The way of the bird

More documents

Recommendations

Info

purposes, synonymous with mind. Ego, the I-thought that is the basis of the mind, is itself knowledge, the knowledge of my own existence, "I am." That single thought underlies all other thoughts and takes the place of the true sense of "I," which is impersonal, universal. 5.11 "The power doesn't do anything. The ego says `I did it.'" Sitting quietly, doing nothing, Spring comes and the grass grows by itself. This Chinese verse shows how the power works, without effort, without volition. The concept that there is someone here who is the doer of the actions is really just a mistake, a misunderstanding. Imagine how beautiful it would be to live with absolutely no effort. That is perfect freedom. Not wanting to change anything, not expecting or desiring more or less than what actually is. In this vision, the ego is simply unnecessary. 5.12 "Say to the ego `You are in my service. I am not in yours.'" There is an old analogy that is found in the Katha Upanishad about the horse, the chariot, the passenger, and the driver. The driver, which is the mind, or ego, controls the horse, which represents the senses of the body. However, the real control is with the passenger, who is the "I." If the person is realized, the I just sits back and enjoys the ride with no worries. In those who never make any attempt to understand their own nature, the passenger is asleep, the driver is drunk, and the horse pulls the chariot this way and that. The ego-mind must sober up, become a good servant, and start listening to the quiet voice of the "I" within before a person can even start to understand a spiritual teaching. 5.13 "Mind fears and that is its support. Take out that support." The root of fear is the feeling of separation that comes from consciousness taking itself to be a distinct individual. The mind fears many things and is full of big and small anxieties. One of things it fears most of all is the disapproval of other people. "What will they think of me?" Or it may be a fear of not being able to manage, not having enough money to pay the rent. Whatever it is, the effect of fear in the mind is to support its sense of separation. Fear justifies keeping the thoughts focused on the external, on worldly affairs. The thoughts keep arising "I must do this. I must do that." If you have a serious illness or you have no proper means of livelihood, of course these things should be taken care of. My own experience was that I had to have a steady job with low stress, a secure place to live, and a relatively harmonious marriage relationship before I could focus properly on Maharaj's teaching. Once these basic needs have been met, it should then be possible to replace the mind's tendency to fear with trust in the Master. Trust in the Master is also trust in oneself and it includes an unspoken understanding that you will always be taken care of. I have verified time after time, so that I can no longer have the slightest doubt, that reality is absolutely trustworthy.
5.14 "I take bondage on myself." You could perhaps sum up the main point of this teaching like this: "Before seeking liberation, find out if you are bound." You are already free, so the only problem is the thought "I am bound." Liberation, Self-realization, doesn't give you anything you don't already have. It only removes that wrong assumption of bondage. So this way can be very fast, if you can just grasp this main point. 5.15 "Submerge your ego. Do not be afraid of it." There is a saying in the I Ching (Hexagram 43, Breakthrough) that goes like this: The best way to fight evil is to make energetic progress in the good. This seems to me to be an excellent motto for dealing with the ego, which represents all that is evil in oneself. Sometimes people will think of the ego as a powerful force that fights for its survival and is always cooking up some scheme to deceive them. I have never found this a useful approach. It is basically an admission of fear and lack of trust and it gives power to the ego. I have always found it better to focus on the positive and to continue to work on understanding the Master's teaching and surrendering to him. If you do that, then the ego will get weaker and weaker like a muscle that is not exercised. You really don't need to pay much attention to it. The most important thing to remember about the ego is that it is essentially only a thought. If you don't think that thought, then where is the "problem" of the ego? 5.16 "If the ego blocks your path, crush it. Let others make their comments." Maharaj frequently encouraged us to become aware of our own power, which is absolutely capable of crushing the ego or brushing it aside like a fly. From time to time, as you progress, it may become necessary to react to obstacles in yourself in an extreme way. For example, you might find it necessary to leave the place you are living in or leave a relationship with someone who is not supporting you. The ego will resist change of its habitual patterns and so you may need to do some crushing! If you just act in accordance with your highest understanding at these critical points of your life you will do fine. When you have to act, you will be given the strength to do so, and you won't worry about what others think. 5.17 "Duality makes `I'." Consider the analogy of the sun and its rays. If you are yourself the sun, you are not aware of any rays, or of any of the other characteristics that humans attribute to the sun, such as intense heat, fire, and so on. In fact, you are not aware of anything at all. Now imagine someone holding up a mirror in front of you. Now you are aware of your own light rays and your heat. By becoming aware of these qualities, you become aware of
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 and 12: decay that plays itself out much sl
Page 13 and 14: thing that was real. In the same wa
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
Page 27 and 28: It is always now, whether you are r
Page 29 and 30: "knowledge" in Self-knowledge is re
Page 31 and 32: The world is not a place in which l
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
Page 41 and 42: 5 May: The "Problem" of the Ego 5.1
Page 43: The whole of human interaction and
Page 47 and 48: Fools, dwelling in darkness but wis
Page 49 and 50: Maharaj equates mind with ego, and
Page 51 and 52: 6 June: Being an Aspirant 6.1 "You
Page 53 and 54: elimination. This is why Maharaj sa
Page 55 and 56: disciples to become what he was. He
Page 57 and 58: 6.19 "If doubts come in the mind, a
Page 59 and 60: describe your symptoms, and then re
Page 61 and 62: 7 July: The Work of the Master 7.1
Page 63 and 64: There is no "you" in reality, but t
Page 65 and 66: fullness (sat-chit-ananda) is your
Page 67 and 68: and that you are That, just as he i
Page 69 and 70: The ability to accept what the Mast
Page 71 and 72: 8 August: Grace and Understanding 8
Page 73 and 74: true nature is pure consciousness.
Page 75 and 76: Grace is there in the beginning, in
Page 77 and 78: for its own sake, but for the sake
Page 79 and 80: yourself everywhere. When you see "
Page 81 and 82: everywhere and so it is yourself th
Page 83 and 84: Kabir has washed off the dirt of ig
Page 85 and 86: 9.15 "When his body goes away, the
Page 87 and 88: 9.21 "Only the realized person can
Page 89 and 90: By his mere glance, Bondage becomes
Page 91 and 92: 10 October: Thinking and the Mind 1
Page 93 and 94: want something," and all the variat
Page 95 and 96:
It can hardly be emphasized often e
Page 97 and 98:
10.23 "Guests come and go. They nev
Page 99 and 100:
10.30 "It is not easy to cross the
Page 101 and 102:
"You" have disappeared, in that the
Page 103 and 104:
This went on for some time and the
Page 105 and 106:
When you get knowledge of the Self,
Page 107 and 108:
can experience the deep sleep of th
Page 109 and 110:
11.26 "The state of forgetfulness i
Page 111 and 112:
12 December: The Realized Person 12
Page 113 and 114:
again. Because you always know your
Page 115 and 116:
When the eye is single, the whole b
Page 117 and 118:
artificial limitation created by th
Page 119 and 120:
12.24 "Doership rests in Maya and n
Page 121:
The individual consciousness that e
show all

The way of the bird

You also want an ePaper? Increase the reach of your titles

Delete template?

Save as template?