In the book Conversations with Maharishi, Vol. 1, Vernon Katz has transcribed some of the side conversations he had with Maharishi Mahesh Yogi while they were translating the Brahma Sutra in the late 1960’s. (p 283-4) Another good point Maharishi raised:
“If a man remains established in the sense of ‘jagan mithya’ (the world is unreal), then he will never see the jagat [world] in terms of himself, and will never get into Unity. And then again, he has to forget even the distinction between Jagat (world) and Brahman [Atman]: that the two are different – that one is satya (real) and one is mithya (unreal), and that I-am-this-satya and I-am-not-this-mithya. If one has that division established in the mind, then this in itself will become a resistance to the dawn of Unity…”
In other words, if one is identified with the experience of the world being unreal or illusory, that can be a barrier to the recognition of Unity. The idea that the world is illusion is strong in modern non-dual circles. It is a very valid experience during an unfolding but it should be seen as transitory rather than The Reality. There is many teachers who are very well established in Self Realization but have not moved further. Some even deny there is anything else.
Ironically, true non-duality doesn’t really flower until after the Unity shift. If there’s a separate illusory world, that’s two things or dvaita (duality), not Oneness.
The solution is to raise the level of sattva (purity or clarity). It is rajas (fire, transformation) that gives the world an illusory sense. Sattva shifts perception of the world to Lila, the divine play. Then it is easier to see the Self beyond that.
Note that this shift is on a deeper level. Eating sattvic foods and having a sattvic lifestyle is good for you, but that’s too superficial to change your perception of self and the world.
Unity is a recognition by the intellect – it recognizes the Self underlies the world just as we previously recognized it underlies oneself. It’s like we discover there is a movie screen behind the world display. Then we recognize that is also mySelf. Then through life experience, we recognize it in all things.
“The world becomes more real as Unity dawns; it becomes as real as one’s own Self. The world was a mirage only in so far as it was experienced as different from one’s Self.”
After the Unity shift, objects in the world can take on a solidity and concreteness that is greater than it ever had before we woke up. The world is made of eternal being. But that too is a phase.
A little right understanding can go a long way in supporting a smooth unfolding. That’s the purpose of this blog.
Davidya
This is a very important aspect well explained.There is so much misunderstanding about this. In fact, the Unity of Shiva and Shakti is the reason why we can never recognize the state of consciousness of a person or Master or Guru on the level of his superficial behaviour.
For so many years I had this yearning for leaving behind the worldly vale of tears while Maharishi drove most of us in the opposite direction.
Some good fortune, which at first I mistook for bad luck, brought me a rather rough enconter with Shakti.
Gradually, little by little, the insight dawns. Yes, MahaMaya is Adi Shakti is Shiva is God is the One.
Agreed, Herwig
(laughs) Yeah – blessings sometimes show up in ways we see otherwise. It’s much easier if we get out of the way. Then we won’t get the degree of push.
But sometimes, we’re very invested in things being a certain way. Like the teacher who’s been espousing “world as an illusion” for years. What will it take them to let that investment go?
Thanks for commenting.
Hi,
blessings come however they choose to come. Sometimes the alarm clock has got to make a little bit of noise.
I have to thank you for a link I found here in your blog about a year ago.
http://kundalinicare.com/
Seems that they know what they are doing. Was of great help to me.
I went to the Austrian lady in Rishikesh though.
Goddess bless you!
H.
You’re welcome. I’ve been blessed to not require help there but a friend did and got good benefit from them. My friend had their book which is way ahead of anything else I’ve seen on the topic. It explained a few things from my experience I hadn’t understood prior, as well as the mechanics of some other stuff.
I reference the book several times in my new book.
Thanks for letting me know.
Blessings
Yes!!! I warmly agree. I had been looking for some reliable information on the topic for 20 years. I had an inspired teacher in Germany many years ago who could see auras and helped me a lot in a few things, but her knowledge was intuitive.
Joan’s book was the first really systematic and reliable synopsis I found. The description of my case was spot on and the practice they teach does the job. At least with me.
Thanks again!
H.
🙂
I don’t see how nisargadatta was able to chain smoke and do this. But I really liked his down to earth approach. Makes him seem more real to me. This stuff gets really breath dependent along the way when it comes to the body.
Hi Doug
Yes, thats one of those concepts that doesn’t hold up. Things like smoking will affect sattva or clarity in the body and energetics. And indeed he died as a consequence of the smoking.
But thats not a barrier on deeper levels. The only effect it has on consciousness is how it affects the bodies ability to reflect it on that level. Otherwise, consciousness is unimpeded.
I’ve seen people with psychological problems, handicaps and more wake up. It does not require someone special or pure or god-like in the slightest.
The only reason it became more rare for awhile was because of the cycles of consciousness itself. Thats now changed so awakening is becoming increasingly common.
Hi David, thanks for your reply. If I ever wrote a book it have to be titled ‘redneck enlightenment” so no worry about who this can happen to. My aim was always at what I call raw reality because I really didn’t believe this stuff. I was just trying to see what I really was. I now have the back of the head at the base on both sides going on. Also the barbeque you talked about I think. Been at this for awhile I’m about your age. Love to smoke a cig and take a nap. It works if I manage to drop off but if not it sux ,lol.
(laughs) I respond to all readers when I reply.
The BBQ is generally associated with the approach to Unity but can take place later. The BBQ sense is partly because the gut is the fire chakra. There can be similar things happening there prior, depending on the kind of purification needed and sometimes, the kinds of practices used. Some things amplify that.
The neck and shoulders have a lot of stuff on all levels – even the cosmic.
Smoking is hard on the body, prana, and refinement so it’s good to let that go if you can. But some people do have laws of nature that incline that and it’s better not to create more internal conflicts. Learning to work with the laws is more effective than resisting. 🙂