BE-UNCLUTCHED🔗

(Duration : 7 mins)

Just be un-clutched for the next seven minutes.

Let me explain what being un-clutched is.

Mind is nothing but a collection of thoughts; one thought after the other, coming in succession. By our very nature, our thoughts are unconnected. They are like bubbles in a fish tank. The bubbles in the fish tank are not connected. They are distinctly separate, but they appear to be connected. In a similar manner our thoughts are not connected though they appear to be connected. You can do a small exercise: Write down all your thoughts as and when they come. Sit for ten minutes silently and simply start recording your thoughts. Don't try to control or stop thinking. Just be silent and witness the thoughts. The moment a thought comes, quickly write it down on paper. Do this for ten minutes. At the end of ten minutes, read out whatever is written. You will see that it's a mad man's diary!

There is utter chaos. There is no connection between one thought and the next thought. All the thoughts are un-clutched and unconnected. Only when you write down your thoughts you come to know that the thoughts have no real connection. You may be thinking about having a cup of coffee and the next moment you may think about some office work, which is pending. There is no real connection between having a cup of coffee and the office work. Both are independent events. Even if there are two consecutive thoughts about the same event, the thoughts are unconnected as there is no continuity. There is always a gap between thoughts. There is a time of silence between thoughts. The thoughts by their very nature are un-clutched.

The problem happens when we connect these thoughts. We connect these unconnected thoughts and suffer. For example: you might have eaten ice cream ten years ago, you might have eaten ice cream seven years ago, you might have eaten ice cream two years ago and you might have eaten ice cream yesterday. All these experiences might have been very pleasurable for you. You might have enjoyed the ice cream each time you ate it. The trouble is that you connect these experiences and create an imaginary shaft or an understanding that eating ice cream makes you happy. So you try to repeat this experience in the future. You always connect similar thoughts and create a shaft. It might be your experience that sometimes you don't enjoy the ice cream, as much as you enjoyed it some days ago or a year ago. Even if you don't enjoy the ice cream you will make yourself believe that you like the ice cream. Because you have got into the habit of connecting the thoughts, you unconsciously start accepting that you enjoy ice cream.

Similar is the case with painful experiences. The pain which you experienced ten years ago, the pain which you experienced seven years ago, the pain which you experienced three years ago and the pain which you experienced yesterday are independent events; there is no connection between these events. But you create this imaginary shaft and start thinking 'my life is a pain'. If you had many pleasurable experiences in your life, you say 'my life is a pleasure', but actually neither of it is true. Your life is neither pleasure nor pain because the very process of connecting these events is a mistake. The idea that the thoughts are connected is a misconception. And that too we don't connect all the thoughts. We connect only those thoughts that we remember. Just as from a bunch of flowers you pick up a few flowers and create a garland, from millions of thoughts we have, we connect few thoughts that we remember and create a shaft. Creation of the shaft is the original sin. When we create the shaft we suffer.

If you have created a shaft of pleasure then you try to extend the shaft because you want to experience the same pleasure again. If you have created a shaft of pain then you try to break the shaft because you want to avoid the pain. You can neither extend the shaft nor break the shaft because the shaft does not exist! The shaft itself is a myth. The creation of the shaft has become one more shaft for you.

All your experiences are independent experiences. The moment you have connected these experiences, you have created hell for you; you have created suffering. Now you will understand why suffering is also imaginary. It is based on something imaginary. It is based on something unreal. It's just an appearance. The shaft is unreal; it does not exist. So the suffering that is created due to the shaft is also unreal. Once you realize this, you are liberated.

Because our thoughts are so powerful, they have the capacity to clutch with other thoughts and create an imaginary shaft. This process of creating the imaginary shaft is the function of the ego. Ego is nothing separate from the thoughts. Instead it is characteristic of the thoughts. So really speaking, the ego does not exist because the shaft does not exist. The shaft is imaginary. Ego is just a name we give to this process of creating a shaft. A sense of continuity is created because of this shaft. This gives us the illusion of 'ego'.

