PHILOSOPHY
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The essence of the being
Introduction:-
The object of life is the same for all Human Beings.
Whether you know it or not, it is a fact.The peasant that tills the soil
and the Butcher who cuts the head of innocent animals have only this object in view.
Whether you be in India or abroad it makes no difference.
Whether you speak French or Spanish, it makes no difference.
This is the only point on which the whole population of the world agrees.
What is that object ? The desire to enjoy happiness.
It is this desire that is in the back of every thing you do.
You are not satisfied with the intermitant happiness.
You want that happiness to be with you always. You cannot live without that.
he whole of your life is a struggle to get it. In spite of this man does not get what he wants.
Why ? Because he looks for it in the wrong place. You look for it where it is not.
You look for it in the outside world. The outside world is your object.
If you change, the outside world changes. Therefore you should first of all
have a clear idea of what you really are. Everybody uses the word "I"
without clearly knowing what it really means.
Let us now try to see what this "I" is.
'I' in the three states
The totality of human experience is comprehended by the three states and an awareness which takes note of their appearance and disappearance. Whenever you want to find the truth of anything, examine it in the light of your totality of experience. You should never be partial to anyone particular state.
OBJECTS ARE SEPARATE BUT KNOWLEDGE UNITES THEM
What connection is there between one object and another ?.
There is absolutely no connection.When you know them you
believe that a connection is established between them.
But this is not what happens.An object, in order that it may be known,
has to be completely covered up by knowledge.If some part of the object
escapes so much of that object cannot remain but unknown.
Therefore in knowing, knowledge overs up the whole object.
Therefore ,all objects unite or dissolve in knowledge when they are known.
Therefore, knowledge does not connect one object with another,
but on the contrary destroys the separateness and absorbs them into itself.
Can you separate misery from feeling and tell me what misery is ?.
You find you cannot. Misery is misery only when you feel it.
It is inseparably connected with or stands as one with feeling.
So also you cannot separate objects form knowledge and define objects.
Objects are inseparablyconnected with or stands as one with knowledge.
Nature helps man a long way to stand established in TruthIt is
an inherent desire of man to know everything
with which he comes into contact.In knowledge everything
issolves and becomes one with it. Thus nature is at every moment
presenting it's diversity before knowledge to be destroyed in
order that unity may be established.
KNOWLEDGE CAN KNOW ONLY KNOWLEDGE
Knowledge will never descent to the realm of mind and senses
to know the object in these realms.If any things in these realms has to be known ,
first of all the thing has to be transformed into knowledge.
Nothing has to be done by a voluntary effort for this transformation;
but when knowing takes place a ttransformation will also take
place automatically. Knowledge can know only
itself and not the objects of the senses or mind as they exists.
In my Gurunathan's own words
(The guru Shri Krishna Menon – Shri Atmananda)
The guru Shri Krishna Menon – Shri Atmananda – visited Europe (Switzerland) twice in the early nineteen fifties. During his second visit, by request he allowed a tape recording of a short summary of his approach to be made. A retranslation into English from the Dutch translation follows below. The material between parentheses is from the original translator.
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If you don't know what your standpoint is you can never hope to know the reality of things. I say, you don't know what your standpoint is, you say: 'I am fat, I am thin, I walk, I sit, I move,' and so forth. In this way you identify yourself with the physical body. If you say: 'I feel, I see, I touch something,' and such, you identify yourself with your senses. And, when you say: 'I think, I feel' and so on, you identify yourself with the (constantly changing) mind. For that reason you are never conscious of what your (actual) standpoint (and that this constantly changes) is.
