The Key to the Door

For those who find the non-dual "path " has appeal, the danger of "dryness " often becomes an issue. Those of us who have an "intellectual " leaning will often try to find answers in the mind long after the mind's usefulness is spent. The question as to why we do this, especially in the West, requires us to look a bit at the position we come from.

Many of us on the spiritual "path " of non-duality, in what ever form it takes, come to it from some other faith or spiritual background. Many come from a Christian background that they found unsatisfying or terrifying in turns, looking for something with 'less rules " or "more personal freedom or participation ". It took me over 30 years to discover that the Christian Church had a mystical, non-dual side. I have always believed that the "pull " of other forms of spirituality is often based in their "otherness".

If you are brought up in a Christian Church, or any other spiritual system that has "ritualized " practices or beliefs, those practices and beliefs become, at first, charged with meaning. Later they become less important, particularly when we observe uncomplimentary clergy or congregational behavior that indicates lack of belief, if not downright hypocrisy. But apart from the hypocrisy, we begin to lose interest in the same "stories " we have heard over and over. We forget that the stories are spiritual "pointers " and start making them into history, or worse, law ! Under these circumstances it is not surprising that a "religion of the mind " might become popular.

When we delve into Eastern spirituality, this "religion of the mind ", many exciting images arise. Not only new stories, new Gods, but new words and ideas to expand our "knowledge ". Even though images in your own spiritual system may point to the same truth, these new, exciting images convey meaning that has become lost in convention or lack of attention and earnestness. These "new gods " we see as much less threatening than the God "that could send us to hell !" We see them as the symbols they are, instead of a hated, oppressive father figure. We see no need for "worship " or devotion. We are free to explore reality with the mind ! But in our rush to find the truth, we throw the baby out with the bathwater.

This idea of a "religion of the mind", Jnana Yoga, self inquiry, non-duality; however you describe it, has often become a "religion" that despises religion. By that, I mean that many will not go beyond the mind in their search. They have only scratched the surface of their own religion or belief system, and now want to dive headlong into a new system that will be logical and reasonable. They say faith has nothing to do with it, love has nothing to do with it. There are no questions as to why monks and nuns, Christian, Buddhist, and Hindu sit in silence for long hours, over periods of many years. It is the silent contemplation of Love, along with living as love in action, that brings us home.

When I was a monk, and writing the rule for the community, I wrote of "spending time before the cross as a way to true knowledge". This can be looked at as a penance to those who neither like stillness or who fear emptiness. But this is the way to Love. We do not sit silently in hopes of getting some new "thought" or "idea". We sit to be silent in Love. This is not some "hippie", romantic notion. By opening all that we hold ourselves to be, by becoming empty vessels, we become filled with the indescribable "knowledge" of Love. Meditation on an object or idea is not a spiritual pursuit, it is mind control. Contemplation on the other hand, is an emptying. a releasing of control. An opening to what is.

We can argue Bhakti vs. Jnana all day. But a combination of the two is vital to any spiritual understanding. No matter how you build your concepts, Western, Eastern, or whatever, living out your spirituality is the only way to be it. The mind can only lead you to the conclusion of words; I am. Stepping into Love openly, with the trust and wonder of a little child, requires going back to the source, the Love itself. The mind leads to the door. The key to the door is Love. Without the key, you can't open the door, and there is no point to the trip! When we were little children we sometimes wore a key around our neck, so as to not lose it. We need to wear this key of Love around our hearts.

The Problem of God.

In the Judaic/Christian Bible, within the Book of Genesis, is the statement about the creation of mankind: " So God created man in his own image, in the image of God created he him; male and female created he them."

The reality here is more like the reverse; man created god in his own image. I realize that the Hindu Gods represent a variety of forms and meanings, but I know little of the gods of India, having my upbringing in Western Christianity. From an absolute standpoint there is only One, both our"selves" and God being lost in it's "isness".

From a relative standpoint, God is separate, yet we intellectually understand "he" is "our" "selves". Advaita would say, not two. From a relative standpoint, we can practice devotion. But we must always keep our hearts on the "pearl of great price"; that Oneness of the Absolute.

I recently read some advice that said that "householders" and "beginners" on the spiritual path should stick with Bhakti and the Gods, as non-dual, self inquiry was not for them. Those with true earnestness, regardless of position, station, or birth can engage both Jnana and Bhakti in this "search for God".

