Oneness - Clarity and Joy of Life through Advaita by Madhukar - HTML preview

THE DANCE OF REALIZATION

If we wish for there to be peace in the world and love among people, then we must first find peace and love within ourselves. This can be done. It is enough that you are a human being.

Everyone has the opportunity to awaken, regardless of education, ethnicity, gender, wealth, regardless of any given condition. Everyone has this possibility because peace and love are our true nature. More effective than any sort of exercise-based approach is the blessed lineage of the true Advaita. The origin, that which exists before any added charateristics, even before the embryonic state, reveals itself in the form of the Self, utterly immaculate. This can be seen only in the purity of a child, a fool or a guru. And once you have tasted freedom, you will continue to be attracted to being That. Attracted with the support of a master as well as that of your innermost diamond, the Self.

For tens of thousands of years now. Grace is always here, it flows and flows.

 

I heard you say once that we cannot accept any gifts because our bags are full.

How can we empty our bags?

MADHUKAR: It would be best to just throw away all your baggage!

How can I do that?

MADHUKAR: It’s quite simple! Just let go of everything you’ve been doggedly clinging to. What’s so hard about that? If you don’t let go of it now, a muscle cramp will soon set in. Or you’ll suffer a mental cramp, which leads to conf usion. You might not even know that you are assuming that all this old stuff might somehow be useful to you. And all this time it isn’t useful, it’s harmful.

The one who trusts me throws out all this garbage right away. If you don’t trust me, you’ll have no choice but to look at this garbage and assess what it is worth to you. If you are in love with garbage, I won’t take it away from you. What do you want? What is stopping you?

I don’t know.

 

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MADHUKAR: It would appear that you are in love with your past. Did it really make you happy?

And yet it’s all so simple! The first prerequisite is your desire, your longing for freedom. A second prerequisite is Viveka, the capacity to distinguish between the real and the unreal. In addition to it comes the grace of a master—in most cases, anyhow. So here you have the most favorable circumstances. Here with me in Satsang it is not possible to deceive yourself. Leave everything old behind. This doesn’t mean t hat you must change your life. You can continue in your relationships and work, this is completely up to you. You must, however, radically turn your back on your false identification with the past. Otherwise I too will be powerless to help.

If you love the old junk from your past so much, I can accept this. It’s your

life. Those who trust me completely need do nothing more. Everything will be done for them.

The others are encouraged to enquire into the nature of reality, the source, the heart. Every thought, every emotion, your body, all your experiences must be investigated in light of the question: “Who am I?” It’s actually quite simple, isn’t it? And if doubts or hindrances still remain after this, you can ask me for clarification and I will clear them away.

But just to go on sitting here for a few emotional moments is spiritual self-deception and a waste of time.

Three days are enough to find out whether I am speaking the truth. You’ve wasted thirty years on other experiences and it has not made you happy. Why shouldn’t you try what I am advising you for three days? But as long as you are less present than the child that is playing up in front here, what do you expect?

If you don’t know who you are, it is better to say “I am freedom!” Why talk yourself into being “Ms. Important, Ms. Fear, Ms. Shame or Ms. Inconspicuous?” It’s much better if you tell yourself: “I am freedom.” Freedom requires being without a past. What frightens you so much about this?

The unknown.

MADHUKAR: You must bite courageously into the unknown. When this food was first offered me, it was completely unknown to me as well. If I had pushed it away, I would never have become healthy.

 

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Is there something to do?

MADHUKAR: In some cases there is something to do. Really there is nothing to do, but for someone who is caught up in working, even letting go is a sort of action.

To state it briefly: There is nothing to do! This wisdom, to be sure, only means something if you are in a position to genuinely let go. Otherwise it is an obstacle because you can misuse it to rebel against the freedom that in reality you are.

I am certain that most of you have already heard wise sayings of this sort.

Have you put them into action? You can recognize whether your silence is only a leaden indolence, whether your perceptions and thoughts are a veil that resembles emptiness or whether you are freedom itself. This must be investigated further. If you accept freedom like a belief, it will prove to be just one more fallacy.

