Holding the transformation: the miracle of Upanishad🔗

I always say, ‘Upanishad is the enlightenment technique for lazy people!’

The enlightened Master Sri Ramakrishna Paramahamsa says beautifully, ‘If you want to scare away some birds sitting on a tree, you don’t have to do it one by one. Just clap loudly once, and all the birds on the tree will fly away.’

In the same way, in the Master’s presence, you don’t have to work on your samskaras one by one. You don’t have to work so hard! The Master’s powerful grace is the one ‘clap’ that can destroy all your samskaras once and for all!

See, you don’t need to be in the presence of an enlightened being to have a glimpse of enlightenment. As I told you, we all continuously have brief glimpses of the superconscious state. Such spontaneous glimpses are always happening in our lives. But the problem is we are neither aware of it when it happens, nor are we able to hold on to it. All your yoga, pranayama, meditation techniques – all these are only to create the state of readiness in you – the readiness to experience, and the readiness to hold the experience. Your body and mind are prepared, so that when the experience happens, you will not miss it by being unconscious of it, and you will be able to hold the enormous transformation it creates within.

When you are continuously available in the energy-field of an enlightened Master, you don’t need so many separate techniques. Even without much effort from your side, your very bio-memory ‘learns’ the expression of enlightenment. Your very muscles learn to imbibe and radiate enlightenment.

Understand, even your physiology changes in the presence of an enlightened Consciousness! When a Master touches and initiates you, the software of enlightened physiology is also downloaded into you, changing your physiology. If you are completely open during the touch, the software of enlightened physiology can be downloaded into you. Your body learns that it can be better than what it is now! Your bio-memory learns the lesson that the possibility for better existence is there.

When you have the grace of the Master, both the hardware and software can be totally changed. The conscious mind can be cleared by the right teachings, by removing the wrong ideas and taking in clear and correct ideas. The unconscious mind can be cleared by meditation techniques. The unconscious zone in the mind is like the software that can be cleansed by meditation. But ultimately, for the software change to be permanent, the hardware also has to change. Your very brain grooves have to change to hold and radiate the experience of living enlightenment. This can happen through initiation. Initiation is directly transmitting the energy by which different dimensions of you will start getting awakened. The hardware, the brain itself, will be tuned to hold this new software by the darshan or grace of the Master.

As of now, both the hardware and software are directed to the outer world, the material world. The conscious portion of the software starts turning to the inner world through listening to teachings, and the unconscious portion of the software starts turning inwards through meditation. But even if software turns inwards, the hardware will not be able to handle it. Then naturally the hardware will try its best to maintain its original nature. If the software is too strong and stays in the same tune, then the hardware will change with time. Even without initiation, constant meditation and teaching will eventually help change the hardware. Even if the hardware is old, once the new software is installed, the hardware will also get updated gradually. However, if you want a change immediately in the hardware, darshan is the right thing. Straightaway it will change the hardware.

Sometimes, without even installing the new software the hardware can be changed!

The person will straightaway start radiating the new software’s quality.

That can happen when a disciple is completely open to the Master.

Sometimes a disciple falls in love with the Master for no reason. He may not be attracted to the teachings or be familiar with them, he may not be attracted to the meditation techniques or be familiar with them, but he just falls in love. With such a disciple, the Master can straightaway change the hardware along with the software. Not only will the hardware change, it will be prepared to hold on to the same experience.

Such disciples will be simply radiating the quality of the teachings and meditation without even learning any of them.

So if you are fortunate enough to feel connected with an enlightened being, if that click has happened in you, just hold on to that feeling, that is enough.

It is the greatest gift!

Just hold it in your heart.

Do not allow any doubt to take that experience away from you.

Keep that experience alive by constantly listening to the Truth!

Don’t miss a single chance to be around the Master.

Because any moment it can happen.

Allow that to happen, and at once become free.

