Long ago there was a prince named Hemachuda, who married Hemalekha, the daughter of a sage. He discovered that this beautiful young woman was not interested in worldly pleasures.
When he asked her why, she explained, "The objects that are sources of pleasure cannot be enjoyed forever. No one can have everything he or she desires, and one who gets only a few of those things is not satisfied. In most cases, pleasure is contaminated by suffering. Further, the concept of pleasure is based on one's way of thinking about worldly objects.
Lets us take the example of a beautiful woman. The woman is outside the man who perceives her, but the perceiver brings her image inside and evaluates her beauty. If he decides that she meets his standard of loveliness, he projects his conception of beauty onto her. And as he things about the attractiveness he has projected onto her, this idea is reinfornced. Consequently desire arises, he senses and mind become excited, he beings to experience pleasure. The cause of that excitement is the sense of beauty in his mind. Children who have not yet developed this sense, and yogis who have conquered it, are not aroused even though they see the same woman.
After listening to her elaborations on worthlessness of worldly objects, the prince too lost his interest in them and become dispassionate. Out of habit and hidden desires he was attracted to sense objects, but at the same time, remembering his wife's words, he was repelled. He was constantly upset.
The learned princess realized that her husband had the potential for spiritual growth and lead him on the spiritual path. The first step was to explain that an untrained mind is the root cause of all miseries. 'Mind is like a monkey jumping incessantly," she told him. "In order to comprehend the truth, it is necessary to control its modifications and make it one-pointed, sharp, and inward. Thoughtful consideration enriched with faith and constructive reasoning is vichara. Try to understand the supreme goal with its help. Then make a sincere effort to achieve that goal. If you become skeptical because you do not seem to be making progress, you become your own enemy. But if you make an effort with full confidence, faith, and courage, you can never fail."
The prince replied, "How does this follow the law of karma?"
The princess explained "Law and order are created by Him* and applies only to those who are not fully surrendered to the divine force.
She immediately grants the highest reward of Self-realization to truly selfless devotees. She is an embodiment of infinite compassion, She repeals the law of karma and speedily guides seekers to the highest Self. And after attaining it, their karmic debts are paid. After that, if directed by the supreme divine force, Self-realized aspirants may come back to work in the world and honor the law of karma voluntarily"
The princess went on to describe the nature of the immanent and transcendent forms of God. Inspired by her wisdom, the prince studied with learned masters and gained a clear, intellectual understanding of the truth. With the passage of time he was initiated by his wife and committed himself to the practice of meditation with complete faith and determination.
Now he understood the meaning of inner joy, and compared to that, he found worldly pleasures tasteless. . But at this stage of his spiritual practice he was unable to live in the inner and outer worlds simultaneously.
One day Hemachuda asked his wife to elaborate on the nature of our own true Self. To his disappointment, she simply said, 'Whatever you feel to be yours is without any doubt different from you. So go into solitude, learn to discriminate, and whatever you find to be related to you, distinguish it from your Self and thus realize your true Self. For example, I am your wife; this automatically implies that I am not you. Renounce everything that is yours. The part of you that cannot be renounced is the Self. That you are."
The prince went into seclusion, sat down, and began to think one-pointedly. "Who am I?" he pondered. "This body is not the Self, because it is born and it changes every day. Therefore I cannot be my body. By the same token, I cannot be my prana, senses, mind, or intellect. But even though I do not know who I am and what I am, I feel that I am. I can know things through my mind, but how can I know myself? Let me control all my thought constructs. Then I might experience my pure Self."
Having made this resolution, the prince emptied his mindfield which he had developed in his meditation practice. He was suddenly plunged into great darkness, he controlled his mind, transcended the darkness, and experienced a flash of infinite light. Then the light vanished. "Am I seeing the Self in different forms?" he wondered. "Let me control my mind again and see what is beyond."
This time he slipped into a deep sleep that gradually shifted to the dream state. When he returned to normal awareness he asked himself, "Was all of this a dream? Now I am confused.Were the light and darkness also phases of a dream? What a tricky mind. Let me try once more."
