 Namaste. The world today is a changing place. Finding your dharma, your place and your right action in a world that is shifting and changing in a process of transformation from one age to another can be difficult. To know your place, to your know dharma at this time can be challenging because there are so many distractions, so many electronic engagements to be made, so many ideas available by so many people, and so many beliefs. The world of information is vast, encompassing knowledge from all parts of the globe, encompassing the ideas of all manner of people. And so, people follow different leaders, some opposed diametrically to others. It is confusing and easy to become polarized for in times of great change polarization is natural, it occurs. But for those to aspire to think of sadvipra, one who encompasses all of the different points of view and connects with the divine flow, then it is not taking one side or another but going within and finding the light within, the guidance within. And from that guidance find your true path for you amid all of the ideas, confusion, beliefs, doomsday predictions, and so on between the emergencies, the fears, the literal storms of weather, the droughts, the hurricanes. Amid all of this, do not look with fear to the outside for answers, but calm your mind, go within, and there, with your divine guide, find your dharma. Find what it is that will be in harmony with all life and with the divine flow. I have said this year that divinity will come closer to the earth plane, and be more accessible to living beings, but this means that there will also be more turbulence because that subtle frequency disrupts the status quo, but it is a push to the times to come, to the age to be. Sattva guna will be increasing on the earth plane, but this increase in sattva requires that there be change. Change that is so fundamental is not only a change of attitudes, a change of beliefs, a change of habit, but a change of frequency. For those attuned that will be a great relief. For those not attuned it will cause disruption.  There is a wavelength to the time that has been for some years prominent in the world. A time of materialism, a time where philosophy and the thinking of people made the material world the sum of their ideas. But that time has changed. That is breaking down and the spiritual realm, the subtlety of sattva guna is coming into play.
That does not mean all will be smooth, for a sattva increases as the subtle energies of Parama Purusha become more available and the frequency in the earth begins to shift. The minds of people will be changing and in confusion many times not knowing where the ground is, where they belong, and confused as to whether what they believed in the past is truly the way. But out of that confusion, out of that disruption, humanity will rise like the phoenix to meet the day, to be aligned with the infinite. That is the new dawn rising. That is the new beginning. The question to ask yourself is, will you align yourself with that infinite one? Will you increase sattva guna in yourself? Will you surrender what you have been to the divinity which lies within you and all around you? Will you take this opportunity to walk with the divine, to let the divine permeate you and guide you to move in harmony with the great? Doing this, put aside looking outward. Find your ground, your center with the divine Beloved and let go—let go. That divinity is coming closer; through this year that will come closer still. There will be more access. That means you will have what you need for spiritual alignment. Lord will be there. Surrender. Let go. Let go of what you have held onto. Hold to the infinite one. Let that one fill you, guide you, and align you with dharma. Do not look to organizations, do not look to leaders, do not look to social norms to be your guideposts. Let the infinite one, let Parma Purusha be your guidepost, your polestar, your bright light in the night. Then you have nothing to fear. And being aligned with that one, being aligned with the harmony of the universe you will find your way to live in truth, in love divine, in care and compassion for all beings. And right action will ensure; dharma will prevail, and you will be part of the forces of light that are shifting and changing this world Surrender and act in harmony with this flow from the infinite. You will be more accessible to you as the year goes forward. Remember this, alright? Are there any questions?
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 For hundreds of thousands of years humans have lived upon this planet. They have, each one, struggled to exist, to survive, to have a good life - to live. And in this time throughout history people have encountered various obstacles, difficulties, struggles of the life. These struggles are a natural part of human existence; a natural part of living in this world. There is no time in human history when there hasn't been some sort of difficulty, large or small, personal or collective. Difficulties always arise. But in addition to difficulties there are always periods of personal joy, personal fulfilment, personal expansion. Times when life seems very good. Times when you feel very connected to friends, family, loved ones. Times when you feel there is abundance in your life. These are also natural human experiences. And throughout history people have had both the difficult experiences and the joyous experiences - times of struggle and strife, times of peace and integration. Some people may ask why are there are periods of struggle and strife? Why do obstacles and difficulties arise? Without them, how could you grow without both the personal and collective, obstacles, struggles, and strife? For each human being loves their life, wants to survive, wants to do the maximum to fulfil their destiny and to find true happiness. But in that search and effort to find happiness, many times the happiness of others can be stepped upon. The happiness of one can be at the expense of the happiness of others. And, for the happiness of one, another may suffer - living beings of all species may suffer. And so, as society goes on and the disparity between those who are well off and see profit from the way the society is operating and those who suffer, be they in human form or in other forms, becomes highly divided. There is bound to be some sort of circumstance which begins to level this off, begins to change the situation. In today's world many animals are highly exploited. There has been a degree of human exploitation of the planet that there are many species dying today, completely disappearing from this world. The world is out of balance and to bring that balance back there are forces in nature which adjust, which naturally bring harmony back to the natural world, back to all the living beings. And so, this is a time of adjustment.  It is one adjustment. Until human beings awaken to the harmony they have with all other living beings, rather than trying to put themselves above other beings and exploit others, when they begin to live in harmony and mutual love and respect with all beings, then the world will change.