There is an interesting research done by the Institute of HeartMath, USA: In this experiment, the characteristics of light-photons were studied in a light scattering chamber. The graph looked like a typical plot representing random motion of the photons. Next, a DNA sample was placed in the scattering chamber. The graph now changed showing an interaction between the DNA and the photons of light. Then the DNA was removed from the chamber. When the DNA is removed, you would anticipate that the graph would be the same as before the DNA was placed in the chamber. Surprisingly, the graph after the removal of the DNA looked clearly different from the one obtained before the DNA was placed in the chamber. In spite of the removal of the DNA, it influenced the behavior of the lightphotons. Not only immediately after removal but for several more days, the lingering effect of the DNA on the lightphotons persisted. One interesting observation is that this effect is not seen with the DNA of lower forms of consciousness. So, one can conclude that the consciousness of a particular object or a particular person is always radiating and it contributes its own effect. We can also note that in nature, the higher forms of consciousness, by their very presence, will influence the other forms of lower consciousness. (The complete paper is available at http:// twm.co.nz/DNAPhantom.htm). If the DNA of a normal human being can have this effect, you can imagine how a superconscious energy, that of an enlightened being can influence the consciousness of everything and everyone around them!

Q. Is a Master necessary for this quantum leap into consciousness to happen?

A. Yes and no!

First of all, you need to understand that the Master or Guru is not a vyakti (person) as you think. He is a tattva (principle). He is simply a physical representation of the Divine. In the vedic tradition, the spiritual teacher, the Guru or the Master, is said to be more important than God! God is always and everywhere, but it is the Guru who opens the disciple's eyes to the existence of God. The poet-mystic, Kabir sings beautifully, 'If God and my Guru both appear before me, to whom shall I prostrate? I shall bow before my Guru, for it is he who revealed God to me!'

The Master is the doorway to one's own experience of the Divine. He is the mirror that helps you recognize the truth that is already within you. The Master is the only scripture that is alive. Surrendering to God is difficult because you don't know who or where God is! God is a mere concept to you. But the Master is real. Through his form, you can take the quantum jump to the Divine.

Understand, life itself can be your Master - if you have the intelligence to pick up the right things from it! The enlightened Master Dattatreya says, 'I never needed a Master, because life itself has always been my Master. I learnt how to concentrate from a hunter who was aiming at a bird. I learnt how to save money for the future by watching ants!' Life itself can be a wonderful teacher, if you know how to learn from it. Even the Master is not really an individual. The Master is intense Life!

Ultimately, your real Guru is your own inner Self. The outer Guru exists only to guide you to the experience of the inner Guru. The Guru exists both outside you and within you! From the inside, he starts pulling you, so that your extroverted mind begins to look within. And from inside, he starts pulling you, so that no matter what the distractions, you stay in your own inner space. Recognizing the Guru as one's own highest Self is the most beautiful experience that happens with enlightenment.

In the Tamil spiritual text Kaivalya Navaneetam, there is a beautiful description of this. When the disciple gets the first experience of enlightenment, he suddenly understands not only who he is, but also who his Guru is! In ecstasy, he addresses his Master, saying: O Master! You are none but my own highest self, who has guided me towards enlightenment for so many lifetimes! But because I was too weak to hear your voice within, you took on an external form to guide me to the ultimate experience. How can I thank you, who are my very own self?

So understand, if you can hear with utter clarity the voice of your own being, you don't need an external Master. You don't have to surrender to anyone outside. Just surrender to your own highest consciousness, that is enough!

Q. I am already initiated by another Master. Can I still take initiation from you?

A. Perfectly alright, nothing wrong! I always tell people, go to all the gardens and pluck flowers and make a beautiful garland for yourself. Spirituality is not business! You can shop around wherever you want till you are satisfied.

In any case, the human ego is such that it will die only if it is beaten by a dozen Masters! So don't worry, there is nothing wrong in approaching different Masters. Learn all the best things from all the sources and enrich your life.

Only one thing, don't become a window shopper. That is dangerous, because then you will not learn anything from anyone.

Q. You spoke about the importance of Upanishad, being in the physical presence of the Master. If it is not possible to be around you physically, can't reading your books or following your teachings give us the same glimpse?

