– Transcript 154
R: (Students are getting ready to record the talk) Good afternoon. I’m being electrocuted just excuse me. (laughter)
Mary (SM): Okay start again.
SH: Mary? You want to kill our guru? Hey, hey. (laughs) Robert continues: It’s good to be with you again. All is well. No matter how things may appear, no matter what you perceive, the highest truth is your nature, your svarupa, is boundless space. You are boundless space, the imperishable Self. This is you. The whole universe with all its manifestations is merely a superimposition on the Self. Just as the trees, the sky, the mountains, people, places and things, are all in this space. This space flows through everything, yet remains itself, pure, still, peaceful, perfect. In this space all kinds of things keep happening, cause and effect, karma, people are born, people die, billions of insects, animals, vegetation, everything is taking place in this space. Yet the space does not change. The space is limitless, unchanging, forever the same.
Yet the appearance is that things change. This is just an appearance. You are not the appearance. The space appears to go through your body, yet you are in the space. Because of the space you appear to exist the way you are. Do not identify with the body or the things of this world. Identify with the space, for what you identify with, you become sooner or later. You are like the infinite ocean, and the world is like the waves. The waves keep changing, changing, turmoil, yet the ocean is still and quiet. You are That.
There is no acceptance. You do not have to accept this. There is nothing you have to accept. You are boundless space, just the same. There is no rejection. There is absolutely nothing to reject. You are boundless space, just the same. There is no dissolution. No thing becomes dissolved, because no thing ever existed. You are boundless space.
You must begin to see this in everything you do. All of the fears that some of you go through, the anxieties, the confusion, are simply superimpositions in the space. These things are appearances. This is the reason they change and they’re never the same. You may be angry one day and happy the next day. You may be sick one day, happy the next day, well one day, sick the other day. You may be born one day and die the next day. In any case, whatever appears seems to come to an end. Therefore why should you identify with something that ends and begins? It is fruitless. For instance some people are searching to become millionaires. They want all the money in the world, and they work their whole life to attain it. They must die sometime. They must leave everything behind, and appear to disappear. People are always trying to make their bodies healthy. No matter how healthy your body is, it will someday become old, decrepit, and waste away. This is why the wise person does not look for these things of the world. They do not concern themselves too much with their body, or their affairs, or the world. For the wise person realizes we live in a world of change. Nothing is ever the same.
You are boundless space, free, blissful, at peace. You were never born, you will never die. You are boundless space. Just to think this way makes you feel good. As you begin to accept and realize that you are not the body, or the mind, or the thoughts, or the experiences, you become radiantly happy. Happiness and boundless space are the same.
Just to be aware of these things, to repeat it to yourself, especially when you get up in the morning. I am boundless space. This boundless space is consciousness, absolute reality, nirvana, ultimate oneness. This is your real nature. This is who you are. Awaken.
Think of all the confusion you’ve been giving yourself, the harassments you’ve been going through, for you have accepted person, place, and thing as your reality, not realizing these are just a passing fancy, here today, gone tomorrow. Think for a moment of the things you’re attached to. You may be attached to a person, a sickness, a lack or limitation. You may be attached to abundance, by never letting it go. You may be attached to health, always believing you have to do this and that to stay healthy, when many of you realize, of course, everything is preordained. When you made your appearance on this earth, as a so called body, there was a certain amount of time allotted to you. And when that time comes you’re going to give up the body, so why worry about it? Why be concerned? There are people who eat only special foods, health foods, fanatics, yet these people do not live longer than others.
What you are is not determined by what you do, in reality. You may believe and think that you’re under the law of cause and effect. Yet in truth there is no cause for existence, so how can there be an effect? You do not exist. You’re a nonentity. Yet that’s a blow to your ego, isn’t it? “What do you mean I don’t exist? I’m important. I’m this and I’m that.”
For how long? Three score and ten? Four score and twelve? Ten score and four? Whatever the score is doesn’t matter. You are boundless space. You are nothing that you appear to be.
