MY  SPIRITUAL  DIARY ... 1

The following notes are based on a meeting on July 27, 2013 with Swami Sarvadevananda ji, spiritual head of Ramakrishna Mission's several Centres in California, Atlanta (Georgia) and Washington DC. 

स्वामी जी से इस संवाद की  प्रष्ठभूमि 'आदि शंकराचार्य जी' की "विवेकचूड़ामणि" है। यह संवाद अंग्रेज़ी में था, अत: निम्न लेख अन्ग्रेज़ी में ही लिखा है ताकि भाव १०० % अक्षुण्ण रहें।

In THAT state of perfect silence, this mind (buddhi) gives up its agitation. There is nothing higher than silence for a THAT person, i.e. a realized person. Silence is the highest state. 

Our mind plays tricks with us, makes us feel what we are not. It gives us विकल्प.. misconception. All the sensory experiences can give us joy, and they can give us pain, too, e.g. appreciation and criticism are pairs of opposites; appreciation gives us pleasure, and criticism gives us pain. We carry a notion ... that 'what I think is correct' ... 'what you think is wrong', this is because we trust our non-trustworthy mind too much. Sri Ramakrishna ji spoke of शुद्धबुद्धि and शुद्धात्मा as that mind that does not vacillate.

When you feel the bliss, you are that BLISS, your looks show it.

प्रत्यक्ष versus अपरोक्ष : In English, they both mean 'direct', however there is a difference.

प्रत्यक्ष is 'direct', but it is known through senses, e.g. there is a chair..I know it through my sense of seeing it, through my sense of touching it.

अपरोक्ष is 'direct' also, but this knowledge is not through the senses, it is not through any media. It is through experience, e.g. knowing God through experience.

In our daily lives, our joy is mingled, but in God consciousness, we are looking for unmingled joy.

Spiritual life is nothing but quest for purification, purification, and more purification.

Spiritual life is free of all prejudices and criticism of others. We must not criticize anyone's spirituality. This causes injury/hurt to the other person. We need to practice non-injury.

The clouds come and go. The sun does not come and go, but it creates an illusion, and after the rain we say, 'oh, the sun has come out'. similarly, the sun never sets, but we ask, "what time is sunset?" Spiritual practice is to go away from illusion, and to stop this denial.

THAT CONSCIOUS SELF  is like the sun that does not rise, like the sun that does not set.

ज्ञान is knowledge through our mind, e.g. we know each other through or mind, through our brain.

विज्ञान is experience. Per Sri Ramakrishna, we can see milk, we can talk about milk, but only when you drink milk, you and the milk become one, and only then you have the  experience of milk.... milk and you become ONE. This is direct experience, विज्ञान ।

If  you want to water the tree, you water the base of the tree, i.e. the root, ... you do not water the top.. the leaves or the branches. Similarly, in quest for spiritual knowledge, we have to go to the root.

In our daily life, our experience changes with change in the setting, e.g. you are enjoying the beautiful blue sky, a cloud comes and your experience of the same sky changes. However, in Realization, in बृह्मज्ञान ’s joy, the experience never changes. This Knowledge will never leave you, whether your eyes are open or closed.

Those who come back after Realization (to help others), a trace of ego comes ... this small amount of ego is necessary for them to relate to others.

{ a side note here about ego discussed above : in February 2013 I met Swami Bhaskaranada ji of the Seattle Centre, when he said, " Vijay ji, 'Mother' has left just this much ego ( showing the tip of his finger to explain this point) in me so that I may be able to run this Ashram . And then ...and then his eyes closed ... for a long pause, as if in that moment, talking of 'Mother', he suddenly went into meditation. Oh, what a divine experience it was to be in his holy company ! }

I realize that the subject matter, as well as the content of this article, is likely to raise questions for clarification. Please ask your questions, and with utmost humility, I will try to give more information.

-- Vijay Nikore

(original and unpublished)

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