David: I attended the three Sunday zoom satsangs a few months ago where you unfolded the steps to self-inquiry, and found it very helpful. I have been attending most of Ramji’s Sunday teachings since then. But even though I am on board with the teachings and trying to follow the steps, I feel like life gets in the way. There are many distractions, life pulls me in so many ways. I often feel overwhelmed. I am a husband and a parent, trying to do my best to keep my relationship and family together. Do you have any suggestions?
Sundari: Life is complicated and difficult for most people, which is why they become inquirers in the first place. We have spoken at length about the importance of the steps involved in self-inquiry, and there are no shortcuts. Vedanta removes the ignorance of your true nature, thus exposing the full implications of why ignorance is the cause of all suffering. Only by developing the qualifications for self-inquiry, subjecting the mind to the teachings and being properly taught can assimilation take place. Knowledge is not just going to fly into your head while you are busy doing other things.
Self-inquiry is essentially about Self-knowledge providing the ability to discriminate between your experience as a limited ever-changing entity, the one who is overwhelmed and beset by the world while under the spell of Maya, and between your true nature as the non-experiencing ever present unchanging Self. If your sadhana is not the most important thing in your life, Self-knowledge will not assimilate to provide the discrimination which removes suffering. There is no fine print to this.
Ramji has clarified the methodology of Vedanta in his books, we have both written about this and taught it ad infinitum. And yet it is clear to us that even though most people who are drawn to and have developed some if not all the qualifications for self-inquiry, not many actually follow or fully compute what sadhana means. We had an issue a few weeks ago with an inquirer, who is or was, a regular attendee of our Sunday Satsangs.
It seemed like she got something out of listening, and at times seemed quite illuminated when Ramji replied to her questions. And yet, though she unfailingly asked questions, it was essentially always the same question: Why am I unhappy, why is the world such a terrible place? Nothing we said to her assimilated over the two year period she attended our sessions. So we decided it was time to address this with her. Ramji wrote to her asking her what her sadhana entailed, informing what it should be, and he gave her some homework to do as our intention was to help her progress. We never heard from her again. We have no idea if she is still attending as we told her she could only continue attending our Sunday satsangs and ask questions if she first followed our instructions.
We know that most dedicated inquirers are aware of the value of the teachings and the teacher, which is why you show up. And most of you who do support and understand the value of the teachings donate. But we know that even dedicated inquirers slip up when it comes to following all the required steps for inquiry. Sadhana can become an ad hoc thing, even when the desire for moksa is burning. To truly succeed, assuming freedom from limitation is your main aim, your sadhana should be how you live your life. It is not just following the steps for inquiry. Vedanta is a practical teaching meant to be lived every minute of every day.
If is not the case, then what or why bother? Our satsangs are not social gatherings, and Vedanta is not just another inspiring spiritual idea. It is the Holy Grail, the court of last appeal, and though it can help those who have not developed the qualifications for self-inquiry to develop them, it can only do so if the inquirer is prepared to ‘do the work’. We as teachers can only unfold the teachings to help with your inquiry if you are prepared and fired up to help yourself.
The dharma of an inquirer is accepting the scripture as the authority in all things in your life. And all it really says is – I AM whole and complete nondual ever-present Awareness. Perfect satisfaction is my true nature. Accepting this means sacrificing who you think you are as a person in favor of what the scripture says is true about you. If there is a conflict then there is insufficient faith in the scripture. In which case you need to take a stand in Awareness as Awareness, practice the opposite thought, apply karma yoga and jnana or guna yoga,. I.e., follow the teachings to the letter because you see them AS THE BOSS, dismissing the troublesome egoic doer identity. This can be hard work and tedious, especially when life challenges you at every turn. But then, what price freedom? Freedom is freedom from the idea of your personal identity and living as the Self.
Most sincere and dedicated inquirers know that he practice of self-inquiry involves karma yoga, upasana yoga, devotional practice, srvanna, manana and nididhysana. But as important as it is, ‘doing the work’ is not only subjecting your mind to the teachings and following the required steps faithfully. It is living your life as a prayer, in every single aspect of it. No exceptions. This means dedicating your life in devotion to Isvara, with the understanding that this is a benign universe because YOU are benign. That you as the Self are Isvara. And so is everyone and everything else.
What does that look like? It means you are a walking altar, that your every thought, word and action is taken in SELF love, even when the circumstances in your life seem chaotic or difficult. Especially then. Moksa, freedom from and for the jiva, does not imply a change in karmic life circumstances, though that may indirectly take place. It simply means changing how you relate to your jiva karma. You do what you need to do following the dharma of the situation, knowing that as the Self, you have no karma.
Hari Om
Sundari