A. If you want an honest answer, No. Reading the books and so on are useful to create the initial feeling of connection with the Master, but the transmission of light needs the physical presence! Understand, this experience can be transmitted only from one living being to another. Because you are in the physical plane, the transmission also has to happen in the physical plane. The very bio-memory has to be transmitted. Are you able to understand? It is a subtle point. See, whatever I am teaching is nothing new. I am simply repeating the Truths that have been expressed by enlightened Masters for thousands of years. Understand, there is nothing new to teach in spirituality! Whatever the Vedic seers e Why is it that hundreds of thousands of people got enlightened when these Masters were alive, and so few got enlightened by reading their teachings? This is the secret! The experience of enlightenment is like lighting one lamp from another; it has to be directly transmitted from Master to disciple. So if you have been sincerely devoted to a Master who has already left the body, you can be sure that he will guide you to a living Master. There is no other way. That is why, the one thing that can never get outdated is a living Master!

Q. How do I know whether I am qualified for enlightenment?

A. Understand, there is no qualification needed for enlightenment, but the deep want should be there. Please be very clear, I also had ALL the problems that you are having now, like not being able to trust Existence or not being able to trust myself. I had everything! All I can say is, if you have a deep seeking, no other qualification is necessary. Actually, no one can be qualified enough for enlightenment! No effort that you put in can ever match the experience that you get in return. Experiencing enlightenment is like winning a lottery! Can anybody say, ‘I worked so hard, I went and bought a lottery ticket, I even checked the newspaper every day to see if my number was there – so I deserved to win the lottery. My effort is equal to the prize!’? No! What is the qualification for winning the $100 million dollar lottery? You just need to buy a ticket, that’s all! Your effort is simply not equal to the result. Once the experience happens, you will understand this.

The enlightened Master Manickavachagar sings a beautiful poem to Shiva about this experience. He says, ‘O Shiva! I gave myself and got You in return. You gave Yourself and got only me! So tell me, who is the winner here? Who is the more intelligent one?’ Enlightenment can be had simply by giving yourself to Existence.

Even if you give your life, it is too small for what you get in return. Once the experience happens, you will understand that the whole thing is nothing but the pure grace and blessing of Existence. The result or the transformation will be so big, so great that you can't think of a reason why you were chosen for it, why it was showered on you! So no qualification is necessary, but the deep need, the seeking is necessary.

Inner fulfillment is always a gift from the Divine. To receive a gift, there is no such thing as being worthy. If you are given what you are worthy of, it is mere business. How can it be called a gift? So all you can do, all you need to do is have the deep desire for enlightenment. Seeking is nothing but feeling the utter void, the deep emptiness and sorrow that you don't have spiritual clarity and enlightenment as yet. The urge should become urgent! The enlightened Master Ramakrishna Paramahamsa, used to say, 'Suppose you are living in poverty, dying, with no food and no clothes. Somehow you find out that there is a treasure in the next room. Will you be able to sleep? Until you get hold of that wealth, will you be able to rest for a moment?' If you have that same intensity in your seeking, you don't need any other qualification. You don't even need another technique! The very force of your seeking can to lead you to enlightenment. This is all you need to do.

You don’t have to jump from anywhere! Just open yourself with that same trust. Just drop yourself into that trust. You will see the Master is standing there to hold you. Just drop yourself from your head and fall into the abyss of the heart. The Master will be there to hold you and make you experience enlightenment, that’s all.

Q. What are the signs that the initiation has happened to me?

A. Understand, when the initiation happens, this question itself will dissolve! You don’t need anyone to confirm your initiation, because your being already knows. If you are practicing a technique, you need guidance. You need someone to tell you whether you are doing it right or not. But initiation is not a technique. It is a happening! It is a process, an alchemy between Master and disciple. It just clicks, suddenly, for no reason. When you hear the words of the Master, you know he is uttering the truth to which you always wanted to listen. Now you know you can’t escape from this truth! Your being says, ‘This is the truth! I am going to follow him. I am going to follow him.’ Your logic may try to find thousands of reasons not to believe. Your mind will say, ‘No, no, have you gone crazy? Fool, wait! Tomorrow, not today.’ It will give a thousand reasons. But your being simply says, ‘No, I’ve decided. I’m done. It has happened.’