Until we have recognized our true Self beyond all doubt, until it is lived Being, we should practice self-enquiry and should do so regardless of whether we are feeling good or bad. Otherwise we will find ourselves caught in duality: When we are meditating or in Satsang we feel good, and the rest of the time, at our “boring workplace,” in the “bad” subway, we feel bad. What a mistaken belief.

It may appear that even this questioning is an action, but in fact Atma Vichara is the awakening from the everyday dream. The dream is activity!

You will realize—either suddenly or gradually—who you are: You will recognize your true Self that never changes, in which everything happens, perhaps mental activities or various emotional states, possibly even stress. But an identification can no longer take place. For this reason I advise you not to pay attention to states of feeling but instead always to return to yourself, to the one who is perceiving. Since you are this presence, there is really nothing left to do other than constantly redirect attention to your unchanging Self.

 

MADHUKAR (reads a letter): “Beloved Madhukar, the last veil has fallen, the veil of blissfulness. You report that your beloved master Papaji awakened because of the question ‘Who is the Seer?’ This is just what happened to me today. The answer is so simple that it cannot be understood.”

This is very good. Excellent!

 

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“To understand there must always be two, a subject doing the understanding and an object that is being understood. But in the true self there is no duality, neither subject nor object—only the one without another. There is only Being in its purest form, in other words formlessness, i.e. emptiness—only Now! No past exists, no present exists, no future. Now is eternity, eternity is Now. And so who is seeing? Light sees light, love experiences love, peace is at peace.

Silence rests in silence. It’s that simple. Thank you!”

Very good! So simple. That’s what you’ve forgotten.

I won’t forget this again. I was rather careless. You were right when you pointed out to me that I keep forgetting it. You have constantly been showing it to me again and again, and yet I have kept forgetting. The forgetting was a trick of the mind. Others have no doubt experienced the same thing: The mind comes back in through the back door. Mine was very clever. It made me forget, but in the end it surrendered. In the end grace is stronger.

Yesterday you were asking about grace. I experience grace so strongly that all resistance is in vain. I’ve hoisted the white flag. My search is over. I declare this once and for all. Life is far too precious to waste it searching. I no longer need to remember. I have realized why I am here. The only reason for my existence is now to remind people of That if they want to be reminded.

MADHUKAR: I am very happy. Let us eat together. Help yourself!

(Madhukar offers the visitor fruit)

 

MADHUKAR: Your name “Rishi” means “She who sees.” Who is seeing?

For me, seeing is always an encounter with my Self. When it takes place, I am very grateful.

MADHUKAR: With the question “Who is the Seer?” my master awakened. He had experienced awakening as a child already, but he had still felt the desire to see God. This drove him through all of India, from ashram to ashram, from guru to guru. No one could give him a satisfactory answer to his question. His mother had instructed him about Krishna early on. Krishna appeared to him on many occasions, as is the case only with a true devotee. He danced, transported, with his beloved. Harilal was enchanted but also proud of his spiritual experi-55

ences and visions. Proud of wonderful manifestations, the ecstasy of the divine, his yearnings for his beloved. He had fallen in love with these things and lost himself in them.

Ramana Maharshi confronted him with the question: “Who is the Seer?”

 

Spiritual seekers are generally programmed with abstruse ideas and vague notions. Books, teachers, distorted experiences—and they tend to wind up frustrated.They are not essentially different from those who are materially blinded. They miss peace, they are disappointed and sometimes even dishonest.

I am not referring to my master, to Papaji. Ecstasy was his life, rapture his existence. Who can claim such a thing of themselves? Who can say that he is in ecstasy? Only a very few. Of course we can put ourselves in a certain eu-phoric state with the help of meditation, work, drugs and sex, with the help of dance, tantra and yoga . Temporary intoxication. Ramana Maharshi revealed his Self to him.

