have to conclude that God is not omniscient and therefore not God. It is well to remember that since time immemorial the ancient, spiritual Masters have taught that God is not separate from the Universe; that the Universe is in fact the body of God. The implication of this is that the Universe is self-referring and impregnated with infinite Abstract Intelligence. In fact the whole of Manifestation is but a shadow or image within Consciousness and therefore it is Pure Consciousness that is the sole Energy; the sole Will that is the activator of all events and actions in the Universe.

Q7. We experience time as a movement from the present into the past. Yet you say there is only the eternal present moment. How can you explain this?
The apparent contradiction only seems to be so because of the powerful conditioning we receive throughout life which makes us believe that time flows. In fact it is us, the human entities as sentient objects that are constantly moving in self-projected time frames, giving the illusion that time passes when in fact there is only the present moment and nothing else. The illusory movement of time is a necessary concept without which sentient beings could not function in an orderly manner. But that should not be an excuse for regarding time and the interconnected concept of space, as something with substance or reality. A close examination of these concepts would reveal that they only describe certain conditions in manifestation so as to give meaning and purpose to our lives and the universe. The fact of the matter is that it is we who, as supposedly separate independent entities, experience supposed movements in time from birth to death. As objects we are, as well as everything else in the Universe, subject to the dual forces of integration and disintegration. These processes are portrayed in Hindu mythology; by the god Vishnu, representing the preserving Force of integration; by the god Shiva representing the disintegrating Force of destruction and by the god Brahma representing the divine Force of Creation. These Forces occur at practically the same instance over long or short periods of time. Thus as sentient beings we experience the world as a stable and well ordered creation in which the divine Drama takes place on the world stage. So when eventually the disintegrating Force gains supremacy over the integrating Force it puts an end, amongst other objects, to the body-mind objects and thus to their sentience and apparent experience as separate entities in the flow of time. Of course, the illusory experience of the flow of time will continue to occur in other sentient beings as long as they exist in Creation and are un-Awakened. The concept of time and its interrelated counterpart space have nothing objective about them. In duality they only have a functional reality and are self-limiting because they do not exist in all situations for all sentient beings at all times. When one is in deep sleep or is unconscious, consciousness is not present and therefore in those conditions time and space are also absent. This being the case we can conclude that the conceptual existence of time and space only occur under certain conditions and circumstances. Since these concepts have been shown to be limited they cannot exhibit absolute Reality. Therefore they can only exist as partial realities for a limited period only, bearing no objective truth whatsoever. So Manifestation that can only occur within the bounds of space and time must have the same quality of reality as those concepts themselves. Thus manifested objects must also be only a relative reality and illusory since it depends on these concepts for its appearance. This then brings us to the inescapable conclusion that all within Manifestation has only a relative reality and that includes the supposed entities we think we are. The only

reality or truth then, is the Stillness, Bliss and supreme Peace of the ever present eternal moment beyond space and time, or that which is God Himself.

Q8. Some say that there is life after death. Others say individual Consciousness merges with Absolute Consciousness. Which of these concepts is true?
Both are true, but Absolute Consciousness is our reality at the highest level and is Universal Life itself. This is the supreme truth. Life after death, up to the fourth State or Atmic state, in various levels of Consciousness, is only a relative truth. But Universal Consciousness is infinite and eternal and therefore exists equally everywhere and is unchangeable. In truth there is no such thing as an individual Consciousness. It only seems as though it is so because of the constant conditioning of our minds in the objective world. This gives us the impression that each supposed individual has free will and choice of action. In fact Absolute Consciousness in its aspect as the Life Force subsequently identifies with the body-mind-complex as the doer of all action and gives the impression of an independent entity. Individualized consciousness within an entity is an erroneous concept because Consciousness can never be separate but is always universal. Nevertheless, the illusion of separateness allows interactions and interrelationships to take place on the world stage making life as we experience it viable. The Self-realized Master Bhagavan Sri Ramana Maharishi was asked by a devotee if there was life after death. His answer indicated that indeed there was life after death in other worlds but he also went on to say that these after-death worlds or states were only as real as our own world. It was where bundles of thought forms clothed in bodies of finer material remained within their own creations until they emerged again into the objective world with new body-mind instruments. Of course he had said more than once that our own world and all within it was only a relative reality and was dependent on Consciousness for its objective Manifestation. Man has created a concept of a separate all powerful God who is in mans own likeness and projected this concept as a relative reality rather than accept that the Universe itself is the body of God, or God itself. So it must be with the minds projection of life after death and the mental creation of worlds that we supposedly inhabit after death. It has been stated by many Spiritual Masters that the thought forms we create manifest at different levels of conscious reality. Therefore, the collective thought forms of a great number of people must indeed produce illusory worlds or heavens and hells that we are supposed to inhabit after death. It should of course be realized that all these worlds only exist as mind projections and have no real existence beyond the various levels of duality.

Q9. You have used the phrase Consciousness is the only doer and Consciousness is the only witness. These statements seem to be contradictory since doer-ship and witnessing are opposite functions, can you explain what you mean?

