The knowledge and the teaching of the Gurbani or of any other true world masters is not for those who like their spirituality watered down, but for serious students who want to find powerful antidotes to conditioned consciousness: Mayaic intellect, false ego-sense or Haume...
As time and again mentioned in the Gurbani, in reality rare is the customer of Truth (merchant or seekerof the Truth-Sach). The majority of us deal in only falsehood, selfishness, greed, corruption, crookedness, perversions, deception, misinformation, frauds, sensuality, evil doings, ignorance, Mayaic efforts, and so on. Day after day our sense-blind mind chases the illusory appearance of the mirage-like world and its gross objects (Maya). This process results in further strengthening of our unawareness. Thus, instead of developing spiritual or truthful life (Aatamic-Jeevan), we temper with it and make it stubborn and ineffective.
What is Truth? The Truth is the Pure Consciousness devoid of objectivity. This omnipresent Principle is referred to variously as Universal Spirit, God, Mool, pure Self, Cosmic Principal, Waheguru, Raam, Allah, Knowledge, Sahaj, Hukam, Joti-Svaroopa, Satguru, Turiyaa or the fourth state, etc. It is not only the substratum of this dreamlike phenomenal world but also illuminates it and the One who is the knower of the body. Being self-existent, it does not depend on quantum boundary or material plane for its sustenance. Neither it arises with the phenomenal world arising, nor set with the world setting. This ever-present timeless Truth imparts reality to all, and is in the "now". It is Universal. It is Unity, not fragmentation. It cannot be formulated or contained in words. Neither does it assert itself. It remains unbroken in the waking, dream and deep sleep states. Also, it remains constant in the past, present and future. As per the Gurbani, rare is the individual who knows it.
This changeless Cosmic Consciousness lives within all of us as our inner psyche or inner phenomenon - Mool (Source, Origin, Jot...). But we are ignorant of it. Due to this darkness of ignorance, we are unable to see the Truth: our Natural State of Being (Sahaj...). Consequently, instead of being the Mool, our mind ends up becoming a bundle of memories, imaginations, innate tendencies, bodily inclinations, habits or a quagmire of false concepts.
From a practical standpoint, the Truth is simply seeing the false as false (Asat) through discriminating intellect (Bibek Budhi) and then detaching from it — in deeds. The forgetfulness of this Truth or separation from it is what the scriptures call false ego-sense or the realm of relativity. So long as the falsehood, duality, modalities of Maya (Gunas) or the relativist consciousness persists, one cannot become completely filled with the Truth.
How does the Truth become veiled? The biological body is the play of the five elements or Maya. The movement in this body is the vital breath. As we grow out of infancy, we start identifying this body-essence as some individual. This is the first material concept known as false ego-sense or "I-ness". This primary concept is the mother of all other subsequent concepts that appear in one's life. In the process, the Truth becomes superimposed by the relativist consciousness, giving rise to inner division or separateness (duality). This modification of the Pure Consciousness is the veil on the face of the Truth.
Truth never loses; falsehood never endures. But due to unawareness we trade only with falsehood. In our limited awareness, we want only the fragmentary modifications of the Truth. We see ourselves existing in time and space, and take the birth of this body as the base point. We consider this to be the Truth. But it is nothing but shear ignorance, having no basis in reality at all. Attached to this Mayaic delusion, our mind wants wanderings, activities and worldly knowledge directed towards acquiring material happiness. But the Truth in its all fullness does not interest us.
Bound by the fetters of the false ego-sense, we approach the Gurbani (or any other scriptures for that matter) and the men of true wisdom (the Gurmukhs). So what happens? We do not understand their teachings and knowledge. Because they speak from a point of view which is without such fragmentary modifications of the Truth. Caught in the vicious chain of baser desires, causative actions and material goals of life, people attend Gurdwaaraas, temples, churches, mosques, synagogues, and so on, and listen to sermons from those who are deluded themselves and yearn for more Maya: who burn in the fire of sensuousness and who do this only to set up their own house.
How can the Truth be realized? Or, when one knows he has discovered the Truth? Simply put, the Truth is loss of falsehood or ego (Haume). What arises is false, limited in time and space. What is false has no being. Mind being time and space, whatever is conceived by the mind is relative, limited or false; produced by some circumstances and environments. The Truth is beyond the mind, because it is timeless, spaceless and formless. It lies beyond the thinking, feeling, pulsation, concept, wanderings or beyond any action of the mind. It knows no creed, religion, dogmas, person or reasoning. It is internal and unchanging. It is only known by the knower as his own absolute, transcendent or ultimate state. Therefore it cannot be made to order or harnessed to a purpose. So long as the mind is blind of the unreality, it is not possible to know the Truth. For the Truth to dawn within, the mind must be purged of the false completely. Hence, it is totally useless to seek the Truth whilst the mind revels in falsehood; for the Truth and falsehood cannot coexist.
The Truth is not a social status or title. It is simply the freedom from the false — time, name, space and causation. In other words, the Truth can be expressed only by detaching from the false, completely. Knowing, understanding and being this Truth then gives the correct perspective whereby the unreality of the external world is seen truly. It is one's inner growth. As such the realm of the Truth is pathless and cannot be discovered by any creed or dogmas. There may be different ways of teaching spiritual knowledge, but there is only one way to approach the Truth — seeing the false as false and rejecting it in action ("Karanee"). But, as the Gurbani says, in material consciousness we uselessly walk "along in many paths" and waste our life.
Thus, the only way to know if one has discovered the changeless Truth is to be able to deny the false in action. Baabaa Nanak calls it "truthful living" or "Truth in action"; for the Truth shines in the Truth and fullness fills the fullness. Inward realization of the Truth is complete only when one is able to return back into worldly happenings or his intellectual structure, and come to assert and actually live the Truth in action — he functions in this world while his consciousness is firmly established in the Truth. Without such positive assertion, the seeker may reach only the dull void which in itself is not the fulfillment of man's inward enlightenment. For instance, removing thirst is not the fulfillment of drinking water, but it must provide to the drinker the positive joy of fulness and comfort. It is considered the supreme wealth and as the source of lasting Bliss. Therefore, as indicated in the Gurbani, the stress should be laid on practice ("Karanee") rather than faith. The Gurbani also tells us that this Truth is the best religion which is above all external religions.
Hence, the pursuit of Divine Knowledge (Aatam Giaan) must lead man to direct experience of the Truth of his essential nature or his godly status, "here" and "now". It cannot be achieved after the physical body is banished. Hence one cannot afford to wait. To understand the non-dual Truth and to be one with it within, Shabad-Vichaar is must. Then the knowledge of existence or "I-ness", which is in seed form, gradually grows and awakens within as a pure intelligence or a complete Divine Knowledge (Aatam Giaan). In the process, one then transcends this knowledge and becomes established in the "Sach-Khand" — the enduring realm of the Truth within.
— T. Singh
www.gurbani.org
Page modified: Friday, May 11, 2012 8:14 PM (PST)
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