Know Thyself by Sri Chinmoy

                                                       ~         KNOW  THYSELF        ~


Sri Chinmoy

Atmanam viddhi - Know thyself. Each individual has to know himself. He has to know himself as the infinite, eternal and immortal Consciousness. The concept of Infinity, Eternity and Immortality is absolutely foreign to us. Why? The reason is quite simple. We live in the body, rather than in the soul. To us the body is everything. There is nothing and can be nothing beyond the body. The existence of the soul we consider sheer imagination. But I assure you that the soul is not imaginary. It is at once the life and the revelation of the Cosmic Reality. Most of us live in the body, in the earthbound physical consciousness. Our teacher is Darkness; our professor is Ignorance. But if ever we live in the soul, we shall see that our teacher is Vision and our professor is Illumination.

"Life is effort." So says the body. "Life is blessing." So says the soul. The human in man does not want to go beyond morality, society and humanity. The divine in man comes down from divinity into humanity, from unity into multiplicity.

Atmanam viddhi. Know thyself. The seers of the Upanishads not only discovered this Truth Transcendental but offered it to the suffering, crying and striving mankind. In order to know oneself, one has to discover oneself first. What is self discovery? Self discovery is God-Realization.

Without Yoga there is no self discovery. Yoga is not a religion. Yoga is the Universal Truth. It is the traditional truth of India. It is the most important experience of life. True Yoga and life go together. They cannot be separated. If you try to separate them, you will fail. Yoga and life are as inseparable as the Creator and the Creation.

Is Yoga another name for severe asceticism? Positively not. Is Yoga another name for self-discipline? Decisively yes. Does Yoga demand the rejection of the world and the starvation of the senses? No, never. Does Yoga demand the acceptance of the world and mastery over the senses? Yes, a mighty Yes. Is Yoga for everybody? Yes and no. Yes, because each human soul has come from God and inwardly aspires to return to Him. No, because some people, at their present stage of development, feel they can live without God.

Can learning and reasoning offer man self realization? No. Mere book knowledge ends in self deception. Why? Because a man of knowledge feels that he has achieved the infinite wisdom. Unfortunately, he does not know that the real Infinite Wisdom can come only from God, from God Realization. Mere mental reasoning ends in self-frustration.

Can dedication and aspiration offer man self realization? Yes. Man's dedication is his heart flower offered at the Feet of God. Man's aspiration is his soul fruit placed in the Lap of God.

For self realization, man needs freedom. God gives him freedom. What is freedom? Freedom is God's sacrifice-power and man's miracle-power. Sri Ramakrishna, the great spiritual Master of India, once remarked, "The wretch who constantly says, 'I am bound, I am bound,' only succeeds in being bound. He who says day and night, 'I am a sinner, I am a sinner,' verily becomes a sinner. One must have such burning faith in God that one can say, 'What? I have repeated God's name, so how can sin still cling to me? How can I be a sinner anymore?'"

We must cherish positive thoughts, positive ideas, positive ideals. Only then will our Goal no longer remain a far cry. Each man has to feel, "I am at the Feet of God, my own Master. I am in the Hands of God, my own Creator. I am in the Heart of God, my only Beloved."

"Ask and it shall be given to you; seek and ye shall find; knock and it shall be opened unto you." I asked. My Lord bestowed His boundless Compassion on me. I sought. My Lord gave me His infinite Love. I knocked. To my utter surprise, the door was not bolted from inside. My sweet Lord was eagerly expecting my arrival. Lo, I am come!

  http://www.srichinmoy.org/resources/library/talks/philosophy/know_thyself/index.html

You Do Not Need Knowledge for Spiritual Advancement

Dear Friends  ~

     You do not need to study anything in order to receive the divine truth within.  Every soul that has incarnated onto this earthplane has arrived in the only school they need to realize their inherent spirituality    This earth school supplies everyone with enough life experiences for each journey.   Every incarnation provides excellent opportunities to experience the polarities through different life circumstances.

     We may not remember why we chose to come here, but that does not matter.   Earthlife will take care of your spiritual lessons each and everyday.   It is how we handle ourselves and treat others that reveal to the aware person what their weaknesses and strengths are.  

     Not every soul is mindful of the wealth of opportunities that confronts each one when life takes a sudden turn in very unexpected directions.   A huge test for sure, and when in the thick of such a situation, it can sometimes awaken within the strength that we all have hidden inside of us.   How can we know of this enormous strength if we are never put into a situation which makes one dig as deep as they can to find the strength, and perhaps the solutions that are needed.  Building spiritual muscles would be a good term to use when life becomes very challenging.

     Knowledge does not provide you with the experiences you need for your particular life's journey.   It does not matter if you are rich or poor, a university graduate or illiterate, for it is the love and courage we have within that will provide the necessary tools to face this life and all it has to offer. What it has to offer each soul is of course as vast as the stars in the sky. That is why this third dimensional world was created, to make one feel through their physicality what the basis of life is all about.  If everything you have in the world is taken from you, what is left?    Your divine self within.   Perhaps the distractions of the world need to be taken in order to experience oneself and begin the journey inwards.

     Sanyasi's are people who are aware of how valuable life is to renounce the physical world in order to be completely focused on the spiritual.  It is with conscious choice that they give away their possessions and keep only the basic necessities of life.   No unnecessary distractions is what is chosen by many on this earth, and not only in India. Even in western society one may renounce the physical world in their own private way and live a very quiet and focused life, communing with nature and the divine.

     Yes dear friends, everything you need for spiritual advancement is already inside of you.   Treat it as your own treasure-trove of precious jewels just waiting to be discovered. Approach the inner journey with joy and reverence for the beautiful spark of God within, and with the love you have for your Godself , feel it expand into the fullness of flame.  

     Namaste  ~  Tara
   

Ascension Sharings ~ A Feeling of Re-Birth

      Hi everyone  ~

   Today I've had a distinct feeling within of another re-birth!    This is another aspect of the Divine Self
   coming through and showing her/himself.    Divine is the only way to describe it, as it  is pristine love
   that knows no bounds when it comes to humanity and aiding our fellow humans. 

   It came like a rush when I was out and about today going into those pockets of resistance in the
   community which I mentioned in my last Ascension Sharings.   The Divinity I experienced was most
   definitely from the Godhead, and it was a male aspect.   The rush of energies and the brightness
   everywhere I looked took me by surprise so much I felt myself in an energy-spin that I hadn't experienced
   before.   I guess combining with the other aspects I have already grounded, this put the cherry on the
   cake, so to speak !!

   I am not shy about sharing divine experiences as that is what we are all working towards when we
   align with our higher/highest Selves.   So many writings have already appeared on the spiritual websites
   over the years about this time occurring, and it is returning to our true Home, our Divine Home within.
   So many answers to life experiences with different ways of perceiving.......the different windows of seeing
   the scope of our experiences seems endless !!!    We may have one experience, or so we think at the time,
   when in fact it can have several meanings attached to that experience.  So, we are covering all aspects
   when it broadens and reveals the overall totality of that one experience.    If you get my drift......lol
   I may write about it a bit more tomorrow after I've slept on it.   I need to allow the energies to settle and
   reveal more.  
  
   Namaste  ~  Love  ~  Tara