Pujya Ramsukhdasji Maharaj

[Guest guest]

EXPERIENCE IMMORTALITY

 

Within every human being there remains an inner feeling, an

impression that " I exist, I remain at all times, that I never die. "

He desires to be immortal. Simply from this desire it is a proof that

in reality he is immortal. If he were not immortal, then there would

not be a desire for immortality. Just like when we feel hungry and

thirsty, it is a clear indication that there is such a thing as water

and food, that quenches the thirst and satisfies the hunger. If there

was no water or food, then there would not be such a thing as thirst

and hunger. Therefore immortality is self-evident.

 

Now the doubt arises that if one is already immortal, then why does

he desire to be immortal? Here the understanding is that - inspite of

being immortal, when he disregards his discriminative faculty and

believes himself to be one with his body, that is destructible and

dying, i.e. where he accepts and believes that " This Body is Me " then

in him arises desire for immortality and fear of death.

 

Man has the discrimination within that this body is gross and not his

true nature. This body is constantly changing. The body that was

there in childhood, is not the same now and will not remain the same

in the future. But I (Self) am the same whether as as child, present

or later in old age. Man understands that " I (self) am different

from the body and the body is separate from me (self). " Rather " I am

not the Body " - this is everyone's experience.

 

Inspite of this experience and understanding, to consider the body as

not separate from us and to consider our self as one with body, is a

great disrespect to our discriminative faculty, it is an insult, it

is contempt. A spiritual aspirant, has to give importance to this

discrimination that - I am at all times remaining and the body is

constantly dying. There is not a moment when the body is not dying.

In fact the process of dying itself seems to be called living. When

that process begins, it is called birth and when it ends it is called

death. The point is that, that which changes constantly, its name is

called birth and the same thing is called death. Just like when

childhood dies, then youth is born, and when youth dies then old age

is born . In the same manner that which is constantly being born and

dying, is called the state of living, and subtlely happening all the

time. But I (self) remains at all times. Even though the state is

changing all the time,but the self has not the least bit of change.

i.e. in this body, there is constant death and mortality and in the

Self there is nothing but immortality. One must give importance to

this understanding and experience, this discrimination within.