So, in collective life as well as personal life, there are lessons to be learned from the trials and tribulations and difficulties that arise. Those are nature's way of teaching us, of showing us when we have gone too far down the wrong path, and allowing us to make adjustments, corrections. When people become very extroverted, trying always to find their happiness outside of themselves, then they may be very successful for a time and then hit a period where that success fails them. And you think why is this happening to this person? But, if you saw the entire scope of that person's life and many lives before, you might see that that person has come to a point in their own evolution where what they've been doing, the way they have been approaching their life, is not working. Is not for their higher good, not promoting their true spirit to awaken and arise, not promoting their path home to their source. And so, certain circumstances might arise to make a correction in that path. When that happens then there is an opportunity in life to adjust, to make changes. And the same is true in collective life. It provides an opportunity. So never be daunted by the difficulties that life presents individually or collectively. But, take them in stride as an opportunity to change, to grow, to expand, to go inward to know your inner most self, to become connected to the entirety of your being. Such are the ways that nature adjusts, and the laws of the universe are sustained. This is the path of dharma.  In human life, there are many different types of experiences. There are those times when conflict arises between people. You have one opinion; another has another opinion. You have a judgment of the actions of another person. Conflicts can become collective when leaders assume positions opposed to the ideas of another and then the conflictual tension of the leaders is reflected through the masses that follow those leaders. When those conflictual situations where different ideologies, different approaches, come in contrast and in conflict with each other and the people that hold those ideologies or approaches, then there is hostility and even war. War can be between two people, it can be between two groups, or two political views, or between two nations. There are different levels of war depending on the situation. The fundamentals of conflict are that two separate views are held, be they between two feuding people, two feuding families, two feuding political systems, two feuding nations: between any two entities with opposing views. Some conflicts are easily solved by finding common ground. But there are conflicts where the common ground is not there. And in today's world, there is a polarization of people. You will notice there is one side and another. Some want the globalization of the planet. They hold ideologies that put focus on humanity and going forward to save the planet. Some want to maintain the era of capitalism, the Vaishan era, and maintain the values of that system and have the successes they have seen in that system of that thinking approach in the past. Naturally, these two forces clash and as the strain of the situation grows people are polarized—they are in one camp or another camp. And it seems that the amount of people who can be in the middle is becoming almost non-existent because there is such differentiation, such pull to opposites. This happens between people. It happens at all levels. And soon if it goes on, there is an entire separation between people who are of another ideology, another way of thinking. So what to do? One wants to eliminate the other. When this happens between large bodies of people it leads sometimes to physical violence because they can find no way of settling their differences. They find no common ground, and the only solution they can see is to eliminate the other because the other is a threat. This approach has been common in certain phases of human development. And it is common today. Family members do not talk to each other; they do not work out their differences. This is more common than in the past. Children not speaking to their parents, unwilling to sit down and find their common ground, to find their way through to harmony and love. It happens between groups of people. It happens between political ideologies. And unfortunately, the very commonality of humanity and the love divine which binds all life together becomes forgotten in the conflict. What is seen is the other; someone different, separate, and to be disliked. The commonality of your feelings towards your children, the commonality of your love in your heart becomes unreachable because the opinions, beliefs, and actions vary so greatly. What to do when polarization dominates the field of the human mind, individually or collectively? There is only one true solution, to realize that everyone is connected to you. You are all part of the same whole. You are all children of the Great. Differences may be there in beliefs, ideologies, and definitions of right and wrong, but the supreme loves everyone. The Divine showers grace on all. The Divine does not care if you are a Christian or a Muslim or a Hindu or a Buddhist or an atheist. The Divine loves all equally. The shower of grace is there for everyone. The rituals and the customs will vary, but in the heart of the rituals and customs is the love of the human heart, is the devotion, is surrender, not to ideologies, but to the infinite one. How to Live in Harmony with Each Other Cont. |
 | The teachings of the Tao come from the ancient teachings of dharma. When a being follows the Tao, they are in alignment with their inherent nature and they follow the laws that govern that inherent nature. These laws, the principles and operating forces of the universe, are the fabric of existence. Without them, the natural world would lose its integrity. |
To understand the Tao is to understand the inherent nature of human beings, the inherent nature of rocks, the inherent nature of water, the inherent nature of Earth, and the inherent nature of each and every type of living being. When beings are in alignment with their inherent nature, dharma flows naturally. A sense of harmony with all life is the result. The Tao is the Way. Dharma is also called the Way, the law, the path. Dharma is inherent in all things.
Human beings have a longing for the Great. There is a restlessness in the hearts of people, because there is dissatisfaction with duality and feelings of separation from the whole. Sooner or later, most people experience the existential pain of separation from the unconditional love that is the source of their being.
This separateness, and the restlessness that emerges because of it, brings a search for wholeness that may take many forms. People try to acquire things to feed the need inside of them. They grasp for solutions, not only in the physical world, but in the psychic and spiritual worlds as well. However, this need to reconnect with wholeness is met only when dharma governs a person’s life and they move in harmony with their innermost Self.
Bhagavat Dharma, our human dharma channels our restlessness towards the Great. When we do this, our unique human expression moves towards unity and wholeness. We align ourselves in perfect harmony with our inherent, natural state of being. Dharma is followed when you are in alignment with the natural laws of the universe, with the laws of the Divine Mother. When people find harmony with all that is, life becomes an expression of love, a seva, a service to others. One feels alignment with the Tao.
When you are in the flow of dharma towards the Divine, all that you have seen and known comes into a harmonious alignment and becomes directed towards your innermost Self rather than towards pleasures or worldly acquisitions. When dharma governs your life, the little sense of “I” melts away and is surrendered to the love that is unconditional, that is the larger Self. The pain of duality is dissolved in Moksha, liberation from ignorance, a movement from ego-centered pleasure seeking to selfless love in the flow of dharma. This movement towards unitary wholeness and liberation is the natural, essential flow of human life, inherent in your own being.
Each person’s expression of this flow of dharma will be unique. You move on the path of dharma when your life becomes a flower offered to the Infinite. When you live in love with all beings and with honor and respect for all life, when you direct the restlessness and pain within to the one true Self, you move on the path of dharma. Let love flow in you and through you, in all that you do, all that you say and in all that you are. Then, following dharma, you live in harmony with the natural laws and in harmony with all life. This is knowledge of the Tao.
If you would like to read more articles like this one, please go to www.yogama.info under Teachings.