You are the fathomless ocean, forever flowing. The waves do not affect you. Nothing affects you, for there’s no you.
Can you just imagine what would happen if you felt these things every morning when you first got out of bed, when you first wake up, to realize this great truth, that you are boundless space, pure awareness? Yet when most of you get up, immediately you start to think about your affairs, and your body, and your food, and other people. Take time out. Feel within yourself that you are boundless space. Feel that your body is just a superimposition in this boundless space, and it’s like a dream, mirage, an illusion. You have never existed, and you will never exist.
I realize that to some of you this Maya, this illusion, is very, very strong, and some of you are really involved in it totally, completely and absolutely. You’re always thinking about your body. You’re always thinking about your affairs. It is this that causes the problem, not the things in themselves. Things have no power. The power comes from you. You are the power. If you believe something is bad, can hurt you, it will probably, because you believe it does. When you get a little excited over something, the excitement causes more excitement and more problems. But when you realize you’re boundless space, pure awareness, where is there a problem? Can there be a problem in boundless space?
You can make fires, burn down cities, kill each other, and the space goes on. The space doesn’t care. The space is always there. Whatever you do with your life, you cannot destroy the space. If you know you are the space yourself, then what I said goes for you.
Nothing can destroy you. No thing can hurt you. No body can do anything to your body, simply because you ain’t got a body.
Yet no matter how many times I say this, you still get involved in life, and life gets to you, shows you pictures, and you accept the pictures as reality. You become despondent, depressed, disillusioned. Over what? Over whom? Something that does not exist.
Take stock of yourself. Stop feeling sorry for yourself. Do not believe you are in a situation that is impossible. Do not believe that you have something important that you own, and you will not give it up. Remember, in a flash everything can disappear. All your possessions, your body, everything will disappear when the time is right for it to go.
The wise person always works on themselves. The wise person looks after first things first. As you become aware that you are boundless space, the I-thought returns to the heart and becomes dissolved. When there is no longer an I-thought, there is no longer a body, or a mind, or things, for everything has been attached to the I-thought. How can there be an I-thought in boundless space?
Start becoming aware when you use the term I. Watch what you say when you say I. The I-thought does not belong to you. It is a mirage. It is a lie. There is only boundless space, absolute reality. Can you not feel now that you are the ocean of bliss? Can you not understand that you have absolutely nothing to do with anything? You are already free.
You are bright and shining. You are the heart’s delight. Does it not feel wonderful? Can you see now it makes no difference what you’re going through, what’s going on in your life, good or bad, it doesn’t matter? You will no longer look at situations and react to them.
You are boundless space, totally free, liberated.
Stop searching. The search is over. You are free. The bonds have been cut. There is no longer anything holding you back. Awaken. Awaken. You have experienced the mortal dream long enough. Awaken from this dream. You are not limited to your body. You are boundless space. You are all pervading, omnipresent. You are all the bodies. You are the universe. You are the substratum of the universe. The whole universe is playing its game within you. You are boundless space.
(short silence)
We’ll play stump the guru. We will see what interesting questions we have.
Mary (SM): Oh it’s a big one. (R: Oh it takes up about half a page.) Yeah. (laughter) R: Signed by Fred, I wonder who that is? (laughter)SV: Keep you busy and out of mischief. (laughter)
Q: (Robert reads) Sunday stumper, maybe not? Whatever can be talked about doesn’t exist. The doer or ego can be said to have two appearances or actions. The doer that lessens the appearance of the ego and the doer that strengthens the appearance of the ego. So the only information that relatively our dream life seems to be worth knowing about is which appearance leads to which? Isn’t there such a thing as a choice of direction but what so-to-speak is the criteria by which one can advance and attain and which leads to which? In the selected works of Ramana Maharshi page 98 one of the three ways of realizing Self is by breath control. Please elucidate on that and for which person would that be suitable path to even help? What does it mean to slow down your thoughts? Is it having two thoughts in a minute is slower than having three thoughts a minute? Or is a thought of a lower frequency slower than one of a higher frequency? As in Alpha vs Beta? Is a thought to which one has less attachment slower than one to which one has more attachment? Or what?
