Enlightenment requires transcending both ego and ignorance
"My Dear Children,
What are you searching? Why are you aimlessly and listlessly running
about? The Joy that you have searched in material gains, the Joy that
you are looking for in power, the Joy that disappeared in the words
of books, the so-called knowledge is all lost in yourself, and you
are still searching and seeking! You can pay attention to everything
outside yourself! You are lost in your thoughts, like babes in the
wood. But there is great hope that you can rise into the Heaven
of "thoughtless awareness," which we call Self-Realization. I invite
you to this feast of Divine Bliss, which is pouring around you, even
in this Kali Yuga, in these God-forsaken modern times. I hope you
will come and enjoy the spiritual experience of the life eternal."
With all My love and blessings
Your Mother NIRMALA
(This letter was written by HH Shri Mataji Nirmala Devi in 1972
during Her first trip to America to give public programs.)
>
> I made many friends in Sy; sadly some of them I can't really
> communicate with. One very dear lady, wishes to remain my friend,
> however it is difficult to have a relationship with someone who is
> so indoctrinated that they believe that they must "not think" as
> thinking is "non sahaj". Trying to have a conversation with someone
> who has switched off their brain is a bit difficult. (Blase)
>
Some critics of Sahaja Yoga are against the "Do not think" advise of
Shri Mataji. In fact that label is a wrong assumption as Shri Mataji
wants us to be "thoughtlessly aware" which is the cornerstone of
progressive enlightenment. As they say, a little knowledge is a
dangerous thing (phrase first used by Alexander Pope 1688 - 1744 in
An Essay on Criticism, 1709). It means that a small amount of
knowledge can cause people to think they are more expert than they
really are, as ignorant Blase obviously thinks so too.
i quote Elizabeth Debold:
"Meditation is the dissolution of thoughts in eternal awareness or
Pure consciousness without objectification, knowing without thinking,
merging finitude in infinity." Voltaire was searching for direct
contact with the eternal—for a spiritual, but not religious,
enlightenment."
Humans do a wide variety of tasks without thinking. Shri Mataji is
just encouraging us to do all of them in that thoughtlessly aware
state, if possible. It is the only way for a direct contact with the
eternal—for a spiritual, but not religious, enlightenment.
But Her emphasis is on being _aware_ despite being thoughtless i.e.
knowing without thinking. It is very important to realize the meaning
of "aware".
Main Entry: aware
1: archaic : watchful, wary
2: having or showing realization, perception, or knowledge
— awareness noun
synonyms aware, cognizant, conscious, sensible, alive, awake mean
having knowledge of something. aware implies vigilance in observing
or alertness in drawing inferences from what one experiences
Merriam-Webster Online Dictionary
Guru Nanak Dev Ji says in Jap Ji Sahib: “Man Jeeteh Jag Jeet” (If you
conquer the mind, you conquer the material world). You can attain
enlightenment if you are able to slow down and subsequently remove the
ceaseless thoughts of the ego.
"The Role of Ego
In most spiritual traditions, the role of the ego-personality in the
process of reaching Enlightenment is, to a great extent
underestimated and misunderstood. Unless we see clearly that the ego
in itself is something absolutely positive and, as such, the only
tool for arriving at higher levels of awareness, we have no way to
understand the process of awakening.
Many seekers are confused and not able to comprehend the apparent
paradox of transcending the ego without actually annihilating it. In
Buddhist psychology, there is a concept that ego is not real, for it
is only a play of so called five skandhas. This concept is missing
the elemental understanding that our body-mind operates as an alive
and coherent organism of intelligence in a purposeful and meaningful
way. The ego cannot be found anywhere as such, for the one looking
for it - is the ego. It is too close to be found, but certainly it is
always there.
It is difficult to define what the ego is, for it is not anything
substantial. We would define ego as a self-conscious function of
individualized consciousness capable of relating to its surroundings
and itself in a centralized and intelligent manner. The ego is not an
entity, but rather a unified field of identity - it is not fixated on
a point, but operates within a spatial consciousness. It has many
layers and many aspects.
In Buddhist tradition there's a concept of "no-mind," and so we tend
to think that our being is simply divided into the mind and the no-
mind. This is far too simplistic. Even when we go beyond the gross
level of thinking, the mind is still functioning and the ability for
self-relating is retained. This thing called ego is constantly
accompanying the process of meditation and, allows us to create
clarity and understanding. The art of resting within the stillness of
our being, and the self-conscious movement of our intelligence are
not separated from one another. Without the gentle checking of our
state during meditation and cultivation in general, we would be
unable to make any progress in the practice. This is the function of
the ego." [1]
Voltaire best describes the gist of Shri Mataji's request to be in the
"thoughtless awareness" state during meditation, and at all times if
possible. She has a very good reason, one that has been time-tested
over the millennia:
"Meditation is the dissolution of thoughts in eternal awareness or
Pure consciousness without objectification, knowing without thinking,
merging finitude in infinity."
regards,
jagbir
[1] www.purifymind.com/RoleEgo.htm
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