This Blog is an excerpt from:
Dharma for Awakening and Social Change
 | The type of service best suited to each person may differ. Every human being has their own unique, personalized path in life, determined by the karmic coverings of their mind and their disposition. Within the vast expanse of our shared human dharma, Bhagavat Dharma, everyone is being moved in one direction towards Truth. |
Yet each individual, according to the configuration of time, place, and person, is a unique flower opening to the vistas of the sublime and each has a different and unique way. If you are here, now, and another is in a different time and place, and, of course, has a different personality, it may appear that you are moving in different directions. But, in fact, you are both moving toward the same center, which is Truth. You both are being drawn towards a unified purpose and, in reality, moving in the same direction.
Your unique path towards dharma requires dynamic movement of both rasa and seva and is influenced by the type of seva you perform. There is service in the physical sphere, service in the psychic sphere, and service in the spiritual sphere. According to your inclination of mind, you will be drawn to do service in different areas. Everyone may realize the greatness of their essential nature, or Truth, but through different means.
In the garden of this world, the Divine has created endless varieties of beautiful expressions. Each of you, like a beautiful flower, is unique and special, with your own qualities and characteristics, your own capacities, your own development, and your own specific potentiality.
The realization of your own unique potential constitutes your Svadharma, your personal expression in the world, and your unique path to enlightenment. It depends on the inclination of your mind, the development of your spiritual nature, and the samskaras (reactions to past experiences held in the subconscious) which have given you your specific manifestation. Just as each flower in the garden of the Great has its own singular loveliness and no two are alike, though they share the dharma of flower-hood, so you are unique in your Svadharma, though you share with all people the common bond of human dharma, of Bhagavat Dharma.
Bhagavat Dharma is the core flow for everyone. But how do you move in this Bhagavat Dharma? What does it look like for each of you? Is it the same exact movement? Do you move like soldiers, each one exactly the same, wearing the same uniform, arms moving up and down in unison, legs marching to the same tune? No, that would be preposterous!
That is not at all the way of dharma, certainly not the chosen method of Parama Purusha, the Supreme Consciousness. The Divine loves variety. This entire creation is made of variety. No one can possibly imagine all of the variety that there is in the universe. In this variety, you are unique in your journey, unique and special. You have your own way to move, your Svadharma.
To maintain Vistara or vision, you need a consistent meditation practice, called sadhana, and to have rasa, the feel or taste of life. You also need seva. The seva that is right for you, is unique to you and will be different from the seva of others. How a rose grows from the ground and blooms in the sun is different from how a lotus flower grows in the mud of a pond and blooms in the sun.
One is coming through the water, and one is in the air. and their leaves take different shapes, their buds are different, and their color and their fragrance are unique to each. Yet they both grow towards and open to the sun. In a similar way, your Svadharma is unique to you and yet in harmony with the collective movement of all beings to open to the deep Source of Being.
Your unique path towards dharma requires dynamic movement of both rasa and seva and is influenced by the type of seva you perform. There is service in the physical sphere, service in the psychic sphere, and service in the spiritual sphere. According to your inclination of mind, you will be drawn to do service in different areas. Everyone may realize the greatness of their essential nature, or Truth, but through different means.
In the garden of this world, the Divine has created endless varieties of beautiful expressions. Each of you, like a beautiful flower, is unique and special, with your own qualities and characteristics, your own capacities, your own development, and your own specific potentiality.
The realization of your own unique potential constitutes your Svadharma, your personal expression in the world, and your unique path to enlightenment. It depends on the inclination of your mind, the development of your spiritual nature, and the samskaras (reactions to past experiences held in the subconscious) which have given you your specific manifestation. Just as each flower in the garden of the Great has its own singular loveliness and no two are alike, though they share the dharma of flower-hood, so you are unique in your Svadharma, though you share with all people the common bond of human dharma, of Bhagavat Dharma.
Bhagavat Dharma is the core flow for everyone. But how do you move in this Bhagavat Dharma? What does it look like for each of you? Is it the same exact movement? Do you move like soldiers, each one exactly the same, wearing the same uniform, arms moving up and down in unison, legs marching to the same tune? No, that would be preposterous!
That is not at all the way of dharma, certainly not the chosen method of Parama Purusha, the Supreme Consciousness. The Divine loves variety. This entire creation is made of variety. No one can possibly imagine all of the variety that there is in the universe. In this variety, you are unique in your journey, unique and special. You have your own way to move, your Svadharma.
To maintain Vistara or vision, you need a consistent meditation practice, called sadhana, and to have rasa, the feel or taste of life. You also need seva. The seva that is right for you, is unique to you and will be different from the seva of others. How a rose grows from the ground and blooms in the sun is different from how a lotus flower grows in the mud of a pond and blooms in the sun.
One is coming through the water, and one is in the air. and their leaves take different shapes, their buds are different, and their color and their fragrance are unique to each. Yet they both grow towards and open to the sun. In a similar way, your Svadharma is unique to you and yet in harmony with the collective movement of all beings to open to the deep Source of Being.
 | Moving Into Harmony When you move on the path of dharma, you move in harmony with your own nature and with the essential nature of all beings. Can you feel those moments when your thoughts, words, and deeds are in harmony with life? When you sense such harmony, such alignment, then you are truly following dharma. |
When that harmony is entirely present, your thoughts, words, and deeds become surrendered to the Divine and you perceive the Sublime manifest in everything. When this happens, you begin to notice all the synchronicities, to see the great tapestry that is being woven in the universe, and, beholding the harmonious substantive nature of all manifestation, you feel the shower of unconditional love falling gently upon you and every other being.
Moving in harmony, the foot does not crush the ground beneath. Moving in harmony, all nature becomes one flow. Thoughts, words, and deeds express only the unconditional love of the Divine. The lotus growing in the mud and water brings forth buds that open to the sun. The rose winding around the trellis climbs upward and blossoms in the sun. Moving in harmony towards the Source, all beings have their place. Sun, moon, and stars have their place in the harmony of all things. There is a balance in this universe, finely maintained, sublimely intricate, yet simple. To be in this balance, to move in this harmony, to breathe with the rhythm of the stars, is the way of dharma.
