Gururaj Talks

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The Spanish Meditation Society has created a wonderful, new website (in English) dedicated to the Teachings of Gururaj Ananda Yogi. The website contains a wealth of satsangs, quotes, pictures, poems, and more that is sure to inspire spiritual seekers.

Teachings of Gururaj

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THE FINAL TEACHING

What is it that causes suffering? Is there something that acts like a “Rock” around our necks pulling us down into anger, suffering depression and despair?

How can we free ourselves from this condition? Is there a simple formula for realizing that True Peace and Joy which is said to be the essence of the  human spirit and God?

The answer to the first question on suffering is very simple and obvious once we hear it. The answer is thoughts within the mind cause these negative mental conditions.

Remember I said “suffering” not “pain”, pain is physical but how our mind interprets this physical condition using thought as the mental medium of translation determines where or not we suffer.

Thoughts that are negative or illicit feelings of helplessness, and despair pull us down into depression and mental suffering. It is the mind itself or rather the habitual thought patterns within the mind that keep appearing and re-appearing in the mind which causes these mental conditions.

Now as in all things there is an exception to this and that is a chemical imbalance within the brain. To some degree the techniques I will mention will help, however, competent medical diagnosis and treatment is certainly recommended along with the following the techniques, when a physical component to mental distress is determined by a qualified medical professional.

There are a number of techniques that we can use to help minimize and in many cases eliminate these negative thought patterns.

One very good way is to be aware when we know these thoughts are within the mind. Look them from a objective point of view as if you are seeing something that has happened but which have only a limited existence. Because as they come in they also leave in time. So if we view thoughts as “Things” not “What we are” then when these thoughts intrude into the mind, be aware that they are not you, they are a mental phenomenon and in the observing say to yourself  —   “I am not these thoughts. These thoughts do not control me.” This loosens the grip of these thought patterns on the mind.

Forcibly evict them from your mind. Move your mind into a different thought pattern that is uplifting – prayer, music, Gurushakti – or whatever works for you.

Change the patterns of thoughts within your mind and you change your world. It does not happen at over night, but keep doing it, over and over and over again as long as it takes. Only you can change your world. No one else!  We have spent a lifetime building up these negative thought patterns and they are deeply engrained within the depths of the mind. If we put them there we can get rid of them. But it is not a free ride, you must work diligently, unflinchingly, and with courage at changing how you think and what you want your world to become.

You have this choice and this one choice only! Work diligently now with courage and love for yourself OR stay as you are now and repeat this same lesson over and over and over again until you do finally triumph over the illusion of the mind. Your choice!   You have to walk your path no one can do it for you.

You start from where you are. Every moment is new filled with promise and freedom. The past is dead if we let it go.  Let us move forward. Watch the thoughts in the mind. Be vigilant! Do not let the mind trick you or control you – the real you is the Witness of the thought, it is not the thought itself. Stay in the witness, not focused on the thought. Banish the thought withdraw into the witnessing factor. There the weather is fine. This is the real you. But how do we stay in that “Witness” Ahhh here is the key!

The Final Teaching!

The Witness of all thought, action and sense experience is the internal sense of “I Am” ,  “I Exist” NOT the THOUGHT “I Am”, but the internal sense. When we ask “Who is perceiving the thoughts” certainly it is not the thought itself. It is something which is not thought, or concept or any thing that we can point to – It is just the sense of perceiving or the sense of “I Am” without words.

In order to sense this “I Am” turn the attention inward, not to the mind or content of the mind but to that sense of awareness without content, the sense of knowingness not knowing OF that is ever present and is presence itself. Try to remain with that sense “I AM” for a few seconds or minutes at a time.

When thoughts move through the mind (no matter what the thought) move the witnessing factor from the thought back to itself back to that internal perceiver to that sense “I AM” existence of awareness pure and clear perceiving without thinking.

Keep this transitioning just like meditating with a mantra and thoughts but here we are coming back to being aware of being aware. It may feel odd, but as you keep doing it like anything it becomes easier and a new way of perceiving blossoms from within.

Ask your self “What is it that perceives the thoughts, what is that that gives “All” the sense of reality”, it is that Awareness touching the thoughts or sense perceptions imparting its own Reality to all that it touches.