Therefore, it is absolutely necessary to know what you are and what your standpoint is, if you want to arrive at the right knowing, or to put it another way, to see the right perspective. It is not enough to only investigate the waking state for that purpose, because your experience extends also into the dream and into deep (dreamless) sleep states. Let us then initiate an investigation into these three states. You will discover that the I-principle (the true unchanging Self) is continuously present in each of the three states. The body, the senses and the mind are present in one state, but they are not there in the others. From that it follows that the I-principle is unjustly coupled with the body, the senses and the mind and that in reality it is independent of these three. That can be seen in the deep (dreamless) sleep, where it shines in all its bliss. You can see there that the pure Consciousness is a deep Peace. When you awaken out of the deep sleep you then say that you were happy (that you slept deeply and peacefully).
How would it be possible to claim this if you had not been aware of that happiness (the deep peace), that you experienced during deep sleep? It follows therefore that Consciousness and Peace were present in the deep sleep – and that this Consciousness, this Peace is your true nature. Why do I say that this is what you actually are? Because only this I-principle is present, remains, when it is stripped of body, senses and mind. There you find Consciousness and Peace. That is why I say that this I-principle is Peace or Bliss.
This (never changing) Consciousness can never be separated from the I-principle, in any of the three states that we have investigated.
Consciousness is present in the I-principle, in deep sleep as has already been demonstrated. It is also present with the I-principle in the dream state, and also it is not less present in the waking state. Although the I-principle is coupled to different things in the dream and waking states it is nonetheless present. Not only that: if you subject your own experiences to a deep investigation, you will discover that it allows itself often to be seen as pure (not coupled to anything) Consciousness, for example in the short moments between two states, between two thoughts, feelings or sensory observations.
You have to admit that there is a pause between two thoughts. If not, there would be a thought that is continuous without interruption. A thought has to come to an end before another can begin. Therefore it can not be denied that even though you may call it a miniscule fragment of a second, the pause between two thoughts exists. What were you then during this pause? Were you in the waking state? No. Were you in the dream state? No. Did you sleep? No. What were you actually then (during this miniscule interruption)? In that moment you were in your real nature.
You see thus that even in the waking state you have to repeatedly go into your real nature – and then come out gain. But that escapes you, you take no notice of it. It would be impossible to live a life in this world if you did not go repeatedly to your deepest being, in this way, repeatedly every moment. Try to put the emphasis there (by directing your attention to it again and again). And when the consciousness is again coupled to (perceived) things, lay the emphasis there (on the consciousness that is uninterruptedly present, either when things appear, or between their appearances), instead of putting your attention on the (observed) physical things.
When you have done that for some time, you will discover that you, perhaps without having noticed it, have been following your (own) track, directly towards your center which you want to make your 'permanent residence'. That center is the real I-principle that is Consciousness and Bliss. You are searching for happiness – why? That urge comes from the deepest level that is your true being. But, because your senses repeatedly have the inclination to direct themselves to the outside world, you seek for happiness there; you long for something, you obtain it, and you find a moment of the happiness that you were searching for. But, what you have not done is to investigate where that happiness comes from. I am certain that if you set your mind to investigate it you will discover that this happiness does not come from the desired object, but that it is your deepest nature. I will show you why that is.
If happiness were a part of the objects perceived by the senses (including thoughts and feelings which are as it were perceived by subtler senses), then they should always give you happiness, from the cradle to the grave. But, that is contradicted by your experience. Things that made you happy when you were a baby, no longer made you happy when you were a few years older; and so there were other things that made you happy as you grew to be an adolescent. But, the things that made you happy when you were a baby or an adolescent don't do it any more when you are old – again something new comes to take their place. So, you can see that happiness is not part of the things that are perceived by the senses.
Also, happiness is not seated in the mind (in thinking and feeling). If that were so you would be able to call it up at any moment, but that is also not the case, and therefore happiness does not originate in the mind. If it were housed in the mind, you could repeatedly find it, even without calling in the help of the (bodily) senses – but that is not the way it goes. Therefore, it is clear that the mind is not the permanent residence of happiness.
Now, if happiness does not live in the mind, and does not come from the things perceived by the senses, where does it come from, again and again, when longed for things are obtained? What I want to indicate is that the mind is restless when you are longing for something, and that it remains restless exactly until that desire has been fulfilled. As soon as that has happened the mind comes to rest for a bit, and then you find Happiness. And that Happiness is, as I have already said, your true being, your real self.