This time the prince crossed the sleeping state and was absorbed in a state of blissful awareness. But eventually his mind slipped back to the ordinary waking state. Then he wondered, "Was this bliss a mere dream, or the experience of truth? I've never experienced such a profound state of peace. There is no joy like it, but I cannot explain it. I was not unconscious, because I still remember it clearly. I know that I have experienced it, but it is still a mystery."
The prince returned to his wife, told her of his experiences, and asked if what he had experienced was the Self or something else. The princess replied, "My lord, the effort you made to control the modifications of your mind was very helpful. Enlightened masters consider this to be the main means of Self-realization.
'Suppose a man hides a piece of gold and then forgets where he hid it. When he stops thinking about other things and concentrates only on the gold, he will find it. He is able to concentrate on the gold because he already knows what it looks like.
In the case of the Self, however, the search is more frustrating because people have completely forgotten that it is their own true nature. That is why they believe they have seen the Self after they have removed some of their thought constructs. An unfamiliar image suddenly arises, and they think 'This is Atman.' That is why they must get some concept of the Self through the revealed scriptures or from the enlightened sages. By so doing they won't mistake the projection of their own mind for the Self while they are in meditation. Enrich your understanding of the Self through self-study, discrimination, and contemplation. For direct realization, however, keep practicing."
So the prince undertook another intense spiritual practice and was finally established in the blissful state. The princess saw that her husband was no longer driven outward by his senses and mind, but drawn inward, and for some time she did not disturb him. Then one day, as she entered the room, the prince opened his eyes, but closed them again to re-enter that peaceful state. His wife caught his hands and asked, "What do you gain or lose by opening and closing your eyes? Do you not want to share your inner experiences?"
The prince replied, "For the first time in my life I am at peace. All my life I have run after worldly pleasures, but found no peace. Please be kind to me: leave me alone. Why, after realizing this state, are you still entangled in the world? Why don't you stay in this state forever? Why dissipate yourself in the external world?"
The wise princess answered with a smile, "My love, you still have not realized that supreme state of the Self. What you think you understand is like no understanding at all. The highest awareness can never be affected by opening or closing your eyes. It is not attained by action or inaction, by going somewhere or staying at home. How can it be supreme if it is attained by closing your eyes and lost by opening them? '
Unless the millions of knots of delusion are loosened, supreme bliss cannot be reached. Failing to recognize the Self or seeing a difference between the individual soul and God are some of these knots. Untie them. Transcend the duality of wanting and not wanting, liking and disliking, and finally, let that supreme awareness permeate your waking, dreaming, and deep sleep. There must be no wall between any of the aspects of life.
"Deflated, the prince continued his spiritual practice. Gradually he attained maturity in his realization and became firm in that consummate state. And after that he lived as a jivanmukta (a soul liberated in this lifetime) while enjoying worldly objects, ruling his subjects, amassing wealth, and administering the kingdom.
Thus Dattatreya demonstrated to Parashurama that the company of the sages is the first step in sadhana and remains the guiding force throughout. Those who aspire to the ultimate should seek the fellowship of saints. The rest follows naturally and effortlessly.
Hemachuda's father and brothers were amazed at the difference in him. He now went about administering the kingdom with tranquility and wisdom, and his relationship with his bride had changed from one of passionate infatuation to profound respect and deep sharing. When his relations asked Hemachuda how he had come to change so much, he taught them just as Hemalekha had taught him.
Now the ministers were impressed at the dramatic change in the royal family, who were suddenly showing a maturity and serenity completely uncharacteristic of them.
And now the people of the kingdom could scarcely believe the transformation in their ministers, who were suddenly tempering their actions with spiritual insight. The people wanted to know how this had happened, and the ministers in turn taught them.
In the end, nothing at all changed: Hemachuda and Hemalekha still loved each other, the king still ruled, the ministers still ministered, the washer men still cleaned the laundry, the cooks still cooked. . . . But everything had changed: all the people went about their business with Self awareness and a profound mutual respect born from their new found recognition that the divine being they had discovered in themselves also existed in every other living thing.
