Posts in Category: Sri Ramakant Maharaj Answers Questions
The body is not your identity at all. Unless you accept the Reality that “the body is not your identity”, the experience of a body-form will continue to appear upon your Presence. These concepts create so much confusion, and then, the mind raises all sorts of questions. So many questions keep arising, and they are all body-based questions! I receive so many questions from seekers, and they are always body-based concepts. Melt, dissolve, demolish all your body-based concepts. This is the primary task at hand. Your problems are all body-related, arising from this human life that is only a dream: depression, worry, sadness, loneliness, feeling unloved, fearfulness, stress, dispeace, unhappiness, misery, etc, etc. We have become fearful of everything. We behave like sheep, instead of lions! We have a lot of tension. There is no peacefulness, or blissfulness. And, we are always fearful of death. All these illusory concepts are to be demolished. Demolish all your concepts! This is the main goal of spirituality.
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Sri Ramakant Maharaj
Ultimate Truth
What is the sign of Realization?
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I never said neglect your food-body. This is the media through which you can identify yourself. There are so many concepts from childhood till today: ‘I am born’, ‘I am a man or woman’, so many concepts are there, social concepts, religious concepts. And within this circle we are living our life. After perfectly identifying (yourself) there will be dramatic changes within you, called signs of Realization. Spiritual science says there are six symptoms of Realization. There is the question: ‘How can I identify whether I’m Realized or not? What is the sign of Realization, what is the sign of Enlightenment?’ After having Conviction, after absorbing the knowledge of Reality, some changes are taking place. ‘Shama’ means to forgive and forget. (inaudible) petty matters are giving irritation. After having the Conviction you’ll be calm and quiet, just like Gautama Buddha or Jesus Christ, you know them? There’s no irritation. ‘Shama’ means forgive and forget. If anything happens against your mind, you’re not getting irritated, no anger is there. And ‘Dama’ means tolerance or patience. Tolerance comes spontaneously within you. Where petty matters would irritate us, there may be some violence inside, patience will appear. You will feel it. If any incidents happen against your mind, you’re not getting irritation. There’s tolerance, patience, ‘Shama’, ‘Dama’. ‘Titiksha’ means just to know the Reality, anxious to know the Reality: who am I? And then ‘Uparati’ means there is no attraction of the world. There are so many attractions to the world: publicity, money, sex, there are so many attractions to the world. No greediness, no attraction to the world. You’re living in the world, but there’s complete calm and quiet. And then ‘Bhakti’ means devotion, total devotion. After knowing the Reality there is total devotion. And ‘Shraddha’ means full trust and faith. These are the six symptoms given in spiritual science. You can measure yourself. And after having the Spontaneous Conviction about the Reality, these changes are taking place. What you are prior to beingness, how you will be after leaving the body, at that time there was no anger, nothing is there. And these symptoms will appear spontaneously within you. You’ll be calm and quiet.
Q: Does it matter how one quiets one’s mind?
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Q: In ‘I Am That’, Nisargadatta says “A quiet mind is all you need. When the mind is quiet, all else happens as it should.” Does it matter, therefore, how one quiets one’s mind?
Maharaj: It happens, but after knowing your Selfless Self the mind will not remain. The existence of mind appeared upon your Presence. The existence of mind, ego, intellect appeared upon your Presence. Presence does not have any mind, ego, intellect. And therefore, try to identify yourself in a real sense. These are the words, through words I am conveying. After having Conviction, mind, ego, intellect never remains. Where was the mind prior to beingness and after leaving the body? Mind does not have it’s own identity. You have given birth to the mind, ego, intellect. Without your Presence, how can you identify ego, intellect, mind? It was not there prior to beingness, and not after leaving the body also. And therefore I am insisting on meditation. Through meditation you can control your mind, mind will be controlled spontaneously. Mind means flow of thoughts, continuous thoughts are there, which you define as ‘the mind’. Thoughts are entering the mind, they go to the intellect and make a decision, and through ego you are implementing that decision. It’s a process, functioning. You are separate from that.