A: (Robert answers) “Or what?” is the answer. (students laugh) Or what, or nothing. Breath control is a part of the yoga system and the reason Ramana Maharshi said it was okay to do is because he agreed with everybody and everything. If you came to him and said, “I’m standing on my head and repeating mantra’s, ” he’d say, “good keep it up.”
Because the thinking is, that is where you are right now and that is what you have to do right now. As long as you are practicing spiritual disciplines, it’s okay. You have to do what you have to do by where you are. So it makes no difference what you do. As long as you are doing spiritual practices.
To slow down your thoughts merely means to think less. It’s not in how many thoughts you’re having. It’s trying to get rid of all the thoughts together with everything else. As you practice on yourself your mind becomes quieter. And finally the mind disappears and dissolves entirely. So you are not trying to change having four thoughts or three or three thoughts for two. You’re trying to get rid of the whole ball game. By asking yourself, “To whom do these thoughts come? Where do these thoughts come from?” They come from the I-thought. And we work on removing the I-thought. When the I-thought is removed everything else goes with it. All the rest of the thoughts.
So don’t worry about your thoughts, work on removing the I-thought. If you have attachment to your thoughts, of course this is going to impede you. The idea is to find out that the thoughts have no value. Let them go and the attachment will go also. Be rid of everything. Don’t ask so many questions. (students laugh) That’s the answer.
Q: (Robert reads) Ramana spent years in a cave in Arunachala in complete isolation. Why he does not recommend this practice?
A: (Robert answers) Well the understanding is, you are where you are because that is the place you’re meant to be. So if a person comes and tells me or Ramana, “Shall I give up my job, my family and go live in a cave and practice?” The answer is always, “If you were meant to be doing it, you would be doing it and there will be no question.” If you
have to ask a question, that means you’re not supposed to do it. As long as there is a question there is nothing you need to do except what you’re doing now.
Everything takes care of itself. Your job is just to awaken everyday a little more. To inquire, where you came from? Why you exist? Who you are? and then you will find yourself wherever you’re supposed to be. Everything will work by itself. You have absolutely nothing to with it. Your job is just to see your Self as pure absolute reality. And again if you’re meant to travel to Arunachala, or you’re meant to travel to the jungles, if you’re meant to get eaten by a tiger, it will all happen by itself. Don’t worry about it.
Q: (Robert reads) Isn’t it only the considerations and our beliefs that we have, so-to-speak in any way imprison us? And if we can neutralize or desensitize or so-to-speak remove the charge or intensity for which those beliefs are held in place, illusion will not even be considered anymore as having any reality?
A: (Robert answers) Considerations, neutralizing, all of these terms are unnecessary. It’s so simple. You merely have to inquire, “To whom does this come? Who am I?
Where do I come from?” Your beliefs imprison you because you are totally involved in all the stuff you write about. Do not get concerned with all these terms. Make it very simple for yourself. Just learn to be still. Not to have too many questions in your mind. Not to have too many methods floating around in your mind. Empty the mind completely and totally. That is the whole purpose of spiritual life. To empty the mind. Not to think intelligently and have all kinds of intellectual conceptions. But to totally empty the mind. And you empty the mind by inquiring, “To whom do the thoughts come?” Following it through. By waking up in the morning and understanding that you are boundless space.
As you practice these things you will see fantastic results. Do not get confused by words.
Speak less, think less and you will be everything you’re supposed to be.
Q: (Robert reads) To Robert, what’s new? (students laugh) A: (Robert answers) New? New is new. Quietness is new, stillness is new.
Mary (SM): That’s it Robert. (Informing Robert that there are no questions left.) R: That’s it Robert is new. Anyone like to add anything? Say anything? Do anything? Announcements Mary?
