Spirituality, Observation, Knowing and Knowledge, Seriousness & Immersion

A. Spirituality

Spirituality is simply the search for Truth and it is very-very rigorous in the sense that. In the language of spirituality, Truth is that which is not only unchanging within time, but is actually beyond time. The word spirit means essence; that which is Real, that which actually Is. Man has to go to spirituality because everything that he perceives to be keeps changing, and in that way keeps deceiving him. Whatever you come across, whatever you get attached to, whatever you think to be real, it is no more there the next moment. Yes, the next moment can come a year later or thousands of years later; but there surely comes a moment when what you thought to be real is shown to be false. False in the sense that it is no more there and that is the definition of falseness: that which presented itself as being, but in due course of time, moved into non-being. That is false.

Spirituality is the search for that, which is beyond being and non-being; and hence, that which will not deceive you by turning into false, when you believed it to be true. Spirituality is very much like science, in the sense that it looks very-very closely at the world. Spirituality is extremely scientific because it wants to examine the world and its nature, just like the scientist. It wants to look at the world; it wants to observe the world and see, ‘What the world really is? Where does it come from? What happens to it? How does one perceive it? How does it change? How does it end?’ It observes all its processes, its dissolution, its making, everything. Spirituality is very scientific. And then spirituality goes beyond science. How?

Science stops at the world. Spirituality looks at the world, then looks at the self, then sees the direct relation between the world and the self and hence, sees the two as one and then it goes further beyond. When the spiritual eye sees that the self, the normal ego-self is nothing, but coming from worldly influences, it does not feel contended. It cries out that, there has to be something beyond. This deep belief, which for want of a better word, we can even call just a postulation or a conviction, is in the language of spirituality called as Faith. Spirituality is not a cult. Spirituality is not a particular way of thinking. Spirituality is deep immersion into the Truth.

B. Observation

Observation and relaxation are one. When you are relaxed, then there is no need to observe. Observation is not a need. It cannot happen because you are telling yourself to observe. It cannot happen out of some purpose. When you are internally relaxed, then a subtle observation is automatically happening.

See, essentially there is no technique for this, but if you are asking then I will say: maintain a certain confidence; sureness. I call it Faith, and it is a certain solidness of the Heart. It’s a way of standing up to life. Maintain that.

Never let any loss become too important for you; never let any gain become too meaningful for you. Maintain your dignity and poise. Even when everything is taken away, do not start crumbling. Even when a lot is coming to you, do not become exuberant. Maintain your own inner core.

And then you will not be afraid to observe. Observation is not something that one does, it is anyway happening. It is not a duty, not an obligation; it is not a planned action. It is anyway always happening. But it will not happen if you are afraid to observe. And you are afraid only when you think yourself to be small, incomplete. I am not saying that you must ‘think’ yourself to be complete. What I am saying is that whatever be the thought, you remain in a ‘firmness’, irrespective of the thought. It doesn’t matter what the thought is, you maintain a certain firmness without bothering for what the thought is. And it’s not a violent firmness. It’s a gentle firmness; almost an invisible firmness. It is like, ‘I am so powerful that I don’t even need to display my power.’

So powerful that I don’t even need to display my power. In life, good things, bad things, pleasant things, unpleasant things will keep happening. There is no guarantee that you will not receive some bad news, and good news too keeps coming. You maintain your worth irrespective of good news and bad news. And then you will find that fear is not blocking your observation.

And remembered, observation is not thinking! Do not think that you will start observation. Whenever you will start, observation will just be a thought, and observation is not thought. So you don’t worry about observation; you worry only about keeping yourself clean. If you are clean then observation automatically happens. You forget observation.

It doesn’t matter if you are with someone or with yourself. It’s all the same. Actually, even when you say that you are with yourself, thoughts will still be there, and thoughts belong to the world. Even when you are with yourself, the body will still be there, and body belongs to the world. So it doesn’t matter if you are surrounded by ten other people or not because at any point in time, you are surrounded by your thoughts and your body. They are surrounding you anyway. You could be feeling bad, having bad thoughts in the presence of a person, and you could be feeling miserable when you are all by yourself—so that is no distinction. What really matters is that whether you are sitting in a corner quietly or whether you are in a market, you still have that untouched solidness, here, in the Heart.

Don’t turn observation into an activity. Don’t say that, “I am observing! I am observing!” You just occupy yourself with the daily tasks with all that which is happening here and there. Observation happens on its own.

Just be sensitive to yourself. Just love yourself so that when fear arises, you know that it is fear, and when you know that fear is there then fear does not become powerful. Don’t get adjusted to fear. Don’t start calling it by a beautiful name.

C. Knowing and Knowledge

Knowledge is just information provided in a comprehensible form. It comes from outside and just gets stored in the brain. All knowledge comes from others and all knowledge comes from the past whereas, knowing happens right now. What is happening with you right now, is knowing. Knowing is understanding.

There is great difference between knowing and knowledge. Knowing is far more important than knowledge. Knowledge comes from outside, knowing is totally yours. Knowing is the function of intelligence. Knowledge is function of the senses and the brain. Right now what is happening? Your senses are receiving what I am saying. You are looking at me, you are hearing, they are carrying these inputs to your brain and this knowledge is going to the brain. But whatever is happening, the real thing is happening in your intelligence. That is not knowledge. That is real knowing.

If knowledge was the real thing, then hard discs would have been pundits; as they contain so much of knowledge, 1000 GB of knowledge. If knowledge were the real thing then Google search engine would have been the wisest person. Encyclopaedia would have ruled the world as they contain so much of knowledge. But the case is different here.

All of you are carrying books; look how poor they are. If a fire breaks out here; then these books can’t even walk on their own and they contain so much of knowledge. They would be dependent upon you to move out. That camera that is recording everything, that is listening and everything is going into its memory would just keep standing there and get burnt; because it does not have intelligence. Knowledge and intelligence are different. Knowledge and knowing are different. Yes you must get knowledge but it will always remain secondary. The real thing is knowing.

D. Seriousness & Immersion

Seriousness implies that I am there, and the thing is there. So, seriousness is actually ego. I am there and the thing is separate from me. So, seriousness in that sense reinforces the ego.

Immersion dissolves the Ego. There is no separation between me and the event, me and the thing, me and the person, so there is no question of an ‘I’ or an ego. I exists only in separation.

In most of the moments in life, we are serious but rarely immersed. Mind loves seriousness and hates immersion. I am asserting that mind loves seriousness but hates immersion. Why? Because in being serious, it has something to think about. Have you seen serious people? They are lost, thinking, worrying, self-centred, ‘What will happen?’, ‘There is something so important.’

‘If I achieve this, something great will happen, if I don’t achieve this, my life will be destroyed.’ So, the mind is very happy. You are providing food to the mind. What is the food of the mind?

Thoughts and you’re providing lot of food to the mind. In immersion, mind has to dissolve. Why the mind has to dissolve? Because the mind is not thinking about something, the mind is into that thing. Thinking about it means that there is a separation, a gap and the gap is what the mind feeds on. Now, the event is real. Be into it. There is no space for thought now. Immersion says, ‘There is no space for thoughts, get real. Don’t look at the party from outside. Come inside and join the dance.’

This is immersion.

Seriousness says, ‘Look at the party and keep imagining that what will happen, when I’ll go outside? Will it be lot of fun?’

Immersion says, 'Go, jump into it and start dancing.' Now, what will the mind do? Nothing. It will just come to a standstill. So it does not like immersion.

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