Consciousness as the doer and Consciousness as the witness seem to be contradictory when expressed separately. In fact both these concepts and many others can function in parallel and in complementary ways without any hindrance. They are not functional contradictions but are apparently only verbal contradictions. Consciousness appears to have many functions. In fact, it is the Motivator of all actions. But, some aspects of Consciousness like the mind and ego, which function from within the supposed entity, create the feeling of separation and independence with free will and choice of action. Thus the sentient body-mind complex takes on an independence of its own, giving the impression that it is a separate doer. But Consciousness cannot be restricted to only one particular function or another since ultimately everything is just another aspect of Consciousness. While Consciousness is the only Universal Doer as the Life Force in all beings, it is also the Universal Witness as the subjective Absolute Consciousness. The objective Universe is but a reflection or mirror image within Consciousness. Therefore, Consciousness is not only the Doer of all actions but at the same time is the Witness of all that apparently takes place within it-Self as Manifestation. So, it is because of Consciousness that all happens. It is because of Consciousness that all life exists and comes into being. Consciousness is not only the Cause of manifestation, but also sustains it because of Its perpetual and eternal presence. At the same time It also is the silent Universal Witnesses of all events and actions in Creation. When Awakening takes place within a separate individual entity it is of an impersonal nature. Thus individualized Consciousness, which religionists call the individual soul, Awakens to the knowledge that in fact it has never been separate from the Universal Over-Soul.

Q10. Religions such as Christianity, Judaism and Islam talk of an individualized human soul. Buddhism sees all as a universal Energy that may sometimes take form and return to earth. Hinduism states that the soul incarnates again and again until it gets liberated from the cycle of birth and death. Which of these concepts are true and are they not ultimately contradictory?
It is not necessary to reject out of hand any of these concepts. Neither is it necessary to accept them as more than concepts that satisfy the aspirations of those who propagate these beliefs. Whatever concept is used to explain Reality it can only point to the truth, or at best be asign post showing the way , but it can never be the Absolute Truth since That is beyond duality, beyond time and space. Nevertheless it would be wise to look at the reasons for these contradictions. All the major religions seem to have two sides to their philosophies or belief systems. The exoteric that caters for the mass of their followers and the esoteric which is followed by a relatively few seekers interested in the deeper truths of the esoteric teachings of their respective religions. The great majority of people, of whatever belief or religion they actively follow, would seem to be content to accept, amongst other positive aspects, the doctrine of love, good will, compassion, generosity and kindness and an adherence to a good positive

moral code. Of course most of these religions also stress the supposed reality of an eternal Heaven for those whose lives have been free from evil and eternal damnation in hell for sinners and evil ones. It would be far better if man were able to transcend the narrow confines of the concept of the separate entity he believes himself to be and exchange this erroneous concept for the awesome reality of what man really is the Divine itself. The truth is that all sentient beings in essence are indeed God him-Self. All living beings are the objective expressions of the One, Infinite, Universal and Pure Consciousness. It is only in the ancient Wisdom and in the teachings of the ancient Masters that this direct message of immortality is given to us. At the present time when the vibrations of a higher consciousness increasingly pervades the world, it is those with the courage to speak with utter conviction and belief in the teachings of the ancient Wisdom, that could bring back to humanity the lost knowledge and truth found in the ancient Wisdom.

Q11. God is portrayed as a loving God of infinite compassion who is always present and ready to answer our prayers. Yet our world is full of suffering, poverty, disease, hunger and cruelty. How then can God be a loving God when so much suffering exists?
The un-Awakened man can indeed be forgiven when subjected to intense suffering himself or when he witnesses the suffering of others questions the compassionate loving nature of God. The ancient Wisdom teaches that everything in the objective universe has its interconnected opposite. Therefore, in its functioning in duality, the opposites of all things or events have to be present so that manifestation can appear visibly in its objective form. We, the incarnating body-mind instruments incarnate to fulfil various events that have to take place according to the Divine Script or Will. It is also the result of karmic consequences of all individuals, past and present, which determine the roles that will be played in future incarnations by individuals. At one time or another we fulfil positive or negative rolls, as the case may be. But, as long as we think in terms of independent separate beings we take on the doership of our actions. Therefore it is our own actions that create our destiny in the objective world. Thus the supposedly good and evil acts committed by humanity that are attributed to God are really part of a grand play created by ourselves as apparent individual entities identified with the body. It is Gods Will that the Drama played on the world stage follows the law of karma and its consequences or cause and effect. Therefore we are the constructors of our own destines while we are still un-Awakened and so no blame can be attributed to God who is the witness to this drama. While one is immersed and involved in the coils of the objective world the human being erroneously takes on the doer-ship of all his actions. He therefore suffers the consequences, or reaps the rewards of those actions in this life or a future one. The identity with the body-mind complex also brings the destiny of the supposed individual forged by past actions into fruition as the events that are bound to take place as destiny in the individuals life. It is not the actions of a cruel and despotic God that

create the conditions that become our destiny in life, but it is our very own actions now and those of the past that creates destinies for future entities. All this happens in duality within the objective universe of self-referring universal laws. The objective Universe exists in Consciousness as a dream or mirror image within Itself and only attains a relative reality because Consciousness infuses our world with conscious dynamic energy. The Universe has no substance of its own. It really is only a vast pattern of energy waves that exists due to the presence of Consciousness and solidifies in certain areas causing the visible Universe to become apparent. Therefore from the highest spiritual point of view all that has manifested is only an appearance in Consciousness. Everything, including the sentient beings, is really no more than dream objects or images dreamed by Consciousness. If these concepts are taken into consideration and the understanding has gone deep enough then there should be no reason to grieve over imagined losses that one may incur, or gloat over perceived gains that come ones way, or speculate about the joys and injustices in the world which can only be the functioning of the interrelated opposites. The Awakened man knows exactly what the truth is and plays his role to the best of his ability. He has realized that he himself, in essence, is the Divine itself.