When I was a boy, I lived with my family halfway up a steep hill. Everyday I would walk home from school, and look up at that hill, and think how steep and far it was. One day, when walking home with my Brother, I mentioned how awful climbing that hill was, and he pointed out that we only lived halfway up the hill, and that every day he imagined he had to climb to the top. This caused him to double his effort, and he came to the house before he knew it! I found that this method worked for me too, not only on the hill, but in life and the spiritual search.

The realization of the Absolute seems like quite a struggle. Devotion to God is much easier by comparison. Our minds understand a "physical" God. Our minds understand "submission" to a "higher power". Yet our minds also understand the "I AM", and the concept of the Oneness of reality. Devotion to God, if complete and self sacrificing, will lead to the ultimate Truth. But it is the devotion that leads to the Truth, not God. For only if we recognize that there is something beyond, that requires devotion, because it IS Devotion, can we sustain ourselves until it is uncovered.

We must see and desire only the top of the hill, to muster sufficient effort to reach halfway.

When we lose our "selves" in devotion to God, we lose our "selves", and that is the point of worship; to lose the "self". This applies when we "lose ourselves" in helping others, or in silent meditation. But somewhere along the line, we need to reconcile the separation we create in the act of worship and devotion.

We need to understand that worship has to become, not just what we do, but what we ARE. Our substance is Love. We are created by it, sustained by it, and swim in a "sea" of it. Love, in it's universal and impersonal functioning, is the Absolute. Like the perpetual opening of a perpetual Rose, the manifestation, and it's underlying reality, unfold into the wonder of "life". Both our "selves" and God unfold in this wonder, but only arise when consciousness is aware of itself. Separation begins with the "I AM" when we mistake the "I" for the body/mind. But how do we reconcile this separation?

Bhakti; the devotion to God is the starting place. The devotional practice toward an "other" gets us to step out of our egocentric self long enough to become "empty". Emptiness of this kind attracts grace, and the emptiness becomes filled with Love.

This impersonal Love is the soil in which true Jnana grows. When the mind reaches it's limit at the "I AM", the question arises; why is there love and devotion for a God, an Absolute? And what draws those who seek beyond, some to extreme asceticism and struggle?

And in that struggle, the mind and Love itself, come together and you realize that God and yourself are flowing with the Love, not the other way round. The Love being the only reality. Love is the One. Tat Tvam Asi.

Your Right Balance

I have written a few blogs about the need for Bhakti, in addition to Jnana. It is such an important concept, that I want to drive it home. As God, the One, are Love itself; in it's most impersonal sense, we must be Love to "know" it.

As much as I have emphasized Love, I want to remind you that this relationship between Love and Wisdom has to be in balance. Unlike the illustration, you'r balance may not be "equal", but require a bit more of one or the other.

Perhaps you tend to be on the academic side. Maybe a bit dry. Maybe afraid of emotion, or close human or even animal involvement. Then you may want to work on the heart. Open up. Dwell there in devotion to something. If you have no "belief" in God, thenopen to the universe itself, or that longing that has brought you to this moment. Use your mind to "ground" yourself in your usual way, and then open to Love. Dwell on that which arouses devotion. Once that is established, remove both the "I" thought and the object of devotion. Be still in that place of "empty" devotion. This is your nature. The balance is found.

Maybe you are just the opposite; you are very emotional. Maybe a bit "over the top" emotionally. Maybe always deciding what other's needs are without thinking about their "person-hood". Then you may want to engage in self inquiry. Find out who is being emotional. Step outside the "person" you take yourself to be. Find who you are in the person who's needs you aim to satisfy. Think on them as the Supreme. Do for them with the Love and respect you would give to the Supreme. Give them, and all you meet, from the depths of your mind as well as your heart. Once the mind is established in the "I AM" thought, remove both the "I" thought and the object of your assistance. Be still in that place of "empty" mind. This is your nature. The balance is found.

Each has to find their own Balance.

Wisdom, that is informed by Love itself, will perform only acts in line with the Eternal. Love, informed by Wisdom itself, devotes itself to only the Highest.

Wise Love

"Remembering your self is virtue, forgetting your self is sin. It all boils down to the mental or psychological link between the spirit and matter. We may call the link psyche (antahkarana). When the psyche is raw, undeveloped, quite primitive, it is subject to gross illusions. As it grows in breadth and sensitivity, it becomes a perfect link between pure matter and pure spirit and gives meaning to matter and expression to spirit. There is the material world (mahadakash) and the spiritual (paramakash). Between lies the universal mind (chidakash), which is also the universal heart (premakash). It is wise love that makes the two one."