For one immersed in dharma, the words they speak become truth, not because they have foretold the future, but because, being ensconced in dharma, they are in the rhythm of life. They live in truth. The words of one established in dharma are a balm to the heavy hearts of all beings, for true words are spoken from the heart of hearts, not from the mind or the desires.
Walk in silence. Be still in the wood. Be as wild as the breeze upon the prairie. Be as vast as the night sky. Fly with the eagle above the mountain tops. Soar on the night breeze. Dive to the depths of the ocean. Live in the rhythmic harmony of the universe. This is dharma.
Can you walk this path? Really, can you? All religions have attempted to teach people how to live and act in harmony and to define in words the path of right action. But the way for each person is unique. You cannot define it or put it in a box because of the way it moves outside of all boxes. To become whole, to learn to walk in the way of the universe, to move towards the essence of beatitude, to the depths of silence, follow dharma always. Stay connected to your innermost nature.
Moving in harmony, the foot does not crush the ground beneath. Moving in harmony, all nature becomes one flow. Thoughts, words, and deeds express only the unconditional love of the Divine. The lotus growing in the mud and water brings forth buds that open to the sun. The rose winding around the trellis climbs upward and blossoms in the sun. Moving in harmony towards the Source, all beings have their place. Sun, moon, and stars have their place in the harmony of all things. There is a balance in this universe, finely maintained, sublimely intricate, yet simple. To be in this balance, to move in this harmony, to breathe with the rhythm of the stars, is the way of dharma.
For one immersed in dharma, the words they speak become truth, not because they have foretold the future, but because, being ensconced in dharma, they are in the rhythm of life. They live in truth. The words of one established in dharma are a balm to the heavy hearts of all beings, for true words are spoken from the heart of hearts, not from the mind or the desires.
Walk in silence. Be still in the wood. Be as wild as the breeze upon the prairie. Be as vast as the night sky. Fly with the eagle above the mountain tops. Soar on the night breeze. Dive to the depths of the ocean. Live in the rhythmic harmony of the universe. This is dharma.
Can you walk this path? Really, can you? All religions have attempted to teach people how to live and act in harmony and to define in words the path of right action. But the way for each person is unique. You cannot define it or put it in a box because of the way it moves outside of all boxes. To become whole, to learn to walk in the way of the universe, to move towards the essence of beatitude, to the depths of silence, follow dharma always. Stay connected to your innermost nature.
If you would like to read more articles like this one, please go to www.yogama.info under Teachings.
 | The question comes in all spiritual practices, in all spiritual life—who are you? Who are you and what is this life of yours? When you begin to answer that question perhaps different answers come, many answers, that have limitations of time and place, that ground you to different experiences of your life. But then the question comes: Who is having these experiences? Who is knowing the experience? |
Then, when you come to that, you realize that there is within you a conscious awareness, an intelligent awareness, that knows everything you think; everything you say; everything you hear, feel, touch. Without that knower there would be no one to be aware of all of this.
There is a fundamental awareness, a fundamental knowing. And without this fundamental knower, without this aware consciousness, all that you experience would be for naught. So, there is more to you than the experiences you have, than the identities you put around yourself that you feel you are this way, you are that way, you are successful, you are unsuccessful, so on and so forth. There is fundamentally someone who witnesses all of that, who knows, who’s consciously aware.
When you realize that there is this conscious awareness of everything you do, of every identity you have, that without awareness there would be no self, no person that you are. So this fundamental awareness creates a basis of being, but again the question comes: Who or what is this fundamental awareness?
Is this consciousness only aware of you? Does it only entail your thoughts, feelings, physical body? What is this conscious aware intelligence that is fundamental to your being, without which you would cease to exist? Is this awareness separate from you? Or are you this awareness? If you are this awareness, where does your consciousness, your being, your fundamental awareness begin and end?
The Yogis say that the Jiva, the individual self, is witnessed by the Atman, that is this knower, this consciously aware beingness that knows even your I-feeling, your own I-feeling, your fundamental sense of self, could not exist were there not this knowing consciousness within you. But this Atman, this knower, the one that knows your existence, this Atman, this Self of you, the Yogis say is the same as the Paramatma, the Self of all beings, the witnessing consciousness of all existence.
That awareness is not bound by time and space, nor is it bound by anything it witnesses. So when it witnesses all of your thoughts, feeling, desires, your very sense of “I am”-ness, that witnessing consciousness, that fundamental Atman, your soul, is of the same substance as the soul of all beings, the Paramatma, the infinite conscious beingness.
So how are you separate, how are you alone when your fundamental nature is one? Not governed by your I-feeling or your thoughts or desires or whatever you think of yourself, not governed by that, but a cosmic knowing. The knower of all beings is the same as the knower of your own self. You have an intimate relationship to that awareness, to that consciousness. That is the core of your essence.
Your Atman is your soul, is your essence. And that fundamental consciousness that is you has no separation from the fundamental consciousness of all beings. It’s the same. That which is core to you is the same as that which is core to every other person, to the birds, to the trees, to the grass. The witnessing awareness of all creation, the Paramatma, the supreme soul, the Self of yourself, abides forever, eternally, never dies, never is born.
Though all that it witnesses changes and changes again, that awareness is changeless. That conscious intelligence, that knowing existence never changes, doesn’t erode with time. Though so much happens that is witnessed, the witness remains ever the same. That is Purusha is Sanskrit. Purusha meaning conscious awareness, beingness.
That essential being remains, knowing all that is but never changed in the process of enfolding in the witness-ship of all creation, including your own being; your I-feeling is witnessed by this Atman, and all that you are. When you ask yourself: “Who am I?”—really, are you not this Self of yourself, this soul, this Atman, this witnessing awareness? And where is the difference between you, between the witness, the soul, and all others?
In the whirlwind of life, in the rising and falling of pleasure and pain—is not this aware consciousness the quiet, deep shore, the quiet depths where you find peace, home, resilience through everything, even the changing of forms? So, the life of those who seek the depths is one of coming to know this infinite Self and learning to rest in that.