If you are genuinely seeking, the first thing that will happen to you is the dissolution of your questions. Your questions dissolve and only a tremendous thirst remains. This is the first initiation that happens, when the Master changes your focus from knowledge towards knowing, from memory towards intelligence. Once the emphasis has moved from knowledge to knowing, your focus moves from ‘knowing about’ to ‘knowing’. You are interested in knowing yourself. For that you use the Master as the means. As you come closer to the Master, the Master takes you to the next level of moving beyond knowing you. You will never know yourself unless you drop the obsession with yourself! Your obsession with you is your ego. So the ultimate happens when you drop the ego, surrender the ego at the feet of the Master. Just when you forget you, you will discover you!

Q. I felt a deep peace and a strong energy during the meditation. Does that mean I am nearing enlightenment?

A. First I want you to understand, we are always near enlightenment! That is the important thing. We are always close to enlightenment. It is a very foolish and wrong idea to think that one person is closer to enlightenment than another. There are only two categories, either you are enlightened or not, that’s all. If you are not yet enlightened, then be very clear, you are as close to enlightenment as all others in your category.

Even if you are 99.9 percent enlightened, you are not! Enlightenment is a complete and total change. Understand, water becomes steam only at 100 degrees Celsius. Even at 99 degrees it is still only water, never steam! Only at the 100th degree does it become steam. At any point in time, it is either water or steam, never both. Even hot water can put out a fire. That means it still carries the quality of water, not steam. Can you put out a fire with steam? No. So even though it is hot water, it can only have the quality of water. In the same way, at any point in time, you can be either enlightened or not, never both and never 'nearly'. Understand, enlightenment is not a continuity of yourself. It can never be a development of yourself. It is a quantum leap, not a continuity. If you feel some growth, some development, clarity, inner healing etc. during the spiritual process, it is okay. All these just give you the indication that you are on the right track, that's all. When you see a road sign saying 'Los Angeles, 100 miles', it is a helpful sign always. You know you are on the right track, that's all. But it does not mean you have arrived. We always want somebody to give us some consoling words. You seek their support and give your support to them in return. But the Master does not need your support, so he will straightway tell you the actual truth.

There is no such thing as 99.9 percent enlightened or very close to enlightenment or very near to enlightenment. Either you are enlightened or you are not. Enlightenment is like a complete ‘yes’ or a complete ‘no’. There are no steps in between. Enlightenment itself is not a step-by-step process happening in stages. Enlightenment is like replacing a gas cylinder, the old one is completely removed and a new one is put in its place! After the evolution from monkey to human being, it is now time we take the quantum leap to the next level, to the ultimate level. A quantum leap in consciousness is the real goal of enlightenment. When you are on the path, you don’t have to stop and make records about your past. As long as you are stopping and taking accounts about your progress, be very clear, the breakthrough has still not happened! When a clear breakthrough, a quantum leap happens, you don’t need to and you will not be able to check whether you have grown and how much you have grown. The jump will be beyond your logic. After the quantum leap, you will be a totally different species, a totally different being. Your body may look like a human body, but your whole inner space will be totally different. Your way of living will become totally different.

Q. I have been practicing meditation for a few years, but I have not been initiated by any Master. Does this mean that my practice is of no real use?

A. Not at all. I always say, any technique that can raise your awareness is meditation. It does not matter what you do, it is how you do it. If a technique is helping you be more aware, more centered, more joyous, it means it is working for you. Initiation is one of the processes. It is for those who feel connected to some saint, some enlightened Master. For them, it is the right thing. Understand, without awareness, even if you are in the presence of the Master, it will be just a ritual. Without awareness, even meditation is just a ritual. With awareness, even a ritual can become meditation.

For the alert seeker, anything can be transformed into meditation. In the ancient spiritual text, Shiva Sutras, over 50,000 meditation techniques have been described for giving you a glimpse of that state. Even without an initiation, just a sincere practice of these techniques can lead you to satori, the first glimpse of enlightenment.