- Nisargadatta Maharaj, FROM "I AM THAT", Chapter 21

While engaging in another reading of "I AM THAT", Nisargadatta's definitive work, I came upon the words wise love. This use of language is so close to what I have been stressing in my blogs, and so very important, I thought I would look at it closely for a bit.

As we all realize, the mind can take us only to the door of Truth. The key to the door is Grace. We need to look into the heart for Grace. The mind must be clear. The mind must be empty, and lost in the frustration of seeking without finding, to the point of total exhaustion. Then Grace has a chance to enter. There is no guarantee it will; that is the nature of Grace. But an open and Loving heart, free of desire, smooths the path of Grace; for Grace and Love are the same.

Wisdom brings understanding. Love attracts Grace. Together they open all doors, answer all questions.

The mind is full of discoveries, memories, and all of the story that is you and your life. It also contains what you know of Scripture, meditations, and any other "spiritual" practices and knowledge you have "acquired". The heart contains the intuitive sense that you are, and a vague sense of "what" you are. As much as we fight it, the innate sense that we have something to do with love is hard to deny. We mistake it for desire. We call it an "emotion". We contrast it with hate. We feel it pull us in the very "seeking". But we seek with our minds, which really don't want to be left behind, so they convince us the door is "locked". The mind tries to convince us there is no key it can find; so there must not be one. So it confuses and confuses itself so it won't have to face the need to step into the apparent "darkness" of the unknown.

The heart belongs to the unknown. The step into the unknown is all about Trust. Trust is all about how much we Love what we Trust. If we Trust in Love itself; get lost in it; we become it. Once we realize that we are Love itself, all the wisdom we have learned, indeed, all the Wisdom of the ages unfolds in an instant, the key being found. The key is Wise Love.

Karma, Bhakti and Jnana in Service to Others

Matthew 25:

34 Then shall the King say unto them on his right hand, Come, ye blessed of my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world:

35 For I was an hungered, and ye gave me meat: I was thirsty, and ye gave me drink: I was a stranger, and ye took me in:

36 Naked, and ye clothed me: I was sick, and ye visited me: I was in prison, and ye came unto me.

37 Then shall the righteous answer him, saying, Lord, when saw we thee an hungered, and fed thee? or thirsty, and gave thee drink?

38 When saw we thee a stranger, and took thee in? or naked, and clothed thee?

39 Or when saw we thee sick, or in prison, and came unto thee?

40 And the King shall answer and say unto them, Verily I say unto you, Inasmuch as ye have done it unto one of the least of these my brethren, ye have done it unto me.

41 Then shall he say also unto them on the left hand, Depart from me, ye cursed, into everlasting fire, prepared for the devil and his angels:

42 For I was an hungered, and ye gave me no meat: I was thirsty, and ye gave me no drink:

43 I was a stranger, and ye took me not in: naked, and ye clothed me not: sick, and in prison, and ye visited me not.

44 Then shall they also answer him, saying, Lord, when saw we thee an hungered, or athirst, or a stranger, or naked, or sick, or in prison, and did not minister unto thee?

45 Then shall he answer them, saying, Verily I say unto you, Inasmuch as ye did it not to one of the least of these, ye did it not to me.

46 And these shall go away into everlasting punishment: but the righteous into life eternal.

This passage from the King James version of the New Testament speaks of Karma Yoga. It talks not just of helping others, but how the helping is actually worship of the Lord (Christ Consciousness). It also gives us some idea of who we are to help; the hungry, the thirsty, the naked, the stranger and prisoner.

The hungry, thirsty and naked are needy, and arouse a degree of sympathy even in the hard hearted; who may give a small token to relieve their own sense of guilt. The stranger and prisoner are less sympathetic to all but the most devoted, who will be able to see them as the Lord, or the One. This does not happen by accident or chance.

This is where Bhakti, or devotion, and Jnana, or knowledge come into play. Only through Love and contemplation can one be able to see the Lord in the poor, the outcast and the troubled. Jnana brings understanding that the world is all One. Bhakti draws on the Lord's own "reserves" to give us strength to carry on in our work.

