Notes from Swamiji's talk 4/7/06 Kyneton

[Guest guest]

Long ago, when the ashram was still just a

few huts and palm trees, a scholar who was researching life after death

came to Amma and asked, "What happens to the soul after death?"

Amma told him to sit by her and gave him darshan.

The scholar later told Swamiji that while Amma didn't answer his

question outwardly, she had given him an inner experience that

answered his question.

 

Swamiji once asked Amma, "What can I do to attain Self-realization?"

Amma said it will happen only when we stop worrying. Sometimes

we mistake worrying for longing. Worrying (thinking) is not longing.

Longing is one-pointed on the goal. Longing is meditation. Amma

keeps telling, "Cultivate longing." We can do this even when doing

our work.

 

Real surrender is when you give something and stop worrying about

it. Offer Amma our minds even as we offer her an apple. Once

surrender happens, there is no struggle. Don't "give" it, offer it.

There's a difference between giving and offering. Don't tell anyone

what you give. Tell our mind to stop worrying and it will obey.

 

Translating for Amma is unpredictable. She will interrupt. He

used to ask, "Why do you interrupt? Why can't you let me

finish my thought?" Now he knows She cannot be like that.

It's all a flow not an action. It's a river-like movement, not a

straight line. Amma can flow in any direction.

 

He talked about how Amma's devotees measure the height,

width and breadth of Amma's chair to the centimeter, as they

should do as devotees of Amma, striving to make it perfect.

However, don't be so foolish as to think that Amma will sit in

it.

 

(He retold the story about the guru who told the disciple NOT

to think of monkeys, and that was all the disciple could think

of. The guru did this to show the disciple his undisciplined mind.)

 

In our relationship we must develop a bond. That alone is the

secret. Then thoughts and the mind simply disappear. Amma

gives us consciousness.

 

According to the scriptures, there are four states of consciousness:

Jagrat--waking consciousness

Sopana (?) -- dream state

Shushupta-- deep sleep

Turiya--beyond all these, the superconsious ground of all that exists

 

1. Jagrat

When we get angry we lose our consciousness. Thoughts

don't belong to us. They aren't real.

2. Dream State

???

3. Shushupti--Even dreams disappear

4. Turiya--Deep Sleep with one difference. There is absolute

awareness.

 

Example: Amma's darshan. Even while her full attention is on the

person, she's also simultaneously aware of everything. Even when

the body sleeps, you can hear Amma chanting "Shiva, Shiva." She

is witnessing, even then.

 

"That which is night to all beings, that is wakefullness to a self-

realized soul." They do not see differences. In our waking state,

we do. Amma remains awake, established in the Supreme.