So all questions will be solved within you. You do not need to go anywhere or to any Master also, I’ll tell you. Because the Masterly essence is within you. My Master said: “I’m not making you a disciple, I’m making you a Master”. Nisargadatta Maharaj says that “I’m not making you a disciple, I’m making you a Master”. You’re already Master, but you forgot your identity.
You know the story of the lion? Famous story, spiritual story. One lion got brought up with the goats and sheep and started considering: “I am a goat or sheep” and was afraid of the dogs and foxes, etc., etc. It’s a famous story, you know? So far we have association with this body, even though body is not our identity, and therefore we are considering ourself in body-form. You are formless. There’s no shape, no form, it’s fact. And to absorb this fact, you are to undergo the meditation, again I am repeating the same thing. You may read books, you may listen to the various Masters, but not to neglect your Inner Master.
How do you practice devotion?
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Anybody want to ask any questions, you can ask it. Yes? Okay, welcome.
Q: Maharaj, what is devotion, how do you practice devotion?
Maharaj: Yes, good question.
You have to involve yourself. After knowing the Reality, you have to involve yourself, you have to concentrate. Concentrate on the Concentrator, the Invisible Concentrator within you, the Invisible Listener within you.
Through words we are trying to identify ourself. We have created language, and through this language we are trying to identify ourself. Through devotion you can identify the Deity within you. Your Spontaneous Presence is a Deity, it is God, Ultimate Truth, Brahman, Atman, Paramatman, God, not separate from you. This happens because we are all the time measuring: ‘I am somebody else’, ‘I am man or woman’, or something else. You are not man or woman you are Brahman, Atman, Paramatman, God, Master. It’s fact, but you are not accepting the facts.
So many questions appear upon your Presence, body-based questions. So all questions will be solved the moment you identify yourself in a real sense. It’s open fact, forget about spirituality. Even if you think intellectually, body is not your identity at all. After leaving the body what remains? What is knowledge? Who requires knowledge? Who wants knowledge? Who wants peacefulness? What is peacefulness, what is happiness? Body-knowledge is not tolerable, therefore we want happiness.
There are three concepts for happiness: publicity, money, and sex. We are trying to extract happiness through these three elements. These things are not there prior to beingness. After leaving the body, who wants all these things?
There are so many concepts! ‘Karma’, ‘dharma’, ‘religion’, so many things. ‘Destiny’, ‘earlier birth’, ‘future birth’ – nothing is there, absolutely it is illusion. But since childhood, because of long association with the body we’ve accepted so many concepts, body-related concepts. “I am somebody else”. That ‘I am somebody else’ is supposed to be dissolved.
You’re nobody, you’re everybody. You’re Presence is everywhere just like space or sky. After having Spontaneous Conviction, all concepts will be dissolved, all questions will be solved within you. I said to you: You’re not a beggar, you’re a multimillionaire. We’re begging “Oh God bless me, Oh, somebody bless me”, “Put your hand on my head”, why? Because you’re always neglecting your Selfless Self. Accepting some happiness or blessing from somebody else. Okay, you respect everybody. But there should be Spontaneous Conviction: I was not the body, I’m not the body, I’m not going to remain the body. It’s Reality, but you’re not accepting that Reality because ego is there, so-called mind is there, intellect is there. These are functional organs. Where was that mind prior to beingness? After leaving the body mind remains? Nothing. Any ego is there? No. Any intellect? No. Mind, ego, intellect, needs, requirements came along with the body only, and dissolve along with the body.
Q: Can you give some instruction by which meditation can be made incessant?
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Yes? Anybody having any question? Yes, yes, welcome.
Q: Can you give some instruction by which meditation can be made incessant?
Maharaj: Meditation…?
Q: …becomes incessant. Meaning, you can meditate for a few hours but after that…
Maharaj: See, meditation doesn’t mean sitting like this, meditation means involvement, total involvement. I am giving some small example: somebody abuses you in very bad language. You always think “Oh, I will take revenge of that person!”, twenty-four hours a day you are thinking of that person. Someone says “Oh, forget it” – “No, I will not forget! I must take revenge of that person!”. This is called meditation. Master abuses you: ‘You are Brahman’, you take it that way. Master abuses you: ‘You are Brahman’, take it that way. You’ve got to think it twenty-four hours. ‘Brahman’ is a word, we say ‘donkey’ – “Ohh”. If somebody calls you a donkey you are slapping him, but if he says “You are Brahman”– “Oh, how can I be Brahman?”