Since right now all our thoughts clutch, we think that we have an ego. But all our thoughts by their very nature are independent, so the idea of the ego is also imaginary as there cannot be anything connecting these thoughts. So by our very nature we are un-clutched; we are enlightened; we just need to realize it.

Once, a disciple goes to a Zen master and asks him, 'How can I become Buddha'. The master gives him a tight slap on his face and says, 'You are already a Buddha!' If Buddha comes and asks you how he should become Buddha, what would be your reaction? Same is the reaction of the Zen master. So we are un-clutched by our very nature. This just needs to be understood.

You have the choice of not connecting experiences and creating imaginary shafts. You are attached to a person or a thing because you create shafts. The relationship which you experienced three years ago, the relationship which you experienced a year ago and the relationship which you are experiencing now are independent events. The moment you connect these events, you are trying to extend or break the shaft. If the relationship is a pleasurable relationship you expect the relationship to be pleasurable even in the future. If the relationship is a painful relationship you try to break the relationship or you create an idea that the relationship is not good for you. You don't realize that at each instant you are experiencing a new relationship, because at every instant, two new people are associating, and by our very nature we are un-clutched.

The real problem is not caused because of pleasure or pain. The real problem is caused due to our incorrect understanding of both and eventually the creation of imaginary shafts. In the case of a sage, if there is pleasure, he will enjoy the pleasure and forget it. If there is pain, he will suffer the pain and forget it. He does not carry these experiences in horizontal time. The moment we carry an experience in horizontal time, we suffer.

We can experience life living in this world and still be centered in peace and harmony. There is no need to renounce anything external. The smaller self has to be renounced. Once we stop creating the shaft, we will realize that the identity which we were trying to hold on to, was the very reason for suffering. The moment we drop that identity, we enter into bliss! Then the outer incidents won't affect you because you have given up the habit of connecting these incidents. So every incident is a new incident for you. You start seeing life in a much more beautiful way. Everything seems joyful and blissful. You stop taking things for granted.

Once you start accepting life moment to moment, bliss happens to you naturally. External circumstances can impact you only if you allow them to. Nobody can disturb you without your silent permission. People complain that we may live our life in the moment but if others around don't, then they will exploit us. Be very clear, nobody can exploit you or disturb you without your silent permission. Once you understand that you are un-clutched, bliss naturally follows.

Sankara says in Nirvanashatakam, 'Sada me Samatvam Na Muktir Na Bandhah, Chidananda Roopa Shivoham Shivoham' - I am neither in bondage nor liberated, I am always in the state of equilibrium. I am of the nature of pure auspiciousness, the energy of Shiva. Both bondage and liberation are concepts created by the mind. Liberation exists as long as there is bondage. But if there is no bondage, you are already liberated. That is what Sanakara is referring to.

If you are trying to go inward or outward, as long as you are going somewhere you are missing the truth. The very process of traveling or going takes you away from the truth. Truth is here and now. There is no need to go anywhere; no need to travel anywhere. Again the very process of traveling shows that we have created a shaft; we are seeing some progress. There cannot be any progress, because there is nobody who is progressing! The individual is dying at every instant. Then who will progress? When you are un-clutched, you will automatically explode in 360°. Then the question of being material or being spiritual won't arise. So Sankara says that he is neither in bondage nor liberated. He has gone beyond both. Both are just concepts.

Our self can never be improved. Some people work on self-development. What self will you develop? Is there a self to be developed in the first place? A sequence of un-clutched thoughts is all what you are. If you try to develop the self, all you would end up doing is to create a shaft of the idea that my self is developed. It will give you a feel good feeling. There might be one thought that thinks that the self is developed, but it is merely a feel good feeling. Really speaking, the self cannot be developed; the imaginary self can only be eliminated. As long as you are trying to develop the self, you are creating a shaft.