Turn around attention, around to attention itself, it never moves, never changes, always silent “always perceiving that which is not itself”.

During the day as you can remember or have the thought of this little practice, do it as often as possible even if only for a second or two at a time.

Walking, sitting, cleaning house, at work, no matter what.  Become aware of the sense of  the silent witness the sense “I am” – “I Exist”  without words within you. In this way little by little you will focus on the sense of presence within you and less on the turmoil happening within the mind.

Every day, every time you can remember to do it. Keep at it. You will begin to be aware of that deep sense of peace and spaciousness within you more and more. The attention or perceiving factor will begin to remain aware if itself, the focus of attention will effortless remain first upon itself then of the objects of perception which it will automatically perceive as not itself but simply phenomena existing for a moment than subsiding into that silent witness .

Doing this simple practice you will notice (after the fact) that when your attention is turned inward toward this sense “I Am” that there was no thought while the attention was turned inward. A thought may come into the mind but as soon as you refocus the attention inward, the thought disappears. Do not try and watch it, do not try to help the process, any “doing” on our part disrupts the natural quietness of the “Witnessing Factor”, the “Perceiving Factor”. No conscious thought can exist when the attention is turned upon itself. How marvelous, without anything being  done all is accomplished.  This is the miracle of this quiet infinite being whose nature is not action but potential to be or do anything without any doing.

This is a fast track to liberation. it is the secret without being hidden that is with is all the time. This awareness this sense of being aware and “present” was there before this body came into being, it is there throughout this life, it will be there when this body drops away. It is the eternal that is your True Self!

It is “this” that is eternally free, can never change, beyond all thought and motion, silent but without which this entire universe could never be nor be perceived. This is your True Self! Get acquainted with it and it is that which is freedom itself.

It is this that is the essence of what GR and all the great souls down the corridors of time have taught, though in words that the common person could understand.

This is the direct route. this is the “Maha” or great final teaching that is freedom itself.

Do this every spare moment! The end of the journey has always been there in plane sight within us, just waiting for consciousness simply to become aware of itself.

Game Over – Finished!

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Well fellow mediators after 30 years my book is finally finished. Yes, no fooling, it is a real book. It has taken 3 years of considerable effort by not only myself but also Linda Weaver who put all the words together, and Vidya who went over it countless times correcting my mistakes.

The book can be bought on Amazon.com for $18.00 (about 300 pages with over 100 pictures) just type in the search —  Warrior’s song: The Journey Home and it will take you right to the book.

All the war stories as a Marine and similar ones with Guru Raj are all in the book with as much of GR’s teaching as I could fit in the context of the wording of the book. It is really a book about one man’s life journey to find home. I think you will probably find many parallels in your own life’s journey within the pages. Those who have read it liked it very much so I think it will be a good and entertaining read. Enjoy, love Sujay

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Raman will be broadcasting from the course in Madrid.  

Connect at this site:   http://ifsu.org/ifsu/Directo.html

We will let you know the times of broadcasts as soon as they become available.

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On the other hand, self-identification with the outer causes is suffering

• It is the mind bewildered by wrong ideas, addicted to thinking: ‘I am this’ ‘I am that’, that fears loss and craves gain and suffers when frustrated.

All suffering is born of desire.

 True love is never frustrated. How can the sense of unity be frustrated?

What can be frustrated is the desire for expression.

Such desire is of the mind.

As with all things mental, frustration is inevitable

Pain and suffering are only the body and the mind screaming for attention.

To go beyond the body you must be healthy:

To go beyond the mind, you must have your mind in perfect order. You cannot leave a mess behind and go beyond.

The mess will bog you up. ‘Pick up your rubbish’ seems to be the universal law: And a just law too!

There is no other way out of misery, which you have created for yourself through blind acceptance without investigation.

Suffering is a call for inquiry, all suffering needs investigation.

Don’t be too lazy to think.

Understand suffering rightly:

Dispassionate inquiry into suffering lays bare the roots of suffering – right understanding is only real help.

It is the only way out of the mess you have created for yourself!

Pain is physical; suffering is mental.

Beyond the mind there is no suffering.

Pain is merely a signal that the body is in danger and requires attention.

Similarly, suffering warns us that the structure of memories and habits, which we call the person (vyakti), is threatened by loss or change.

