INDIVIDUALITY

 

Merging away into Divinity does not mean that you are losing your individuality, but that you are being individual and universal. The qualities of the drop of water you are, do not disappear in the ocean; it becomes one with the ocean.

As an individual drop, you will only enjoy the limitations of the particular drop. Still, when you get merged with that vast ocean, you enjoy the joy of the entire ocean because there is no difference between the drop of water and the ocean; it is composed of the same substance.

You will know that if you take a fine atom, it will have more power if it is split than a two-thousand-ton bomb. A two-thousand-ton bomb thrown somewhere will only create a big hole, but if an atom is split, it will destroy the entire Victoria, for example. It is not the drop that is so important, but the energy in the drop that is important, and when that energy combines with universal energy, you find the full joy of it, the bliss of it, the bliss of Divinity.

RISE ABOVE THE GUNAS

The entire universe operates in cycles. One cycle begins, and then it goes into quietude, which in Sanskrit we could call Pralaya, where the Gunas or the substances which run this world, Sattva which is goodness and Light, Tamas which is inertia and darkness, and Rajas which is the balancing force, or the activating factor. This universe is forever in motion because of these three factors, and none of them can be removed as long as you stay away from the ocean. For the ocean is beyond Sattva, Rajas and Tamas.

If you read the Bhagavad Gita, it says, “Rise above the Gunas”, which is Sattva, Rajas and Tamas, “Rise above them and then perform action.” You do not need to wait until you merge away into that vast ocean. You can achieve that balance, that activating force in this very lifetime, and that does not mean being inactive. It means being active, for as you are now, you are active, you think you are sitting still, but you are not. There are billions and billions and billions of cells operating systematically in your system as you sit there, so everything below Divinity is action all the time. To make this life happy, one must proceed from Tamas to Sattva, from darkness to Light.

THE SECRET OF ETERNITY

Now here, so you are now here. If I want to sit still and not take the step, I am going to reach nowhere, and yet, if you analyse the word ”nowhere” just shift the “w” to the left; it becomes “now here.” That is the realisation man has gained, not the past; it has gone. Forget it and the future as well, that might never come, but now here to enjoy this moment to its fullest, here and now.

That is the secret of eternity. Eternity cannot be measured in time, there is no linear measurements where you proceed from A to B, and if there is no time, there cannot be any space, because space, as any scientist will tell you, depends on time, and time is dependent upon space. If you want to go to the city, central Victoria, it will take you time because you have got to cover that space.

But this area of merging away into that infinity of that ocean, there is no time. It does not proceed from a horizontal level; it does not work on horizontal levels. It works on a vertical level. It is one line, one line which is total unity all the time. That line is thin, so the same goes that the path to Divinity is like walking on a razor’s edge. It is so fine, yet the path is so beautiful that you do not cut yourself with a razor. It is sharp and yet not harmful.

THE EGO WANTS TO PRESERVE ITSELF

Many people worry about losing their individuality. What is your individuality? Have you examined that? That I am John or Joe or Jack, or whatever I call myself to be “me.” I start comparing that “me” with my circumstances around me. I try to dive deep into my subconscious mind and find comparisons of the outer experiences that I am gaining.

It is only when you dive to the subconscious level of the mind that you will find comparisons. If you see a dog on the road, you will not know it is a dog unless you have seen a dog before. That impression of the dog is there existent in the subconscious mind, which has billions of cubby holes that would give you the experience. For example, if you go to some remote country and have never eaten their kind of food, it will be very strange to you because you have not had an experience of that kind of food.

Our problem lies in this, that we want to preserve individuality. We have made such a mistake in thinking that I am the centre of the universe. It is I, George or John, that is important and the whole universe centres around me. The very importance that I am attaching to myself is the basis of ego, and it is the ego that wants to preserve itself. The inner part of yourself that goes beyond the subconscious and Superconscious levels does not require to be preserved. It is and will always be there, and that is what we mean by eternity and infinity.

WE HAVE TO TRANSCEND THE EGO

So, what do we do in the circumstances? We have to transcend the ego. You can use a lot of analysis on how to transcend or go beyond the ego. But remember, it is the ego working on the ego, and the ego is nothing but mind, thought formations all collected together. So, you are working with the mind on the mind, and you are not going beyond it.

The secret of joy is to be able to go beyond, and that is why we meditate to go beyond those experiences that we have had, and by going beyond, you can view them. If you stand down here, you will not see these beautiful trees in their fullness or this lovely panoramic view, but if you go to the upper floor, you can look around you and enjoy the panoramic view. The view has not changed; you have changed because you are looking at it from a different angle.

Our ego self, that narrow little self filled with experiences and samskaras, stops us from enjoying Divinity, and we are dwelling upon it all the time, so naturally, you cannot go beyond it. If you are in a river and start studying the various waves and things, you will still be in the river. The idea is to get out of the river and view the river. It is a matter of perspective. It is a matter of where we stand, and this requires strength.

Those millions of years of experiences you have gained cannot be thrown off in one moment; it cannot be. Certain experiences can be pierced through, they can be circumvented, but they cannot be destroyed. They can be thrown off using this inner energy; by bringing this Light into our lives, the darkness will automatically disappear.

I AM RESPONSIBLE FOR THE CIRCUMSTANCES, AND I ACCEPT THAT

Many people will tell you that what you sow, you will reap. That is very true, but it is very true on the relative, mundane level. There is a way to go beyond all those experiences you have had, good or bad. There is a direct hotline, as I would say from the conscious level, the thinking level of the mind, through the subconscious level of experiences and impressions, and direct to that area of the finest relativity, the Superconscious level. When you reach there, you can look at yourself. You can, in one moment, once glance, see all your experiences and impressions of a lifetime or thousands, millions of lifetimes and having seen these experiences, having found the meaning by observing those experiences, you will have a different view of it. And when you develop a different view of it, you will say to yourself, perhaps these experiences were necessary. I created them, and no one else created them for me. I am not a creature of circumstances. I am never a creature of circumstances, but I create circumstances. So, I am responsible, and I accept that.

When this analysis takes place from the vantage point of the superconscious level, you can discard those experiences. If you do not discard them, you can bring their actual value into the conscious level of life, which governs your daily actions. That is how the quality of life improves. That is how greater joy is found in this world, for there is nothing else but joy, depending on how you look at it.

ONE SAW MUD, THE OTHER SAW STARS

Like the old saying, which is such a favourite of mine, I have said it a million times “Two men behind prison bars; one saw mud, the other saw stars.” Both in the same circumstances, but one could see the glory of God and one see the dirt, the mud. One has reached the stage where he can view everything as wholeness, and the wholeness is all contained in your subconscious. Your mind has a memory box that covers the entire universe. Every experience in the universe is there in your mind, which you can tap upon and use at will.

… Gururaj Ananda Yogi: Satsang CAN 1984 – 02