2. Enlightenment comes from within
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When Nithyananda says our physical activities are in no way related to enlightenment, people are confused. Enlightenment is the realization of energy with in. It is the connection we make with the universal energy.
We can easily spot an enlightened man. He can never fake his feelings. He always is and can only be natural. But an ordinary man can fake anything. He even fakes his naturalness.
When Nithyananda was wandering in the Himalayas, Nithyananda met an elderly sadhu who was compassionate, blissful and simple. Nithyananda stayed with him for about 6 months. He used to smoke. Nithyananda hated the smell of it. It used to make Nithyananda feel physically sick. One day, Nithyananda summoned enough courage and asked him why he smoked it and advised him that it is bad for health. He laughed and asked me, ‘Can you tie a big elephant inside a small hut? Similarly, unless I smoke, I can’t stay inside this body.’
Nithyananda then understood that enlightened masters had to do some things to reverse process that will help them to stay inside the body.
This Baba had a clay pipe. He used to fill it with a copper coin and light it. After he finished smoking he cleaned the pipe. Unbelievably, the copper coin would have turned into a gold coin. He would take the gold coin to the market, sell it and buy some leaves to smoke. This was a regular feature. It may sound too far-fetched to you but Nithyananda can bear testimony to it. It is from him Nithyananda learned the art of solidifying mercury and energizing the mercury.
Nithyananda is telling you this to explain to you that physical activities are in no way related to enlightenment. We cannot and should not judge a master by his habits. The rigors of practice are only necessary when we start learning.
It is like when we learn to ride a bicycle. We have to sit straight, hold the handle straight and properly. We need to keep our feet straight on the pedals. But once we master the art of cycling, when we are able to balance ourselves well, we can perform many stunts on the cycle. In the same way, when we start sadhana (spiritual practice), we have to practice a few things. Once we master it, we will learn to balance our energy and run our life.
Enlightenment is beyond body and mind. It springs from deep within.