Pain is essential for the survival of the body,

but none compels you to suffer.

Suffering is due entirely to clinging or resisting; it is a sign of our unwillingness to move on, to flow with life.

Q: Why does the Guru take so much trouble?

Sorrow and the ending of sorrow. He sees people suffering in their dreams and he wants them to wake up.

Love is intolerant of pain and suffering.

The patience of a Guru has no limits and, therefore, it cannot be defeated. The Guru never fails.

Pleasure lies in the relationship between the enjoyer and the enjoyed

And the essence of it is acceptance.

Whatever may be the situation, if it is acceptable, it is pleasant.

If it is not acceptable, it is painful.

What makes it acceptable is not important; the cause may be physical, or psychological, or untraceable;

Acceptance is the decisive factor. Obversely, suffering is due to non-acceptance.

The fact of pain is easily brought within the focus of awareness, With suffering it is not that simple:

To focus suffering is not enough, for mental life, as we know it, is one continuous stream of suffering (conflicting energies, thoughts and emotions).

To reach the deeper layers of suffering you must go to its roots and uncover their vast underground network, where fear and desire are closely interwoven and the currents of life’s energy oppose, obstruct and destroy each other.

Don’t anticipate and don’t regret, and there will be no pain. it is memory and imagination that cause suffering.

But you do so many unnecessary things. It is your refusal to examine that creates your suffering. It is the indifference to your own suffering that perpetuates it.

Something prevents you from seeing that there is nothing you need.

Find it out and see its falseness.

It is like having swallowed some poison and suffering from unquenchable craving for water.

Instead of drinking beyond all measure, why not eliminate the poison and be free of this burning thirst?

The cause of suffering is in the identification of the perceiver with the perceived.

Out of it desire is born and with desire blind action, unmindful of results.

Look round and you will see — suffering is a man-made thing.

All suffering is caused by selfish isolation, by insularity and greed.

When the cause of suffering is seen and removed, suffering ceases.

Suffering is primarily a call for attention, which itself is a movement of love.

More than happiness, love wants growth, the widening and deepening of consciousness and being.

Sattva, the energy that works for righteousness and orderly development, must not be thwarted.

When obstructed it turns against itself and becomes destructive.

Whenever love is withheld and suffering allowed to spread, war becomes inevitable.

Our indifference to our neighbor’s sorrow brings suffering to our door.

Suffering has made you dull, unable to see its enormity.

Your first task is to see the sorrow in you and around you;

Your next to long intensely for liberation.

The very intensity of longing will guide you; you need no other guide.

Assiduously watch your ever-changing life, probe deeply into the motives beyond your actions and you will soon prick the bubble in which you are enclosed.

A chic needs the shell to grow, but a day comes when the shell must be broken.

If it is not, there will be suffering and death

Desire is of the past, fear is of the future.

The memory of past suffering and the fear of its recurrence make one anxious about the future.

There is no East and West in sorrow and fear.

The problem is universal — suffering and the ending of suffering.

The cause of suffering is dependence

and independence is the remedy.

Yoga is the science and the art of self-liberation through self-understanding.

Selfishness is the cause of suffering. There is no other cause.

Unity in diversity is natural and good.

It is only with separateness and self-seeking that real suffering appears in the world.

Generally, what causes suffering is wrong and what removes it, is right.

The body and the mind are limited and therefore vulnerable; they need protection which gives rise to fear.

As long as you identify yourself with them you are bound to suffer;

realize your independence and remain happy.

I tell you, this is the secret of happiness.

What increases suffering is bad and what removes it is good.

Karma, or destiny, is an expression of a beneficial law:

the universal trend towards balance, harmony and unity.

At every moment, whatever happens now is for the best.

It may appear painful and ugly, a suffering bitter and meaningless,

Yet considering the past and the future it is for the best, as the only way out of a disastrous situation.

Youth, vigor, money — all will pass away sooner than you expect.

Sorrow, shunned so far, will pursue you.

If you want to be beyond suffering, you must meet it half way and embrace it.

Relinquish your habits and addictions, live a simple and sober life, don’t hurt a living being; this is the foundation of Yoga.

To find reality you must be real in the smallest daily action; there can be no deceit in the search for truth.

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