There is a fundamental awareness, a fundamental knowing. And without this fundamental knower, without this aware consciousness, all that you experience would be for naught. So, there is more to you than the experiences you have, than the identities you put around yourself that you feel you are this way, you are that way, you are successful, you are unsuccessful, so on and so forth. There is fundamentally someone who witnesses all of that, who knows, who’s consciously aware.
When you realize that there is this conscious awareness of everything you do, of every identity you have, that without awareness there would be no self, no person that you are. So this fundamental awareness creates a basis of being, but again the question comes: Who or what is this fundamental awareness?
Is this consciousness only aware of you? Does it only entail your thoughts, feelings, physical body? What is this conscious aware intelligence that is fundamental to your being, without which you would cease to exist? Is this awareness separate from you? Or are you this awareness? If you are this awareness, where does your consciousness, your being, your fundamental awareness begin and end?
The Yogis say that the Jiva, the individual self, is witnessed by the Atman, that is this knower, this consciously aware beingness that knows even your I-feeling, your own I-feeling, your fundamental sense of self, could not exist were there not this knowing consciousness within you. But this Atman, this knower, the one that knows your existence, this Atman, this Self of you, the Yogis say is the same as the Paramatma, the Self of all beings, the witnessing consciousness of all existence.
That awareness is not bound by time and space, nor is it bound by anything it witnesses. So when it witnesses all of your thoughts, feeling, desires, your very sense of “I am”-ness, that witnessing consciousness, that fundamental Atman, your soul, is of the same substance as the soul of all beings, the Paramatma, the infinite conscious beingness.
So how are you separate, how are you alone when your fundamental nature is one? Not governed by your I-feeling or your thoughts or desires or whatever you think of yourself, not governed by that, but a cosmic knowing. The knower of all beings is the same as the knower of your own self. You have an intimate relationship to that awareness, to that consciousness. That is the core of your essence.
Your Atman is your soul, is your essence. And that fundamental consciousness that is you has no separation from the fundamental consciousness of all beings. It’s the same. That which is core to you is the same as that which is core to every other person, to the birds, to the trees, to the grass. The witnessing awareness of all creation, the Paramatma, the supreme soul, the Self of yourself, abides forever, eternally, never dies, never is born.
Though all that it witnesses changes and changes again, that awareness is changeless. That conscious intelligence, that knowing existence never changes, doesn’t erode with time. Though so much happens that is witnessed, the witness remains ever the same. That is Purusha is Sanskrit. Purusha meaning conscious awareness, beingness.
That essential being remains, knowing all that is but never changed in the process of enfolding in the witness-ship of all creation, including your own being; your I-feeling is witnessed by this Atman, and all that you are. When you ask yourself: “Who am I?”—really, are you not this Self of yourself, this soul, this Atman, this witnessing awareness? And where is the difference between you, between the witness, the soul, and all others?
In the whirlwind of life, in the rising and falling of pleasure and pain—is not this aware consciousness the quiet, deep shore, the quiet depths where you find peace, home, resilience through everything, even the changing of forms? So, the life of those who seek the depths is one of coming to know this infinite Self and learning to rest in that.
Each and every person has a unique existence, a unique reason for being here, for being in your life, for doing what you do. Everyone has a purpose. If you are on this earth, there is something that you can do for living beings, be it great or be it small. Everyone can give of themselves, and each person is unique in what they have to express, and what they have to offer to the world. Each has your unique gift. You each have something special about you to give to the world.
And there is a natural desire to express yourself, to make a difference, to give something to the world be it large or small. If you brighten a person's day with a smile or a nice comment, then surely you have given something to the world. If you help to support living beings—animals, plants, the natural environment—surely you have given something to the world.
If, in the work you do, you teach or you support others in their learning, you give them something. Surely you are giving something to the world. Whatever is your occupation, whatever your daily activities, they can be done in such a way that you are doing service to all living beings, or they can be done with self-centered attitudes and approaches.
If, whatever your work, whatever your daily activities, you begin with the thought, how can I serve others? What can I do today to do an act of kindness for other living beings? It can be very small or very great, it doesn't matter. But to have this approach to life makes a difference. And if you think every living being in the form of the infinite, that the divine infinite one exists in all beings, in the animals, in the plants, even in the rocks, all life is a part of an interwoven, integral whole.
If you take this approach and you think all is being done by the divine one, all that is given is given from the infinite to the infinite one and that which is given is the divine also, then the feeling comes, not that you are great for doing some good acts, but that the infinite is acting through you. The divine is in you and through you expressing in the world, giving something to the world. And the one you are giving to, that you are serving, that is also that divine one. That is also the infinite being, the infinite conscious awareness. So that one is moving through you into the world. That one is receiving the gifts.
If you keep your mind ever in remembrance the infinite Brahma does all actions and receives all actions, and the people before me that I serve—the students, the customers, the friends, and family—they are all the divine Brahma. They are the divine one in form and my heart is with them and I do service to all beings.
With this approach you feel that there is something great, something that you are having in your life, and, you become, not the doer of actions, not the builder of karmic reactions, but immersed in divine love, immersed in the divine being. You feel that that one is pouring through you as the actions take place, as the service takes place, and the one being served Is the infinite Beloved. The service itself that is given is of the divine.
In this way, the mundane world turns into the sublime. There is no mundanity to the world then. The world is a place of love, a place of vibrant life and presence, and you are surrounded by the Beloved within you and around you. That one eternal essence abides in all things. Is the very substance of all that is.
So, take this sweet memory, this sweet approach of remembrance, then the sense of doer-ship and pride falls away. The sense of self-condemnation falls away. Who is there to condemn? Who is there to be so proud of and to have puffed ego about? There is only one. There is only the infinite.
When you realize this when you realize that all that you have defined yourself as is only confinement of eternal being. A container of belief holding eternal being, believing itself to be something other than its true nature. And believing yourself to be something other than your true nature, all the acts you do you feel responsible. You feel as if you have either done something great or you have not performed well and you diminish the feeling about yourself.