Q12. The ancient Wisdom teaches that Manifestation is comparable to a dream. If this is so then why do we experience it as reality? Is it not a contradiction to describe it as a dream?
Manifestation can indeed be compared to a dream, as is taught in the ancient Wisdom. When we are asleep and experience the dream state we are not aware of any other reality other than the dream itself. The characters, scenery and objects in the dream take on a reality that cannot be denied, and moreover, the dreamer not only experiences the dream within his individualized consciousness but often plays a central role in it. It is only after the dreamer awakens that the dream is recognized as a dream and is regarded as such. Accordingly, manifestation too is dreamed by Universal Consciousness and takes on a relative reality as perceived through its instruments which are the body-mind complexes that Consciousness identifies with. It is almost impossible for the individual to accept that as an objective appearance he is only a dream image. Just as the sleeper of a sleeping night dream awakens at some point and realizes that his experiences in the dream were only the result of the dream itself, so it is with the waking dream that he experiences while in the waking state. At some point, in one life or another according to Divine Will or destiny, some individual Consciousnesses encased in body-mind complexes Awaken to their true State and realize that this waking dream is only a dream that they themselves are dreaming as and within Consciousness. So, all the joys and sorrows, all the good and evil, gains and losses, the heavens and hells and the totality of life, as well as death, is a dream in which Consciousness witnesses everything and imagines it to be real.

Q13. The concepts of infinity and eternity seem difficult to comprehend since Manifestation and everything contained within It is time bound and finite. How would you incorporate these concepts into one comprehensive whole?
Human beings can think and solve problems in duality but they cannot experience their own Whole-ness from within it. The human mind cannot go beyond the confines of the dualistic world, unless of course it has become Awakened or Enlightened. For Enlightened beings the concepts of time and space do not exist as realities. These concepts make possible the appearance of manifestation in space and time. Space and time are concepts that can have no absolute reality. Our truth lies beyond duality and can never be found in the objective Universe because all that appears in duality is time bound and is only relatively true. The truth of our being lies in the Atmic or fourth State, the Godly State, the Totality that incorporates infinity and eternity themselves. It is only the Divine Principle, the Atmic Reality or Universal Consciousness that has neither birth nor death and exists eternally. While immersed in the state of duality we can never know or experience Absolute Reality. The eye can see everything else but cannot see itself. Thus, when the Liberated or Awakened one has transcended duality with the aid of the inner senses and the mirror of Consciousness, he remains what he has always been, the eternal, Divine Principle itself.

Q14. It is said that karmic consequences manifest in ones life, but you have said quite often that the concept of karma has been misinterpreted by spiritual scholars, and if that is the case does it not conflict with established beliefs regarding karmic accountability?
A logical analysis regarding karmic accountability would show quite clearly that by no stretch of the imagination could the same entity, ego or personality reincarnate and face karmic consequences. This is because when death occurs the entity is irrevocably gone for ever. After death what remains are thought forms consisting of unfulfilled desires, needs and mental impressions that survive the death of the physical body. At some point in the future they will be transferred to another incarnating body-mind complex. So, it is specific mental impressions and qualities and predispositions that are infused into new body-mind complexes and not the personality of a previous entity. This process happens in order to fulfil future karmic events that may take place on universal and personal levels. It is not the individual mind, ego or personality of a past entity that inhabits a new body, but it is a completely different entity that experiences the consequences of past actions in a new incarnation. On the other hand, individualized Consciousness, or dualistic mind, creates the illusory independent entity, but, in reality is it-Self the Universal Consciousness having

