In the case of those who attained spiritual enlightenment, they can understand each other perfectly. They have no problem with understanding the Self and His Power because all of them do realize Him. Problems arise when one of those people has to explain the truth about the Self and His Power to a person who does not have Self-realization yet.
In order to accomplish that difficult mission, the enlightened person has to find a way to do it rightly. Such a person is called a spiritual teacher. One cannot be a genuine spiritual teacher without Self-realization. As I explained in a previous post, a person who realized the Self is able to not associate his “real I” with mind and physical body, broadly speaking. In this way, what is happening to mind and physical body is perceived as not happening to “himself really”. On the contrary, a limited individual, as he continues with the association of his “real I” with mind and physical body, considers all that is occurring to these two as occurring to “himself”. While this identification with mind and physical body is kept, one is a limited individual. When it is removed at least for one second, one is an enlightened person at least for one second. This is very simple to understand, right?
As it is obvious, the condition of a limited individual is not a desirable one. Why? Because he is at the mercy of all that happens and will happen to his mind and physical body. If you read a little about human history, you will understand that your fate can change in the twinkling of an eye. Now you are happy with your family and thriving, and next you are going to hell on earth. Why is this happening? It is the way He decides to become manifested on this planet through His Power. If you are unfortunate enough as to keep the association between your “real I” (the Self) and mind/physical body, you are in real trouble. Most people are in this condition but many of them still do not notice it. In this sense… and only in this sense… pain is necessary in life. Without pain one will never look for a way out of his dangerous state of bondage. Even with pain being present all the time, you can see that lots of people still insist on living foolishly, i.e. on indulging in sense pleasures, being full of vain hopes, desiring more money, etc. They are also the way He decides to become manifested in this world.
Now, there are people who realize they will be in danger if their moronic state of being limited continues untouched. These are the spiritual aspirants. There are different levels of spiritual aspirants, from awesome to dull disciples. Some of them are even so confused that they start to follow a crazy teacher who says that the Self is far away in the outer space or deep inside the earth and things like that. Those false teachers very often are also spiritual aspirants who, in their despair, went mad and began to invent crazy theories. The power of spiritual ignorance is unbelievable. This cannot be changed at all. People who want to change the entire world are not properly aware of what they are saying or facing. Nonetheless, one can realize the Self in himself if he makes the necessary efforts under the guidance of a true spiritual teacher. So, the gist of my teaching will always be “removing the identification between the real I and mind/body” and NOT about how to turn the world into a real paradise”.
The world was, is and will be always a manifestation of His Power. Sometimes it looks fine, sometimes it looks bad, sometimes it is happy, sometimes it is dark. If you read human history you will see that the world is always changing and changing, sometimes for the better, sometimes for the worse. Let it be so then! The important thing here is “your own state of consciousness” and not “the state of the world”.
When you are able to realize the Self in you, this act of realization will set you free forever. When you are free forever, your perception of the world will change too. Before Self-realization you thought it was “the world”. After Self-realization you see it “as it really is”, i.e. as a display of His Power. When you realize that “the real You” is completely Independent and Free from mind and physical body, you are also Free for the time that realization lasts.
An example now. Imagine a huge ocean before you. You have to cross it. There are two methods:
- The moronic method: try to turn the ocean into solid ground somehow. For example, by draining the water from it by means of zillions of pumps working at the same time. This is impossible, obviously, because there is always the problem of where to transport such a massive quantity of water (except you have another planet available and a long pipe connecting both planets somehow).
- The wise method: get a boat, a plane or some vehicle fit for crossing a huge ocean.
In the same way, it is impossible for a human being (especially if he is a limited individual) to turn the world into a real paradise. However, he can realize the Self if he makes the adequate efforts under the instructions of a good spiritual teacher. When he realizes Him, he also realizes that the world is His Power and nothing but His Power. From this realization on, he is completely Free like the Self and lives in a real paradise wherever his physical body may be. This is difficult to understand while one lacks direct Self-experience, but once this happens, it is very easy to understand. This is why enlightened people understand one another perfectly. The Self and His Power are thoroughly obvious “Realities” to them. On the other hand, the limited individuals are always debating and disagreeing with each other. If this constant disagreeing is constructive, it makes some sense. By “constructive” I mean leading to the Truth. But if the act of disagreeing and debating adds more confusion to the already confused minds, it is like a pest.
To start to think rightly you must decide if you will go the moronic or the wise way regarding the Self. If you think that the Self is far from you, or that He is the exclusive possession of someone, or that the Self is to be realized in a remote galaxy, etc., you are going the moronic way all the time. If you think that the Self is right here now and can be realized, you are going the wise way. It is like in the example of crossing a huge ocean, you can choose the method. I strongly recommend you to get a fit vehicle, obviously.
So the Self IS here and CAN BE realized by a genuine spiritual aspirant. This is good news! The bad news is that He must be convinced that you are a genuine spiritual aspirant. Why? Because His Play is so. Do not try to understand His reasons now, just listen to my instruction. To convince Him usually takes a long time. Therefore, do not lose all your hopes at the least obstacle. Just keep making efforts in the right direction and some day He will decide to set you free out of His free Will.
I taught you that spiritual ignorance consists of lack of direct experience and ignorance about the scriptures. The scriptures are very important because they prevent the spiritual aspirant from going crazy. The presence of the scriptures is crucial in Self-realization. In fact, Self-realization will happen, as it were, in front of the scriptures themselves. To understand this you have to possess more Self-experience. Meanwhile, keep this in mind: the great treatises or scriptures are absolutely necessary. They will confirm your own spiritual experiences. Without them, Self-experience would look like a dream or hallucinations to you. But when you read them, all those experiences are understood in the right manner and this has a great effect on you.
Besides, the great scriptures will save you from going crazy due to the changing nature of mind. The mind of a spiritual aspirant is moving to and fro like in the rest of the people. If this mind is not rightly instructed, it will start to invent theories leading nowhere. In fact, in case a spiritual aspirant goes completely crazy due to his despair for living in bondage, his crazy theories conceived in a state of madness could turn into a mad religion or something, and consequently cause more and more spiritual aspirants to go the crazy way. You might think I am joking, but I am speaking seriously in spite of my way of expressing my instruction. If you read about the story of human religions, you will learn why I am speaking like this.
All in all, the presence of the great treatises is always necessary because they contain the Truth. This Truth will keep your changing mind at bay. Besides, the presence of a genuine spiritual teacher who can understand and explain the scriptures to you is also necessary. A true spiritual teacher is someone whose mind is always at bay and never goes the crazy way. NO, he is not inert like a rock. He feels pleasure and pain like the rest of human beings, but he is not vanquished by those experiences, viz. he is able to keep his sanity in the middle of craziness. He is like a firm pillar of wisdom. As you learn how to keep your mind at bay, the odds to gain real wisdom are in your favor. Until a spiritual aspirant gains solid wisdom, he is always in danger of going the mad way directed by his crazy mind. I am not joking at all.
In the next post I will teach you how to think rightly about specific topics.