That Bliss is there all the time, but you only notice it when your mind has come to rest. So, it is your own deepest being that shines when you obtain a desired object. If you pursue a self investigation along these lines, you will discover that it is an important aid for coming to (the realization of) your real center.
[Shri Atmananda (Krishna Menon)]
NOTES ON THE PHENOMENAL LIFE OF SRI. KRISHNA MENON--
THE SELF-REALIZED SAGE SRI ATMANANDA (of Trivandrum)
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The Non-dual Sage Sri Atmananda was born into an illustrious
family in the village of Peringara, in central Travancore,
India, December 8, 1883. His father was a teacher of Vedic
literature to children of the locality, and several of his
brothers, sisters, and uncles were scholars and poets. He had a
quiet, happy, and uneventful childhood, one of the few unusual
features of which was a dislike of food (which lasted until he
was about ten.) He went to school at an early age, and reached
high school when he was twelve. It was universally remarked
that he was bright in his studies, fearless, and completely
honest.
He started writing poetry about the age of fourteen, and
even outshone his relatives who were poets. He was also an
unusually good athlete. Swimming was a favorite recreation.
(During his teens he was the sole survivor among twelve
passengers in a tragic boat swamping during an unusual midnight
storm.)
His educational career was outstanding. Not only did he
stand first in his class in all subjects but he was beloved by
both teachers and classmates, and sometimes served as a tutor.
After his college entrance examinations, which he took at an
early age, he was informed that he had failed in the Malayalam
language. He accepted this calmly, and it was only a month
later that a clerical error was discovered. He had placed
first. However, the financial aid needed for college was not
forthcoming from his maternal uncles, the legitimate guardians
of the matriarchal family purse, and he went to work as a
school teacher in a private school to put himself through
college. In 1910, before graduation, he married Sowbhagyayati
Parukkutty Amma, daughter of an aristocratic local family.
While he had had some early interest in religion this
diminished during his teens; and he became a rather convinced
atheist who took some trouble to shake the religious faith of
his friends. Although he continued, at least nominally, to
observe the simple instructions of a holy man with whom he had
become acquainted as a boy, he also continued with the
atheistic tendencies for some years even after graduation,
during his early working career.
After graduation he joined the Law College, and was also
given a job at the High Court in Trivandrum. He so impressed
the Commissioner of Police that he was appointed a Senior
Inspector. Soon thereafter he left the law course to serve as
Inspector of Police. Some months later, however, he took study
leave to complete the law course, obtained his degree in law
(B.L.) with distinction, and was quickly appointed Prosecuting
Inspector.
His deepest interests, however, did not lie with his career.
During this time spiritual questions started to claim more and
more of his serious attention. Although he looked for answers
in books of philosophy and religion, they never satisfied him.
He became convinced that the only way was to find a real
teacher, a Sage who was prepared to take a serious aspirant to
the goal. He knew also that he was not competent to choose such
a teacher. His mental discomfort slowly became an intolerable
agony, even though his official duties did not in any way
suffer from this. He began to pray for the right teacher. He
could not accept the usual "holy men" as teachers since he had
formed a low opinion of them as a class. He had found, in
discussions with them, that they could offer little.
One evening in 1919, however, he met a sanyasin (holy man)
who was very different, impressive and charming in every way.
This sanyasin was simply sitting on a culvert by the side of
the road. He addressed the young inspector in exquisite
English, asking him to go for a short walk. They started
talking on spiritual topics, and walked for a mile or so before
sundown. Still talking, they entered an old unoccupied house,
lit only by bright moonlight. Krishna Menon was by that time
asking many shrewd and demanding questions, even to the point
of seeming offensiveness. The Swami, however, was very glad of
this, and answered all questions completely, with openness,
logic, gentleness, and extreme humility. In this process the
ego of Sri Krishna Menon was overcome and his heart completely
captivated. He could hardly speak; but after some time he
prostrated, with tears of release, and on getting up asked for
full spiritual instructions, if he was considered worthy. The
Swami said, "It is for that alone that I have come from
Calcutta. I have no other interest here. I knew of your
yearnings from that distance."