forgotten Its true Nature. Finally, at some point the individual awakens to the truth that it is not the individualized entity it thought itself to be and realizes the awesome truth of its own true Nature. That he is in fact absolute Consciousness it-Self. As long as an individualized Consciousness remains un-Awakened to its own true Nature it does not lose the vale of illusory conditions and qualities with which it functions in duality. After the death of the body the individualized mind continues to evolve towards mergence with the Over-mind or Universal Spirit and clothes itself in a mental body of a higher consciousness. Now the vale hiding its true Nature is of a much finer material and this allows a much greater expansion of consciousness into higher conscious States. The body and environment it creates for itself is a projection of mind and lasts as long as karmic consequences allow before it again incarnates on the earth plane. The truth is that all these movements in Consciousness are but mind projections and only have a relative reality. This must be borne in mind when trying to define the accountability of present and past karmic actions and their consequences. It seems from the dualistic point of view that there is an apparent mental link from one life to another but this link should not include that which has no absolute reality. That is the illusory natures or personalities of separate entities and egos. There are absolutely no grounds for assuming that there is a series of entities all linked together because of the transferences of mental qualities and dispositions to other body-mind complexes. So in reality there is no one specifically who can be held responsible for past or present karma. Ultimately a definitive answer as to the very precise laws controlling the functioning of manifestation, and therefore the law of karma, is impossible. The Absolute truth is beyond time and space and duality, so all that can be done is to follow pointers to the truth that has come to us from the ancient Masters and Enlightened beings. Relative realities are open to investigation because even though their space-time frames are different from ours in this world they still fall within duality and can be accessed to in deep meditation. They carry the same degree of reality as our world but they are usually experienced with increased purity and a widened consciousness. Our world is as much a dream creation or projection as are all other levels of Consciousness, until individualized Consciousness rediscovers the Overmind State. Then it crosses the boarder into pure Subjectivity and into Absolute Consciousness itself. But, we can never experience Truth while still in the grip of duality. Of course as our true Reality we have always been That. Karmic accountability is a spiritual working principle that affects the supposed individual at the ground level, at the level where the mind takes itself to be an independent entity with free will and choice of action. Therefore the supposed individuals mind assumes the doer-ship of all actions and also the consequences of all actions. Thus a future entity will be burdened by projections of the mind of a previous entity. What can be more illusory than the illusion that mind is an object of Reality rather than a bundle of energized thought forms? In fact individualized mind is temporarily only an aspect of Universal Consciousness.

Finally the question of accountability, from the non-dualistic point of view, should be answered. The ancient Masters, when faced with the many spiritual contradictions that were encountered by their students, often used examples taken from life to explain spiritual truths. One such example is the word Lila. This is a Sanskrit word which describes manifestation as the cosmic Dream of The Divine. The dream analogy is a good example in helping to understand the Cosmic Play. In fact the dream world of the sleeping dream is in no way different to the waking dream of our daily experiences. Both worlds are relatively real from their own prospective containing similar objective phenomenon and experiences. Of course the time scale of the sleeping dream seems shorter but this is only so from the waking stand point. In both cases when Awakening happens each dream state respectively is recognized as being unreal, or as having only a relative reality and not an absolute reality. Nevertheless, in duality there must be a solution of continuity so that the functioning of Manifestation can proceed according to the Will God. The Buddha, when confronted with the question of accountability, was reputed to have said, A sound is made here and an echo returns from somewhere else. In other words the echo of accountability returns in an unknown and un-connected entity, willed by Consciousness. No one holds the personal dreamer responsible for the atrocities or joys that take place in his personal dream. Similarly Absolute Consciousness or God should not be blamed or praised for what happens in its own Universal Dream. The fact of the matter is that the only thing that exists is Consciousness and everything else is some aspect of It. Life is a means by which individualized Consciousness that had forgotten its true Nature can rediscover it-Self. Karmic accountability in duality is not a means of punishment or reward which is meted out to a specific entity for past or present actions, but is a positive spiritual principle that applies to the un-awakened. It provides a possibility of attaining that which is called Liberation or Self-realization.

Q15. Spiritual scholars often refer to pre-destiny as a fact. If everything is already mapped out and destined to happen then why are we told to do our best, to try harder, to achieve our highest potential? Does that not bring out the contradiction of who is the doer?
There would indeed be a contradiction if doer-ship had been the real issue of contention. In fact there is no contradiction because there is no dispute from the nondualistic point of view that Consciousness is the real doer. Since we dont know the outcome of any of our actions in duality the fact that many of us strive to fulfil our highest potential is quite in order. In fact it is the basis on which progress in all fields of human endeavour is based. On the other hand taking on doer-ship often precipitates the slide into dualism and all the ills that come due to greed, selfishness, hate, pride and other egotistical traits. Consciousness is all there is, and therefore the apparent individual entities infused with the Life Force, an aspect of Consciousness, can only be instruments with which Consciousness functions within duality. Pure Consciousness being without qualities or attributes and being pure Subjectivity is a Witness to all that happens within it-Self as Universal Consciousness. But in Its aspect as the Life Force is responsible for all the

activity that takes place in duality. It should be remembered of course that the world is a stage in which the Divine plays endless scenes throughout eternity. Even though our destiny and the world destiny is already mapped out and known to Divinity or Absolute Consciousness we have to live our lives as though we have free will and choice of action, so that the Divine Play of interactions and interrelationships can take place and continue indefinitely. The fact that all already exists in the present moment, that the Script from start to finish has already been written, does not in any way change the way in which sentient beings act and react in the world of duality. The predispositions, attributes and qualities that one is born with, and the conditioning one receives throughout life, ensures that all the supposed individual beings will follow a certain pattern of behaviour and will react in the manner that destiny or the Will of God has ordained. Since it is not possible to know the future outcome of any event it would hardly matter to an individual if the outcome of an event was regarded as the result of destiny or free will.

