How to awaken from this world-dream

“Atman (the seer) in Itself is alone permanent, the seen is opposed to it (i.e., transient)—such a settled conviction is truly known as discrimination.” —(Aparokshanubhuti 5)—

The world is constantly changing and as such no permanent peace or blessedness can be had in it. The first dawn of discrimination brings us the recognition that this world is changing, unstable, unreliable in every respect.

And to the extent in which we are able to break down our ego and our attachment, this whole world-dream gradually vanishes.

First we see only shadows, then even these shadows and their phantom-like play stops.

Truth transcends all knowledge, but Truth can be directly experienced once the instrument of perception is created.

It is very difficult for us to think that what we call our personality is also quite unreal.

Only when we blast our personality, do we become one with the Absolute and gain freedom.

In order to develop a spirit of non-attachment, it is very helpful to look upon the objects of the world as constantly changing.

What is finite, cannot give us infinite peace and security.

What is evanescent, cannot bring us any permanence.

To the extent in which we develop a spirit of renunciation, it will be possible for us to understand Vedanta more and more.

Vedanta cannot be properly understood by an impure mind.

We should never think that God has given us perfect senses, and that what we perceive with the senses is real and reliable, and other things are unreal.

Your radio-set receives endless electrical waves, but your senses cannot receive them in any conscious way before they have been transformed by your radio.

Only when we have got the powerful instrument needed, can we see. Things that we cannot perceive with our gross mind, we can perceive with our purified mind.

The scientist needs his telescope and microscope for some of his most important discoveries.

Without these he cannot see.

So without a perfected and purified instrument, we cannot see really.

The senses are deluding us, and the senses have only got their limited, distorted and distorting vision.

The spiritual man, having more powerful instruments, is able to perceive, see, feel more than others, and all this in a less and less distorted way.

The whole trouble is the preparation of the instrument takes such a long time, but when it is ready, you see everything at a

glance.

So we must have infinite singleness of mind, infinite determination, infinite patience.

Let us go on and on just preparing the instrument with all possible care, the mental instrument more than anything else.

This means time and great perseverance, unwavering conviction that the way we are shown can take us to the goal if we only apply ourselves to it with our whole heart, will and intellect.

What the Great Ones have realized, can be verified by every one of us. And the means of realization lies within us always.

The man of realization becomes so as the result of having verified

these truths himself.

Mere faith will not do, but revelation never fails.

If it is a direct revelation, it always reveals Truth, and the Truth is always the same to all, if it is the Truth.

To everyone who follows the right process, the vision will

be the same,—but all conditions must have been fulfilled in such a

case.

The right methods must have been applied.

Swami yatiswarananda

Readings Of The Gospel of Sri Ramakrishna

Wiesbaden, Germany

May 7, 1934 -- (Vol.I 85-93)