They talked the whole night long, and before dawn all
instructions needed for spiritual attainment of the Ultimate
had been given and fully received. These instructions covered
all three of the major spiritual paths of India (devotion or
bhakti, the disciplines or yogas, and the knowledge path or
jnana, via the direct perception method.) The Swami knew that
Krishna Menon had no enthusiasm for the paths of devotion or
yoga, and he acknowledged this. He said that he advised these
for another reason. In fact, he recognized that Krishna Menon
would become a great teacher; for such a one the knowledge of
all three paths is necessary.
Before dawn the Swami rose, satisfied that his mission was
accomplished. There had been no opportunity for any traditional
gift to the teacher; but he said, "There is no obligation in
spirituality since there is no personality involved. Follow my
instructions and you will obtain perfection soon. That is the
real gift to the teacher. Therefore do not worry." He left
immediately to return to Calcutta. It was the only meeting
between teacher and disciple on the phenomenal plane.
This Swami was no ordinary sanyasin but a great Teacher
known as Yogananda, a rare master and scholar from a princely
family in Rajaputana. He had become well established in the
Absolute in his early teens. Living in a small ashram in
Calcutta, and teaching only four sanyasin disciples, he had
heard the call of Krishna Menon, who was to be his last
disciple as well as the only one who was a householder.
Krishna Menon started an intense spiritual practice the same
day that his teacher left, beginning with the path of devotion,
selfless love. This he covered in six months. (Towards the end
of this devotional path he wrote his "Radhamadhavam," 48 verses
in Malayalam, later to be translated into English.) He then
started on the hard course of yogic disciplines. This too he
completed in a few months, though he underwent a strange but
temporary bodily paralysis in the course of it. In the end he
was able to enjoy long and deep trance states at will. These
states, however, did not satisfy him since they were limited in
time, and were the result of intense effort. He was now sure
that the Truth must be naturally uncaused, permanent, and self-
luminous. After the yogas he gladly and easily took at last to
the path of wisdom and self-inquiry, "jnana-sadhana." On this
path he was to visualize Ultimate Truth in a very short time.
Towards the end of his spiritual disciplines he felt a
strong urge to devote the rest of his life to his teacher. He
actually made all necessary arrangements to obtain leave from
his police work and go to Calcutta (with the expectation of
resigning entirely towards the end of the leave.) He did not
even reveal the full extent of his plans to his wife. However,
the day before he was to leave for Calcutta his teacher
appeared to him, interiorly, and told him that he should
continue as a householder and look after his family (now
including three children.) The Swami added that he himself, in
any case, would leave this life within a few days. This came to
pass just as he said it would, to the great distress of his
disciple. Sri Atmananda always maintained that no aspirant,
however great, could attain liberation without the help of a
living Teacher, a Karanaguru. He wrote later to a disciple,
"The unconditioned love towards one's own Guru is the only
ladder to the goal of Truth." Such a Teacher is actually the
Ultimate Truth itself, even though appearing as a person.
Sri Atmananda's spiritual disciplines, including all three
paths, lasted only for about four years, culminating in 1923.
During this time his teacher appeared, interiorly, whenever he
was needed. Krishna Menon was given the name of Atmananda, by
which name he was known thenceforth. During all this time, and
for years afterwards, he continued without break as prosecuting
Inspector of Police. His work never suffered in any way, and
Government Proceedings gave him glowing tributes for masterly
prosecutions even during the period of his most demanding
spiritual disciplines. Later he said, "If anyone asked my
advice about the profession most helpful towards spiritual
advancement I would always recommend either the police or the
military. They offer the maximum obstacles and temptations.
Success obtained under such conditions is final and
irrevocable!"