Your involvement is most important: “Yes, Master says “You are Brahman”, spiritual science says “You are Brahman””. In the light of that, you find out: ‘So that I, I am That’. Brahman, Atman are not separate from you, it’s fact, open fact.
Q: Why Spirit forgot himself?
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Q: Why Spirit forgot Himself?
Maharaj: There’s no reason at all – Spirit does not know ‘I am Spirit’. Spirit does not know ‘I am Spirit’. Spirit is the name given to the Presence, Invisible Presence, Power, Energy. Does electricity know that ‘I am lighting all these things’? There’s no reason ‘why Spirit’. Because we are trying to guess with the intellect. Your Presence in the world is Spontaneous Presence. Everyday you see dreams, you know? Are you planning ‘I will see this dream today, this dream tomorrow’? And who is acting in that dream? Who is watching that dream? And you are acting in that dream as somebody else. You see the sun, moon, and everything, you see narrating. How is that dream world projected? You are sleeping. And who is taking the video-shooting of all the dreams? Likewise, this is a long dream: ‘I am somebody else”.
Q: You say it’s not difficult to achieve this ultimate truth?
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Q: Maharaj?
Maharaj: Yes?
Q: You say it’s not difficult to achieve this ultimate truth…
Maharaj: Of course.
Q: But yet it takes time for most people…
Maharaj: Why? Suppose in a cave it is dark for five hundred years. If you take a light, will you say “I’m here and after five hundred years it has gone away”? If it is dark in a cave for five hundred years, and you take a torch, will you say “Oh, I’m here after five hundred years, where did it go”? So like that, after having Conviction, nothing is impossible. It is open fact, even if you think intellectually, body is not your identity at all. What is the value of this body? If there is no Presence, what is the value of this body? The body is having value because of your invisible Presence. Why ego is required, why mind? When did you come across mind, ego, intellect? “My mind, my mind” what mind? Mind is the flow of thoughts. They are functions, mind, ego, intellect, through which you are functioning through the body. Where was mind, ego, intellect prior to beingness? After leaving the body, any mind remains? You are giving so much importance: “my mind, my ego”. They are basic concepts, this is basic Reality. After accepting the Reality, as I told you, you’ll be Master of the mind. We’ve become slaves through mind, ego, intellect. Thoughts are entering, then directed to the intellect, and are implemented through the ego. You are beyond that.
Your Presence does not know ‘I am Presence’. It is beyond imagination. We are trying to guess at how we are Brahman – not to guess. It’s fact, it’s open fact. And therefore, it is not difficult at all. You can hold your body, no problem, do all activities. Not to take the touch of any concepts. Suppose in a dream you have done something wrong, “Oh, it is a bad dream”. Are you taking ego? Are you repenting for that act? There is no deed, there’s no doer! Because we are measuring ourselves in body form therefore we say “I’ve done something”. Basically you are formless, there’s no shape, it’s fact. Birth and death are related to the body only.
So you are subtler than sky, subtler than space. Be spiritually strong, have some courage! What happens is we’ve got lack of courage. Everybody knows ‘I am Brahman’. Everybody has knowledge, spiritual knowledge, but a lack of Conviction. You have to absorb it, implement the knowledge within you. What is knowledge, spiritual knowledge? Just to identify oneself in a real sense. Then all concepts will dissolve. No fear of death. Because of long association with the body, you’ve accepted body as your identity, that is the problem. So respect yourself!
