Q: Self-Inquiry, Self-Knowledge, Self-Realization

Sri Ramakant Maharaj answers questions regarding Self-Inquiry, Self-Knowledge and Self-Realization from Ranjit Ashram in Nashik October 14, 2017.

Q: Are meditation and self-inquiry different or same thing?

Maharaj: In the beginning self-inquiry is there. Self-inquiry is “Who am I? What is Brahman?” You are making inquiry because you have forgot your identity. Suppose you forgot your address “Where is Ranjit Ashram?” After knowing Ranjit Ashram, you need not go and have any inquiry. So far you are missing yourself, therefore you are inquiring. And meditation is giving some clues, landmarks. Through meditation, you are getting Identification. Through meditation, through that Word given to you, you are hammering “Yes! I am Brahman, Brahman I am”. So, I will give you mantra today. But you are to recite mantra with full confidence. You are to devote some time for you only. Human body is a golden opportunity for you. You can identify through human body only. Don’t confuse yourself. What you have read and listen, forget it. The listener within you is Ultimate Truth. The invisible reader within you is Ultimate Truth. The invisible experiencer is Ultimate Truth. The invisible witnesser within you is Ultimate Truth. Entire world is projected out of your invisible presence. No God has created this world. World is Seer’s reflection. The moment that spirit clicked with the body, you see the world. If there is no awakening in the morning, who can talk about the world? Last night you were in deep sleep. In the morning, if there is no awakening, who will talk about the world? Who will talk about the person, the master, the Gods? God, master, all these are concepts. It is very interesting, if you go deeper and deeper within your Selfless Self, you will find exceptional happiness, exceptional peacefulness, because peacefulness and happiness are within you! You are trying to find peacefulness and happiness outside, through sex, through publicity, through money. Nothing! How are you prior to Beingness? How are you after leaving the body? There is no mind, no ego, no intellect, they came along with the body only. All concepts came along with the body and all concepts dissolve with the body. Ultimately, I am Brahman is also a concept. Brahman has been given name to the Ultimate Truth, final truth, supernatural power within you, for identification. Who am I? You are Brahman, Atman, Paramatman, God, Master. Questioner itself is Ultimate Truth. Since you are measuring yourself in body form, therefore you forgot your identity. To regain identity, meditation is given, Naam is given, we are asking to do some Bhajans also to create atmosphere.

Q: How important is self-inquiry? Is there an end to inquiry? Do you have tips on how to Self-inquire?

Maharaj: Self inquiry is required because you are missing your Ultimate Truth, you are missing your Selfless Self. Therefore, self-inquiry is required. In the beginning, at the initial stage only, you are to make self-inquiry. “Who am I?” It is the most important question. The questioner itself is Ultimate Truth. Because we are holding body, we are considering body as our identity. To dissolve body identity, Naam mantra is given, meditation is given, through which you will get reply from You. Therefore, in the beginning, self-inquiry is required because you are not having address. Address of Oneself. We are knowing everybody’s address but not knowing the address of our Self. Who am I? Self-inquiry results in Self-knowledge. Self-knowledge results in Self-realization. There are 3 stages in the spiritual life. Self-inquiry, Self-knowledge, Self-realization. Why Self-inquiry? Because we are not knowing ourselves. We are measuring ourselves, counting ourselves in body-form. A lot of confusion is there: confusion about the Brahman, Atman, Paramatman, God, Master, confusion about spiritual knowledge, confusion about ourselves. While doing spiritual inquiry, you will come to know that there is a Brahman which ‘I am’. Self-inquiry leads to the Self-knowledge. Self-knowledge leads to the Self-realization.

Q: What is self-knowledge like Maharaj? Self-knowledge is direct sense of the primary I or what is it?