The bliss of ecstasy is the last veil, the most subtle illusion. In ancient texts we read that Ananda Maya Kosha, the hull of blissfulness, belongs to us like our skin. Few experience bliss. And even bliss is not absolute truth. The question “Who is the Seer?” destroys all illusions. It is as if made for us. We have such a longing for sensual experience, physical and emotional joy. We organize our entire lives in such a way as to experience happiness and joy. But happiness and joy are always part of duality, they are always bound up with disappointment and suffering. The seer is beyond duality. He is free.

 

I heard you like to drive fast Porsches.

MADHUKAR: They don’t make slow ones … Do you have one?

I don’t, but I would like to.

MADHUKAR: Now and then I drive a Porsche, but I don’t have one.

I’ve heard that you like to live like that.

MADHUKAR: Well, if you put one at my disposal, I’ll drive it!

 

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I’d like to set that up.

MADHUKAR: Listen, I grew up at the edge of the woods outside Zuffenhausen.

They drive Porsches there the way they drive Volkswagens in Wolfsburg. My grandfather worked at Porsche, my father had a job at Mercedes Benz. I am genetically disposed to have auto-intelligence.

What my question was really about was how that all fits together—being enlightened on the one hand, and on the other driving a Porsche, giving parties etc.?

MADHUKAR: It fits! When I see the flash of one of those little cameras that check your speed, I feel at home. Do you mean the Peace-Parties?

Yes. Okay, I hope to get there some day.

MADHUKAR: Listen, Buddha sat there the whole time dreaming of a Porsche.

He just never got one.

Got it. Thanks.

MADHUKAR: You’re welcome.

 

Patanjali writes in his Yoga Sutras: “Yoga is the mastery and integration of the activities of the mind. Then the seer, the Self rests in its true nature.”

 

One year ago my brother jumped off the retaining wall of a dam. He was the most beautiful person. This hurt me very much. Is something like this predestined, or could I have helped him? I wept a great deal in my pain and sorrow after his death. Now I am pursued by the question: Are certain things in life predestined? Some people say that there are many things you cannot decide, that they are predestined to be a part of life.They believe that everything that happens is already set down as if written in a book, with no possibility of choos-57

ing.This makes me think of the cases of drug addicts and murders. Is this really a sort of karma?

MADHUKAR: One thing is certain: When you realize who you are, karma no longer exists.

But beforehand people can choose freely?

MADHUKAR: Let me explain. The moment you think a thought, it has already happened. Scientists can measure brain activity, and they have found that a fraction of a second elapses between the brain activity that lays the groundwork for a thought—what is called the “readiness potential”—and the moment when we become conscious of it. It doesn’t matter if this thought is a word, a sound, a smell or an image…

… that still doesn’t answer my question.

MADHUKAR: The best thing you can do for yourself and your brother is to realize who you are. You serve the entire world, the entire universe with your realization that you are freedom, peace, love and bliss. This is completely independent of whether your act of self-recognition results in your taking any particular action or not.

Everything is predetermined! When I see that this can help someone, then I will speak this absolute truth and confirm this.

But if I notice that people are abusing this statement to excuse their lethargy, their laziness and failing to enquire into their true identity, I will probably say: Nothing is predetermined.

Your brother had a certain time on earth, and he was here for several decades after all. Some forms of life—insects, for example, but people too—are born and die again after a short period of time, which might be only one hour long. Perhaps only so as to experience “being here.” Or to experience love.

How old was your brother?

Fifty.

MADHUKAR: Exactly fifty? Did it happen on his birthday?

He committed suicide on my birthday.

 

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MADHUKAR: My brother died young. He suffocated. Two days before, we had run into each other—by chance—at my parents’ house and when we parted we formally said goodbye to each other in a way quite untypical for us. We were unaware that he only had a few hours left to live. He had an asthma attack and barely made it to my parents’ door. He rang the bell, collapsed in my father’s arms and went into a coma.

He was twenty-one years old. Your brother was fifty. One could say that quantitatively your brother had more from life, or you had more of him.