SAI WISDOM
Quotations of Sri Sathya Sai Baba on Absolute Truth
1. To begin with, you must know who you really are. Are you the body? If you are the body then why do you say, this is my body? Since you call it my body you must be something different from the body. When you say my heart then that means that you are something different from your heart; your heart is an object possessed by you, the owner. In the worldly way we declare, this is my brother, this is my sister, this is my mind, my body my intellect. The unchanging element in all of these declarations is the my. The true I, which gives rise to this me, is really the deepest consciousness in everyone and in everything. It is called Chaitanya, the Divine Consciousness. 2. Consciousness is all-pervading. It is within you, around you, below you, above you, and beside you. Truly, it is you. This Chaitanya is to be found everywhere, in everything in the world. But to realize it, the mind must be turned inwards. You must become inner-directed and search out your truth by realizing that you are not this, you are not that. Neti, neti, neti. You are not the mind, you are not the body, and you are not the intellect. Then who are you? The answer comes, I am I.Aham. This is the right path to follow for Self-realization. This path can only develop out of the path of love, the path of devotion. To search for God there is no other way. 3. It is I who am shining in you. This word I does not belong to the body. It emanates from the higher self, from the Atma itself. This I should not be associated with the body nor the mind nor the intuitive faculty, nor any other aspect of the individual for it transcends all these limitations and relates to the unlimited Atma alone. 4. The entire world is inexplicably bound up with time. It is not possible to fight against this element of time. Time does not wait for anyone. Man has to follow time it does not follow man. Time can be compared to a great flow. All men and all living beings are washed away by this flow of time. A person, who is washed away by a flood, cannot take protection and shelter in something which is itself being washed away. Man, as well as the objects in which he has taken shelter, are all being washed away by the flood of time. If you seek to gain protection from something that is itself being washed away it is like a blind person following another blind person; in the end they both get lost. However, if you were to be helped by someone who is standing securely on the bank then you would surely be saved. The one on the bank, who is not caught up in the flood of time, is God. Anyone who takes refuge in God will be able to free himself from all the troubles and problems associated with the principle of time. 5. Just as was true in ancient times, this problem of how and where to find God has become a perplexing question for mankind today. To solve this problem numerous Rishis in ancient times made the firm resolve to use all their skills and all their penance to find the solution. These sages revealed where they searched and how they came to know about the existence of the effulgent Lord. Finally, they declared to the world at large, O citizens, we have been able to see and comprehend that transcendental Principle that exists beyond this visible and created world. It is not in the external world or in outer space, but it is within your own inner self that the blissful Lord will be found.

It is in your inner vision, within your soul, in the sacred heart inside this very body that He resides. 6. You have to firmly believe that the Divine Principle, the Godhead, in the form of the self-effulgent Flame that resides in everybody and in everything. Once you recognize the presence of God dwelling in everyone, once the Unity is recognized in all this apparent diversity, then you will no longer be able to hate anyone. 7. When you perceive only the one God who is all-pervasive, then where is there a need for any image at all? Can there be any place where He is not? When the entire world is the mansion of the omnipresent Lord, then where should you look to find the door, to enter His mansion? If there were a separate street and a separate house, then there would have to be a door that opens onto the street; but in truth, there is no street at all. When the all-pervasive Lord is everywhere, how can there be any special place where you must seek Him to find Him? No, there is no special place where He resides. Once you realize that He is everywhere at all times, then the true perception of the Divinity is not that of an object whose reflection is seen in various places, but the realization that there is only you, the Atma, the one Self, abiding everywhere, present in everything in all its fullness. This all-pervasive perception of the Divinity as the One without a second is called Advaita. 8. Every day at every time there will be changes occurring in all the objects of Creation. These changes are not artificial, they are not imaginary, but they are natural and inherent in the very nature of the objects. Once you recognize that the world is basically a stage for the continuous natural occurrences of changes and that change is inherent in the very nature of the objects of the world, then you will become free from suffering. 9. You alone are True. You, your-Self are the Truth. The You who was present as Pure Consciousness in both the dream state and the waking state. That You, who witnessed both these states, is the true Reality. Life during the daytime is a day-dream; during the night it is a night-dream. They are both illusions. They are filled with defects and flaws because they constantly change from one thing to another; so, they cannot be real. Only you who remain unchanged in all these states are real, free of all change and illusion. 10. Once you have established detachment from the sense objects then the sense organs will no longer be able to bind the mind. A mind, which is free from the control of the senses, will become pure and transparent; it will no longer exercise its covering influence on the Atma. When the veil of the mind dissolves the self has a vision of itSelf. Then you become immersed in the Unity of all existence and enjoy the Ananda which is your true Nature. 11. The Indweller of your body is the only permanent entity. When you inquire after Truth you will realize that there is nothing like old age and that there is nothing like death for the indwelling Self. If you could understand that this Indweller, who is your own reality, is God, then you will know the truth and enjoy infinite Peace. The body is given to you in order that you may recognize its Indweller. Without a body you would not be able to know Him; you would not be able to perform any activity and follow any karma. All karmas can only be performed with the help of the body.