Jnana, while giving us the understanding of no-separation, will not give us the understanding of what is needed to actually help others. This is the province of Bhakti. Through worship we draw the Lord's strength by BEING it. We become the Love of God when we worship without subject or object; resting only in the Love that we are. This not only gives us the ability to carry on, but takes the "I" out of the equation, making us closer to both the needy, and the Lord, who are, after all, the same.

Without this worship, this Bhakti, this abandonment of our "selves", we will look for thanks, or praise, or the "good feeling" we get from helping others. My Barber has a little sign on his mirror that says: "Every day do something for someone who can never pay you back." This is it. Worship becomes helping. Helping becomes worship. Not for reward, or a better conscience, but to simply be Loving the Lord in the form of the needy, or even the despised.

Give Love without thought of reward, and you become Love; your True Nature!

The Lord's Prayer, as Advaita Meditation

Of the two places in the Bible that the Lord's Prayer appears, I have chosen Matthew 6: 5-7, as it is used in the context of the Sermon on the Mount. This sermon, outlining much of Jesus' Teaching, describes the kind of attitude necessary for salvation/Awakening.

The prayer, far from being a prayer of petition, although some of that is included, is a meditation on the Absolute; the unlimited potential.

As you look at the Prayer, go deeply into the meaning. You will find a meditation of our "relationship" with God/Absolute, and a method, a framework for "realizing" that.

Our Father, who art in heaven,

Hallowed be thy name.

One of the most important points here is the use of the term "Father" for God. And perhaps, as important, is that it is "Our" Father. Not Christ's alone, but Our Father. All of us are Brothers and Sisters to Christ, and Sons and Daughters of the Absolute. The use of the term Father, shows a familial closeness. God/Absolute as creator, protector. But sometimes Jesus used the word Abba. Abba means Father, but goes further in that it translates as "Daddy", or other affectionate, child- like name. This shows the connection to God/Absolute is Love.

When God/Absolute is seen "in heaven", this is a way of expressing the internal nature of God/Absolute. In Luke 17, Jesus tells us that the Kingdom of Heaven is "within you". He then states that even the name of God/Absolute is Holy.

Thy Kingdom come,

thy will be done,

on earth as it is in heaven.

We already know the Kingdom is within, and this is our opening to it: "thy" will be done. Not me. No "I", just acceptance. Then, of course the "exterior"(earth), will be like unto the interior(heaven).

Give us this day our daily bread.

and forgive us our trespasses,

as we forgive those who trespass against us.

Asking for "daily bread" is a prayer of petition. But a "little" one. And it is necessary to be aware that asking for our "daily bread", our necessary sustenance, may be asking for pain and suffering. Pain and suffering, as well as actual "daily bread", bring healing and strength for this "journey" to "Daddy".

Forgiveness is not something people in Advaita think about much, unless it is in the context of "karma". And this is what is addressed here. "And forgive us our trespasses, AS we forgive those who trespass against us. As we practice forgiveness, so our "bad" karma is lessened.

Most of us will admit selfishness from time to time. This "selfishness" is inherent in the "I". This, at least, is a "trespass".

"Sin", as used by Christ, is really ignorance. "Father forgive them, for they know not what they do." We are called to Love God/Absolute with all our heart, all our soul, and all our mind. This is the prayer; the meditation; that our "trespasses"(ignorance) be forgiven as we use our hearts, souls, and minds to Love.

Use of the heart or soul to love is not hard to imagine, for this is where we place "love". But to love with all our mind.

This is a meditation in itself!

And lead us not into temptation,

but deliver us from evil.

For thine is the kingdom, the power and the glory, for ever and ever, Amen

Lead us not into temptation. The mind. Temptation itself! But is it evil?

If evil is described as that which leads away from the truth, then the mind is the thing! It is hard to place blame on an object which is only a bag of ideas, pictures and phantoms. But, without intent, it stands in the way. Just as a bleeding man was able to say from a cross, "Father forgive them for they know not what they do.", we must "forgive" our minds, and perhaps "mind" as an idea as well. We need to learn to watch thoughts pass. They are harmless unless you grab hold of them. Eventually, when seen for what they are they will disappear altogether. When the bag is empty, and fearless earnestness is present, Love will fill the mind, heart and soul.

For ever and ever. Kingdom, power, glory belong to the Absolute. This is unlimited potential. Amen.

This well known prayer is not only a wonderful bhakti prayer/meditation, but a feast and challenge for the mind to find itself, "forgive" itself, and rest quietly in itself until it is filled with Love.

Peace, Namaste,

Ahimsananda