But when you stay with remembrance, rather than the confinements of the ego-self, the confinement of definition of belief, then all belongs to the one. The one who does all actions receives all actions. To that infinite one surrender all your beliefs, all your sense of self, and your constructs. Let that one be in you and around you. That is true humility. It takes great humbleness to accept the greatness within you. Namaskar.
And there is a natural desire to express yourself, to make a difference, to give something to the world be it large or small. If you brighten a person's day with a smile or a nice comment, then surely you have given something to the world. If you help to support living beings—animals, plants, the natural environment—surely you have given something to the world.
If, in the work you do, you teach or you support others in their learning, you give them something. Surely you are giving something to the world. Whatever is your occupation, whatever your daily activities, they can be done in such a way that you are doing service to all living beings, or they can be done with self-centered attitudes and approaches.
If, whatever your work, whatever your daily activities, you begin with the thought, how can I serve others? What can I do today to do an act of kindness for other living beings? It can be very small or very great, it doesn't matter. But to have this approach to life makes a difference. And if you think every living being in the form of the infinite, that the divine infinite one exists in all beings, in the animals, in the plants, even in the rocks, all life is a part of an interwoven, integral whole.
If you take this approach and you think all is being done by the divine one, all that is given is given from the infinite to the infinite one and that which is given is the divine also, then the feeling comes, not that you are great for doing some good acts, but that the infinite is acting through you. The divine is in you and through you expressing in the world, giving something to the world. And the one you are giving to, that you are serving, that is also that divine one. That is also the infinite being, the infinite conscious awareness. So that one is moving through you into the world. That one is receiving the gifts.
If you keep your mind ever in remembrance the infinite Brahma does all actions and receives all actions, and the people before me that I serve—the students, the customers, the friends, and family—they are all the divine Brahma. They are the divine one in form and my heart is with them and I do service to all beings.
With this approach you feel that there is something great, something that you are having in your life, and, you become, not the doer of actions, not the builder of karmic reactions, but immersed in divine love, immersed in the divine being. You feel that that one is pouring through you as the actions take place, as the service takes place, and the one being served Is the infinite Beloved. The service itself that is given is of the divine.
In this way, the mundane world turns into the sublime. There is no mundanity to the world then. The world is a place of love, a place of vibrant life and presence, and you are surrounded by the Beloved within you and around you. That one eternal essence abides in all things. Is the very substance of all that is.
So, take this sweet memory, this sweet approach of remembrance, then the sense of doer-ship and pride falls away. The sense of self-condemnation falls away. Who is there to condemn? Who is there to be so proud of and to have puffed ego about? There is only one. There is only the infinite.
When you realize this when you realize that all that you have defined yourself as is only confinement of eternal being. A container of belief holding eternal being, believing itself to be something other than its true nature. And believing yourself to be something other than your true nature, all the acts you do you feel responsible. You feel as if you have either done something great or you have not performed well and you diminish the feeling about yourself.
But when you stay with remembrance, rather than the confinements of the ego-self, the confinement of definition of belief, then all belongs to the one. The one who does all actions receives all actions. To that infinite one surrender all your beliefs, all your sense of self, and your constructs. Let that one be in you and around you. That is true humility. It takes great humbleness to accept the greatness within you. Namaskar.
Human life is an ideological flow—a movement from crudity to subtlety, from animal existence to awareness of sublime being. It’s a process of refining the mind so that the mind can absorb subtle energies, can attenuate those energies.
You come into a body, a physical body and senses, and there is identity with the physical body, with the sensory experience, with the motor organs.
And if you remain absorbed constantly in this sensory experience, the movement of the body, you become completely identified with the body. Consciousness, awareness, becomes identified with physical existence.
The problem is these bodies are transitory; they don’t last. So if you believe that you are the body and that is your identity, your consciousness is absorbed in the physical sphere. When you leave this body your consciousness has no awareness of something other than the physical, mental processes that accompany the physical in the brain.
When the mind grows in magnitude, when through spiritual practice you expand your vision, you expand your capacity to attenuate to subtle energies, to experience subtle vibrations. Then the mind begins to grow and awareness, consciousness begins to be able to perceive and focus subtlety. You become aware of the movements of energy, the movements of nature, the flows of this world, and how it all moves together in perfect harmony.
Not only the flow of this physical world, but the subtle psychic energies that are behind this physical world become available to you. And as you deepen and deepen further in your spiritual practice, you become aware of the infinite nature of the eternal Self of all, the one existence that underlies everything. That in Sanskrit is Parama Purusha.
You become aware of this divine or infinite consciousness that underlies and permeates all of creation. It is the substance of all that is and that pure expansive consciousness, awareness, love, truth is always whole, is always undifferentiated, is one love, one Self, one pure vibratory subtle frequency. When the mind grows in magnitude through exposure to this divine nature, the light, the purity of being, becomes more and more refined.
You become refined in your psychic flow. Sattva Guna dominates the mind; subtle, sentient energy begins to dominate. And you become able in the stillness of your meditation, in the quietness, to perceive the frequency of the eternal nature of being.
You come into a body, a physical body and senses, and there is identity with the physical body, with the sensory experience, with the motor organs.
And if you remain absorbed constantly in this sensory experience, the movement of the body, you become completely identified with the body. Consciousness, awareness, becomes identified with physical existence.
The problem is these bodies are transitory; they don’t last. So if you believe that you are the body and that is your identity, your consciousness is absorbed in the physical sphere. When you leave this body your consciousness has no awareness of something other than the physical, mental processes that accompany the physical in the brain.
When the mind grows in magnitude, when through spiritual practice you expand your vision, you expand your capacity to attenuate to subtle energies, to experience subtle vibrations. Then the mind begins to grow and awareness, consciousness begins to be able to perceive and focus subtlety. You become aware of the movements of energy, the movements of nature, the flows of this world, and how it all moves together in perfect harmony.