When he asked her why, she explained, "The objects that are sources of pleasure cannot be enjoyed forever. No one can have everything he or she desires, and one who gets only a few of those things is not satisfied. In most cases, pleasure is contaminated by suffering. Further, the concept of pleasure is based on one's way of thinking about worldly objects.
Lets us take the example of a beautiful woman. The woman is outside the man who perceives her, but the perceiver brings her image inside and evaluates her beauty. If he decides that she meets his standard of loveliness, he projects his conception of beauty onto her. And as he things about the attractiveness he has projected onto her, this idea is reinfornced. Consequently desire arises, he senses and mind become excited, he beings to experience pleasure. The cause of that excitement is the sense of beauty in his mind. Children who have not yet developed this sense, and yogis who have conquered it, are not aroused even though they see the same woman.
After listening to her elaborations on worthlessness of worldly objects, the prince too lost his interest in them and become dispassionate. Out of habit and hidden desires he was attracted to sense objects, but at the same time, remembering his wife's words, he was repelled. He was constantly upset.
The learned princess realized that her husband had the potential for spiritual growth and lead him on the spiritual path. The first step was to explain that an untrained mind is the root cause of all miseries. 'Mind is like a monkey jumping incessantly," she told him. "In order to comprehend the truth, it is necessary to control its modifications and make it one-pointed, sharp, and inward. Thoughtful consideration enriched with faith and constructive reasoning is vichara. Try to understand the supreme goal with its help. Then make a sincere effort to achieve that goal. If you become skeptical because you do not seem to be making progress, you become your own enemy. But if you make an effort with full confidence, faith, and courage, you can never fail."
The prince replied, "How does this follow the law of karma?"
The princess explained "Law and order are created by Him* and applies only to those who are not fully surrendered to the divine force.
She immediately grants the highest reward of Self-realization to truly selfless devotees. She is an embodiment of infinite compassion, She repeals the law of karma and speedily guides seekers to the highest Self. And after attaining it, their karmic debts are paid. After that, if directed by the supreme divine force, Self-realized aspirants may come back to work in the world and honor the law of karma voluntarily"
The princess went on to describe the nature of the immanent and transcendent forms of God. Inspired by her wisdom, the prince studied with learned masters and gained a clear, intellectual understanding of the truth. With the passage of time he was initiated by his wife and committed himself to the practice of meditation with complete faith and determination.
Now he understood the meaning of inner joy, and compared to that, he found worldly pleasures tasteless. . But at this stage of his spiritual practice he was unable to live in the inner and outer worlds simultaneously.
One day Hemachuda asked his wife to elaborate on the nature of our own true Self. To his disappointment, she simply said, 'Whatever you feel to be yours is without any doubt different from you. So go into solitude, learn to discriminate, and whatever you find to be related to you, distinguish it from your Self and thus realize your true Self. For example, I am your wife; this automatically implies that I am not you. Renounce everything that is yours. The part of you that cannot be renounced is the Self. That you are."
The prince went into seclusion, sat down, and began to think one-pointedly. "Who am I?" he pondered. "This body is not the Self, because it is born and it changes every day. Therefore I cannot be my body. By the same token, I cannot be my prana, senses, mind, or intellect. But even though I do not know who I am and what I am, I feel that I am. I can know things through my mind, but how can I know myself? Let me control all my thought constructs. Then I might experience my pure Self."
Having made this resolution, the prince emptied his mindfield which he had developed in his meditation practice. He was suddenly plunged into great darkness, he controlled his mind, transcended the darkness, and experienced a flash of infinite light. Then the light vanished. "Am I seeing the Self in different forms?" he wondered. "Let me control my mind again and see what is beyond."
This time he slipped into a deep sleep that gradually shifted to the dream state. When he returned to normal awareness he asked himself, "Was all of this a dream? Now I am confused.Were the light and darkness also phases of a dream? What a tricky mind. Let me try once more."
This time the prince crossed the sleeping state and was absorbed in a state of blissful awareness. But eventually his mind slipped back to the ordinary waking state. Then he wondered, "Was this bliss a mere dream, or the experience of truth? I've never experienced such a profound state of peace. There is no joy like it, but I cannot explain it. I was not unconscious, because I still remember it clearly. I know that I have experienced it, but it is still a mystery."