During the period of his spiritual practices his wife gave
him the utmost imaginable loving support. There were times when
he had very little body- consciousness and she had to bathe and
feed him. Most of the time he slept very little. The married
Indian couple is asked to stand as the Ultimate Truth, which
knows no death. Such was their marriage, especially at this
time but continuously later on. There is not a single known
instance of either one doing anything against the wishes of the
other. Their married life was always a glowing example to the
disciples. After his own realization Sri Atmananda taught his
immediate family, and his extended family of uncles and in-
laws, absorbing them into the Ultimate along with his other
disciples. Of the five disciples of Yogananda only Sri
Atmananda was permitted to take on the role of teacher, and to
accept disciples. Accordingly he accepted his first few
disciples soon after 1923.
During this time he successively became Prosecuting
Inspector, Station Inspector, Assistant Superintendent of
Police, and District Superintendent of Police. He also codified
and revised the Police Manual of the state. Because of his
mastery of the law he was the terror of advocates who opposed
him. All had the utmost respect for his integrity,
resourcefulness, intelligence, and extraordinary efficiency.
Nor did he hesitate to take on the government bureaucratic
system when this seemed required. For this, and many other
reasons, his subordinates loved him unreservedly, and obeyed
him (even to the envy of his superiors.)
When Sri Atmananda was transferred to Kottayam in 1927 he
had only a few disciples, but within about seven years these
were increased to over one hundred. Disciples would visit him
whenever they could, and stay for days or weeks listening to
him discourse. He needed less than five hours sleep, and not
over three hours a day for additional official business. The
rest of the time he spent discoursing with disciples. Whenever
he went anywhere, not on official business, disciples would
accompany him. He was truly in his element with the disciples.
On one occasion he felt an urge to go to the high hills of
Kumili to inspect some police hill stations. At one station he
felt the further urge to climb a nearby hill. At the top he
found an old ascetic, who seemed to be waiting for him. On
coming closer he recognized the old sanyasin who had instructed
him as a boy of ten, and whom he had twice seen since. This
time it was Sri Atmananda who instructed the sanyasin who,
though highly advanced, had not reached the Ultimate Truth.
After a few words from Sri Atmananda he visualized the Ultimate
Truth then and there. This "Kumili Swami" saw Sri Atmananda
only once more, but kept in touch interiorly, and he lived to
be over 100 years of age, even past the time Sri Atmananda left
the mortal plane.
Starting about 1937 disciples started coming from Europe and
the Americas (especially Argentina, France, the United States,
England, but many other countries as well.) About half of the
disciples were women. Those who were ready were given the whole
Truth, expounded in a connected and direct manner. By argument
and the clearest logic, in spite of all resistance, their
attention was directed to the Real Being beyond the body,
senses, and mind, to the Non- dual experience of one's own Real
Nature, to immediate Realization or visualization of the Truth.
This they were asked to hold to, and become more and more
familiar with as often as possible, experiencing the Ultimate
Truth every time.
By 1959 the disciples numbered several hundred. Many more
received substantial spiritual help even though they were not
disciples. He said, "I accept only those in whom I find the
proper attitude of surrender, or true devotion to Truth." He
also granted interviews to numerous seekers of many kinds, some
of them very well known persons (Joseph Campbell, Julian
Huxley, and Paul Brunton, as examples.) He was, however, averse
to any form of publicity, and he avoided journalists or
publicists whenever possible. He asked them not to publish
anything without prior review, as a precaution against even
well-intentioned misrepresentation. He often stated that the
Truth can be imparted only through personal contact, and not
through other media.