Not only the flow of this physical world, but the subtle psychic energies that are behind this physical world become available to you. And as you deepen and deepen further in your spiritual practice, you become aware of the infinite nature of the eternal Self of all, the one existence that underlies everything. That in Sanskrit is Parama Purusha.
You become aware of this divine or infinite consciousness that underlies and permeates all of creation. It is the substance of all that is and that pure expansive consciousness, awareness, love, truth is always whole, is always undifferentiated, is one love, one Self, one pure vibratory subtle frequency. When the mind grows in magnitude through exposure to this divine nature, the light, the purity of being, becomes more and more refined.
You become refined in your psychic flow. Sattva Guna dominates the mind; subtle, sentient energy begins to dominate. And you become able in the stillness of your meditation, in the quietness, to perceive the frequency of the eternal nature of being.
And as your mind attenuates to this you may experience love unconditional, pure light, divine being. Your awareness grows and you perceive that all is one eternal essence, without separation.
That separation is only a concept, a belief of the mind born out of identity of your awareness with physical existence, which defines one body from another—”I” and “thou,” you and the world, as separate. That’s because you have embodied your awareness as merged into physical reality.
There is only one eternal being, and that you are not separate, you are not alone, you are not isolated. You are a part of the integrated whole of existence, composed of that infinite being. Your separateness is only a dream in the mind of the great dreamer.
As the whole creation is but a dream, a thought, in the mind of the dreamer. Some say it is Maya, an illusion, but it is not exactly an illusion. It is a reality that is relative. There is a relative reality to duality and creation. But all things that are dual have a unitary substantive reality beneath that duality. And when the mind grows in magnitude, it can attenuate to that subtle reality, to that subtle sense of being that is beyond separation, beyond duality..
In that, what you have considered yourself is but an expression of an infinite Self, infinite awareness, infinite being, infinite love, which permeates all that is and is the substance, never changed, though appearing to change. Appearing to be many, it remains always one, unchanged, unborn, immortal being. It appears to have duality, but its substantive nature of unitary, intelligent, aware consciousness never changes. Its substantive nature of infinite, boundless love never changes.
When you, like the drop of water dropped into the sea, when you remove the container of ego, you become whole, you merge into that which is—you become one with the whole. Because you have always been one. Water is water.
This life is an opportunity, an opportunity to move from crudity to subtlety, from darkness to light, from death to immortality. It is an opportunity to know the true Self of yourself, to know that eternal, undying, infinite essence of being, to break the boundaries of separateness and the pain of duality and find the wholeness of love fulfilled, of knowing your own Self, of returning to your true nature, to your home from which you have come.
This is the great path of Sadhana, of a spiritual journey. And the true purpose of human life is to follow this path, this inner journey, to find your way home, out of suffering and the pains of duality.
That separation is only a concept, a belief of the mind born out of identity of your awareness with physical existence, which defines one body from another—”I” and “thou,” you and the world, as separate. That’s because you have embodied your awareness as merged into physical reality.
There is only one eternal being, and that you are not separate, you are not alone, you are not isolated. You are a part of the integrated whole of existence, composed of that infinite being. Your separateness is only a dream in the mind of the great dreamer.
As the whole creation is but a dream, a thought, in the mind of the dreamer. Some say it is Maya, an illusion, but it is not exactly an illusion. It is a reality that is relative. There is a relative reality to duality and creation. But all things that are dual have a unitary substantive reality beneath that duality. And when the mind grows in magnitude, it can attenuate to that subtle reality, to that subtle sense of being that is beyond separation, beyond duality..
In that, what you have considered yourself is but an expression of an infinite Self, infinite awareness, infinite being, infinite love, which permeates all that is and is the substance, never changed, though appearing to change. Appearing to be many, it remains always one, unchanged, unborn, immortal being. It appears to have duality, but its substantive nature of unitary, intelligent, aware consciousness never changes. Its substantive nature of infinite, boundless love never changes.
When you, like the drop of water dropped into the sea, when you remove the container of ego, you become whole, you merge into that which is—you become one with the whole. Because you have always been one. Water is water.
This life is an opportunity, an opportunity to move from crudity to subtlety, from darkness to light, from death to immortality. It is an opportunity to know the true Self of yourself, to know that eternal, undying, infinite essence of being, to break the boundaries of separateness and the pain of duality and find the wholeness of love fulfilled, of knowing your own Self, of returning to your true nature, to your home from which you have come.
This is the great path of Sadhana, of a spiritual journey. And the true purpose of human life is to follow this path, this inner journey, to find your way home, out of suffering and the pains of duality.
Namaskar. Spirituality is that which uplifts the human spirit, which brings you closer to your eternal source, which deepens your love: love for yourself, love for others, love for all living beings. When you deepen in love, when you’re willing to receive love and to give love, to be loved, and to love, then the heart opens to the very nature of love.
Because love is not an exchange between people. It is a state of being. It’s not something you can buy or you can earn. And it is something that if you go deep into your heart, you are never without. For the love of the infinite is always with you.
Love is an eternal force, the nature of being, the glue which holds the entire creation together. Love is the natural attraction of life for life. There’s a natural draw between you and all living beings. You are naturally drawn to want to be close, to feel a connection.
No one is an island; no one wants to be isolated, separated. There’s a natural desire to be close, to be connected, to be loved, and to love. Because there’s a natural desire to come together to feel wholeness. When love unites, when lover and beloved become one, wholeness ensues. When the love you have gets met by the infinite, the divine beloved, wholeness ensues.
How to meet the beloved of your heart, how to find the fulfillment of love? By dropping down into your heart, by being willing to open your heart and share your love. Let yourself feel love for all beings, and you will find that that love resonates back to you.
Unconditional love is the very nature of all that is. It is awareness, consciousness; but it is also love. Love is that glue drawing you into connection, drawing you into wholeness. It is from the heart, not from the ideas, the thoughts, the brain; it is the energy of the heart.