12. In the knowledge of the world there will always be this reaction, reflection and resound. Whatever you do will react back on you; whatever you say will resound back to you; whatever you think will reflect back to you. But in the spiritual domain there is no reaction, no reflection and no resound. There, there is only transcendental Knowledge; that is the true Knowledge. There you will find no objects which can react, nothing that can reflect or resound, because there, there will be no other. There all is One. Whenever there is a second entity there will be a wish to either possess it or escape it. In other words, there will arise a feeling of desire or a feeling of fear. However, when you are immersed in real Knowledge you will experience nothing else and no one else; there will be no second. Then neither desire nor fear can arise. That State can best be described as Wisdom, the Highest Knowledge. In that exalted State you do not see anything and you will not hear anything. You will only be immersed in supreme Bliss. This is the eternal joy of Sat- Chit- Ananda. 13. The wavering sense organs can never give you permanent joy. Only when you gain the knowledge of Atma will you experience the true Joy. All other knowledge and education can only help you to eke out a livelihood. Knowledge of the Atma alone is true education. With That you will be able to enjoy the Unity of all existence. Once you identify your-self with the Divinity that is within everything, there can be no further clashes arising from any sense of difference. Once you experience that everything is Vasudeva, that the whole world is nothing but God, then you will even give up the practice of discrimination, for when everything is seen as One, the question of discrimination does not arise. 14. Remember that in truth, you are the Indweller, the Dehi, and not the body, the Deha. You are the one who wears the cloth; you are not the cloth itself. You are the resident of the house, not the house. You are the knower of the field, the Kshtrajna, but you are mistaking yourself to be the field, the Kshetra. Enjoyment of impermanent things can only give you impermanence; these momentary pleasures and enjoyments will only result in sorrow. Fickle things will lead you to fickle-mindedness. Therefore, keep your mind steady and discharge your duties, remembering Atma. Do not think or worry about birth and death or the joy and sorrow that accrue to you. Birth and death are relevant only to the body they do not refer to You. You are not the body; you are the permanent entity which is free from birth and death. You do not have either a beginning or an end. You were never born and You will never die; nor will You ever kill anyone. You are the Atma. You are all-pervasive. Verily, you are God. Youre very Self is God and God is yourself; Atma is Brahman and Brahman is Atma. 15. To begin with, you must understand this most important principle, which is that You are not the body; You are the Indweller. When you understand that, you will no longer be bothered by body-consciousness. The body is temporary. God is eternal and permanent. You are not the cloth but the one who wears the cloth. Therefore it is said that the body is the temple of God and the indweller is God Himself. This world is impermanent and full of sorrow. There is no use taking refuge in it. All the people you know will change. God is the only fixed entity. He is the one Lamp that is not ever extinguished. Take shelter in Him. He is the Supreme Light, the Paramjyothi; He is the Light of every soul, the Jivanjyothi. He is the unlimited and un-diminishable Light, the Akandajyothi; He is the one Light, without a second, the Avaitajyothi.

16. Although joy naturally emanates from the core of your heart, you think that you are deriving joy from the sense-objects and the sensory organs. However, this is not so. All joy comes from within you and you have deluded yourself into thinking that it comes from something outside. The scriptures speak of Brahmananda, the ethereal Joy that emanates from the heavenly world of Brahma, the Creator. The joy, which can be experienced through the contact of the senses with the sense objects is extremely small when compared to that derived from Brahmananda. The sensory joy may be described as a drop in the ocean of Brahmananda. But even this vast ocean of Brahmananda is itself as small as an atom when compared with the boundless Joy that radiates from within the spiritual Heart. That is the primary source of all joy. The heart can be compared to a most splendorous and effulgent light which shines everywhere. Try to understand this brilliant spiritual Light, which is ever luminous and all-pervading. 17. In the state of Turiya you are able to see everything everywhere, and enjoy Bliss supreme. Whose is the Light that illuminates this Bliss State and permits you to experience this unmitigated Joy? The Light is the effulgence that emanates from the Atma. It is this Light that illuminates all the other states as well, and enables you to see them. In the Vedas the Rishis have spoken of this Turiya State. They said, We are able to see a state which transcends the others, including the darkness of the dreamless state. Beyond the dreamless state is the supreme Light of the Atma which illuminates the waking, the dream and the deep-sleep states. To understand this a little, consider an example from the waking state. When you close your eyes for a minute, what exactly are you seeing? You will say that there is nothing there, only absolute darkness. Then the question arises, Who is it that is seeing this darkness? Because you see it as darkness, you describe it thus; then there must be a Light of consciousness that enables you to see even this darkness. That is the Light of Atma, the Atma-Jyothi. It is only through this transcendental Light that all the other lights are shining. 18. In order to reach your goal the road must be steady. Similarly, because the Atmic Source, the Indweller of your heart, is permanent and steady, you are able to enjoy the things of the world which are impermanent and changing. The world is fleeting; it is fickle and full of sorrow. Living in a world which is undergoing so many changes and modifications it is impossible to enjoy permanent Bliss. Let go of it and turn towards the transcendental Principle; turn towards Atma. It is forever steady and unchanging; there you will find the unending Joy that you have been seeking futilely outside in the world. 19. There is the ever-present Atma, there is the spiritual teaching, and there is the yearning for Enlightenment, but still, a teacher must come and transmit that immortal Knowledge to you. In the case of Atma-Vidya, the sacred Knowledge of the Self, the teacher that comes to instruct you is the world teacher, the Jagath-Guru; it is God Himself, who will guide you to your Goal. If you are ready to realize the underlying Reality of all the objects of the world and to discover the divine Principle within you, then you need the true Guru, the Jagath-Guru to teach you; and He will surely come and do so. 20. The human mind, when it is expanded to infinity becomes equal to the Creative Principle that has brought forth this universe. The Self in man and the Divinity that dwells within him are the same. Add infinity onto yourself and you become the Divinity itself. Unfortunately, having become embodied you have forgotten your Divinity, your