After retirement from government service Sri Atmananda
devoted all his time to his disciples, residing mainly at his
old country house, "Ananda Vadi" on the river Pampa. He spent
some time traveling: Hyderabad, Bombay, Cairo, Paris,
Switzerland, and so on, but he settled in Trivandrum soon after
1943 when his wife's health began to fail. He was always
available and helpful to all sincere seekers, and he never
discredited anyone's beliefs, advising each to follow his own
path with sincere discrimination and earnestness. In addition,
he was particular about following all healthy religious and
social conventions. He said it was foolish, and sometimes
disastrous, to abandon conventions just because we don't grasp
their real significance. Such concerns were all phenomenal
matters, to be guided by phenomenal customs and laws. When his
own mother died, in 1932, he performed all the usual
ceremonials, under the direction of the village priest.
When his wife died, in 1953, he did the same; and he asked
his children to do the same for him. Before his wife died he
nursed her during a protracted illness, day and night, to the
detriment of his own health. In the end he helped her to a
tranquil passage to the Ultimate, then immediately came out of
her room and announced to the waiting disciples, "Finished!" He
made all the necessary funeral arrangements himself, shed so
many tears that disciples wondered when he would stop, yet
abandoned tears and reminisced of literature and poetry with an
old friend who stopped to offer condolences. He then returned
to tears. He explained, "Both these are only mental
expressions. . . .It is wrong to attribute either composure or
indulgence to the Sage. He is the conscious background of
both." Sri Atmananda loved music, and was a good musician
himself; it was said that at times he was as if drowned in a
divine music from within himself. He loved classical Indian
poetry and dance, and performances featuring these were a
regular feature of his birthday celebrations. Scenes of natural
beauty, mountains, rivers, waterfalls, and so on, affected him
deeply. He was also fond of chess, in which he was considered a
champion. He said he employed chess to further the spiritual
life of those who played with him. On the other hand, even
though he had been an athlete when young he took virtually no
physical exercise in later life, other than occasional
swimming. His diet and personal habits were so beneficial in
general, and his breathing so perfect, that this seemed to take
the place of exercise. He ate very little, and that was
strictly vegetarian. Although he chewed strong tobacco and
later smoked mild cigarettes he was not addicted to these, or
to any other habit.
Procrastination was unknown to Sri Atmananda. He was always
punctual to the minute in everything, even though he himself
stood as the Absolute, beyond time. He also insisted that no
trace should be left behind from any activity. Any trace left
behind he said was a pernicious seed of trouble. He detested
any obligation to anyone, financial or otherwise, even
including obligation to children and relatives. Although he was
looked after by his devoted disciples, it was at his own
expense. There was no question of obligation to disciples,
whose joy and profit it was to serve him in any way they could.
In charity and hospitality he was princely, and often fed
children, sanyasins, and the poor on festive occasions.
He was against institutions or successions of any kind in
relation to spirituality. Instead, he asked his disciples and
his children to live like a harmonious family, remembering that
the spiritual relation of each one is always directly with the
spiritual teacher alone.
In the hot month of April, 1959 Sri Atmananda went with some
of his closest disciples to spend time by the seashore on Cape
Commorin, a favorite spot at the southern tip of India. At the
end of the month he began to lose appetite, and medical
attention had no apparent effect. Gradually, to the distress of
his family and disciples, his actions took on a mechanical
appearance as he seemingly withdrew more and more inward. The
party returned to Trivandrum to seek further medical attention,
which also had little effect. Not long after his 75th birthday,
early on the morning of May 14, 1959 he peacefully left the
mortal coil. The radiance that his body had assumed the night
previous, while listening to favorite songs sung by a disciple,
did not leave him.
At the time his wife died he promised his disciples that he
would live another six years. He kept the promise, punctually.
The sacred body was cremated in piles of sandalwood, camphor,
mango wood, and incense, and deposited in a vault beside his
wife. The Sage is neither what is born nor what dies. His only
true monument is living Truth. He often said, "I am Atma, the
indivisible. I am there in the heart of every one of you, in my
fullness. You have only to recognize it, and never forget it."
[END OF NOTES ON THE PHENOMENAL LIFE OF SRI ATMANANDA]
(c)Copy Right 1999-2002 Dr.Sk.Krishnan Nair. All Rights Reserved.This material may not copied or reproduced in any manner without my permission