Mary (SM): Yes I do, we have our latest transcript to hand out. It’s called “One Self, One Consciousness.” I have one more to hand out.
SK: Robert sometimes you use this image of consciousness being the screen with images on it. And sometimes you said like today when there is no I-thought there is no body. Is there still kind of a body image still running around on the screen?
R: The body image appears to be running around on the screen. But you as the screen know that it’s an illusion but that it isn’t really us. It appears to be running around on the screen and it appears to be real. But the screen knows it’s not real. The screen does not identify with the image at all. The screen identifies with itself. Consciousness identifies with itself. Somehow these images have appeared and they seem to rush in on consciousness as they do on the screen. But this is only our appearance. We see it like that. The screen does not see it like that. Consciousness does not see the image, consciousness sees consciousness. It can only see itself. It is we who see the other because the images have no validity. They do not exist. It’s a mirage. (SK: But they could easily be described by consciousness?) They cannot be described by consciousness. They can be described by the images.
The images of the body which appears here describes the other images on the screen. But from the other side there is no one left to describe anything. From the sight of the seen, the seer and the seen you can describe images.
Glen (SG): What is going on with the description of images that are coming out of - emanating from Robert’s mouth, right now?
R: The images that are emanating from Robert’s mouth is for your purpose. It is something that you see, that you need, that you have to hear. These things are emanating from Robert’s mouth. In reality Robert knows there is no Robert and there is no image and there is no screen.
SH: And there is nothing coming out of his mouth? (R: Exactly.) No mouth. (laughs) R: Look at it this way. Look at both sides of the screen. On one side there is nothing. Nothing going on. On the other side there are all images. So the screen knows there is absolutely nothing. Sees nothing, hears nothing, is nothing but the side of the images, discusses the images, sees the images, debates the images, talks about the images and believes it is the image. But none of these things exist.
Glen (SG): Robert, Taking the analogy one step further, it’s like a kind of doubt when you’re saying, “I haven’t been born that’s a good analogy,” however how does this tally with your descriptions with sahaja samadhi that according to some Masters at the very beginning when they first were given sahaja samadhi they’re still seeing the same things and gradually over time even that they don’t notice after a while. Is the jump a gradual jump? And when you make the shift to consciousness, the way you’re totally identified with consciousness, are you still observing these things and then gradually they fade? Is that the way it happens?
R: As long as there is an appearance of a body there will appear to be images. But to the Sage, there are no images and there are images. It is like watching shadows. The Sage embodied is able to see the images, so the body may appear to function correctly. But yet to the Sage there are no images. That is again very paradoxical. At the same time there are images and no images also. It is very difficult for the finite mind to understand, how can there be no images and images at the same time. (SG: Actually my finite mind is a little closer to understanding the experience.) (laughs) Does that frighten you? (laughter) ST: No at all, not at all. (laughter)
R: Get rid of the finite mind all together you don’t need it. It’s extra luggage you’re carrying around. I suppose in the whole game of Maya the Sages that appear to come around in order to tell you to give up thinking about yourself and give up thinking about the world and understand that you are boundless space. If there were no Sages there would be no universe, there would no people, nothing. It is because the Sages exist that people exist. But the Sages keep telling them, they do not exist. (laughter) It’s all a game, a
very funny game. (SV: Incomprehensible.) (laughter) The world appears. The Sages appear and tell them there is no world… (SV: It’s kind of like gobbledygook, you start off saying there is no problems but here is the way to solve that.) (students laugh) This is why we should never become too intellectual. We should never get totally involved in all these words and ideologies and anything else we become involved in. The simpler you can become the sooner you will awaken. Because when you try to figure it out you’re using your finite mind.
What else is figuring it out. In other words you’re using something that does not exist.
And so you get involved in all these things that do not exist because you’re thinking.
Glen (SG): So if you just use consciousness and perhaps try to take care of that because we’ll be in consciousness.
