Sri Bhagavan Teachings on Suffering and Witnessing Consciousness

Teaching on Suffering

Sri Bhagavan Teaching - All Suffering is a Story.

http://www.youtube.com/user/worldonenesstv#p/a/u/2/VFuoXU1lG0M

posted June 7, 2010

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Question: Bhagavan, when we experience suffering is it that our perception undergo a change or will we land up in a state where there is no perception? What exactly happens?

Bhagavan: See first thing you've got to understand is that all suffering is only a story. A story is what is causing the suffering. So by merely understanding it's a story is not sufficient. You must know what is the story.

So you must take the suffering to the next stage. When you stay with the suffering, the suffering will tell you its own story, which would be very surprising to you. You would not have expected that.

For example, many years ago I knew a young man who was studying at IAT. He later on became a very big scientist. IAT as you all know has the cream of India. So while doing his physics there he developed a tremendous amount of lust.

So he began to do yoga. Lust would not go. Then he began to do many other things but lust would not come under control. This was the condition in which he was. So whatever he was trying he could not control this lust and that was affecting his academics. That was his suffering.

So when he was made to experience that suffering, first by making him stay with it, what happened was the story came out. The story was this person hated experimental physics. He was all in love with theoretical physics but he was dead against experimental physics. He just had no inclination.

He had love for mathematics and all the abstract concepts of physics. That was his fascination and he would not like to waste his time on experimental physics. This dislike motivated by hatred for experimental physics manifested as lust.

Whenever you are involved in some work which you do not like, which you hate, then lust becomes too much. Because then you are doing if for survival sake and you always have a fear of survival.

Because he knew that he might fail in experimental physics, which means he would fail in his MSc, which means he might not become that scientist he wants to be, which means his survival is at stake. His whole survival is in becoming a great scientist. That was shaken.

So when survival is threatened, lust would automatically go up. They have a close link. Lust, survival and security are closely linked. When that is threatened, it will automatically go up.

Suppose you are playing in the share market and your shares are coming down, you will see the lust is going up. Suppose you engage in business and your business is failing, your lust will go up.

Always failure which leads to a threat of survival, lust would automatically go up.

So this became very, very clear to him. Then he had the courage to stay with the suffering and then also experience it. So it began to reveal itself-the story-and then he knew, "this is it, is it?"

So then what happened? He suddenly developed a love for experimental physics because he knew this lust was connected to his dislike for experimental physics and he said, "OK, I'll put a little more effort", and then he did that and the lust disappeared. It came down to normal proportions and of course later on he became a world famous scientist also.

So the story gets revealed. That's why we talk in terms of created problem and real problem. So whenever you tell us "this is our problem", we know that it is a created problem. The real problem is something else.

So how to get there, stay with it. First, understand everything is only a story. In reality there can be no suffering, because when you experience reality as it is there is only joy, there is only bliss, there is only love, no matter what it is. But you do not experience reality because your mind is all the time interfering and what is the mind? It is all the time judging, it is commenting.

Why? Mind is nothing but the flow of thought. What is thought? Thought is measurement. It compares yesterday with today, today with tomorrow, him with somebody else. All the time it is comparing. It is measurement.

Thought is an instrument of measurement. Constantly measuring, it is. So when you are measuring of course-there this vase. You must look at this vase not be measuring it in terms of its color or size, or shape. But the mind is nothing but the flow of thought and thought is from the past, and past is memory, and memory is dead.

So death is flowing through you and if you have truly died to the past and to the future-psychologically if you have died to them-then you would live in the present. There is great joy and bliss there. That is what we are trying to do to you.

So now what happens is if you are going to stay with the suffering, mostly the story will be revealed. If that also does not reveal then you can move into experiencing suffering. Then the story will definitely be revealed and not only that, there could a charge. Now the staying with it may give you the story but it might not remove the charge.

Now in this boy's case what happened was in the staying with it he came to know the story and hating experimental physics, and all these things. But that was not the end of the story. Still there was a discomfort.

So as he began to experience suffering it became very clear to him that there was a remark by an uncle of his who was a big professor of physics in an American university, who when he was a small boy made a comment: "only fools would do experimental physics. The greater your brains you would move into theoretical physics." So there started the bias against experimental physics, the actual dislike of it.

