Transcription
What happens after enlightenment? That's assuming that I am enlightened and I am capable of answering. What happens after enlightenment? That's assuming a lot, but a little bit I know from my study and my experiences with people I think who are enlightened, and what we have heard and seen the tradition. I can tell you a little bit. So again, from the Advaitic perspective, remember, Ashtavakra is radical non-dualism, and Ashtavakra, it gives you sort of a perspective from the top of Everest, from the highest perspective. So, can they say is that in India, philosophy has reached such Himalayan heights? I'm paraphrasing, I don't remember the exact words, where human lungs can scarce breathe. So, it's that view from the top, but it's a very uncomfortable view. It's almost, it is very impersonal. And I've heard in different ashrams, people have told me, and somebody comes up with a question like this, and the Swami in the ashram says, "Have you been listening to Sarva Priyananda?" And this Swami said, in variable, it turns out that the person has been listening to one of the Ashtavakra talks. All right, straight answer. What happens after enlightenment? Does the person retain individuality? Um, no, because we don't have an individuality even now. Even if we are non-enlightened, suppose we think we are, we are non-enlightened. We think we are individual sentient beings, but according to Advaita Vedanta, that's just plain wrong. What's the fact? Right now, you are Brahman. Right now, it's not that after we realize that we are Brahman, that we become Brahman. Look at the language. Does it merge into Brahman? Does the raindrop fall into the ocean and then merge? So, assuming it was a raindrop earlier, the problem is, such examples are used by Advaita masters. We have to be careful when the examples are used. The limited individuality set up by the, as he said, the physical body, the subtle body, and the causal body, that gives the impression of being a raindrop. But according to Advaita Vedanta, there never was a raindrop. Always there was this limitless ocean. Of even ocean is an example, that was the truth always. Now, because we don't at all feel that, it's no use saying all those things to us. Now, we have to be helped to realize that. Then a lot of metaphors are used. One raindrop falling. Shankara himself uses this metaphor, raindrop falling into the ocean and becoming one with the ocean. But then the reality is, if you ask the enlightened one, "So, when your raindrop and you fell into the ocean, became one with it, where you an individual being then you become enlightened?" "Now you're Brahman?" "Of course not. I just realized I and everybody else, we always wear this reality. We just didn't see it. Now we see it." Otherwise, the language of merging can lead to, "I'm trying to merge with the infinite. I'm sort of 30% merged and 50%, almost 95% merged with the infinite." "You are the infinite. Didn't you hear him singing, Satyam, Gyaan, Infinite Existence, Consciousness, Bliss?" "So, that's great for infinite existence, consciousness, bliss, but what about me?" "You are that." "Yeah, only after I become enlightened?" "No, you're that now." That Swami, I mentioned, the Obi Swami, who was talking about Ashtavakra, he used to say that often. He would repeat, "I'll tell you the Hindi and then translate." Yeah. "Whether you know it or not, whether you accept it or not, you are Rama. You are God." But God, of course, you have to be very careful by what he means by God. It's absolute reality, not Ishwar, the God of this universe. That is, that is really, really God. Ashtavakra himself sings the ocean metaphor. Look at the ocean metaphor, three levels of understanding of this. In me, the limitless ocean of existence, the little boat of the universe floats hither and thither, why? Swan propelled by an inner wind. Normally, there's a wind in the ocean and on the over the ocean, which will drive a sailboat. But here, the boat has its own wind. But it is what's internal. The wind internal to the boat. I guess they didn't have propellers at that time and engines, so they had to come up with this, an inner wind. What is the inner wind? Causality. Again, because of causality, which is entirely limited to the world, it moves in various ways. Sometimes things go well, sometimes things don't go well. Sometimes there is birth, sometimes old age and disease and death, sometimes ill health, sometimes good health, sometimes success. The stock market is up, sometimes it's a bear market, and so on. Why? Causes and conditions, causality, and all of that, limited to the little boat floating in an endless ocean. What is that endless ocean? You. What's it made of? What exactly is it? Existence, being. And it's a shining being, awareness. So, in me, the limitless ocean of being, awareness, the little boat of this universe is floating in various ways. Sometimes doing well, sometimes seeming to sink. What