R: You can’t use consciousness. There is no you that can use consciousness. (SG: But you can be the consciousness?) There is no you to be consciousness. Consciousness just is. (SG: So you can just be what you are and act with everything?) Be what you are, but who is the be-er?
Nate (SC): And to try to do it with the mind is like trying to wash blood of your hands with blood.
R: Yes that is a good point, sure. (SC: But still, (I won’t say we) I persist knowing it, that it can’t be done? There is something compelling us, or myself, to do the impossible.) What is the impossible? (SC: Get rid of the mind?) If it were impossible no one would ever do it. That is how you see it for yourself. But yet it has been done and so it must not be impossible.
Nate (SC): Alright, I hear what you’re saying but it seems that the number of people that have…I personally don’t know anyone that is in a position that you are or some of the other enlightened Masters and yet I’ve visited thousands of people all over the world, going to people like yourself and it’s a rare occasion with the person. (R: So what is the point?) As I see it, I have had seen twice, both felt something happening, whether I tried to or didn’t try. Now I have, more or less, just accept things the way they are. But by accepting things the way they are, it seems like the effort has to be made in order for something to happen. Yet at the same time you can’t make an effort to make it happen because the effort itself keeps the happening from happening. Do you know what I’m trying to say?
R: Yes if you know this why are you making the effort? (SC: Because it seems that without making the effort that nothing is happening.) You’re making the effort because nothing is happening? (SC: Knowing that making the effort nothing will happen, still there is something inside of me, like a compulsion to keep doing. Do you know what I’m saying?) That is true there is something that is making you come here, going through all these things. (SC: Not myself, other people or…?) Remember as I tell you so often, your life right now is but a split second in eternity… (SC: It’s a what?) Split second in eternity. It appears to be here and in a flash it’s gone. So do not think that if you have not become self realized or enlightened or awakened, you’re too old or you’re going to die soon and you’ll never awaken. It’s not true.
What you have learnt where you are you carry on and continue. So what your life appears to be four score and ten or whatever, it’s a split second in eternity. (SC: Yeah that’s true.) You’re here today and you’re gone tomorrow but the spiritual work that you’ve done you take with you. Wherever you go, whatever happens to you. Nothing is lost. Therefore be grateful for where you are. Never condemn yourself. Be totally grateful for where you are.
Even though you may think you’re in a sorry place right now. Do not look at it that way.
When you have gratitude for being where you are, you will be lifted up and you will make more progress on the path. So never condemn yourself, never look at yourself as believing you don’t know anything or feel slighted because you’re not making progress but give thanks, be grateful for where you are right now and you’ll make fast progress.
Glen (SG): Robert your last point of view, wouldn’t it be focus and being very clear about what matters to us the most because desire, the integrity involved that we focus on this, what else can we do?
R: You can get rid of yourself. That is what you should do. Forget about integrity and the rest of it. Then it will come by itself. Go deep within yourself, dive deep within yourself. Deeper than you’ve ever gone before. Where the thoughts stop. When you’ve touched the substratum of all existence. When you become the ocean of bliss, which is within you, the center of you is the ocean of bliss. You are That! Think about the things we were talking about today and don’t bother about the integrity or whatever and everything else.
Glen (SG): So what you’re saying in effect is you would be doing it without feeling it and it would be being it without being the be-er. You can do it that way? What do you say? (R: Come again?) (students laugh) If I correctly get what you’re saying and understand it correctly then, I will cease to be the be-er, I will cease to be doing anything by this diving into myself and it would effectively obviate this whole conundrum, of being the doer and being the be-er, who doesn’t do anything. What you’re saying it will obviate all of those other little problems we get into, try again at the same time, there is still a you trying to become enlightened. Which is the problem isn’t it?
There is somebody trying to become enlightened and the whole joke is there is nobody to become enlightened somehow that somebody has to be convinced that there is nobody to become enlightened.