See Yourself with Internal Eyes
This is direct knowledge. Nothing in between. It is not connected with any religion. Religions are created by human beings, when so called “god”. So called “god” birth. Just for establish society. Where there is no meaning. If you have gone through this, get rid off all these religions. You bow down to your Selfless Self. That is Ultimate Truth. When you know yourself in a real sense. You will find nothing is there except yourself. All knowledge is within yourself. You’re not knowing yourself and are believing in some external “god”. You have to change this. Know your Selfless Self. Not this body. This is a dead body. Without your existence, body has no meaning. Not to become a victim of so many concepts. Illusory thoughts. What is after death, after birth. No longer complicate things. Prior to beingness how were you? The same after the beingness disappears how are you? You don’t know. This is also don’t know. Because of this, you have to grow, a child, then grown up, old man. After willingly or unwillingly, you have to leave this. You can’t take this. So, effect, thought this should not go (body). Fear of death. Because we are not knowing ourselves. Measuring ourselves as a man or a woman. You’re neither man nor woman.
Invisible anonymous spirit is your identity. Why to run here and there? Everything is within you only. Why expect you to go here and there, and there? No illusion, strict. Entire miracles, magic happen within you. You are source of all miracles, magic. These are not intellectual thoughts. I am talking about the listener, inside listener. Not this body. See yourself with your internal eyes. See yourself with internal eyes. This is blood, flesh and bones. Some day or other it will go away. You’re not going anywhere. House collapses, sky is there. This house collapses, spirit is there. Why to have sorrow? Why the fear of death? I am unborn. The question of death never arises. This is Ultimate Truth. After having the conviction of Ultimate Truth, why should we bother about what is going on, something. Peace and happiness is spontaneous. Without any material object or cause. You are the base of the whole world. You are underestimating yourself, limiting.
Every way in search of “god”. You want peace. Happiness. Tension free life. Fearless life. Is it possible? Yes. Only you have to glance within yourself. You are looking for something else in the world. This is a direct contact. Nothing in between. But you must have strong will. Yes, I want to know myself. We are knowing everything. Except ourselves. We have a lot of study of “god”, goddesses, masters, spirituality, Atman, Paramatman, forget everything. So, there is some unwanted exercise after death, what will happen, why? When you come in the body, I decided earlier that I will take the birth as Indian, and do something rituals? Not any illusions. Because always we are thinking from body point. You’ve got, spiritual knowledge, but it is intellectual with the body knowledge. The moment your body knowledge dissolves there you are. Have to be brave. Strong. Nothing is impossible. All these great saints have the same spirit which is in you also. They know the reality, you are not knowing the reality, same spirit. It is very simple knowledge. Not round and round and round. You have to break the circle, of illusory concepts.
Sri Ramakant Maharaj
Ramakant Maharaj, Nasik, December 2012
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Are you convinced or not?
Are you convinced or not? So far you are considering yourself in body form, therefore you are having such thoughts. The moment body knowledge dissolves these words will not appear from you.
No levels are there. Who is measuring levels? No levels are there. All this talk. All of this talk is out of your presence only. He’s enlightened, he’s not enlightened, his level is lower, his level is higher. Who is the discriminating one? When you say he is enlightened, you are also enlightened. When he say, “He is a good boy”, goodness is in you, therefore you say “Good boy”. When you say, “This boy is intelligent”, intelligence is within you only. Indirectly you are examining, the examiner is within you. Examiner has better post, better stage.
Everybody’s statement is a different statement. As a matter of fact, there is no guru, there is no disciple. Ultimate state there is no guru, there is no disciple. There is no man, there is no woman. You know Shankara? He says, “To say I is illusion, to say you is illusion, to say Brahman is illusion, entire world is illusion.” So, in this illusionary world, who is the master? Who is disciple and who is enlightened?
Who are you then? When you say “He is enlightened, he is a master. He is in higher stage; he is in lower stage.” Who is discriminating all? Without your presence, you cannot utter a single word. The entire world is your spontaneous projection. Prior to beingness did you know any enlightened person? After dissolving the body, you say “That is enlightened, these are enlightened”? All this literally is with body form only. Directly or indirectly, we have accepted “I am body”. The moment that body knowledge dissolves, that is a sign of knowledge. Then ask, your question to me is “What do you mean by knowledge?”. What do you mean by knowledge? To know oneself in a real sense, it is knowledge. We are knowing ourselves in body form. I am Russian, man, He is Indian man, He is master, I am disciple, I am devotee, He is enlightened, there is not any discrimination there. This is a mental and intellectual game. There is no mind, no intellect, no ego. Along with body all this came enter this world. When there was no body, did you know about mind, ego, intellect?