As long as the mind is present, the identification with the unreal continues. Sankara says, 'Brahma Satya Jagat Mithya, Jivo Brahmaiva na aparah' which means that Brahman is real, the world is unreal and the individual soul is non-different from Brahman. What he means here is that only when the mind ceases to exist, the Brahman shines forth. The reality shines in its own glory. As long as there is mind, there are thoughts. Thoughts always hover in the past or the future. There can never be a thought about the present. In the present there can only be consciousness. So as long as thoughts are present, we will continue to create shafts. We will connect these thoughts and create imaginary shafts of either pleasure or pain. The moment a shaft is created, there is identification with the unreal. The reason is that we connect these unconnected thoughts. The very process of connecting thoughts is reason for misery in this samsara sagara (world). Because we connect thoughts, the imaginary identity (which Sankara calls as Jiva) comes into existence. When the Jiva appears, the world of mithya (made of unreal) appears. When we un-clutch automatically the false identity disappears and the Brahman consciousness is revealed.

We have two types of identities. One is the identity that we show to the outer world and other is the identity that we show to the inner world. The identity that we show to the outer world is called as ahankar. The identity which we show to the inner world is called as mamakar. Both these identities are in constant conflict with each other. For e.g. outwardly we may project that we are such and such a person but inwardly we know that we are lacking in some way or the other. There is always a discrepancy between these two identities. The identity which we project to the outer world is always more than what we actually are. A person always tries to prove superior in front of others. The identity which we project to ourselves is always less than what we actually are. You might have observed that we are never satisfied with our own selves. Constantly we are trying to improve ourselves in some way or the other. Either we are dissatisfied spiritually or we are dissatisfied materially. This inner identity that we carry always lacks something and the outer identity that we carry always exceeds the normal. Hence both these identities are always in conflict.

That is the reason why we have to be very careful when we talk because we rarely talk what we think. If we start directly reproducing our thoughts into words, people around us will start running away from us! Ramakrishna used to say that bringing your thoughts and words together is true spirituality. This will happen when we go beyond these two identities.

Both these identities are false identities. These identities are a result of the shaft that we create. They don't exist in reality. As long as we are associating with these identities, we are caught up in Samsara (worldly activities). Once we go beyond these two identities, we become enlightened. All the time, we are creating, sustaining and destroying thoughts. The process of creation (brahma), sustenance (Vishnu) and destruction (Mahesh) is constantly going on. When we stop creating, sustaining and destroying, we go beyond all three and reach the state of Parabrahman (Supreme Self).

In this step, carry this understanding with you that your thoughts are unconnected, irrational and un-clutched. There is no horizontal connection between your thoughts. Even if you have thoughts, neither try to suppress the thoughts nor try to react to them. Just watch them with the understanding that they are un-clutched. Automatically, witnessing consciousness will start happening in you; you will go beyond the two identities. You will realize that you are neither the shaft of pleasure nor the shaft of pain but you are the background on which these shafts are drawn.

Understand that whether you realize it or not, accept it or not, you are already enlightened. By your very nature you are un-clutched. So carry this understanding and sit silently for the next seven minutes and experience the un-clutched state, the state of pure being and bliss. This is the ultimate technique to experience the state of enlightenment.

If you feel inspired by this truth, you can also do the Dhyana Spurana Program which talks in detail about this concept of being un-clutched.

The Dhyana Spurana Program is a 2-day meditation program, designed to help us center ourselves in our Being and re-connect ourselves with our true meditative nature. It is a program to liberate us from the clutches of our mind, from our emotions, which are again just a by-product of our mind. It is aimed at breaking our mythical mental setup of pain and pleasure and creating a space in us for meditation to flower.

(Duration : 10 mins)

In this last step, just sit silently in a blissful mood and listen to the Guru Puja mantras being chanted. Just feel connected to Existence and feel the vibrations of the powerful mantras within your being. The mantras are a way to express gratitude to Existence, the Master, for endowing upon us this great wisdom, which liberates us from ignorance and helps us attain the state of eternal bliss, Nithyananda.

If you are interested in rituals, you can also perform the guru puja (offering gratitude to the Master) in this step by reciting the mantras and performing the rituals.

If you are not interested in rituals, you can remain silent and listen to the mantras. Even by just listening to the mantras, it would do you immense good. Mantras carry vibrations which can transform your being to make it more pure and blissful.

Thus practice this meditation technique once a day and you will start experiencing a new dimension of your being. This technique will prepare your body and mind to experience the state of pure consciousness and bliss.

May you experience and be one with eternal bliss, Nithyananda!