TODAY'S CONSIDERATIONS
If one were to study the evolution of Maharaj's message, it could be seen that his pointers moved away from the use of hundreds and hundreds of Sanskrit terms; away from almost all of the liturgical language of Hinduism, in fact; away from the religious / philosophical language of Hinduism, Jainism, Buddhism and Sikhism; and, eventually, away from all spiritual talk (talk which was especially inspired by the influx of Western seekers who came after the publication of I AM THAT).
Eventually he would shift away from the use of a religious / non-dual version of the Ultimate Medicine and away from the use of a spirituality / non-dual version of the Ultimate Medicine. That came as he realized that the Ultimate Sickness is centered in the mind, after which he advised seekers to "just give up spirituality," to stop reading the talks in I AM THAT and to listen only to his later talks, and to address the primary source of humankind's problems, namely, the content of the mind.
Using that process, he said, seekers could reach a state of "zero concepts" and then abide naturally rather than unnaturally and / or supernaturally (a.k.a., religiously, mythically, mystically, or spiritually).
At that point, his message became simplified as he made use of a psychological / non-dual version of the Ultimate Medicine. In other words, his message became simpler . . . and simpler . . . even more simple and, finally . . . totally simple.
He used the lifestyle of the deer as a model of non-ignorant, non-stupid, and non-insane living. And what is the role of the deer's eyes in being able to abide in that manner?
Consider the size of the eye among various living things:
Because the colossal squid is known to descend into the darkness of the seas to depths of up to 6,500 feet, its eyes have evolved to the point where they now measure over 11 inches or more across, that large lenses allowing its eyes to help capture light in the near-totally-black depths where it hunts.
But for land animals, along with the elephant, the moose, the horse, the cow, it is the deer which sports one of the larger eyes among mammals, allowing it to see in darkness and to see clearly even when fog is present.
And that is an ability which humans lack and which the non-dual teachings offer, specifically, the ability to move about among the masses who are living in a fog and to see clearly that which most cannot see at all.
Maharaj addressed the issue of the viewing all through the warped perspectives of the "inner eyes."
He said, "Your outer eyes are better than your inner eyes."
He asked: "How can you have insight into my state when you are without insight into your own? When the very instrument of insight is lacking, is it not important to find it first? It is like a blind man wanting to learn painting before he regains his eyesight."
He asked: " When you refuse to open your eyes, what can you be shown?"
Eventually, he said that "realization is simply about being free of ignorance."
Not about understanding every Sanskrit term in the liturgical language of Hinduism? No. Not about becoming an expert in the religious / philosophical language of Hinduism, Jainism, Buddhism and Sikhism? No. Not about becoming an authority of dogma? No.
Not about having the final word regarding all things noumenal, other-worldly, intangible, and independent of intellectual and / or sensory perceptions? No. Not about becoming the one most skilled in the use of spiritual exercises? No.
Realization is simply about removing the blockages to clear seeing which have been placed in the mind via programming, conditioning, acculturation, domestication, brainwashing, and indoctrination and then . . . seeing clearly.
Thus Maharaj advised: "Remove the speck and your eyes will be flooded with light. The light is there — waiting. The eyes are there — ready. The darkness you see is but the shadow of the tiny speck. Get rid of it and come back to your natural state."
And what is one's
natural state? The state that all living things except humans abide in,
the difference being that no living thing - other than the human - has a
mind, specifically, a mind filled with nonsense, filled with what
Maharaj called "learned ignorance."
But he made clear what accurate seeing is all about, asking, "Unless the eyes and brain undergo a renovation, how can one see?"
Of course, the entire brain does not require a renovation because it is only the parts of brain which store and retrieve information - specifically, store and retrieve "learned ignorance" - which call for renovation.
In fact, Maharaj would later make clear that the ultimate call is for a purging which eliminates all ideas, notions, concepts, impressions, opinions, and views (a.k.a., "beliefs") which are stored in the mind.
The problems of humankind which are generated by the Ultimate Sickness have nothing to do with knowing too little dogma and have nothing to do with a sick spirit or with a "spiritual malady"; instead, the problems have everything to do with the key symptoms of the Sickness which Maharaj identified as "ignorance, stupidity, and insanity."
And what do those three have in common?
They are all centered in the mind. They all result in not being capable of seeing things clearly and seeing things as they really are but instead seeing things in the distorted fashion which warped perspectives bring.
Via the talks in I AM THAT, a witness that is functioning with wisdom and an ability to observe clearly can see that - though Maharaj never numbered them - there were seven steps on the "path" he offered in order for seekers to move from identification with the body to understanding the Absolute and one's Original Nature.
But if wise and observant seekers were to study his later talks, after he shifted from recommending "SELF-Inquiry" and endorsed a "self-inquiry process" (that is a "false-self-inquiry process"), they could see that he began recommending a four-step "path."
See? Simpler . . . and simpler . . . and simpler . . . until . . . finally . . . simple.
The requirement for realization (for freedom for ignorance) is to be able to see clearly not Who You Are but to be able to see clearly who and what you are not.
To be free of all personal identification is . . .
. . . to be free of being driven by the hidden agendas of personas
and
. . . to be free of being driven by the fears and desires and distortions and delusions and illusions which personas always generate.
To be continued.
Please enter into the silence of contemplation.
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