Whose projection, who is imagining? Who is giving energy to say “I”? Correct. Your answer is correct. I don’t know. You know the story of I don’t know? You know the story of I don’t know? Funny story I don’t know. You know it, no, he will tell you.
Sri Ramakant Maharaj
Ramakant Maharaj, Nasik, June 2013
Video Taken by Russian Devotee’s
Established Perfection
Trust the things I have already told you. It will be automatically added within you.
I am not addressing whatever I am telling you to, Aleah. The spirit, which is holding the name Aleah, I am talking with that. Not this body. I am not talking to this body. This is a dead body. The holder of the body is not dead. It is alive. I am talking with that alive one. Alive spirit. Invisible.
I am interacting with that invisible. Not this body. So, when listening you have to react accordingly. There is oneness, there is no difference. This is a direct approach.
So, if you read ‘I Am That’, you read any other books, it will be established perfection.
Perfection to be established in three ways. Three different ways. Number one, reading books. Number two listening from your Master. Number three, self-experience. If these three things tally it amounts to conviction.
What I read in books. It is tallied with what my Master says. It is a kind of auditing. You know auditing, balance sheet. Accounting. Assets, liabilities, and so on. Debit, credit. They are supposed to tally.
So, reading the books; reading, listening to the spiritual lectures of the Master and self-experience. These three sides tally, it amounts to perfection. Nothing remains.
Nothing remains.
Sri Ramakant Maharaj
Ramakant Maharaj, Nasik, December 2012
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Atma-Nivedanam Bhakti
It is the nature of mind, intellect to raise that question. But at the same time, there is a reply, within you only.
This is called Atma-Nivedanam Bhakti.
Self-Realization devotion. Self-Realization devotion.
Devotion. It means, just like a child is asking some questions, and you reply. Similarly inside, a number of questions arise and at the same time the invisible Spirit is replying to that question.
I had given you the example of that Ekalavya character. You know Ekalavya character?
His Master is in the form of an idol, and he is there.
Asking that Master ‘Oh Master I am aiming at this target, is this correct?’ Then the inner part of this body, this Spirit ‘Yes, my child, it is correct.’
So as a matter of fact, Master was not present physically. But his internal Master inspired, vibrated, all the instructions. At that time, he is a devotee, and he is Master himself.
The great warrior Arjuna was not having this archery technique. That technique that Ekalavya had, that small boy.
It is a miraculous experience.
So, your Master, external Master, acting within you, as a great Master and giving instructions, so that is called dialogue with each other.
So, inside questions arise, immediately your Master inside is replying to that question.
It’s so fast that nobody can count that reply, it is instantly.
When there is a question there is a reply to that.
That is called Atma-Nivedanam Bhakti, last devotion, last bhakti.
Then you will be totally mature, strong.
There won’t be any temptation to ask questions of anybody else.
Not even that, if anybody asks you a question, because of your strong devotion to your internal Master, you are replying immediately.
So, I am addressing that to your inner Master, not to this body.
When there is total conviction, if anybody asks any tricky question, you can easily reply to him.
This strong, strong strain, diverted by your external Master, with your internal Master.
This statement of struggle internally, is for discussion and for conviction only.
So even if words are given, anybody approaches you with any questions, if you remember the atmosphere your internal Master instantly replies to that.
I have seen Nisargadatta Maharaj, a number of foreigners used to bombard questions.
And they were highly qualified as Masters of spirituality. They have degrees, Master of spirituality, philosophy, stuff like that.
But, Nisargadatta Maharaj had not read so many books, his education was hardly second or third tender.
But because he was having tremendous love, affection, devotion, and the power of Siddharameshwar Maharaj.
Out of that devotion, that strong devotion, that power, transforming, he used to reply immediately.
So, I am trying to vibrate your internal energy.
Because internally you have got a lot of energy.
Don’t underestimate you.
You see your greatness. This is not, I am not, I see, I can see your greatness.
Sri Ramakant Maharaj
Ramakant Maharaj’s house, Nasik, January 2012
Video Taken by Russian Devotee’s