When you truly realize who you are, time has no reality. All there is is the Now. Time exists for the body. When you look in the mirror, you will see that you have a few more wrinkles every year regardless of what cosmetics you use. With me it’s just the same, this is the reality of the ephemeral body. Birth and death. The dance of realization. Vicissitudes of form. Consciousness is always one and the same, always now, always here, always good.

Does my “being Now” help the world and all people? Can this bring about change for the better?

MADHUKAR: Absolutely, this is exactly what our task is. It’s just that I don’t say this explicitly, since this might seem like a burden to many people. Many people have trouble coming to terms even with themselves—both with their bodies and with their thoughts and emotions. Why should I add another burden to their load by saying: You share in the responsibility for the entire universe. But if you do grasp this, that’s wonderful.

I loved my brother very much.

MADHUKAR: Why do you say you “loved” him? Don’t you love him any more?

I do still love him. He isn’t here any longer, but his heart is here. I feel as though he is here even though he’s dead now.

MADHUKAR: He is always here!

Thank you for this affirmation.

MADHUKAR: This love in your heart is indivisible from him, they are one and the same thing. Form is ephemeral, the body goes after fifty, one hundred or 116

 

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years.This is the oldest living person at the moment, a woman in Japan, I believe. It is not in your hands, it is not in my hands.

 

Dear Madhukar, I would like to share something that is playing a major role in my life just now. I’ll keep it brief. This summer I had the realization that there are still thoughts spinning around in my head—a few old stories that continue to burden me. The biggest problem is that I am afraid of love. I can see my own maneuvers. I can see how I avoid being touched by love, and yet at the same time I long for love, even though it isn’t really possible to avoid it. Thanks to your message of love, I have been overcome by tears again and again during these past two days.They came from deep inside me. It felt as if I were being massaged from the inside and becoming quite soft. I am grateful to you for this, because this is my Achilles heel. I am learning to be my own friend so that I can be stronger in all life situations. It’s strange, but I hadn’t recognized all these things, even though they were causing me frustration at work and with my responsibilities. Without my own power, I could not truly be the one I know can be strong. I can see that I am now more firmly rooted in life. Thank you for all your support and patience. Much love, Sita.

MADHUKAR: Dear Sita, I wish you gentle healing. The guru supports healing from within. Invigoration. Let everything vibrate as it will.

Come home to consciousness. Do not fear!

 

Is there a difference between man and woman?

MADHUKAR: As far as awakening is concerned, it’s all very equal opportunity.

From my perspective, there’s no difference at all. This is the perspective of Self.

In Self there is no gender. As for everyday life: equal rights and equal treatment are now the normal state of mind. Anything else is nonsense. What could be more inspiring than a cooperation among equals? Of course, there is a certain charm to the interplay of the sexes. And this is hardwired.

The differences are caused by a gene that starts producing the masculine hormone testosterone in the fetus starting in the eighth week. On my flight over here I was reading an article with the title: “It’s just the hormones, dear.” It was

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an interview with Louann Brizendine, the author of The Female Brain— a book that is sure to fan the flames of men’s club discussions and stir up some interesting conversations at intellectual parties. Because the claims put forth by this feminist, as she labels herself, are not so politically correct. She writes that women talk three times as much as men—20,000 words per day, in fact—and think about sex at most once a day, whereas men think about sex every 58

seconds. Brizendine, who is also a neuropsychiatrist, doesn’t mince words:

“The female brain is so deeply influenced by hormones that one can say this influence determines a woman’s reality.”

This professor who has taught at Harvard believes that women perceive the world differently than men, which they can use to live a decidedly better life. Of course the upbringing of boys and girls works together with biology to form character. The hormonal mix of people is determined in part by the love hormone and cuddle chemical oxytocin and the more violent, masculine testosterone. But even love can be dismissed as naked hunger for the next dose of body fluid: “The brain circuits that are activated when we are in love correspond to those of the drug addict.” Who knows what sorts of hormones are flooding our brains when we experience Oneness? Welcome—the Self is and remains unaffected by all of this.