R: What you should do is drink a glass of beer. (loud laughter) That will take care of everything. (laughter) Glen will be the beer. (laughter) SH: That’s my guru. (loud laughter)
Nate (SC): You didn’t answer his question? (loud laughter) (R: That’s the answer.) SG: I realized he did. I got the answer I deserved. He answered it perfectly. (laughs) SC: Can’t figure it out with the mind? (R: You want a logical answer.) Yeah. (R: For whom is logic? The ego.) However the world still is caught up I know and what I’m realizing I’m saying and football season is starting, basketball season is almost over, baseball is still going. Everyone wants their team to win and there can only be one winner and yet people keep on identifying with that. Somehow it must do something to their ego or something?
R: Why are you worried about people? (SC: Because we’re all part of the human race, that is why?) But know who you are and then you will take care of everybody else. (SC: What?) Understand your real nature, find out who you are and everything else will be taken care of also. Do not worry about others. (SC: Not worrying, I think that…) The baseball
game, the football game… (SC: It’s separation and that is what causes the riots and hopelessness for…) But you can’t change things. You can’t bring peace into the world while you’re still in illusion. Become peaceful and you’ll see peace. Become loving and you’ll see love. In this kind of world in which we live, since time immemorial there has been man’s inhumanity to man, there have been riots, wars, destruction, chaos, confusion. And there have been people saying we’re going to make peace and turn this into a peaceful world. This is the way of the world. And the world is a mirage. So if you identify will all the things you see you will always be confused, you have to because the nature of this world is confusion. Do not identify with what you see. Identify with reality. We’re going back to the space again, what I was talking about. All these riots are taking place in the space. Is the space affected?
So are you the rioter or are you the space? With what do you identify? If you see the rioters reality then that is the world in which you live and you suffer accordingly. But when you go beyond that and you realize the space or consciousness or pure awareness is the only reality then you leave this world.
Nate (SC): I realize for me one of the biggest problems is that, I’m confusing consciousness with maybe awareness, you gave a good analogy, the space is not affected by the riots. Much as I want to remain in consciousness the awareness of consciousness - It seems that when I hear you talking and I want to be one with the consciousness or be aware of the consciousness, somehow the mind misinterprets the consciousness or turns it around, do you know what I’m trying to say?
R: Sure this is the spiritual work you’ve got to do. You’ve got to work on that mind and get rid of it, not on the world. Do not try to change the world by going for the right president. You’ll never do it. Change yourself. (SC: That’s it when you say the self, the self is consciousness there is where the confusion comes in.) I mean your personal self, you can’t change consciousness. (SC: No, I understand that.) You have to change your personal self by raising yourself up above the riots, above the world, above the universe.
(short silence)
Nate (SC): I want to ask another question, how is one connect with the higher self?
R: By not connecting, by being yourself. Asking, “Who is it that is not connected.
Who feels they’re not connected.” (SC: I think that is the problem all the way through.) Well work on yourself. (SC: I’m not feeling a connection with the consciousness or the higher Self.) You haven’t been here for about a month or so. What have you been doing? You’ve been involved in the world right? (SC: Well, I had things I had to do.) Sure you always have to do something. All these things you have to do you give a lot of importance and a lot of validity too. The idea is not to give it the validity you do. Give the things you have to do less importance. That is how you grow. As long as you believe you want to go higher and you keep on giving importance to all the things in your life, you won’t go higher.
(silence as tape ends)
Absätze ohne Sprecherpräfix gehören dem zuletzt genannten Sprecher — so steht es im Buch, wo der Präfix nur den Anfang einer Rede markiert. Die Zuordnung ist eine Folgerung dieser Ausgabe. Namen in Klammern sind aus dem Text erschlossen: sicher belegt sind SM = Mary, SF = Fred, SJ = Jay, SC = Nate, wahrscheinlich SG = Glen, SR = Jorge. Alle anderen Kürzel bleiben stehen, weil der Beleg nicht trägt.