unlimited infinity; you are aware only of your limited individuality. If you want to attain the infinity, you must make an inquiry into the Divinity which is inherent in you. 21. From the moment you get up in the morning until you go to bed at night, you go on saying I I I and myself and mine. However, even when you say I, do you know who this I really is? You say this is my body this is my intelligence, this is my inner feeling, these are my senses, but do you ever ask yourself, who am I? If you never inquire into your own Truth, what good is all the education you have acquired? If you will not make the effort to do it yourself, then who else will come and remove the writing that is on your forehead? You say, this is my body you do not say I am this body. When you say, this is my body you are declaring that you and the body are different and separate from each other. If you then inquire who is this you who is saying this, then you will be led to the indweller. You must inquire who this indweller is, in other words, who owns all these things. Only when there is an owner can there be any meaning in saying this is my property, this is my land. Only the master who owns the property would say this property is mine. For the body-mind, this master is the Indweller. This master will not undergo any change; he will never leave you. Therefore, by means of inner inquiry, you should try to discover and recognize this unchanging indwelling Divinity which is your true Reality. 22. Man has taken human birth in order to become Divine. Human life has been given to you so that you can reach the highest plane of God-Consciousness. You have to attain an achievement That, which is of extraordinary significance. You have been given life so that you may realize the Divinity which is inherent within you. Your primary duty as a human being is to give up the things which are impermanent and attain those things which are permanent. 23. The body gains its luster from the Indweller, who is God. As long as the Indweller resides in the body, it will be full of fragrance and full of life. The moment the Indweller leaves the body it becomes foul and obnoxious. Without its Indweller, the body is a reprehensible thing; far from being fragrant with perfume, it just emits a bad smell moment to moment. The process of transforming a body with such repugnant qualities into an instrument for serving humanity and realizing the Divinity can provide great joy and inner satisfaction. However, man thinks of his body only as a means of giving him physical pleasure, and so, he uses his body primarily in the wrong ways. The body has been given in order to understand the Dehi, the Indweller. 24. When you think of this Bhutakasha and your own place in it, you can see that physically you are the merest speck in that vast Totality. Can such a tiny speck ever hope to understand the Totality? Can a mere drop ever hope to measure the whole ocean? Yet this Ocean is itself constantly undergoing changeand so does the whole earthand so does everything else in Bhutakasha. The world in which you are living is temporary and transient. How can an insignificant, temporary entity living in a transient world try to understand the infinite, limitless, permanent Entity? To understand the permanent Entity, you must occupy a permanent place within that permanent Entity. Body, personality and individuality are all temporary. They can be compared to a mirage. Man is trying to quench his thirst from a mirage. A mirage appears to be water, but there is no water there. No cloth can be wetted from a mirage; no bucket can be filled there. You can never quench your thirst there.

25. In the phenomenal world also you have to discover the common element that underlies all the states of experience, and unifies the Bhutakasha, the Chittakasha and the Chidaakasha. You can associate these three Akashas with the three states of consciousness. You can think of the waking-state as the Bhutakasha, the dream state as the Chittakasha, and the deep-sleep state as the Chidaakasha. Beyond these three states, interpenetrating them and common to all of them is a fourth State, the Turiya; that is the super-conscious State, the transcendental State. Sushupti, which is the deep-sleep state, will not provide you with the permanent experience of real Bliss. It is only after you come back to the waking-state from deep sleep that you feel that you have enjoyed peace. But in Turiya, the super-conscious State, you will be able to enjoy the true Ananda of eternal Bliss, and remain fully conscious of It always. 26. There are a number of striking differences in your experience of the dream -state and those of the waking-state. In this situation what should you believe? You may ask, which is true, which is not true? Am I the one who experiences all this various happenings in the waking-state, or am I the one who experiences all those other happenings in the dream state? Vedanta gives the answer; Im neither this nor that. I am not the one experiencing the waking-state, nor am I the one experiencing the dream-state, nor am I the one asleep in the deep-sleep state. I transcend all these. I am the transcendental Reality itself. 27. The permanent unchanging Entity which pervades all living beings, all matter and all space has been called the Indweller. The body is impermanent; it comes and goes, but the Indweller remains forever the same. Another name for the Indweller is the Atma, the immortal Self or the Spirit, underlying everything. In the world, which may be thought of as the body of God, God Himself is the indweller. God and the Self are one and the same. This principle of Atma, which is eternal, permanent and everlasting, is The Indweller of all bodies. For that reason it is called the Dehi in Sanskrit, or the Indweller of Deha, the body. 28. When you have the firm belief that the same Divinity exists in every heart, then every obstacle is overcome. When you have full faith in the indwelling Divinity then anything and everything becomes yours. That faith is the key, the very root of spiritual life. Catch hold of that. That is your goal. If you want to fell a tree, you do not need to keep cutting away at the branches and leaves. If you cut at the roots, the whole tree comes down. Once you catch hold of the Divinity everything comes under your control. To catch hold of the Divinity in your daily life, you have to practice the Sadhana of developing compassion for all beings. And you must develop both inner and outer purity, keeping both body and mind sparkling clean. Only then will you be able to recognize the Divinity that is ever present everywhere. 29. Your faith in the omnipresent is the key to developing fearlessness. Only when you lose faith will you develop fear, only when you forget your true Self will fear arise. You have forgotten your own true Nature; you have forgotten the Atma. You are considering yourself to be this little five-foot body, but the truth is that you are infinite in form and that your power is unlimited. When you make an effort to remove the delusions and get a vision of the Atma, you become merged in Nirvana; then you can call yourself a real human being.