So he experienced the suffering there and the charge went away. So to remove the charge you have got to experience suffering.

Whenever anything is re-experienced, the charge goes away. Clearly you must re-experience it. Like two people cannot stay on the same spot, isn't it? You have to knock down one and put the other in.

So in a similar way what happens is when you re-experience it that charge is removed. It's gone. With the charge gone, entire perception changes because it comes from your story or it comes from the charge, the perception.

Once perception is changed, everything changes. You're experiencing of reality depends on your perception. If that changes, the experience changes and then the suffering is gone. But the ultimate suffering is there should be no perception at all.

So this is the first level. This is like normal suffering. But if you want to go a level where you'll experience things as they are then thought itself must stop, and that is possible.

When you are drinking coffee you should be drinking coffee. Why should you think about the cricket commentary or the score? You should be drinking coffee. That's when completely all suffering ends. There's nothing but joy and love in your life. What joy? Unconditional joy. Unconditional love.

You could be a beggar. You could be a leper, but you'll have unconditional joy. This joy does not depend on whatever you are gaining or whatever you are losing. It is just there. You could be anybody.

You might be the world's most powerful man, the world's most richest man, but you would not have this joy unless you experience reality as it is, and unconditional love. There would be love towards the king as well as the beggar because there is no thought.

So all this is possible to achieve.

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Teaching on Witnessing

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LyOYwhD1_qE&feature=digest

posted June 7, 2010.

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Question: Sri Bhagavan, you say we'll be watching the mind. Who is it that is watching the mind if there is no 'self'?

It is consciousness which is witnessing, what we call Chit, and then it has also great joy which is called Ananda. That is why we chant Sat Chit Ananda. We chant. These are the properties of consciousness and it's also the ability to witness.

It cannot participate but it can witness. So it is consciousness which is witnessing the mind which is witnessing the thoughts, and when consciousness witnesses, it does not identify. It just sees thoughts, it just sees the mind, it just sees all actions.

So you are that pure consciousness. So right now you are identifying yourself with the mind. That's why you are imprisoned within the mind. But once you jump out you're free of the clutches of the mind and all that you are doing is witnessing.

To witness, you have got to witness and see what it is like. I don't have to describe that, then you form concepts. But once you get there, it's already clear. Nobody need teach you anything, you know for yourself.

You'll get there. Don't worry. Everyday people are getting there now. The process is speeding up now. More and more people are making the cross to there, so effortlessly. Then you'll start laughing because you'll wonder, "How did I miss this all these years?" Such a simple thing it is, as simple as breathing.

You'll really be laughing at yourself. All things are witnessed. That's all. So it is consciousness which is witnessing, which is nowhere but everywhere. You can't say it is here, you can't say it is there. It is everywhere.

Everything is being witnessed. More if I would talk, you would make concepts out of it. I will leave it at that waiting for you to get there.

Question: Bhagavan, can we do something to break free from this 'rat race' of survival?

Right now you are caught up in the mind. You keep doing these things for the sake of escaping your own suffering. Now when you get awakened, the same things you would do, the same job, the same profession, the same business. But, the experience is totally different.

Now you are doing what you are doing. Once you become awakened, let's say you are a carpenter, it's no more work. As you do carpentry you'd love it, you'd experience every moment of it.

Let's say you are a clerk in an office, as you put ink to paper and you keep scribbling some figures or something, that is enjoyable. It's no more work. Suppose you are a hotelier, it's again enjoyable. All work becomes thoroughly enjoyable.

Right now it's drudgery. You've got to do it for survival or as a means to escape your own suffering. But it's no more required. The same work goes on, nothing would change.

If you happen to be a tailor you continue to be a tailor on awakening. A barber, yes you continue to be a barber. Or, you are a scientist you continue to be a scientist. Nothing changes.

The same wife, the same children, the same home, but it all looks very, very different. The experience is totally different. That's all there is to it. So it would not disturb your normal life. In fact, you become very efficient. You become very capable because no stress, no strain, no conflict.

So supreme efficiency comes out of it. So you don't have to worry about it.