 

How do I recognize my master?

MADHUKAR: By finding peace with him or her. One more criterion that will help you decide whether the one you feel drawn to is a master or a teacher is: A teacher will instruct you to do this or that. He does not liberate you.

A master, on the other hand, will constantly draw your attention to the fact that you are already free. This is the fundamental difference—freedom or bondage.

 

MADHUKAR: And you in front here—how did you recognize the master who would help you?

My heart recognized the master and showed you to me!

 

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MADHUKAR: And you?

Your presence was filled with silence and peace, and in my everyday life I am now having this experience more and more.

MADHUKAR: Since we’re on this topic, I’d like to ask someone else to respond to the same question.

It became ever more apparent because my doubts just melted away. Doubts as to whether it was necessary to have a master at all, whether you were a master, whether the Sangha was helping me. And these doubts were gradually replaced by happiness, joy and gratitude.

 

Where will I find my master?

MADHUKAR: In your heart! If you truly wish for freedom, the master will come to you. You no longer need to travel halfway around the world with great effort, exposing yourself to all sorts of dangers and illnesses. If you truly wish for freedom, freedom will come to you. The pureness of your orientation and your heart will compel the master to manifest himself. And according to your karma and your orientation, you will receive what you deserve. After all, the possibility that a master is not a master at all is very large.

You just mentioned karma and intention …

MADHUKAR: There is no karma!

If there is no karma, why should I concern myself with it?

MADHUKAR: Precisely! Very good.

 

I saw a film in which Poonjaji said that trust is necessary for freedom. I would like to know whether trust also represents a possible way for the mind to orient itself toward freedom instead of being oriented toward itself.

 

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MADHUKAR: To begin with, I don’t know in what sort of context Papaji said this.

Someone asked him the question: “Must we believe in something?” To this he replied: “Some trust is definitely necessary.”

MADHUKAR: How does it work for you? What do you need trust for?

Shouldn’t I need any?

MADHUKAR: If you now use this moment to enquire into who is, then it will be clear: You do not need any trust at all. Are you now in a position to look in this way?

Not always.

MADHUKAR: You don’t have to look all the time. You are referring back to the past. I was not speaking of the past, I said “now.”

I find myself at a point where my mind directs its attention now in one direction, now another.

MADHUKAR: Yes, the mind shifts the attention around. And who is seeing the mind shift the attention?

Something large.

MADHUKAR: Something large, good. So it is either a super-mind or truth. As long as you remain the victim of your mind, which is generally wrapped up in mental phenomena, it can be very helpful to believe and have trust in the fact: I am freedom itself! It can also be quite beneficial to trust what your guru says. If you are joined with your guru, you will have trust in what he says.

Yes, but what he says can be abused by the mind.

MADHUKAR: Yes, you can be abused by your mind. For this reason my advice to you is: Do not delay! Do not give your mind a chance to work its mischief, instead directly inquire. Look at how the word “trust” is used in our culture. In the Judeo-Christian tradition, trust is something for which one later is to be

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rewarded in heaven. Here you are rewarded right away! And so stop burdening yourself with something that a master said to someone or other in 1992 or 1994. His words may well be inspiring, but you might also take them as a dogma which will then burden you even more.

Look directly! It is very good that you are aware that what you are calling your mind is capable of imagining anything. To the rational mind, even so-called positive circumstances can appear real, mind can give one or the other interpretation to spiritual circumstances, and later it turns out that even this was of no help to you. You have to find the source—and the source is here. There is nothing other than this source. It is finally immaterial whether you call it trust or fulfillment—what is important is that you accept the fact that you are That: freedom, peace, silence.

 

Are there virtues you strive for?

MADHUKAR: The word virtue sounds a bit antiquated. Nonetheless I can say: Clarity, orientation and peace are our three modern virtues. Tua virtus fiat pax!