is my attitude as the uh endless ocean? Na mamasti, asajnuta. I have no impatience. I, I have no intolerance. I forbear. It's nothing to me. When it's doing well, the boat is racing along nicely. Good little boat, you're doing well. When it's not, "Oh, try to do better." But I'm the infinite ocean. I'm all right. I'm all right. And remember, what is he saying? Normally, we think there is a vast ocean of unknown, this universe, space and time. In that, I'm a tiny little being, destined to, I was born the day, other day, and I'm going to be destined to be crushed out of existence in a few days. He reverses it. Ashtavakra, you are the infinite. In you, the universe is in you. You are like an ocean. And he knew the universe itself, not just one person, not just one life. The universe itself is a little boat, and you are not impatient with its ways. And this is just superficial, the first level. The three levels to this. Can it go any deeper? Yes. Remember, boat and ocean are still different. There's a boat which is not the ocean. So, the next level goes deeper. It merges. This difference. I am an infinite ocean of existence. In me, the universe arises as a wave. Let it arise, let it subside. I neither gain nor lose. And in, in an ocean, one wave arises, is the ocean increased thereby? No. The wave subsides, is the ocean reduced thereby? No. Even if a tsunami wave arises, ocean is not increased. Even if tsunami waves fades away into the ocean, ocean is not reduced. If birth comes, I have gained nothing. If youth and health and success and an Ivy League education and being a millionaire on Wall Street comes, I have not increased one bit. The stock market crashes and I am homeless on the streets, I have not lost one bit. I am the same ocean of existence. What proof? You can say all this is terrible. Answer from Vedanta is, be patient, wait a little, it'll all go away. Again, you know, the Buddhist monk who came to the kingdom and the king said, "Oh, monk, I have so many." The king was his friend. So the monk said, "How are you?" "Okay." The king said, "I have so many problems. The kingdom is surrounded by enemies. The ministers are corrupt. The prince is indolent, not learning his duties. I don't know what will happen. And there is a drought and the people are starving." And the monk said, "Oh, king, this too shall pass." Then he went away. A decade later, he was back in the same kingdom, older. The king also was older. And the monk asked, "O king, how are you?" "Oh, it's really good. Things have turned up since you last came. And the enemies have made peace with them. And there's a bountiful harvest. And the ministers have been replaced. And the princess turned out really quite well, you know. So, things are, things are really, really good. They're all looking up." And, "Oh, king, this too shall pass." They say. And then an optimist. What do you say? Optimist and pessimist. A pessimist is one who sees the long dark tunnel. An optimist is one who sees the light at the end of the tunnel. But the realist is the one who sees the long dark tunnel and the light at the end of the tunnel, and the next dark tunnel ahead. So, Ashtavakra says, let it arise, let it subside. It's all right. I am that infinite ocean. I have not gained a little bit by the wonderful things happening in the world, and I have not lost a little bit by the terrible things happening in my life or in the world. You see, that might lead to a kind of callousness. No, it won't. That argument, things will lead to callousness. You just need to look at the lives of the saints. They're the least callous of all people. We are callous. We really don't care. We just make arguments for caring for the world in order to escape being spiritual. Be spiritual, you will care much more for the world. All right. But this is the second level. It goes even deeper, though. The third level. I am that infinite ocean of existence, but now it's a calm ocean. There are no waves. What I thought was the universe was just that imagination. Mind is imagination, and the thoughts in the mind are also imagination. It's an appearance in consciousness. Therefore, what am I? Formless. There is no real world there out there, even when it's all appearing. And shanta, peaceful, deeply quiet, peaceful, serene, beyond the possibility of disturbance. See, the peace of the mind, you can come, but you can be restless also. The mind can lose its peace. But the peace that passeth understanding, that cannot be disturbed. And that's our real nature. Upanishad calls you Shanta, not that you have to be peaceful. Shanta is peace. You are peace itself. The mind is sometimes peaceful, sometimes without peace. The body is sometimes healthy, sometimes without health. The world and community are sometimes peaceful, sometimes without peace. But you are peace itself, beyond the possibility of disturbance. Yes, I'll leave it at that.
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