30. What is the deeper meaning of this chariot? How many such chariots are there? The chariot that is being spoken of here is the human body. Therefore, there is not just one chariot but millions upon millions of chariots. Every day these chariots move from street to street and house to house taking the indwelling resident in procession. You have been developing your vision in such a way that you see only the body and its external features or the expressions connoting various emotional states, but you have not learned to develop the internal vision, the vision which perceives the indwelling person in this chariot of the body and understand who he really is. It is a very rare individual who attempts to look deeper, beyond the external and superficial aspect of the body, and beyond the emotional and mental traits of the individual to try and discover the sacred Atmic Principle, which is there inside. 31. Body is the consequence of action; it is associated with time, circumstance and causation. However, this applies only to the waking state. In the dream state, the body is inactive, so there cannot be any action at all; there will only be the illusion or Maya. In dream all the senses will be still. In the state of deep-sleep, which has been called the causal state, there will not even be any mind. Beyond this state is the great Cause, the Mahakarana, which transcends the causal state. That is the Divinity. 32. It is the inner vision that is important; it alone is true and sacred. You lose sight of the one Reality, of your own Truth, because you pay attention only to the impermanent outer vision and forget completely the permanent inner vision. Gods mission is to restore this sacred inner vision. This is what He does when He comes as Avatar. Whatever actions you perform during the time you are on this earth, know that they are all impermanent. In time, you will discover that everything in this world is temporary; your relationships, your attachments, your accomplishments, the sense of individuality you have developed, are all going to disappear. Everything is washed away in the flow of time. If you try to catch hold of things and to cling to things which are themselves being carried away by this flow of time, what chance is there for you to be saved and to reach that Perfection which is forever unaffected by this flow, which not only is never subject to it, but is always its Master. 33. There is a State which is far beyond and far more sacred then heaven. Do not consider heaven as a permanent place. When you have exhausted your merits, you will have to leave heaven and return to the earth. Heaven is only a temporary camp; you will not be able to reside there permanently. Perhaps you think that in heaven you can enjoy so many bodily and mental pleasures; but, in truth, the pleasures you get there are only a little greater than those you get on earth. There is a State, which is far, far beyond, far more sacred. That State may be reached by identifying yourself with God, by associating yourself with Atma, by merging yourself with Brahman. In order to attain this State you will have to become totally desire-less and selfless; you will have to perform all your actions without expecting any fruits from them. 34. You are not this body; it is only temporary and transient. You are the Witness, the Indweller, the Atma inside this body. This six-foot frame is not you. You are the Cosmic Personality; you are boundless. This body is subject to birth and death. You, however, are the Atma that is birth-less and deathless. You are not a limited individual, subject to the passage of time. You are the most effulgent Form that has conquered and mastered time itself. Discriminate between the permanent and the impermanent! Inquire into wisdom and ignorance! Distinguish between truth and untruth! Recognize

your real Nature! Censure and praise are associated with the body; they are not permanent. Profit and loss are associated with activity and not with the Atma. Be indifferent to them. Treat joy and sorrow equally. Only when you develop this kind of equal mindedness will you be able to realize true fulfillment. 35. All people will not be able to understand the omniscience of God. Even spiritually minded people will base their view only on the visible outward actions of the Lord, thinking of Him as an individual entity associated with a given form. As they identify themselves with their own bodies, so they also identify the Lord with a particular body. They speculate on the future of this particular Divine incarnation and fail to recognize the omnipresence and omniscience of Divinity. 36. Within the body is the spiritual heart, and within that heart is God. In your body, also, is the individual soul, the Jiva. These two, God and Jiva, appearing to live separately inside the body, are playing together, acting out their parts in a grand Drama. They will come together and come apart again, as directed by the author who has written this play. He assigns separate roles to good and bad, virtue and sin. However, in truth, there is only the one Divinity that plays all parts. From the standpoint of the body, there is the individual Jiva inside and there is God, in the heart. As long as you have the delusion of the body these two remain separate entities enjoying their Play. As soon as the delusion disappears, they merge into the One allpervasive Divine Principle. When you remove the false delusion of body- consciousness, you bring about the union of Jiva and God. Then you are established in Divine Consciousness and enjoy eternal Bliss.