The way of the bird

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2 February: The Nature of Reality 2.1 "Use the power to know that reality." The power that is in each individual is what Sri Nisargadatta Maharaj called your "capital." That knowledge "I am" has appeared and is available for a limited time for investment. The best way to invest that capital is to use it to pursue the Master's teaching to the end; that is, until Self-knowledge brings the complete conviction that you are indeed the final reality, the Self. 2.2 "I have no limits." If reality were limited by anything, it would no longer be One, and no longer be complete. That which limited it would have to be apart from it, which would not be possible, because that would make two. This is why the appearance of the world cannot be considered as separate from the Absolute, but only as a reflection of It. Limitations are imposed by the mind, on the mind. It is only in thought that you suffer limitations, such as the concept of being a separate individual. What you are in your true nature is limitless awareness, free of the three types of limitation: time, space, and object-hood. 2.3 "Be always free-minded. Don't worry about anything." To be completely free from worry is really only possible for a realized person, and this is, in fact, one of the characteristics usually attributed to such a person. As with many of the direct instructions that Maharaj gave, this one is an indication of the direction to follow; of what you should aspire to. You should not beat yourself up if you cannot be worry-free right away. However, by worrying less and less over time, you gain dispassion (vairagya) and free the mind from worldly bindings. As you do so, you understand more and more of the knowledge that the Master has given. 2.4 "Everything is superimposed on my real nature." The concept of superimposition is very important in Advaita Vedanta, as taught by Shankaracharya and his lineage since the seventh century. Superimposition is the concept that is used to explain how it is that the appearance of the world does not disturb the Oneness of the non-dual reality. The classic example is the snake that is superimposed on a rope when the rope is seen in semi-darkness. The snake appears real and has the ability to evoke real fear. However, when a light is shone upon it, the rope-snake disappears. Actually, of course, it was never there. The rope was the only reality. The imaginary snake "resolves" itself back into its underlying foundation-the rope, which was the only
thing that was real. In the same way, all the apparent objects of the world are superimposed by the mind on the underlying reality. 2.5 "He pervades everywhere." In the first chapter of the Amritanubhav, Jnaneshwar writes a poetic description of the way in which the final reality, or Parabrahman, here symbolized as the god Shiva, becomes manifest, but without disturbing its non-dual nature. The whole chapter is worth reading over and over because it succeeds in conveying something of the paradoxical nature of reality, which can be one and yet two at the same time. Here is a typical verse: It is Shiva alone who lives in all forms; He is both the male and the female. It is because of the union of these two complements That the whole universe exists. This is the manner in which reality pervades everywhere. Just as the light of the sun shines everywhere without taking anything away from the sun, the power of pure knowledge animates all living things without diminishing its source. 2.6 "There is only oneness in the world, no duality at all." Everything that one sees or perceives is an appearance in awareness, but it does not affect or diminish that awareness in any way. This is the beauty and the mystery of the manifest reality. That which is seen and the seer of it are not-two, they are One, just as the shadow does not exist apart from the object that casts it, or the rays of the sun are not separate from the sun itself. The Self is the only reality, the only One. That Self is the source of everything that appears. The world is not apart from the Self, but the Self is not contained by the world. It remains untouched just as the mirror is not altered by the reflection that appears in it. Here are two more verses from the first chapter of the Amritanubhav: The sun appears to shine because of its rays, But it is the sun itself which produces the rays. In fact, that glorious sun and its shining Are one and the same. To have a reflection, one must have an object; If we see a reflection, then we infer that an object exists. Likewise, the supreme reality, which is one, Appears to be two. 2.7 "Everyday is today. There is no time or space in the reality." It is not possible for the mind to understand that there is no time or space, because the process of thinking is itself based on time and space. Without first assuming the concepts
Page 1 and 2: The Way Of The Bird Quotations of R
Page 3 and 4: a collection of separate objects an
Page 5 and 6: objects. All of it taken together i
Page 7 and 8: yourself as the ego is to forget th
Page 9 and 10: false concept of a "doer." Life wit
Page 11: decay that plays itself out much sl
Page 15 and 16: "I am Brahman" is a phrase that is
Page 17 and 18: Maharaj would often use the phrase
Page 19 and 20: continue to play a part but you wil
Page 21 and 22: Understanding the nature of reality
Page 23 and 24: development through accumulation an
Page 25 and 26: tiny spring, is water when it passe
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Page 29 and 30: "knowledge" in Self-knowledge is re
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Page 33 and 34: 4.4 "I am an ignorant person. I kno
Page 35 and 36: 4.10 "The power is also not true."
Page 37 and 38: more subtle than objects because it
Page 39 and 40: 4.25 "In Oneness, there is neither
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Page 43 and 44: The whole of human interaction and
Page 45 and 46: 5.14 "I take bondage on myself." Yo
Page 47 and 48: Fools, dwelling in darkness but wis
Page 49 and 50: Maharaj equates mind with ego, and
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Page 53 and 54: elimination. This is why Maharaj sa
Page 55 and 56: disciples to become what he was. He
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Page 59 and 60: describe your symptoms, and then re
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There is no "you" in reality, but t
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fullness (sat-chit-ananda) is your
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and that you are That, just as he i
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The ability to accept what the Mast
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8 August: Grace and Understanding 8
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true nature is pure consciousness.
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Grace is there in the beginning, in
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for its own sake, but for the sake
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yourself everywhere. When you see "
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everywhere and so it is yourself th
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Kabir has washed off the dirt of ig
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9.15 "When his body goes away, the
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9.21 "Only the realized person can
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By his mere glance, Bondage becomes
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10 October: Thinking and the Mind 1
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want something," and all the variat
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It can hardly be emphasized often e
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10.23 "Guests come and go. They nev
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10.30 "It is not easy to cross the
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"You" have disappeared, in that the
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This went on for some time and the
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When you get knowledge of the Self,
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can experience the deep sleep of th
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11.26 "The state of forgetfulness i
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12 December: The Realized Person 12
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again. Because you always know your
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When the eye is single, the whole b
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artificial limitation created by th
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12.24 "Doership rests in Maya and n
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The individual consciousness that e
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