The prince returned to his wife, told her of his experiences, and asked if what he had experienced was the Self or something else. The princess replied, "My lord, the effort you made to control the modifications of your mind was very helpful. Enlightened masters consider this to be the main means of Self-realization.
'Suppose a man hides a piece of gold and then forgets where he hid it. When he stops thinking about other things and concentrates only on the gold, he will find it. He is able to concentrate on the gold because he already knows what it looks like.
In the case of the Self, however, the search is more frustrating because people have completely forgotten that it is their own true nature. That is why they believe they have seen the Self after they have removed some of their thought constructs. An unfamiliar image suddenly arises, and they think 'This is Atman.' That is why they must get some concept of the Self through the revealed scriptures or from the enlightened sages. By so doing they won't mistake the projection of their own mind for the Self while they are in meditation. Enrich your understanding of the Self through self-study, discrimination, and contemplation. For direct realization, however, keep practicing."
So the prince undertook another intense spiritual practice and was finally established in the blissful state. The princess saw that her husband was no longer driven outward by his senses and mind, but drawn inward, and for some time she did not disturb him. Then one day, as she entered the room, the prince opened his eyes, but closed them again to re-enter that peaceful state. His wife caught his hands and asked, "What do you gain or lose by opening and closing your eyes? Do you not want to share your inner experiences?"
The prince replied, "For the first time in my life I am at peace. All my life I have run after worldly pleasures, but found no peace. Please be kind to me: leave me alone. Why, after realizing this state, are you still entangled in the world? Why don't you stay in this state forever? Why dissipate yourself in the external world?"
The wise princess answered with a smile, "My love, you still have not realized that supreme state of the Self. What you think you understand is like no understanding at all. The highest awareness can never be affected by opening or closing your eyes. It is not attained by action or inaction, by going somewhere or staying at home. How can it be supreme if it is attained by closing your eyes and lost by opening them? '
Unless the millions of knots of delusion are loosened, supreme bliss cannot be reached. Failing to recognize the Self or seeing a difference between the individual soul and God are some of these knots. Untie them. Transcend the duality of wanting and not wanting, liking and disliking, and finally, let that supreme awareness permeate your waking, dreaming, and deep sleep. There must be no wall between any of the aspects of life.
"Deflated, the prince continued his spiritual practice. Gradually he attained maturity in his realization and became firm in that consummate state. And after that he lived as a jivanmukta (a soul liberated in this lifetime) while enjoying worldly objects, ruling his subjects, amassing wealth, and administering the kingdom.
Thus Dattatreya demonstrated to Parashurama that the company of the sages is the first step in sadhana and remains the guiding force throughout. Those who aspire to the ultimate should seek the fellowship of saints. The rest follows naturally and effortlessly.
Hemachuda's father and brothers were amazed at the difference in him. He now went about administering the kingdom with tranquility and wisdom, and his relationship with his bride had changed from one of passionate infatuation to profound respect and deep sharing. When his relations asked Hemachuda how he had come to change so much, he taught them just as Hemalekha had taught him.
Now the ministers were impressed at the dramatic change in the royal family, who were suddenly showing a maturity and serenity completely uncharacteristic of them.
And now the people of the kingdom could scarcely believe the transformation in their ministers, who were suddenly tempering their actions with spiritual insight. The people wanted to know how this had happened, and the ministers in turn taught them.
In the end, nothing at all changed: Hemachuda and Hemalekha still loved each other, the king still ruled, the ministers still ministered, the washer men still cleaned the laundry, the cooks still cooked. . . . But everything had changed: all the people went about their business with Self awareness and a profound mutual respect born from their new found recognition that the divine being they had discovered in themselves also existed in every other living thing.
I wish i get a wife like Hemalekha :)
ReplyDeleteThe entire above episode takes one into ecstasy and the whole story of pleasure and bliss.
ReplyDeleteDear first go into the extensive penace and then fulfill desires.Desires will vanish.
ReplyDelete