You may pursue spiritual life with your mind, with your beliefs, with your constructs, but it will always have an emptiness in it if your spirituality does not drop down into your heart and you allow yourself to feel, you allow yourself to love, to accept love, to be in communion with life, to be in communion with God, to be in communion with infinite being.
In that communion, real wholeness occurs, not the idea of wholeness, not the belief in wholeness, but the actuality of wholeness. From the heart, all things real are touched.
Because love is not an exchange between people. It is a state of being. It’s not something you can buy or you can earn. And it is something that if you go deep into your heart, you are never without. For the love of the infinite is always with you.
Love is an eternal force, the nature of being, the glue which holds the entire creation together. Love is the natural attraction of life for life. There’s a natural draw between you and all living beings. You are naturally drawn to want to be close, to feel a connection.
No one is an island; no one wants to be isolated, separated. There’s a natural desire to be close, to be connected, to be loved, and to love. Because there’s a natural desire to come together to feel wholeness. When love unites, when lover and beloved become one, wholeness ensues. When the love you have gets met by the infinite, the divine beloved, wholeness ensues.
How to meet the beloved of your heart, how to find the fulfillment of love? By dropping down into your heart, by being willing to open your heart and share your love. Let yourself feel love for all beings, and you will find that that love resonates back to you.
Unconditional love is the very nature of all that is. It is awareness, consciousness; but it is also love. Love is that glue drawing you into connection, drawing you into wholeness. It is from the heart, not from the ideas, the thoughts, the brain; it is the energy of the heart.
You may pursue spiritual life with your mind, with your beliefs, with your constructs, but it will always have an emptiness in it if your spirituality does not drop down into your heart and you allow yourself to feel, you allow yourself to love, to accept love, to be in communion with life, to be in communion with God, to be in communion with infinite being.
In that communion, real wholeness occurs, not the idea of wholeness, not the belief in wholeness, but the actuality of wholeness. From the heart, all things real are touched.
When you point to yourself, you don’t point, “This is me,” to your head. You point, “This is me,” to your heart. That is where you truly reside. You know if; you know it instinctually. That’s why you point to your heart when you want to address yourself.
It is in your feeling, your ability to know deeply, intuitively, that you are real—not in your ideas and beliefs. Ideas and beliefs come and go. Some are more relevant and more appropriate. Others get in your way. But until you let go of ideas and beliefs and come to feel your heart, it’s all just a theory. The reality comes in the experience. And the true reality is love, is truth, is awareness.
But it’s not a dull, unknowing, semi-conscious awareness. It is a deep, passionate unification, a draw. All beings are drawn to the center of creation, to that cosmic nucleus, Purushottama, that cosmic core of being. All beings have a magnetic pull toward that magnetic core, toward that nondual effulgence, toward the love without a second.
All beings dance around that deep love, dancing the dance of creation that Mother Nature portrays. But all beings have that longing in their hearts. They want to be close; they want to be connected.
You want to be whole, to be close, to be loved, and to love, to be connected, to be whole. And you can search for that wholeness outside of yourself in relationships to people, and you can find it. But when you want it to be sustainable, something that you can always turn to, then you must find it inside of yourself, inside of your own sense of existence, inside of your own heart.
Find the love that spills out for all beings; find the love that is an effulgent core of existence. That is your core. That is who you are. Let no one tell you, ever, that you are less. And let go of beliefs, identities, concepts, things you feel you’re good at, or the things you feel you’re missing. Let go of all those beliefs. And let yourself feel the love in the core of your heart, the great effulgence of the infinite one that is pulling you toward it, like a magnet that draws you, inexplicably.
This is your wholeness, your nature, your core of being, the love which is you, which is more than you, which is the universe, which is the great effulgence at the core of all beings. That’s your home. And it is your nature to be drawn to it.
You see it in people; you see it in animals; you see it in the sky, in the mountains, in the earth, in the trees. You see it everywhere. Because it is everywhere. And it is in your own heart. So love yourself and love all beings. And love the love that resides in your heart. Let it flow through you. That is true spirituality. Namaskar.
It is in your feeling, your ability to know deeply, intuitively, that you are real—not in your ideas and beliefs. Ideas and beliefs come and go. Some are more relevant and more appropriate. Others get in your way. But until you let go of ideas and beliefs and come to feel your heart, it’s all just a theory. The reality comes in the experience. And the true reality is love, is truth, is awareness.
But it’s not a dull, unknowing, semi-conscious awareness. It is a deep, passionate unification, a draw. All beings are drawn to the center of creation, to that cosmic nucleus, Purushottama, that cosmic core of being. All beings have a magnetic pull toward that magnetic core, toward that nondual effulgence, toward the love without a second.
All beings dance around that deep love, dancing the dance of creation that Mother Nature portrays. But all beings have that longing in their hearts. They want to be close; they want to be connected.
You want to be whole, to be close, to be loved, and to love, to be connected, to be whole. And you can search for that wholeness outside of yourself in relationships to people, and you can find it. But when you want it to be sustainable, something that you can always turn to, then you must find it inside of yourself, inside of your own sense of existence, inside of your own heart.
Find the love that spills out for all beings; find the love that is an effulgent core of existence. That is your core. That is who you are. Let no one tell you, ever, that you are less. And let go of beliefs, identities, concepts, things you feel you’re good at, or the things you feel you’re missing. Let go of all those beliefs. And let yourself feel the love in the core of your heart, the great effulgence of the infinite one that is pulling you toward it, like a magnet that draws you, inexplicably.
This is your wholeness, your nature, your core of being, the love which is you, which is more than you, which is the universe, which is the great effulgence at the core of all beings. That’s your home. And it is your nature to be drawn to it.
You see it in people; you see it in animals; you see it in the sky, in the mountains, in the earth, in the trees. You see it everywhere. Because it is everywhere. And it is in your own heart. So love yourself and love all beings. And love the love that resides in your heart. Let it flow through you. That is true spirituality. Namaskar.
Author
Maetreyii Ma: a teacher of yogic wisdom & practices
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