Maharaj: No, no, no! Self-knowledge means Conviction. You are knowing yourself at present as a man or woman. You are neither man nor woman, you are Brahman! The moment spirit touched with the body, we started knowing ourselves as human beings. Who is acting with the human body? Who is listening? Who is reading? Who is enjoying food? Who is watching the entire world? This is called Self-inquiry. When you approach Master, you asking the question “Who am I?” That is Self-inquiry. Master says you are Brahman, Atman, Paramatman, God, Master. Then you say “How can I be Master? How can I be Brahman?” Body is not your identity at all. Body is having death and birth, not to you. You are holder the body. You are subtler than sky and space. How you are prior to Beingness? You say ‘I don’t know’. How you will be after leaving the body: ‘I don’t know’. That means the answerer of ‘I don’t know’ said “I am not in any form”. You are formless. So all concepts, even Self-inquiry are required because we are unknown to ourselves, we are missing ourselves. Wrong identification. The Self-inquiry leads to the Self-knowledge. Perfect identification. Because this identity is an unidentified, invisible, anonymous identity. The invisible identifier within you is Ultimate Truth. Where there is no experience, no experiencer. That leads to the Conviction, Realization. It is a starting question. So far, we have been posing ourselves as body, therefore Self-inquiry is required. Inquirer itself is Ultimate Truth. Because you are not body, you were not body, you are not going to remain body. So, body-knowledge, body-identity is supposed to be dissolved, for which Self-inquiry is required. The result of Self-inquiry is Self-knowledge. Self-knowledge means that I am Brahman, Ultimate Truth. Self-knowledge is supposed to lead to Self-realization, that spontaneous Self-conviction. So, though you are holding body, you remain unconcerned with the body, unconcerned with the world.

Q: Maharaj, spontaneous waves of light occasionally appear. Are they experiences enabling self-inquiry or are they mind-body-knowledge to be discounted?

Maharaj: There is no experience, no experiencer. At ultimate stage there is no experience, no experiencer. These are statements, these are the words, trying to convince the invisible listener within you. At that stage there is no experience, no experiencer. How are you prior to awakening, prior to Beingness? At that time, nothing was there. No question are there. After leaving body, what question remains? No knowledge will be there. That means everything came out of nothing, everything dissolves within nothing. Out of nothing, you see something. That is illusion. Without playing with the words, analyzing the words, try to identify the invisible Listener within you. And keep in mind: except your Selfless Self, there is no God, no Brahman, no Atman, no Paramatman, no master.

Q: I consider myself a devotee of a Guru who is no longer in physical form and use the “Om Namah Shivaya” mantra for years. Since reading your book and speaking with you, I prefer your mantra. Does this mean I am starting all over again from the beginning?

M: Okay, mantra is the words. If you have not taken the mantra from me, you can repeat the similar words “I am Brahman, Brahman I am’. If you already taken, you concentrate meditation. So, you need not go and repeat ‘Om Namah Shivaya’. According to the discipline of the lineage, we are not supposed to disclose the mantra to anybody else. If you have taken the Naam mantra from me, no other mantra is required. “Om Namah Shivaya” is not wasted: through that knowledge, through that sacrifice or devotion you come to me. It is not wasted. Because nowadays you will not get direct knowledge: round and round and round and round. This a direct approach without any expectation. I’m not expecting a single penny from anybody else. Be realized make others realized, be enlightened make others enlightened, straight knowledge. There is no any hide and seek, I am not hiding anything from you. Because there is no difference between you and me except this body. Knowledge means what? Just to identify oneself in a real sense. In the beginning you are to make deliberate effort, not afterwards. Okay. So, I will give you Naam mantra, but with the confidence that you will follow it very strictly. Be serious, because so many persons are taking Naam mantra then going here and there. It is not harmful for me but harmful for you people. People are coming to me “Oh! We want mantra, we want mantra!” Then going here and there, this master, that master, wavering mind will be there. Therefore, normally in our lineage we are not giving Naam mantra immediately, but I am very liberal. You people are coming from long distance, so with sympathy I am trying to give the Naam mantra. But I have found that so many persons are coming and going here and there, here and there. They are spoiling their spiritual career.

Q: Maharaj I went to Tokyo as a tourist. I went to a Buddhist temple. It was very peaceful. Is that ok or is it not good Maharaj?

M: It’s good. You can go anywhere; I am not restricting to go to temples. There are no restrictions, you go anywhere in the world but with Self-confidence.

Q: I feel trapped in the body.

Maharaj: There is no Maya, no Brahman. Brahman is also illusion. Maya is also illusion. No Maya, No Brahman. So, names are given: Brahman, Atman, Paramatman, God, Master. These are the names given to the Ultimate Truth. Where was that Maya prior to Beingness? Where was that Brahman prior to Beingness? After leaving body, any Brahman is there? Nothing is there. Why to struggle with the words? Maya, Atman, God, master. Ok these are not bad words. These are good words, indicating your Ultimate Truth, final truth. You are subtler than this space or sky.

Okay, there is no restriction. You are a free bird; you can fly without wings. Forget about past, forget about future.

Sri Ramakant Maharaj